Pro-Trump group funded by Elon Musk struggles with outreach targets, inflation of doorknocking figures

 Pro-Trump group funded by Elon Musk struggles with outreach targets, inflation of doorknocking figures
SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk participates in a town hall-style meeting to promote early and absentee voting at Ridley High School on October 17, 2024 in Folsom, Pennsylvania, in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (Getty Images/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 19 October 2024
Follow

Pro-Trump group funded by Elon Musk struggles with outreach targets, inflation of doorknocking figures

 Pro-Trump group funded by Elon Musk struggles with outreach targets, inflation of doorknocking figures
  • America PAC canvassers are warned about missing targets as the group struggles in swing states like Wisconsin and Nevada
  • Despite the influx of cash, some of America PAC’s outreach has been plagued by disarray, the people familiar with its efforts told Reuters

The political action committee funded by billionaire Elon Musk to help re-elect former US President Donald Trump is struggling in some swing states to meet doorknocking goals and is investigating claims that some canvassers lied about the number of voters they have contacted, according to people involved in the group’s efforts.

The difficulties, in pivotal battleground states including Wisconsin and Nevada, come as the group, America PAC, races to enlist voters behind the Republican candidate in the final two weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Four people involved in the group’s outreach told Reuters that managers warned canvassers they are missing targets and needed to raise the number of would-be voters they contact.

Alysia McMillan, who canvassed for the PAC in Wisconsin, said field organizers recently told campaigners there they weren’t reaching daily objectives and were on track to miss an ultimate goal of contacting 450,000 voters by Election Day. In one meeting with canvassers, recorded by McMillan and reviewed by Reuters, a manager warned of the shortfall.

“We’re not going to hit 450,000, not with what we’ve got now,” the manager said in the Oct. 8 meeting. It isn’t clear how many knocks the Wisconsin teams have reached so far.

McMillan, who worked for two local contractors hired by America PAC to knock on voter doors, said she is speaking out because she is concerned a shortfall could cost the former president a victory. “If this isn’t looked into in a timely manner, this can result in a waste of time and money and risk President Trump winning the election,” she told Reuters.

McMillan said she was fired by one contractor, after a pay dispute, but was hired by another shortly afterward.

One canvassing manager in Arizona said leaders there had issued similar warnings. Three other people familiar with the outreach told Reuters that Chris Young, a Musk aide and longtime Republican operative, had recently traveled to Nevada to audit whether doorknocking tallies there had been inflated by some of the workers hired by contractors. Another person briefed on the matter said America PAC was struggling to find sufficient people to conduct audits in other states.

A person close to America PAC’s operations said McMillan’s account of a Wisconsin shortfall is inaccurate and that the group will reach its goals. Senior operatives, the person added, routinely visit field offices to check on performance.

Young didn’t respond to a request for comment.

America PAC’s ongoing outreach is built around door-to-door efforts to convince “low propensity voters” – those who may support Trump, but could stay home instead of voting – to cast their ballots. The work has focused on battleground states, where any small difference in voter turnout could clinch victory for Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, in an election that polls continue to say is too close to call.

Musk, ranked by Forbes as the world’s richest person, so far has supplied at least $75 million to America PAC, according to federal disclosures, making the group a crucial part of Trump’s bid to regain the White House. The entrepreneur behind carmaker Tesla and rocket and satellite venture SpaceX has increasingly supported Republican causes. This year, the mogul became an outspoken supporter of Trump, who has said if elected he would appoint Musk to head a government efficiency commission.

Musk didn’t respond to a request for comment.

A Trump campaign spokesperson declined to comment.

Despite the influx of cash, some of America PAC’s outreach has been plagued by disarray, the people familiar with its efforts told Reuters. As with many campaign operations, the group has hired contractors to carry out grass-roots efforts, relying on hourly workers to knock on doors and speak face-to-face with potential voters.

Some of those workers have been difficult to retain. Three canvassers, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the work isn’t worth the pay, starting at some contractors at as low as $20 per hour. In some cases, they added, canvassers drive long distances in remote areas and don’t get reimbursed for gasoline.

In Nevada, it isn’t clear whether Young’s audit has concluded, reached any findings or prompted any change in America PAC’s outreach. Text messages reviewed by Reuters show managers at one Nevada contractor, Lone Mountain Strategies, fretting because they had to fire canvassers who used smartphone apps to disguise their locations and lie about their doorknocking numbers.

“Our auditors keep catching people cheating,” one of the messages read. “We’ve fired two people today and auditors are going around checking doors for flyers.”

Lone Mountain Strategies didn’t respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment.

America PAC recently updated its website to prominently display advertisements seeking canvassers. “Pay starts at $30 per hour, with bonuses for performance,” the site reads.


Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border

Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border
Updated 8 min 12 sec ago
Follow

Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border

Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border
  • ‘This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement’
  • Cambodia and Thailand have previously clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer border

BANGKOK: Thailand’s army warned that it may have to “exercise the right of self-defense” in response to continuing incidents it blames on Cambodia, in which Thai soldiers patrolling along the two countries’ border have been wounded by land mines.

