Sawt Falasteen - Harris, Trump hit campaign trail as debate looms

As they buckled down for the final two-month sprint to Election Day, the latest spasm of gun violence rippled through the United States, with four people killed by a 14-year-old student at a high school in the southern state of Georgia.

Vice President Harris, condemning the "senseless tragedy" of the shooting, urged a halt to the "epidemic of gun violence" plaguing the United States.

She also reiterated her call for a ban on assault weapons -- a position widely opposed by Republicans -- as she addressed a rally in New Hampshire.

Trump, himself the target of an assassination attempt by a gunman in July, said the victims "were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster."

Security has been beefed up on the trail. Harris spoke Wednesday at a brewery south of Portsmouth on a stage protected on three sides by bullet-proof glass, an apparent first for her, while Trump too used such reinforced protection during a recent outdoor event.

Harris, who has revived Democratic hopes with just 61 days until the November 5 vote, unveiled proposed tax breaks for small businesses as she fleshed out her economic policy.

In a rare break with Biden, she proposed a 28 percent tax rate on capital gains, lower than the 39.6 percent planned by the president, in her latest attempt to appeal to centrist voters.

"We know when the government encourages investment, it leads to broad-based economic growth, and it creates jobs, which makes our economy stronger," Harris said.

Team Trump meanwhile blasted the plans, saying in a statement that Harris's various proposals would lead to tax hikes "on almost 26 million small businesspeople in America."

Trump himself participated in a pre-recorded town hall event that airs at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Thursday) on conservative-leaning Fox News in Pennsylvania.

The appearance came after the Republican's notable campaign trail absence over the US Labor Day weekend, traditionally the start of the final sprint.

Then on Tuesday, millions of American voters will finally see Harris and Trump do battle in-person during their debate on primetime television.

"She's had her honeymoon period. People are learning who she is," Trump told a local New Hampshire radio station Wednesday. "We can't go another four years with a dumb president."

- Tight race -

Harris, 59, has upended the race since Biden dramatically quit as the Democratic candidate after the 81-year-old's disastrous performance in a debate against Trump exacerbated fears about his age and mental acuity.

America's first female, Black and South Asian vice president has swiftly erased Trump's poll lead and forced the ex-president and convicted felon to rethink his campaign.

Despite his unprecedented attempt to overturn the 2020 election -- culminating in a mob of supporters storming the US Capitol -- 78-year-old Trump retains passionate support on the right.

He faces a new challenge with Harris. A CNN poll released Wednesday showed the race remains nail-bitingly close in six key battleground states likely decide the presidency.

Harris holds the edge against Trump over likely voters in the "Rust Belt" states of Wisconsin and Michigan, by 50 percent to 44 percent, and 48 percent to 43 percent respectively.

Trump meanwhile has the edge in Arizona by 49 percent to 44 percent.

But the race is essentially tied in three other states -- most critically in Pennsylvania, the biggest swing state prize in terms of votes in the US electoral college system.

Biden won all six states when he defeated Trump in 2020.

The findings come a day after a USA Today/Suffolk University poll found Harris leading Trump 48 percent to 43 percent -- with double-digit gains with crucial groups including Hispanic and Black voters and younger people.

Harris got a boost of sorts Wednesday from Republican quarters when former congresswoman Liz Cheney, an arch conservative and never-Trumper, endorsed the Democrat for president.

"Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump but I will be voting for Kamala Harris," Cheney told a gathering at Duke University, in videos posted to social media.

On the economic front, the American steel industry was rocked by a report that President Joe Biden plans to block a deal selling US Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel.

The American firm warned it could shut factories in Pennsylvania.

Harris travels to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Thursday, while Trump is slated to hold a rally Saturday in swing state Wisconsin.

H.Nasr--SF-PST