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Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Spread of Disease

Credit: David Snyder

Disease is just a flight away. To protect America’s health, CDC partners with the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the spread of serious contagious diseases during travel. CDC uses a Do Not Board list to prevent travelers from boarding commercial airplanes if they are known or suspected to have a contagious disease that poses a threat to the public’s health. Sick travelers are also placed on a Lookout list so they will be detected if they attempt to enter the United States by land or sea. These tools can be used for anyone who poses a threat to the public’s health.

Local and state public health officials can request CDC’s assistance if a person who poses a public health threat intends to travel. CDC helps ensure these people do not travel while contagious.

Placing people on the lists

The criteria for adding people to the Do Not Board and Lookout lists are

• not  aware of diagnosis or not  following public health recommendations, or
• Likely to travel on a commercial flight involving the United States or travel internationally by any means; or
• Need to issue travel restriction to respond to a public health outbreak or to help enforce a public health order.

Criteria number one plus one of the three subsets must be met for a person to be placed on the Do Not Board and Lookout lists.

Credit: David Heaberlin

Once a person is placed on these lists, airlines will not issue a boarding pass to the person for any commercial flight within, arriving to, or departing from the United States.

The Do Not Board and Lookout lists have been used for people with suspected or confirmed infectious tuberculosis (TB), including multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and measles. During 2020-2022, CDC used these authorities to restrict travel of people with COVID-19 and close contacts who were recommended to quarantine. These authorities were also used for mpox during 2022. Travel restrictions can also be used for other suspected or confirmed contagious diseases that could pose a public health threat during travel, including viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.

Preventing people with contagious diseases from traveling also helps to make sure they get or continue medical treatment, such as for infectious tuberculosis.

Taking people off the lists

Once public health authorities confirm a person is no longer contagious, the person is removed from the lists (typically within 24 hours). Also, CDC reviews the records of all persons on the lists every two weeks to determine whether they are eligible for removal.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Spread of Disease

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COVID-19 international travel advisories

If you plan to visit the U.S., you do not need to be tested or vaccinated for COVID-19. U.S. citizens going abroad, check with the Department of State for travel advisories.

COVID-19 testing and vaccine rules for entering the U.S.

• As of May 12, 2023, noncitizen nonimmigrant visitors to the U.S.  arriving by air  or  arriving by land or sea  no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• As of June 12, 2022,  people entering the U.S. no longer need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test . 

U.S. citizens traveling to a country outside the U.S.

Find country-specific COVID-19 travel rules from the Department of State.

See the  CDC's COVID-19 guidance for safer international travel.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

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US restricts travel of embassy workers in Israel as Iran retaliation looms

The U.S. State Department issued a security alert Thursday for its personnel and their families in Israel, limiting where they can go amid increased concerns of an Iranian attack.

“Out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice,’’ the alert says. “U.S. government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel.’’

There’s no reference in the alert to an impending Iranian strike, but Tehran has signaled it will retaliate for the April 1 assault on its consulate in Damascus, which killed seven senior Iranian military officers. Israel is widely believed to have launched that attack, although it has not claimed responsibility.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached out in the last day to the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey “to make clear that escalation is not in anyone’s interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters Thursday.

With the Israel-Hamas war still raging past the six-month mark, the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is also urging American citizens to be mindful of the risks of traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, warning against visiting the embattled Palestinian territory.

“The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events,’’ the alert says.

Israel to 'flood Gaza with aid': War of words with Iran also heats up

Developments:

∎ Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrated near a Jerusalem enlistment office, protesting a recent court ruling that means "Haredim" men will be drafted for the first time since Israel was founded in 1948.

∎ Israel is prepared for military confrontations beyond Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, amid concern that Iran was getting ready to strike Israel. "Whoever harms us, we will harm them," he said.

∎ The Israel Defense Forces said it began a "precise, intelligence-based operation to strike terrorist infrastructure and eliminate operatives in central Gaza'' overnight into Thursday.

∎ Russia urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint to avoid "complete destabilization" of the region. Russia also warned its citizens against traveling to the Middle East.

