Facing an uphill climb, an optimistic Ramaswamy predicts he’ll ‘shatter expectations’ in 2024 GOP race
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – With the first votes in the Republican presidential race fast approaching, a bullish Vivek Ramaswamy predicts he’ll “shatter expectations” when the Jan.15 Iowa caucuses lead off the GOP nominating calendar. And pointing to public opinion polls that suggest his support in the early voting states has flatlined in the mid to upper single digits while his unfavorability rating has edged up, the multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate argues the surveys are “way off the mark.” In a campaign trail interview with Fox News with five weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy reiterated he is “confident we’re going to do excellent in Iowa, that’s going to propel us forward when we come here to New Hampshire. And I think that’s going to carry us forward to the final phase of this race.” Ramaswamy, who has spent millions of his own money on his White House run, once again spotlighted his optimistic forecast hours after a new and reputable poll in Iowa suggested he stood at just five percent support among likely Republican presidential caucus-goers. NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN CHARGED WITH PLOTTING TO KILL RAMASWAMY The candidate noted that “history teaches us that where the polls stand in early December are not a good predictor necessarily of where things land ultimately. And I think we’re in for a shock that’s coming in the next few months.” “A lot of the people coming to our events, supporting me… they’re not polled. So I think the poll numbers are way off the mark and I think that works well for us,” Ramaswamy argued. He added that “there’s a lot of people who are libertarians, independents, young people, that are not in those polls…that are absolutely coming to the caucus for us.” And the Ramaswamy campaign pointed to their own internal numbers that suggest stronger support in Iowa than what the public surveys indicate. WAS THE REAL WINNER SO FAR IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES THE GUY WHO DIDN’T SHOW UP? The 38-year-old Ramaswamy, who campaigns on an “America First 2.0” agenda, often highlights that “there are two America First candidates in this race. That’s Donald Trump and myself. Everybody else comes from an old-school vision of neo-conservatism that is long outdated, and that is not where our party or our base is.” Ramaswamy is the biggest supporter of the former president in the winnowing field of 2024 GOP White House hopefuls, and has repeatedly called Trump the “most successful president in our century.” But unfortunately for the candidate aiming to be Trump’s heir apparent, the former president isn’t going anywhere. In fact, Trump remains the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run. Ramaswamy’s rise in the polls in the late winter, spring and early summer was one of the biggest surprises in this cycle’s GOP nomination race. And the candidate has put in the hours on the campaign trail, holding more events than his rivals in Iowa and New Hampshire – which holds the first primary in the Republican calendar and votes second after the Hawkeye State. “I’m doing more events on the ground in Iowa right now than any other candidate and we’ve been here plenty as well,” he showcased as he spoke with Fox News following a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Monday. TRUMP HOLDS MASSIVE LEADS IN IOWA WITH FIVE WEEKS UNTIL CAUCUSES Longtime Granite State-based Republican consultant Mike Dennehy told Fox News that Ramaswamy’s put in the time in New Hampshire. I think that’s benefited him.” But Dennehy added that “there’s no doubt in my mind that he has a very limited ceiling because of his consistent support of Donald Trump…Why would someone want the Trump supporter when they can have Trump himself?” While some of the voters who showed up to see Ramaswamy at the campaign in Portsmouth, New Hampshire told Fox News and other news organizations they were likely to vote for him, plenty of others said they remained all-but-certain to support Trump. Ramaswamy for months has vowed he’ll pull off a “surprise” in Iowa. Asked whether that means he needs to win, or finish second, Ramaswamy answered, “it means meaningfully ahead of where the mainstream media narrative and the polling narrative is right now. And I think we’re going to accomplish that. I think we’re going to shatter expectations and that will propel us forward to the next phase of this race.” The candidate has spent most of his time and resources in Iowa and New Hampshire, and less than impressive finishes in both states would likely all-but-sink his campaign. And in recent weeks he’s broached the possibility on the campaign trail that his presidential bid won’t succeed. Asked if he would support Trump if his White House bid faltered, Ramaswamy told Fox News “if he’s the nominee, he’ll have my support.” But he quickly interjected that “I expect his full support if I’m the nominee.” And Ramaswamy added that “I’m not a plan B person. I’m a plan A person. I didn’t get to where I am in life by plotting out plan B. I’m sticking to Plan A and I think we’re going to succeed in getting there.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
House to examine organized retail theft plaguing US cities amid holidays
