Chris Christie ‘confident’ he will be on fourth GOP debate stage, addresses poll accuracy
Former New Jersey governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie told host Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” that he is “confident” he will be on the fourth GOP debate stage this week. “I’m confident, Margaret, that I will be there, that we have all the qualifications necessary to get there,” Christie said. The debate is set to happen Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Republican National Committee is expected to announce the participants Monday. Christie also told the show host it is too early to make election predictions. “Look, if we listen to all the polling, Margaret, Hillary Clinton would be in her second term. So I don’t believe that polling is nearly as reliable as it used to be. And I don’t believe that people tell the truth to pollsters,” he said, adding that in 2007 polls showed Mitt Romney in the lead, in 2011 Newt Gingrich and in 2017 Ben Carson, none of whom held the White House. CHRISTIE TURNS UP THE HEAT ON HALEY AND DESANTIS AS HE TRIES TO BE THE TRUMP ALTERNATIVE IN GOP 2024 RACE As Christie runs again for the presidency, he is concentrating most of his time and resources on New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the Republican schedule and votes second after Iowa’s caucuses. Christie is currently in third place in New Hampshire polls, far behind President Trump and slightly trailing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. In 2016, Christie became the first among the other GOP contenders to endorse Trump and for years was a top outside adviser to the then-president. However, the two had a falling out after Trump’s unsuccessful attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden. In the past three years, Christie has become one of the harshest Trump critics in the Republican Party. 2024 SHOWDOWN: CHRISTIE UPS HIS GAME IN KEY PRIMARY STATE AND TURNS UP THE HEAT ON HALEY On Sunday, Christie said he refused to support Trump because his way of leading is a threat to democracy. “The reason is that he acts like someone who doesn’t care about our democracy, acts like someone who wants to be a dictator. He acts like someone who doesn’t care for the Constitution. In fact, he’s even said himself he’d be willing to suspend the Constitution if an election wasn’t going in his direction,” Christie said. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Joint Chiefs chair responds to claim US is unprepared to face China threat, says NATO ‘stronger’ than ever
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff responded to mounting concerns that China poses a serious threat to U.S. security, while also arguing NATO is “stronger than it’s ever been.” “The first thing I’d tell them is they ought to be very proud of their military, if we’re ready for whatever comes our way,” Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” at the Ragan National Defense Forum. “At the same time, we want to be so ready that we don’t have a conflict,” Brown added. “And you know, as we’re here, it says ‘peace through strength.’ Our strength that we demonstrate as a military will bring that peace.” Brown was responding to a Ronald Reagan Institute poll that found 51% of Americans see China as the nation posing the greatest threat to the U.S., up from the 43% of Americans who reported the same at this time last year. The poll also found a majority of Americans believe that over the next 10 years, China will outpace the U.S. both from a military standpoint and economically. Brown explained that he is focused on “accelerating change” in order to keep up. MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SAY CHINA IS GREATEST NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT, UP 30 POINTS IN FIVE YEARS “Well, my real role here and job is to actually make sure that… on the military side that doesn’t occur, which is why I’m so focused on accelerating change,” he said. “It’s why I’m focused on the collaboration we do, particularly having gotten out here the past couple years, not only here to Reagan, but also out to Silicon Valley, and looking at how we work together on our national defense and how that helps us economically,” he went on. As war continues to rage between Russia and Ukraine – as well as between Hamas and Israel – concern has mounted among Americans that a conflict could spill over into a NATO nation as opposed to the U.S. getting directly involved in war. Brown quelled such fears, arguing that NATO “is stronger than it’s ever been.” “What I see right now is, if you think about what [Russian President Vladimir Putin] attempted to do from the very start, and the territory he gained and the territory he lost in Ukraine, things have not gone according to his plan,” Brown said. “One of the key reasons that I think that because of what happened in Ukraine, NATO is stronger than it’s ever been. In fact, it’s larger now with Finland and Sweden… and because of that strength in the dialogue with many of our NATO partners, we’re all committed to ensure this does not expand into NATO and go broader.” IRAN CELEBRATES NEW HYPERSONIC MISSILE AMID NEW THREATS BY ITS PROXIES AGAINST US, ALLIES As the U.S. continues supporting nations such as Israel and Ukraine in their respective wars, Brown said the U.S. has protocols in place to maintain military stockpiles. The poll found that 63% of Americans reported they are worried that supporting foreign wars is depleting U.S. military assets. US, QATAR HAVE QUIET AGREEMENT TO BLOCK IRAN FROM ACCESSING $6B IN FUNDS AMID HAMAS’ TERROR ATTACKS ON ISRAEL “We go through our own analysis – we have what we require in order to execute our operational plans,” he said. “And we go through the level of analysis as we make decisions of the security system we provide for both nations. “It goes back into our defense industrial base, to build out capability – not only for our allies and partners – but also for us,” he added. “And that to me is important because it helps us continue down the path of modernization and to bring in capability.”