Iran says it must punish Israel because UN didn't condemn embassy attack

Tehran must retaliate for the deadly attack on its consular compound in Damascus last week because the U.N. Security Council failed to condemn the strike or take any action against Israel, Iran’s U.N. mission said in a statement posted Thursday on the X platform.

“Had the U.N. Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,” the statement said.

Despite its threats, Iran has indicated to the U.S. through an intermediary that it will respond in a manner that avoids an escalation of hostilities with Israel and wouldn’t rush into it, Reuters reported. The U.S. has maintained it was not involved in or given advance notice of the attack.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the April 1 attack on an Iranian consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Syria that killed seven high-ranking Iranian military officers, including Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi of the elite Quds Force. Tensions between the nations have increased, and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Wednesday that “the evil regime made a mistake and must be punished.”

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East reportedly arrived in Israel on Thursday for meetings with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other senior defense officials to discuss an anticipated military response from Iran,  Haaretz.com  reported. Gen. Erik Kurilla’s trip comes a day after Blinken spoke with Gallant and “reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s security and made clear that the U.S. will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies,” the State Department said in a statement.

U.S. Central Command, in an email to USA TODAY, declined to confirm Kurilla’s trip: “We do not discuss flag officer travel for operational security.”

Hamas official says cease-fire needed to account for hostages

A senior Hamas official on Thursday deflected questions from journalists concerning fears that many hostages could be dead. The possibility gained traction after Hamas said it was not sure it could provide 40 living Israeli civilian captives as part of a cease-fire proposal. Dr. Basem Naim, a member of political bureau of Hamas, said a cease-fire agreement is needed to provide time and safety to collect information on the captured Israelis. They are held in different places by different militant groups − and some are "under the rubble, killed with our own people" and heavy equipment is required to find them, he said.

No one is asking about the thousands of Palestinians kidnapped by Israel since the Hamas-led attack Oct. 7 that ignited the war, he said.

"The most outrageous is the repeated questions regarding the hostages in Gaza, how many alive or dead, does Hamas rejected the proposal because it can’t release 40 hostages in the first phase, etc ..." he said in a statement posted on Telegram. "The lives of their people aren’t more precious than ours."

UNICEF aid convoy hit with gunfire, turned back from Gaza

A UNICEF convoy was hit by gunfire Wednesday as it tried to deliver aid to northern Gaza, the latest in a series of violent obstructions faced by aid workers in the enclave.

"The incident has been raised with relevant Israeli authorities," UNICEF said in a statement. "Sadly, humanitarians continue to face risks in delivering lifesaving aid."

The incident occurred nine days after a World Central Kitchen aid convoy was attacked by Israeli rockets, killing seven workers − and the same day Israel promised to greatly increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment on the incident.

UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram told Al Jazeera she was in one of the vehicles at a “holding point” area at a checkpoint. She said three rounds hit the car where she was sitting. The mission had been authorized and the Israeli authorities knew about the convoy, Ingram said. After the shooting, Israeli authorities continued to delay the convoy and it eventually was forced to return to Rafah.

“So those life-saving supplies never made it to the children in northern Gaza,” Ingram said.

Israeli commander pitches aid plan to Red Cross, other agencies

Israel's Southern Command chief, Major General Yaron Finkelman, met with representatives of U.N. agencies, the Red Cross, IMC, USAID and the American Humanitarian Coordinator as part of "increasing coordination and cooperation on the issue of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military announced.

The meeting comes as Israel announced plans to greatly increase access to humanitarian aid for Gaza residents. Plans include a new border crossing designed make it easier to bring humanitarian supplies from overseas and from Jordan to the east.

“These breakthroughs have a direct impact on the flow of aid – we plan to flood Gaza with aid," Gallant said. "It will also streamline security checks and strengthen our work with international partners.”