The rise of organized retail crime will be front and center at a Tuesday congressional hearing amid the end-of-year holiday shopping boom. The House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence is holding a hearing titled “From Festive Cheer to Retail Fear: Addressing Organized Retail Crime.” Among the witnesses expected to testify are representatives from Home Depot and the National Retail Federation, according to a witness list previewed by Fox News Digital. UNLV SHOOTING SUSPECT WAS PROFESSOR WHO HAD APPLIED FOR JOB: AP SOURCE On the government side, lawmakers will hear from Homeland Security officials in the Secret Service as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Subcommittee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, blamed “soft-on-crime policies” for the problematic trend in a statement announcing the hearing. “By putting criminals over communities, families, and small business owners, hardworking Americans across the country are being forced to pay the financial and emotional costs of these failed policies,” Pfluger said. TEXAS POLICE ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN 16-YEAR-OLD CHEERLEADER LIZBETH MEDINA’S MURDER “Amid an unprecedented spike in retail crime, reports also suggest many professional shoplifters or boosters are part of a much larger organization of criminals — including transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that are taking advantage of our open borders,” he added. Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the panel, said in a statement, “Organized retail crime endangers small businesses, workers, and consumers.” It comes as big cities like Washington, D.C., and New York City deal with rising retail theft issues. TEXAS FATHER WATCHED SHOOTING SPREE SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY ENTER FAMILY’S HOME FROM LIVE FEED: REPORT Big chain stores in those cities like CVS and others have been forced to lock up merchandise behind plastic barriers to keep them from being stolen off the shelves. A recent survey by the National Retail Federation found that 70% of retailers believe organized retail theft has become a more prevalent issue in recent years.
Researchers reveal EV industry can still be linked to child labor-fueled mines
FIRST ON FOX: Minerals produced from artisanal African mines that may employ child labor continue to be used in base components of batteries, including those potentially used in electric vehicles (EVs), according to a new report shared with Fox News Digital. The American Energy Institute (AEI), the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Heartland Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, the International Climate Science Coalition, and Truth in Energy and Climate jointly assembled the report, which draws from existing studies and establishes that child labor likely continues to fuel EV production worldwide. The research argues that rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are by far the most prevalent type of battery installed in EVs, are particularly dependent on cobalt. The world’s largest established cobalt reserves and production, however, exist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an African nation with a checkered human rights record. “There is no such thing as a clean supply chain of cobalt from the Congo. All is tainted by various degrees of abuse, including slavery, child labor, forced labor, debt bondage, human trafficking, hazardous and toxic working conditions, low wages, injury and death, and incalculable environmental harm,” the report states. SOME DEMOCRATS JOIN REPUBLICANS IN VOTING TO STRIKE DOWN BIDEN’S EV MANDATE “Even monitoring the situation is impossible as conditions are adversarial at every turn, including aggressive security forces, intense surveillance, the remoteness of many mining areas, distrust of outsiders and the sheer scale of hundreds of thousands of people engaged in the feverish excavation of cobalt in medieval conditions,” the report adds. Overall, in 2022, the DRC produced nearly 70% of the world’s cobalt and is home to nearly half of known global reserves of the mineral, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data. Separate data analyzed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that greater than 70% of cobalt production is sourced from the DRC. MARCO RUBIO LEADS EFFORT TO BLOCK CLEAN ENERGY CREDITS FROM AUTOMAKERS THAT OFFSHORE JOBS And while it remains unclear exactly how many of the mines are artisanal and employ child laborers, the report Tuesday highlights Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development data showing the majority of cobalt production in the DRC is connected with child labor. A USGS National Minerals Information Center study published in June established that up to 11% of cobalt produced in the nation is tied to child labor. The Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs concluded that more than 40,000 children, including children as young as 6 years old, work in cobalt mines in the DRC. “I think the climate agenda is really an anti-human agenda in and of itself,” AEI CEO Jason Isaac, who co-authored the report, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “This just continues to be the proved with the policies they’re adopting and forcing us down this road of