A statement from Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said a sergeant was patrolling the border with seven other soldiers Tuesday morning when he “stepped on an anti-personnel land mine covertly planted by the Cambodian side, resulting in severe injuries to his left ankle.”

The incident and the Thai reaction indicates the precariousness of the ceasefire that took effect on July 29 with the aim of ending five days of armed clashes over disputed territory along their border. The fighting killed dozens of people on both sides, including civilians, and displaced more than 260,000.

Tuesday’s land mine incident was the fourth of its kind in about a month, and the second since the ceasefire. It took place about 1 kilometer from Ta Muen Thom temple, which Thailand claims is located in its Surin province.

The area, which was the scene of heavy fighting in July, is one of several along the border that both countries claim as their own.

In another disputed area Saturday, a Thai sergeant major suffered severe injuries, including losing his left foot, while two privates suffered lesser injuries.

“This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement and shows no respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use and placement of all types of anti-personnel land mines,” said the Thai army statement about the latest incident. Both countries are parties to the international agreement.

The statement noted the multiple similar incidents and declared that Thailand “has consistently adhered to peaceful approaches and has not been the initiating party.”

“However, should circumstances become compelling, it may be necessary to exercise the right of self-defense under international law principles to resolve situations that cause Thailand to continuously lose personnel due to violations of ceasefire agreements and sovereignty encroachments by Cambodian military forces,” it warned.

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry “categorically and unequivocally rejects the baseless, false, and deliberately misleading allegations from the Thai side regarding the injuries of Thai soldiers,” said its spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.

“Cambodia, as a proud and responsible State Party to the Ottawa Convention, maintains an absolute and uncompromising position: we have never used, produced, or deployed new land mines under any circumstances, and we strictly and fully honor our obligations under international law,” she said, echoing previous official denials.

Ly Thuch, senior minister and first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, noted that Cambodia has cleared more than 1 million mines and nearly 3 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from more than three decades of war and civil unrest that began in 1970, according to an interview with the Cambodian state news agency AKP.

Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer border. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.


ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis

ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis
Updated 16 sec ago
Follow

ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis

ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis
  • Bangladesh shelters more than 1 million Rohingya refugees in camps in its southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar
  • Malaysia’s foreign minister will coordinate the Myanmar mission, set for the coming weeks

 

—Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ first such engagement since 2021 Myanmar military coup

—It is planned to take place before UN-backed Rohingya conference in Doha in September

Shehab Sumon

DHAKA: Malaysia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send a peace mission to Myanmar to help address the Rohingya crisis, officials said Tuesday, as Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, whose country hosts most refugees, met with Malaysian leaders.

The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority, lived for centuries in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state but were stripped of their citizenship in the 1980s.

Since then, many of them have fled to Bangladesh, with around 700,000 arriving in 2017 after a military crackdown that the UN has been referring to as a textbook case of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar.

Today, more than 1.3 million Rohingya are cramped inside 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar district on the southeast coast of Bangladesh, making it the world’s largest refugee settlement.

Yunus, the Nobel Peace Laureate who pledged support for the Rohingya upon taking office last year, is on a three-day visit to Malaysia — the ASEAN chair for 2025 — at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“We are concerned with the burden placed on Bangladesh on having to cater for enormous numbers of Rohingya refugees,” Anwar said in a press conference with Yunus.

“The (Malaysian) foreign minister will coordinate a team with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand to visit Myanmar in the next few weeks to ensure that peace is attained and the atrocity (against) some ethnic minorities and the people of Myanmar can be amicably resolved.”

Despite multiple attempts from Bangladeshi authorities, a UN-backed repatriation and resettlement process of the Rohingya has been failing to take off for the past few years.

Efforts have been stalled by armed conflict in Myanmar since the military junta seized power in 2021. Violence in Rakhine State, home to most of the Rohingya, has surged in recent months amid clashes between the junta and the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic militia.

Retired Maj. Gen. Shahidul Haque, former diplomat and defense attache of the Bangladesh Embassy in Myanmar, told Arab News: “The issue of Rohingya repatriation is in a complex state in 2025.

“Multiple actors are involved in Myanmar: the capital, Naypyidaw, is controlled by the Myanmar military, while the Rohingyas’ birthplace, Rakhine, is under the control of the separatist Arakan Army.

“It will not be possible to repatriate a single Rohingya without reaching some form of agreement with the Arakan Army.

“A UN-backed Rohingya conference will be held in Doha next September, and the ASEAN peace mission visit may also help boost the UN initiative to find a sustainable solution to the crisis.”

The UN estimates that in the past 18 months alone, targeted violence against the Rohingya has driven an additional 150,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.

The protracted crisis has begun to affect the host community, which despite not being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, has been supporting the Rohingya by providing not only land, but also water, electricity, healthcare and a huge law enforcement presence.

