Politics and views in the United States.

Civil rights groups push for a voter registration deadline extension in Georgia, federal workers helping in hurricane recovery face misinformation and threats of violence, and Brown University rejects student divestment demands.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

I think it's important that every qualified Georgian has an opportunity to register, and not because of acts of God or forces of nature should they be stopped.

President of the Georgia NAACP Gerald Griggs says his group will keep pushing for an extension to the state's voter registration deadline following Hurricane Helene.

He says widespread power outages and travel disruptions are hampering sign-up.

A federal judge has so far denied their request but is asking for more evidence.

A similar motion was denied in Florida.

South Carolina extended its deadline to October 14.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorca says conspiracy theories about federal workers are hurting rescue and recovery efforts.

We have seen people reticent, reluctant to access the relief to which they are entitled and which will help them because of the fear that that false information has instilled in them.

Online threats of violence and anti-Semitic posts directed at FEMA officials claim the government is seizing property and stealing donations.

Mayorca calls the situation demoralizing for those risking their lives to save others.

President Joe Biden says Congress should return early to pass more disaster aid.

He warns that while FEMA has the resources it needs, emergency funds for small businesses are running low.

They're going to have to come back after the election as well.

This is going to be a long haul for total rebuilding.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson says it's too close to the election and states need more time to calculate their needs.

Fulton County, Georgia, is suing the State Board of Elections, saying it's appointing election deniers as poll monitors in the Democratic area.

Board member Janelle King counters they are defending election integrity in spite of county efforts.

There's something to having a county who refuses to respond to us, who refuses to do the things that we've asked them to do.

Georgia's Republican Secretary of State says the board is overstepping its authority, including when it requires the hand-counting of all ballots.

Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed she'll take part in a CNN town hall-style event in Pennsylvania on October 23.

That's the date CNN had planned to air a second presidential candidates debate, which former President Donald Trump declined.

Brown University has voted against divesting from companies with financial ties to Israel.

The school had agreed last spring to consider a proposal in exchange for the removal of a student Gaza protest camp.

Nayanta Nepal is the student council president.

Just because the bureaucracy of this university does not agree with divestment doesn't mean that students will stop fighting for divestment, will stop fighting for the fact that there are still people dying on the ground right now.

Brown was one of a few universities to peacefully negotiate with student activists.

I'm Katherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.