Contributing: Reuters

Afghan Man on FBI Terror Watchlist Released on Bond, Sparking Concerns Over Border Security and Judicial Discretion

A n Afghan man on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist, who was apprehended near the U.S.-Mexico border and later released by Border Patrol agents, has been freed on bond after an immigration judge was not informed of his national security threat status during a recent hearing. This development has highlighted the complexities and challenges faced by U.S. authorities in handling cases that potentially involve national security risks.

Mohammad Kharwin, 48, who was identified as a member of the Hezb-e-Islami (HIG), an organization designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., was originally arrested in March 10, 2023 after illegally crossing the border near San Ysidro, California. Despite suspicions of his placement on the terrorist watchlist due to one piece of matching information, corroborative details were lacking, leading to his release under Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy as it would any other migrant.

After his release, Kharwin was referred to ICE’s Alternatives to Detention Program, enabling him to check in periodically by phone, apply for asylum and work authorization, and even travel domestically within the U.S. He awaited an immigration hearing, set for 2025, with no movement restrictions imposed upon him.

The case took a dramatic turn when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson later stated, “As soon as there was information to suggest that this individual was of concern, he was taken into custody by ICE. Law enforcement has been tracking the matter closely to protect against public safety risks.” This came after ICE received information from the FBI in February indicating potential terrorist ties and concerns over Kharwin posing a national security risk.

Subsequently, Kharwin was detained and brought before an immigration judge in Pearsall, Texas. During this hearing in March 28, ICE prosecutors did not share classified information about Kharwin’s alleged connections to HIG. The judge, unaware of the national security implications, ordered his release on a $12,000 bond, which Kharwin paid.

Moreover, the situation has prompted political responses, with former President Donald Trump citing the threat of terrorism at the border as a justification for his re-election bid. “Terrorists are pouring in, unchecked, from all over the world,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this year.

Relevant articles:

– Man on terror watchlist remains in U.S. after being released by Border Patrol

– Man on terror watchlist remains in US after being released by Border Patrol , NBC Southern California, Fri, 12 Apr 2024 03:31:59 GMT

– 14-year-old runaway twins from Detroit found with 30-year-old man in hotel , AOL, Thu, 11 Apr 2024 23:58:27 GMT

– House Leaders Demand Answers From Mayorkas On Terrorists Being Released Into U.S. , Tennessee Conservative, Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:09:42 GMT

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CBP Announces Trusted Traveler Programs Fee Changes

WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today an upcoming fee change for some of its most popular Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP).

On April 2, a final rule was published in the Federal Register , harmonizing the fees for the NEXUS , Global Entry, and SENTRI programs, better reflecting the program costs. The new fees, which have not been updated in over 15 years, will go into effect October 1, 2024. As these programs have matured and expanded, updating the fee structures is critical to the continuation and management of the programs.

Once the rule goes into effect, applicants under the age of 18 will be exempt from the application fee when a parent or legal guardian is already a member of, or concurrently applying for NEXUS, SENTRI, or Global Entry. SENTRI, which allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering the United States using dedicated primary lanes at Southern land border ports, will move from an “a la carte” fee structure to a uniform fee of $120, which will be collected in full when each application is submitted. The fees for NEXUS, a joint program managed by CBP and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that allows dedicated processing between the U.S. and Canada, will increase from $50 to $120, and Global Entry fees will increase from $100 to $120.

TTP supports CBP’s mission of securing U.S. borders while facilitating lawful travel and trade. Travelers must be pre-approved for TTP. All applicants undergo rigorous and recurring background checks and an in-person interview before enrollment. While a key goal of the programs is to expedite travelers through the process, members may still be selected for further examination when entering the United States. To maintain a strict standard in establishing TTP members as low-risk travelers, any violation of a program’s terms and conditions will result in the appropriate enforcement action and termination of the traveler’s membership privileges.

For more information on TTP, follow @CBP or visit ttp.dhs.gov .

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.

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Dhs secretary mayorkas previews summer travel season, highlights tsa precheck® perks.

Today, the Department of Homeland Security released b-roll for broadcast of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas inspecting new technology and operations at Dulles International Airport this week ahead of the summer travel season that kicks off with this weekend’s Memorial Day holiday

The CIS Ombudsman's Webinar: 2022 Annual Report

On July 19, 2022, the CIS Ombudsman hosted a webinar highlighting its 2022 Annual Report to Congress.