Harvard whistleblower points to ‘undisguised calls for the murder of Jews’ after launch of federal probe
A Harvard alum called on the U.S. Department of Education to expand its probe of the university to include the Ivy League school’s “laissez-faire attitude” toward protesters’ “undisguised calls for the murder of Jews.” The new allegations are based on concerns over Harvard’s lack of response to anti-Israel demonstrators who appeared to call for violence against Jews in Israel just a day after the DOE announced their investigation. In a letter addressed to OCR’s Boston chief attorney Kristi R. Harris on Saturday, the alum thanked Harris for opening the investigation but called for its expansion. “Harvard Hillel has reported that on November 29—a day after OCR notified me (and, presumably, Harvard) that it had opened a Title VI investigation—Harvard College students ‘had classes disrupted by a coordinated protest using bullhorns to blast abhorrent antisemitic calls to “globalize the intifada,” and demands for the elimination of the Jewish state “from the river to the sea,”‘” the letter says, citing an Instagram post by Harvard Hillel. US DEPT OF EDUCATION OPENS INVESTIGATION OF HARVARD OVER ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS “Both are undisguised calls for the murder of Jews and Israelis,” the alum added. “During the Second Intifada, for example, Palestinian terrorists murdered over 1,000 Jews and Israelis, including through suicide-bomb attacks on buses and restaurants,” the alum explained. “And, as the House of Representatives recently acknowledged in a bipartisan resolution, ‘the phrase “from the river to the sea” … is widely recognized as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel and its people to replace it with a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.’” “To date, there has been no indication that Harvard has taken any action in response to these threats against Jews and Israelis,” the letter says. “And it is inconceivable that Harvard would take such a laissez-faire attitude if similar threats were leveled against any other minority group on campus.” In October, Harvard University President Claudine Gay acknowledged that “antisemitism” has a “continuing presence” at Harvard, and the “university has done too little to confront” it. UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS FROM HARVARD, MIT TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON ANTISEMITISM RAGING ON CAMPUSES “I appreciate President Gay’s candid admission that Harvard has been, and remains, in violation of Title VI,” the letter continues. “Though President Gay represented that she is ‘committed to tackling this pernicious hatred with the urgency it demands,’ her words so far have not been met with action. It is now time for the Department of Education to intervene.” Gay is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday, at a hearing titled, “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism.” In fiscal year 2023, Harvard reported that it received $676 million in federal funding. “The Department has an obligation to ensure that these ‘public dollars, drawn from the tax contributions of all citizens, do not serve to finance the evil of private prejudice,’” the letter says. “Please confirm that the Office for Civil Rights will expand its investigation to include Harvard’s latest failure to abide by Title VI.” The alum’s initial complaint alleged that Harvard discriminated against students based on national origin by failing to appropriately respond to harassment against Jewish and Israeli students, including when a first-year Israeli student at Harvard Business School was reportedly physically assaulted and verbally berated by pro-Palestinian protesters amid a “die in” demonstration on campus in reaction to Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In a letter sent Tuesday, Harris notified the alum that OCR was opening an investigation into whether Harvard “failed to respond to alleged harassment of students based on their national origin (shared Jewish ancestry and/or Israeli) in a manner consistent with the requirements of Title VI.” The alum closed Saturday’s letter by asserting a “deep appreciation for the Department’s commitment to advancing and enforcing the promise of our Nation’s civil-rights laws.”