this so-called energy transition.” “The climate cult, this climate alarmist movement, just completely turns a blind eye towards the humanitarian crisis that they are creating,” Isaac continued. Isaac’s research comes amid an aggressive push from both the Biden administration and governments across the world for individuals to quickly transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and stave off global warming. GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS FACE STARK ENVIRONMENTAL, LOCAL OPPOSITION NATIONWIDE President Biden set a goal of ensuring 50% of new car purchases are electric by 2030 shortly after taking office. Since then, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), his administration has pursued a federal regulatory regime that, while not mandating EVs, would strongly incentivize Americans to purchase an EV when shopping for a new car. For example, in April, the EPA proposed the most aggressive federal tailpipe emissions rules on light- and medium-duty emissions ever crafted. If finalized and implemented, 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck purchases, up to 50% of bus and garbage truck purchases, 35% of short-haul freight tractor purchases, and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could be electric by 2032, the White House projected. Months later, in July, the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its most aggressive fuel economy standards ever, an action critics say would increase consumer costs. And last year, the EPA also reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own emission standards and electric vehicle sales mandates, allowing other states to also adopt California’s rules. The state then approved regulations that mandated all car purchases in the state — which leads the country in annual car sales — be electric by 2035. BIDEN’S AMBITIOUS EV PLANS COULD MAKE US MORE DEPENDENT ON CHINESE SUPPLY CHAINS, EXPERTS WARN “The unfortunate truth is that child slaves are pulling these minerals by hand, including in Chinese Communist Party-run mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I have been shining a light on this issue for years, yet the Biden Administration and my Democrat colleagues in Congress continue to turn a blind eye to these human rights abuses.” “It is very clear to me that this Administration and the Congressional Democrats demanding EV mandates prefer to rely on poor children under modern-day slavery over Minnesota’s miners who are ready to safely develop these same resources under the strongest environmental and labor standards in the world,” Stauber added. “Ending child labor across the globe should be an easy cause to get behind, and we can start by ending President Biden’s ‘anywhere but America, any worker but American’ mining agenda.” Stauber, who chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, has loudly criticized the Biden administration over the past several years over its rejection of a domestic mine project in his district that would have produced cobalt. In 2022, citing environmental concerns, the Interior Department canceled leases held by the mining firm Twin Metals Minnesota, which were located in the Superior National Forest located outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Bill Clinton ripped Hillary’s campaign as not being able to sell ‘p—- on a troop train,’ new book says
Former President Bill Clinton had a few choice words about his wife Hillary’s disastrous efforts during the 2016 election cycle, according to a new book. A passage in “The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution” by The Intercept’s Ryan Grim, which was released last week, says the former president allegedly tore into his wife’s campaign for being ineffective communicators and, more specifically, said they could not sell “p—- on a troop train.” The statement from Bill Clinton, which he allegedly made to a close confidante during the fall of 2016, coincidentally came to light as Democrats reportedly tapped Hillary to help with Biden’s re-election efforts. ‘DEEP, DEEP TROUBLE’: DEMS REPORTEDLY BRINGING IN HILLARY CLINTON TO HELP WITH BIDEN’S RE-ELECTION Grim appears to be the first to report the remarks in a portion of his book examining the communication efforts of her campaign and then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. “Former president Bill Clinton, surveying the landscape and the ham-handed efforts at identity politics, was bereft, lamenting to a longtime friend in the fall of 2016 that Hillary’s campaign ‘could not sell p—- on a troop train,’” Grim wrote in the book. However, this was not the first time Bill Clinton allegedly chastised Hillary’s campaign. Another book alleged that he had warned them not to ignore swing states. In perhaps Hillary’s biggest blunder during the 2016 election, she notoriously faced widespread criticism for not campaigning enough in Midwestern states, which many believe swung the election to former President Donald Trump. But during the election, Bill allegedly urged Hillary’s campaign not to neglect those areas, pleas that ultimately “fell on deaf ears,” ABC News reported. HILLARY CLINTON SAYS BIDEN’S AGE IS A LEGITIMATE ISSUE: ‘PEOPLE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO CONSIDER IT’ Journalists Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen made the claim in their 2017 book, “Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign,” which received pushback from former Hillary staffers. “He thought, these eggheads don’t really know politics. They don’t understand persuasion,” Allen said during an ABC News podcast at the time of the book’s release, adding that Bill advised Hillary’s campaign to visit suburban and rural areas where Hillary likely would not garner most of the votes. “He knew there was some power just in showing up,” Allen said. And despite Hillary’s 2016 loss, Democrats are allegedly bringing her in to aid President Biden’s re-election efforts. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP NBC News reported she held a fundraiser for Biden last month at her Georgetown home that raised close to $1 million. Her popularity with women and critical parts of the Democratic base are considered assets for Biden as he attempts to expand his outreach to voters. Clinton’s role in Biden’s re-election effort is expected to grow as the 2024 presidential election nears, according to NBC. Bill Clinton’s office did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
House Freedom Caucus elects Republican who voted to oust McCarthy as new leader
The House Freedom Caucus elected a new chairman on Monday night, picking Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., as the hardline conservative group’s leader for 2024. Good was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in early October. “No comment tonight,” Good told reporters while leaving a Freedom Caucus meeting just minutes before 10 p.m. HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY ‘SOON’ He was similarly coy earlier in the evening after a closed-door House GOP conference meeting. Asked by Fox News Digital of his policy goals if he became chairman, he said, “I’ll wait to talk about it after tonight.” Good is a conservative who was elected in 2020 to Virginia’s red-leaning 5th Congressional District, which is mostly rural but includes part of Charlottesville. He is expected to have significant sway over House GOP policy as Freedom Caucus chair, with the group wielding outsized influence so far in Republicans’ razor-thin House majority. JOHNSON’S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING – AND SOME VICTORIES The group’s current chairman is Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a close ally of former President Trump’s. Leaving the Monday night meeting, Perry was asked by Fox News Digital whether he had any advice for Good. “Be true and be bold,” Perry said, adding that he hoped Good would “lead better” as his successor. Good’s relationship with leadership has, so far, been more fraught than Perry’s, as he was one of 20 House Republicans who forced McCarthy to go through 15 rounds of voting before winning the speaker’s gavel in January, months before finally voting to oust him. KEVIN MCCARTHY, MATT GAETZ TRADE JABS AS FIERCE RIVALRY CONTINUES: HE ‘BELONGS IN JAIL’ Perry said of that difference, “Past chairs, Jordan, Meadows, Biggs, kind of [grew] into the position. It’s not just about you and your own desires. You’re representing the group, the brand, and so you have to be open to maybe things that you wouldn’t be otherwise.” He would not say whether the friction with McCarthy would be a liability for the group’s negotiating power going forward. “We’re all in this together. So we, you know, get over our personal differences and disagreements and focus on the country,” he said instead.
VP Harris’ husband botches Hanukkah story on social media during celebration of major Jewish holiday
Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, got his Hanukkah story wrong in a Monday social media post and was prompted and scolded for the confusion before he deleted it. In a post on X, formally known as Twitter, Emhoff posted an image of himself and Harris lighting a menorah. The post was accompanied by his version of the origins of the eight-day Jewish holiday. “The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding,” he wrote. “No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning.” NYC COUNCILWOMAN’S GLAMOROUS EVENING GOWN SENDS MESSAGE TO ‘THE SQUAD’ “During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions,” Emhoff, who is Jewish and is working with the White House on combating antisemitism, continued in the now deleted post. “That’s why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism.” He added that he thinks of the story during “dark times.” However, the Hanukkah story isn’t about Jews hiding with only a little bit of oil. The holiday celebrates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century and celebrates the Jewish Maccabee’s victory over their Greek-Syrian oppressors. When the Jews sought to re-dedicate the temple, they found only a one-day supply of sacred oil that miraculously lasted for eight days. Several social media users criticized Emhoff’s post, with many saying his version didn’t happen. “How could this have happened?” wrote Noah Rothman, a senior writer for the National Review. “I’m really hoping the Second Gentleman left this to some hapless and uneducated intern who couldn’t be bothered to even consult Wikipedia. Eight days of hiding? Yikes, man!” wrote Jason Bedrick, a research fellow for the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy. Hanukkah began on Dec. 7 and runs through Friday.