Secretary Mayorkas Testifies on the FY2023 DHS Budget

Secretary Mayorkas Testifies on the FY2023 Department of Homeland Security Budget

National Interest Exception from Presidential Proclamation 10294

On October 25, 2021, President Biden issued Presidential Proclamation 10294, entitled "Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic," which suspends and limits the entry into the United States of non-citizens by air travel who are nonimmigrants ("noncitizen nonimmigrants") and who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Presidential Proclamation 10294 contains specified exceptions, including a specific exception for noncitizen nonimmigrants "whose entry would be in the national interest," and entrusts the Secretary of Homeland Security (along with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Transportation) to make this determination.

Nuevos requisitos en Puertos de Ingreso Terrestre y Terminales do Ferry protegerán la salud pública al tiempo

A partir del 22 de enero de 2022, el DHS requerirá que todo viajero que no sea ciudadano de E.U. esté completamente vacunado contra el COVID-19 al entrar a los Estados Unidos por los puertos de ingreso terrestre y terminales de ferry en las fronteras entre Estados Unidos y México y entre Estados Unidos y Canadá, y que presenten prueba de la mencionada vacuna, ya que los casos de COVID-19 siguen aumentando en todo el país.  Estas nuevas restricciones se aplicarán a los individuos que no sean ciudadanos de E.U. que estén viajando tanto por razones esenciales como no-esenciales.  No se aplican a los ciudadanos estadounidenses, residentes legales permanentes, y a los nacionales de Estados Unidos.

DHS to Require Non-U.S. Individual Travelers Entering the United States at Land Ports of Entry and Ferry Terminals to be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Beginning on January 22, 2022, DHS will require non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationwide. These new restrictions will apply to non-U.S. individuals who are traveling for both essential and non-essential reasons. They will not apply to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, or U.S. nationals.

Fact Sheet: Guidance for Travelers to Enter the U.S. at Land Ports of Entry and Ferry Terminals

Beginning May 12, 2023, DHS will no longer require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request. DHS intends to rescind these Title 19 travel restrictions in alignment with the end of the Public Health Emergency and the termination of the Presidential Proclamation on air travel.

Frequently Asked Questions: Guidance for Travelers to Enter the U.S.

Since January 22, 2022, DHS has required non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.

Travel Risk Assessment

The DHS Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans recently completed its evaluation and review of all currently travel restricted and 180-day warning countries.  Notably, this review included new recommendations to remove from travel restrictions certain countries that have demonstrated significant compliance improvement.

National Interest Exemption From Presidential Proclamations 9984, 9992, 9993, and 9996 Regarding Novel Coronavirus for Certain Professional Athletes and Their Essential Staff and Dependents

To address the threat to the nation posed by the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the President issued Proclamations 9984, 9992, 9993, and 9996, suspending the entry of all noncitizens who were physically present within the People’s Republic of China (excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau), the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. Each of the above proclamations includes an exception for “any noncitizen whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their designees.”

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Trump campaign calls for more presidential debates ‘much earlier’ in election race – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. You can read more of our US politics coverage here .

• 10h ago Closing summary
• 12h ago Trump campaign calls for more presidential debates
• 13h ago Interim summary
• 14h ago Biden campaign launches seven-figure ad buy on abortion in Arizona
• 15h ago MTG says she does not support Johnson despite 'kitchen cabinet' adviser offer
• 15h ago Biden knows Netanyahu ‘played’ him in early months of Gaza war, says Tim Kaine
• 16h ago Johnson suffered embarrassing defeat over surveillance bill after Trump calls to 'kill' it
• 16h ago Johnson and Trump to hold joint press conference on Friday
• 17h ago Trump and Johnson grow closer amid frustration over 'stupid' threat to speakership

Biden campaign launches seven-figure ad buy on abortion in Arizona

Joe Biden ’s campaign launched a seven-figure ad buy in Arizona on Thursday focusing on reproductive rights, just two days after the state’s supreme court upheld a near-total abortion ban dating to 1864.