3 armed suspects accused of breaking into Virginia home, assaulting and demanding money from 2 inside
Three armed suspects are accused of breaking into a Virginia home and assaulting two people inside during a violent burglary incident last week. Jaquan Ross, 32, of Lorton, and Elijah Thomas, 24, of Dumfries, are being held without bond, while investigators search for the third suspect, Fairfax County police revealed on Friday. At 5:45 a.m. on Monday, officers had responded to a burglary in the 1300 block of Spring Hill Road in McLean. Police say three suspects forcibly entered the victim’s residence, brandished a firearm and demanded money. The men allegedly assaulted two victims inside the home then ran from the residence. One victim was taken to the hospital for injuries considered not life-threatening, police said. VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH STORMING CAPITOL WHILE WEARING CAPTAIN AMERICA BACKPACK DURING JAN. 6 RIOT With assistance from helicopter and K9 units, officers responded to assist with the search. One of the suspects was spotted by a police helicopter attempting to conceal himself by lying on the ground, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Officers arrested Ross at the scene. SUSPECT IN CUSTODY AFTER REPORT OF GUNSHOTS AT CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY IN VIRGINIA Ross was charged with three counts of abduction, three counts of robbery, burglary, malicious wounding, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. As detectives continued their investigation, they identified Thomas as one of the men involved. On Thursday, Thomas was taken into custody by Fairfax County Police Department’s Fugitive Track and Apprehension Unit. Thomas was charged with three counts of abduction, three counts of robbery, burglary, malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and felon in possession of a firearm. Police said the incident “was not a random act,” and “detectives are continuing to investigate to identify the third man involved.” Fairfax County detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 6. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web, the police department said Friday, directing people to download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers.” Anonymous tipsters are eligible for a cash reward, police added.
GOP Rep. demands answers from Biden administration on Catholic priest imprisoned 26 years: ‘Innocent man’
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican congressman is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take action and explain steps being taken to free a Catholic priest the international community says has been wrongfully imprisoned in Nicaragua. “I am gravely concerned about the overall state of religious freedom in Nicaragua and write today inquiring about the wellbeing of His Excellency Rolando Álvarez Lagos, Bishop of Matagalpa, a prisoner of conscience who remains wrongfully detained by the brutal — and criminal — Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua,” GOP Rep. Chris Smith wrote in a letter to Blinken this week. Smith is demanding answers about what the Biden administration is doing to free Álvarez. A court in Nicaragua sentenced the Roman Catholic bishop earlier this year to more than 26 years in prison for alleged treason after he refused to be exiled to the United States. REPUBLICAN SENATOR PRESSES STATE DEPARTMENT FOR INFO ON BISHOP IMPRISONED BY ORTEGA REGIME Álvarez was among several priests and seminarians arrested last year as the government of Nicaragua clashed with the clerics of the Catholic Church who have criticized the regime. Álvarez refused to join four other priests and 222 other political prisoners expelled to the U.S. as part of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. State Department, according to the Catholic News Agency. POPE FRANCIS’ ILLNESS REVEALED TO BE ‘VERY ACUTE INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS’ The bishop said he chose to remain in his country in protest against other Catholics who are being persecuted by the Nicaraguan government. The bishop said if he boarded the plane, it would be admitting he was guilty of a crime he never committed, according to a person close to Álvarez who asked not to be identified out of fear of reprisal. Ortega has alleged Catholic leaders were involved in a plot to overthrow him, citing their role as mediators with protest groups following the 2018 protests in the country that resulted in about 300 deaths. A NEW STUDY SAYS ABOUT HALF OF NICARAGUA’S POPULATION WANTS TO EMIGRATE “Bishop Álvarez is an innocent man enduring unspeakable suffering,” Smith said during a House hearing he held Thursday where members heard testimony from Nicaraguan exiled prisoners of conscience and their relatives. “His life and ministry have been an inspiring example of compassion, kindness, integrity and selfless service.” In March, Pope Francis compared Álvarez’s imprisonment to Hitler’s regime and called Ortega “unstable.” “Given this disturbing trend of oppression, I respectfully request an explanation of what actions the Biden Administration is undertaking to advocate on behalf of Bishop Álvarez — and to compel the Ortega-Murillo regime to immediately release him from prison,” Smith wrote before providing 15 questions for the Biden administration to answer by Dec. 21. The questions included, “Does the State Department possess information on the current location and wellbeing of Bishop Álvarez? …. If so, where is Bishop Álvarez being held?” Other questions posed in the letter: • “Has the State Department filed a formal inquiry with the Nicaraguan government concerning the status of Bishop Álvarez?” • “Has the State Department received any formal request for assistance from the Vatican to petition for the release of Bishop Álvarez?” • “What is the Department doing to advocate for the release of Bishop Álvarez?” Smith also asked for information related to economic ties with Nicaragua given the Ortega regime’s human rights abuses. “The United States needs to act quickly and use every tool at our disposal,” Smith said at the hearing. “The international community can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening to the people of Nicaragua, including and especially people of faith.” A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital the letter was received but that the department does not comment on congressional correspondence. The spokesperson added that the department calls for the “immediate” and “unconditional” release of Álvarez and all others “wrongfully detained.” Fox News Digital’s Jon Brown and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Key Freedom Caucus member predicts House GOP will fall short of government funding goals
A prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus is predicting that his Republican colleagues will wind up having to swallow a massive “omnibus” spending bill to fund the government in fiscal year 2024. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., an outgoing House lawmaker who has served since 2015, said the House GOP will likely fall short of its goal to pass 12 individual appropriations bills to fund the government, citing the pervasive fractures within the conference. “I don’t think that we have the votes in the House to either adopt conservative policies because the moderates will vote against it, or the spending levels that the moderates want, because the conservatives will vote against it,” Buck told Fox News Digital. “So we’re still stuck, and the leadership needs — and I think they’ve shown this a few times now — needs Democrat votes to get spending bills passed, and that’s going to require either a couple of minibuses or an omnibus at some point next year.” SPEAKER JOHNSON DRAWS BATTLE LINES AHEAD OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING SHOWDOWN Buck was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., over his handling of the government funding debate. Asked whether Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is doing better, Buck argued that Johnson’s recently passed continuing resolution (CR) — which extends last year’s government funding levels for a short time — is still at a lower topline number than that set by the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) deal struck by McCarthy and President Biden. GOP REBELS’ FAITH IN SPEAKER JOHNSON ON SPENDING FIGHT COULD AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “The clean CR is at a lower level than the FRA numbers. So in my mind, you know, if we end up with a CR for 2024, it’s not ideal, but it’s a better number than if we had the deal that McCarthy cooked,” Buck said. “I’ve heard some members talk about, you know, ‘This will be the third strike’ or whatever. I just think that Kevin had a long history with people that came to a head. Mike is doing the right things, trying to keep government open, and working with the numbers the best he can, and I think people understand that he is acting with good intentions,” he explained when asked if Johnson’s job would be in peril if he similarly dissatisfied GOP lawmakers. HOUSE PASSES BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SPEAKER JOHNSON NOTCHES FIRST BIG LEGISLATIVE WIN Current government funding runs out on two deadlines, thanks to a two-tiered stopgap funding bill passed by Congress last month. Appropriations bills concerning military construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; Energy and Water; Transportation; and Housing and Urban Development have to be dealt with by Jan. 19, while the remaining eight appropriations bills must be worked out by Feb. 2. “I think it’s better than jamming us on Christmas Day with bills that, you know, have to get passed. So I think it’s a more rational time frame,” Buck said. “But I still don’t think we have the votes to pass the kind of numbers that we want, with the kind of policies that we want.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.
Christians more likely to be skeptical of AI, worry about technology in churches
American Christians are more likely to be skeptical about artificial intelligence and are particularly apprehensive about using generative AI in church services, according to a recent survey. Just over a quarter of Christians (28%) surveyed by Barna this fall said they were hopeful about AI development, while 39% of self-identified non-Christians said the same. Only a fraction of Christians surveyed agreed that “AI is good for the Christian Church,” according to the Barna survey, conducted through a consumer research panel. Just 22% said they agreed AI would be positive for the church, while 30% strongly disagreed and 21% said they somewhat disagreed. The hesitation about AI has not stopped some churches around the world from experimenting with tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. PASTOR WHO USED AI FOR CHURCH SERVICE SAYS IT WAS A ‘ONE-TIME DEAL’: ‘LET’S NEVER DO THAT AGAIN’ Jay Cooper, Methodist pastor of the Violet Crown City Church in Austin, Texas, created a whole service earlier this year using ChatGPT to see what it could do. While the experiment succeeded in creating discussion about the new technology and showed an impressive grasp of Christian concepts, Cooper found that something was lacking. CHRISTIANS ATTACK CHATGPT-GENERATED FAKE BIBLE VERSE ABOUT JESUS ENDORSING TRANSGENDERISM “As I was preaching, I became less and less comfortable as I was going along. Although he was making some interesting points, it did not have the human element. I knew that it was not from my own mind or heart,” Cooper told Fox News in October. “Without the human element, it was not worshipful to me.” Some have encouraged churches to embrace aspects of AI, with caveats. Kenny Jahng, founder of AiForChurchLeaders.com and editor-in-chief of ChurchTechToday.com, told an event hosted by Barna that AI, like any technology, “is here to serve us and not the other way around.” “There’s all this fear that AI is going to be taking over the world, it’s going to be human versus machine. [But] if we step back and look at it, there are things that AI is really good for,” he said. However, how AI is used makes all the difference. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? “This AI technology hallucinates, as we say. It doesn’t actually give back factual information all the time. Sometimes it’s off, sometimes it’s wrong, and it says it with confidence,” Jahng told the “Church Leaders” podcast earlier this year. As society deals with the rapidly changing technology, a Catholic theologian cautioned that AI could represent a dangerous kind of development for the world. “The church always encourages the development of technology that will be at the service of the human person. And, so, when it facilitates our flourishing as human beings, when it helps us to do the good that we already want to try to do, the church — always as long as there’s no detectable ethical violations — would ordinarily be behind that as a general principle,” Fr. Anselm Ramelow said in a conversation with the Catholic Minute. The issue with AI is that the technology appears to be progressing in such a way as to replace uniquely human capacities like cognition, Ramelow said. “I think it’s a violation of human dignity, and more importantly, I think it gives us the wrong impression of what it actually means to be human. I think before long we’re going to be talking about our AI as if it’s equivalent to being human because we’ve reduced the human person to just being a series of cognitive functions,” Ramelow said.