Texas Supreme Court rules against pregnant woman hours after she leaves state to obtain abortion
A pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal condition has left Texas to obtain an abortion, her attorneys say. The news came as the Texas Supreme Court ruled against Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two, after she spent nearly a week seeking the court’s permission to end her pregnancy. “After a week of legal whiplash and threats of persecution from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Kate Cox has been forced to leave Texas to get healthcare outside of the state,” said the Center for Reproductive Rights, the group representing Cox, in a statement. “Kate has been unable to get an abortion in Texas, even though her fetus has a fatal condition and continuing the pregnancy threatens her future fertility,” the organization said. Cox’s baby has a condition known as trisomy 18, which is when a baby has an extra copy of chromosome 18. The diagnosis has a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth, and low survival rate. Cox’s lawsuit, citing doctors, argued that continuing the pregnancy jeopardized both her health and ability to have more children. Trisomy 18 occurs in approximately 1 in 2,500 diagnosed pregnancies, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. There is no live birth in about 70% of pregnancies involving the diagnosis that proceeds past 12 weeks gestational age, according to a legal filing that the two groups submitted to the court. TEXAS ABORTION BAN CHALLENGED AS ORAL ARGUMENTS BEGIN Texas’ abortion ban makes narrow exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger but not for fetal anomalies. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that Cox had not shown that any of the complications in her pregnancy rose to the level of threatening her life. The Center for Reproductive Rights has not disclosed where Cox went to obtain the procedure. On Monday, she would have been 20 weeks and six days pregnant. Hours after Cox’s attorneys announced she had left Texas, the state Supreme Court issued its decision that ruled against Cox. It came three days after the court temporarily halted a lower judge’s ruling that gave Cox permission to get an abortion. “No one disputes that Ms. Cox’s pregnancy has been extremely complicated. Any parents would be devastated to learn of their unborn child’s trisomy 18 diagnosis,” the court wrote. “Some difficulties in pregnancy, however, even serious ones, do not pose the heightened risks to the mother the exception encompasses.” Cox, who lives in the Dallas area, was believed to be the first woman in the U.S. to ask a court for permission for an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. In Texas, Paxton mounted an aggressive defense to try to prevent Cox from having an abortion. He sent three Houston hospitals letters warning of legal consequences — both criminal and civil — if they allowed Cox’s physician to provide the procedure. He also argued that Cox had not demonstrated that her life was at imminent risk, including noting that she was sent home after her multiple visits to emergency rooms. Cox had cesarean surgeries during her first two pregnancies. Her lawsuit argued that inducing labor would carry a risk of a uterine rupture because of her prior C-sections, and that another one at full term would endanger her ability to carry another child. But Paxton contended those arguments still fell short. “Rather, the only question is whether Ms. Cox’s condition meets the exception, regardless of how long the child is expected to live,” Paxton’s office told the court in a filing over the weekend. Fox News Digital has reached out to Paxton’s office for additional comment.
US House passes bill banning uranium imports from Russia
The U.S. House on Monday passed a ban on imports of Russian uranium as lawmakers seek to add pressure on Moscow for its war on Ukraine, though the measure has waivers in case of supply concerns for domestic reactors.
Harvard governing board faces pressure to respond to president’s congressional testimony
Harvard University’s governing board faced mounting pressure on Monday to publicly declare support for or oust the university president after remarks she made last week at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
US House to vote Thursday on formalizing Biden impeachment inquiry-lawmaker
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Thursday to formalize its impeachment inquiry of Democratic President Joe Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson informed his fellow Republicans in a closed-door meeting, Representative Lisa McClain told Reuters.