The Bangladeshi government estimated last year that it had spent around $2 billion since the beginning of the crisis only on maintaining the infrastructure for refugees.

The ASEAN mission will be the first such visit since the Myanmar military coup.

“This peace mission by the ASEAN is a breakthrough initiative for finding a resolution to the Rohingya crisis. Until now, Myanmar authorities have not welcomed any third-party engagement or visit on Rohingya issues,” Haque said.

“The timing of this visit is also very important as the Myanmar military rulers will hold a general election in December. The military rulers in Myanmar need support and recognition from ASEAN peers regarding the election. Maybe for this reason, they are now willing to engage with ASEAN nations.”


Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander

Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander
Updated 36 min 52 sec ago
Follow

Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander

Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander
  • A military court in the capital Mogadishu sentenced the two soldiers to death in August, after they were convicted of killing their battalion commander in July
  • One was found to have received the explosive device, while the second placed it under the bed of their commander, before it was detonated remotely

MOGADISHU: Two Somali soldiers sentenced to death for conspiring with extremist militant group Al-Shabab to assassinate a commander were executed on Monday, military court officials said.

The impoverished Horn of Africa nation is witnessing a rise in attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked militia, fueling concerns of a jihadist resurgence.

The group has seized dozens of towns and villages in an offensive that has reversed nearly all of the gains the army made in 2022 and 2023.

A military court in the capital Mogadishu sentenced the two soldiers to death in August, after they were convicted of killing their battalion commander in July.

One was found to have received the explosive device, while the second placed it under the bed of their commander, before it was detonated remotely.

“They were executed today for their involvement in the assassination of Commander Aided Mohamed Ali,” prosecutor Hassan Siyad Mohamed said.

“Anyone found having links with the Kharijites and proven, one day God will expose you, and you will come out, and we will find you and execute you by firing squad,” said Liban Ali Yarrow, chairman of the supreme military court, using the term officials adopt to describe Al-Shabab.

Three Al-Shabab members found guilty last week of killing people in Mogadishu were executed by firing squad.


Wildfires in Spain kill one and force thousands to flee

Wildfires in Spain kill one and force thousands to flee
Updated 12 August 2025
Follow

Wildfires in Spain kill one and force thousands to flee

Wildfires in Spain kill one and force thousands to flee
  • The victim suffered serious burns and later died in a hospital being the first fatality from dozens of wildfires to have hit the country since the heatwave began last week
  • About 2,000 people were evacuated from hotels and homes near the popular beaches of Tarifa in the southern region of Andalusia

MADRID: A man died from burns and thousands of people were forced to flee as wildfires swept through parts of Spain on Tuesday, fueled by strong winds during a searing heatwave.

The victim suffered serious burns as winds of up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) per hour whipped the flames through Tres Cantos, a wealthy suburb north of the capital Madrid, officials said.

He later died in hospital, in the first fatality from dozens of wildfires to have hit the country since the heatwave began last week.

The head of the regional government of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, said she “deeply regretted” the man’s death in a message on X.

Hundreds of residents in Tres Cantos were evacuated from their homes.

“In barely 40 minutes, the fire advanced six kilometers,” Carlos Novillo, Madrid’s regional environment chief, told reporters.

By Tuesday morning, regional officials said the blaze had been contained.

Elsewhere, about 2,000 people were evacuated from hotels and homes near the popular beaches of Tarifa in the southern region of Andalusia.

The wildfire broke out near where a similar blaze forced evacuations earlier this month.

“We managed to save the residential area at the very last second,” said Antonio Sanz, the interior minister in the regional government of Andalusia.

A Civil Guard police officer was injured when struck by a car while helping with the evacuation, he added.

In the northwestern region of Castile and Leon, more than 30 blazes were reported Monday, including one threatening Las Medulas, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its ancient Roman gold mines.

The wildfires coincide with what meteorologists expect to be the most intense day yet of the ongoing heatwave, with all regions under weather alerts.

Forecasters warn of highs around 40 Celsius and overnight lows that remain above 25 Celsius.


Magnitude 6.3 quake hits Papua in eastern Indonesia: USGS

Magnitude 6.3 quake hits Papua in eastern Indonesia: USGS
Updated 12 August 2025
Follow

Magnitude 6.3 quake hits Papua in eastern Indonesia: USGS

Magnitude 6.3 quake hits Papua in eastern Indonesia: USGS
  • The epicenter of the quake was around 193 kilometers northwest of the town of Abepura in Papua, USGS said
  • There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage

JAKARTA: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the eastern Indonesian region of Papua on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, but a monitor said there was no tsunami threat.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at around 5:24 p.m. (0824 GMT), was around 193 kilometers northwest of the town of Abepura in Papua, USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

USGS earlier gave a magnitude of 6.5 before revising it downward.

The vast archipelago nation experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

A magnitude 6.2 quake that shook Sulawesi in January 2021 killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless.

In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi killed more than 2,200 people.

And in 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.