The ad buy focuses on Donald Trump ’s latest abortion stance, in which he said laws should be left to individual states, many of which have enacted new restrictions since he appointed supreme court justices who were instrumental in the 2022 Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade.

“Because of Donald Trump, millions of women lost the fundamental freedom to control their own bodies,” Biden narrates in the 30-second ad.

And now, women’s lives are in danger because of that. The question is, if Donald Trump gets back in power, what freedom will you lose next?

The ad, dubbed “Power Back”, will run this month on targeted television programs and target key young, female and Latino voters both on television and online, according to the campaign.

In a statement, campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said:

This week, women across the state of Arizona are watching in horror as an abortion ban from 1864 with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of a woman will soon become the law of the land for Arizonans. This nightmare is only possible because of Donald Trump.

Closing summary

Donald Trump ’s campaign wrote to the commission on presidential debates asking for this year’s general election debates between him and Joe Biden to take place “much earlier” and calling for more to be added to the schedule.

The Trump campaign letter comes after five of the major TV news networks banded together to prepare a letter urging Biden and Trump to participate in televised debates ahead the November general election.

Joe Biden ’s re-election campaign launched a seven-figure ad buy in Arizona on Thursday focusing on reproductive rights, just two days after the state’s supreme court upheld a near-total abortion ban dating to 1864.

Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, called on Americans to overcome their “self-doubt” as he offered a paean to US global leadership before a bitterly divided Congress.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right congresswoman of Georgia who has filed a motion to remove Mike Johnson, said the House speaker offered her a spot on a proposed “kitchen cabinet” of advisers after a meeting at the Capitol.

Senator Tim Kaine, a former vice-presidential nominee and leading foreign policy voice in the Democratic party, has said Joe Biden now understands that Benjamin Netanyahu “played” him during the early months of the war in Gaza but “that ain’t going to happen any more”.

The joint press conference between Mike Johnson and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow will come just two days after the former president called on Republicans to kill legislation the speaker put forward to extend a controversial surveillance law. Trump had urged House GOP members to reject a reauthorization of the law, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), ahead of the key procedural vote on Wednesday.

Johnson is dashing to Florida to meet with Trump , where the pair are expected to appear tomorrow at an event at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate for a “major announcement on election integrity”. Friday’s appearance will mark their first public event together since Johnson was elected to the speakership last fall.

FBI director Christopher Wray is currently speaking before the House appropriations committee, where he is expected to warn lawmakers of his concerns over potential bad actors carrying out attacks on US soil.

“Our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” a transcript of Wray’s opening statement obtained by ABC News reads.

But now increasingly concerning is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia Concert Hall a couple weeks ago.

Wray said he was “hard pressed to think of a time where so many threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once,” according to the transcript.

While he was careful not to touch on US domestic politics, the address by Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, today comes amid a deadlock in Congress on approving billions of dollars in additional military aid to Ukraine, due to pressure from hard-right Republicans aligned with Donald Trump.

Kishida warned that the biggest challenge the world faces comes from China:

China’s current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large.

“Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow,” he added.

Kishida decries Russian war against Ukraine as “unprovoked, unjust, and brutal.” “As I often say, Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow,” he says. That gets a standing ovation from most (Marjorie Taylor Greene among the few in the chamber who remain seated). — Morgan Chalfant (@mchalfant16) April 11, 2024

Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on Thursday called on Americans to overcome their “self-doubt” as he offered a paean to US global leadership before a bitterly divided Congress.

Warning of risks from the rise of China, Kishida said that Japan – stripped of its right to a military after the second world war – was determined to do more to share responsibility with its ally the United States.

“As we meet here today, I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be,” Kishida told a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate during a state visit to Washington.

The international order that the US worked for generations to build is facing new challenges, challenges from those with values and principles very different from ours.

Kishida said he understood “the exhaustion of being the country that has upheld the international order almost single-handedly” but added:

The leadership of the United States is indispensable. Without US support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow? Without the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?

A majority of voters in Florida say they believe a six-week abortion ban is too strict, but only 42% said they will vote in favor of a ballot measure to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution, according to a new poll.

The study by Emerson College Polling found that 57% of respondents said the six-week abortion ban that will become state law next month is “too strict”, compared with 15% who said it is not strict enough.

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said:

Fifty-six percent of Democrats and 44% of independents plan to vote in favor of a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability. Republicans are more split: 36% plan to vote no, 30% yes, and 34% are unsure.

Wisconsin Republicans have hit the state election commission with complaints alleging that officials in the state’s two largest cities illegally rejected Republican applicants for poll worker positions for the primary election.

The complaints, filed by the Milwaukee county Republican party and Dane county Republican party, claim officials in Milwaukee and Madison violated state law by not contacting eligible Republicans nominated by their party to work the polls. The move furthers the GOP strategy of questioning election processes in key battleground states.

“This is the kind of misconduct that drives down faith in elections,” the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, Michael Whatley, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Republican Party is filing these complaints to compel election officials to follow the law and guarantee bipartisan access to important election administration positions in the Badger state.

Burt Jones, Georgia’s state senator turned lieutenant governor, will be investigated for his role as a fake elector for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Pete Skandalakis , director of the prosecuting attorneys’ council of Georgia, said he will look into whether Jones should face criminal charges over efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Jones was one of 16 state Republicans who signed a certificate stating that Trump had won Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Joe Biden had been declared the winner in the state.

The Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, was barred from prosecuting Jones in 2022 as part of her election interference case against Trump and others, after she hosted a campaign fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race.

Skandalakis announced on Thursday that he would appoint himself to spearhead a potential case against Jones, after facing criticism for not moving more quickly to find a prosecutor to replace Willis.

The Trump campaign letter comes after five of the major TV news networks banded together to prepare a letter urging Joe Biden and Donald Trump to participate in televised debates ahead the November general election.

The letter, endorsed by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News, urged the presumptive presidential nominees “to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November’s election”, according to CNN.

In a statement responding to the Trump campaign’s letter asking for more presidential debates, Republican national committee Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump said:

Election calendars have become longer than ever before – and scheduling debates after millions of Americans have already cast their ballots does a grave disservice to voters who want to hear solutions to the economic, border, and crime crises created by Joe Biden.

Trump campaign calls for more presidential debates

In a letter to the commission, Trump co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita wrote:

The Commission must move up the timetable of its proposed 2024 debates to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting, and we would argue for adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule.

The first presidential debate is scheduled to take place on 16 September in San Marcos, Texas. There are three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate scheduled.

Wiles and LaCivita noted that by the date of the first proposed debate, more than a million Americans are likely to have already voted, and three million may have cast their ballot by 1 October, when the second proposed debate is scheduled. They added:

We have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere – and the time to start these debates is now.

Trump, who did not participate in any of the Republican primary debates, made similar requests during the 2020 election.

The Republican National Committee sent out a scripted robocall on behalf of its new co-chair Lara Trump, falsely claiming Democrats were guilty of “massive fraud” in the 2020 election.

“We all know the problems,” the RNC call said , according to CNN, which also said the call was sent 145,000 times in the first week of April.

No photo IDs, unsecured ballot drop boxes, mass mailing of ballots and voter rolls chock full of deceased people and non-citizens are just a few examples of the massive fraud that took place. If Democrats have their way, your vote could be canceled out by someone who isn’t even an American citizen.

Marc Elias, a Democratic lawyer who repeatedly defeated Trump in court after the 2020 election, said the RNC robocall showed the Republican party to be “more committed to the big lie than ever”.

Donald Trump, who installed his daughter-in-law at the RNC last month, lost the 2020 election conclusively to Joe Biden and was told by close aides including William Barr, his attorney general, and Chris Krebs , his head of cybersecurity, that there was no widespread fraud.

Regardless, Trump pursued his fraud lie through the courts – losing every case – and ultimately by inciting the deadly attack on Congress on 6 January 2021.

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