DeSantis super PAC fires interim CEO after less than 2 weeks in latest shakeup of top officials
Never Back Down, the top super Political Action Committee supporting Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign for president, has fired its interim chief executive officer after less than two weeks on the job. The super PAC confirmed to Fox News Digital that Kristen Davison is out as interim CEO, just a week and a half after she replaced Chris Jankowski. The news comes after former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt resigned last week as Never Back Down board chairman. In his resignation letter to the board, Laxalt said he is turning his attention to his family and law practice but that he will continue to support DeSantis in whatever ways he can. Never Back Down has named Scott Wagner, a longtime DeSantis ally, as interim CEO. He will also replace Laxalt as board chairman. DESANTIS LOSES ANOTHER SUPER PAC OFFICIAL, THE SECOND IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS TO LEAVE HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN “Scott Wagner will now serve as Chairman of the Board and interim CEO of Never Back Down,” spokesperson Jessica Syzmanski said in a statement to Fox News Digital.” Never Back Down has the most organized, advanced caucus operation of anyone in the 2024 primary field, and we look forward to continuing that great work to help elect Gov. DeSantis the next President of the United States.” Davison departure represents the super PAC’s latest staff shakeup in the last couple of weeks. Jankowski left as CEO on Nov. 22, Laxalt resigned as board chairman four days later and Davison was terminated as interim CEO five days after that. Additionally, Never Back Down spokesperson Erin Perrine was also fired, according to Semafor. Other staff have also departed from the super PAC in recent days, although it is unclear how widespread these departures are, POLITICO reported. TOP DESANTIS BACKER RESIGNS FROM SUPER PAC AMID INTERNAL TURMOIL: ‘UNTENABLE’ ENVIRONMENT The DeSantis campaign is plagued by other problems the super PAC is facing as well. The campaign believes Never Back Down’s TV ads have been ineffective, people close to the governor told POLITICO. DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier suggested in a memo last week the super PAC should shift its focus toward a get-out-the vote program. Amid Never Back Down’s ongoing turmoil, DeSantis allies created a new super PAC, Fight Right. Never Back Down had been the only pro-DeSantis group and has been responsible for more campaign functions than most super PACs typically do. But the formation of the new group raises questions about Never Back Down’s role as the campaign prepares for the Iowa caucus on Jan 15. Never Back Down has hosted several campaign events, which have included appearances from DeSantis, especially in his campaign tour of each of Iowa’s 99 counties. The super Pac has also focused on grassroots organization in Iowa. Following Uthmeier’s memo, Never Back Down has moved its attention toward field deployment ahead of the Iowa caucus while Fight Right will focus on TV advertising, according to POLITICO. DeSantis continues to struggle to gain ground on former President Trump in the polls for the GOP nomination for president. Once considered the most viable competitor to the former president, DeSantis now finds himself in a fight to maintain second place, as former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has seen a surge in momentum in recent months.
NRA blasts doctor who testified before Congress in gun violence hearing: ‘Gun control extremist’
The National Rifle Association (NRA) fired back at Yale School of Public Health Dean Megan Ranney’s claims during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week that Republican-controlled areas are most plagued by shootings compared to blue cities like Chicago. NRA spokesman Billy McLaughlin told Fox News Digital “the labeling of firearm ownership as a ‘public health crisis’ by gun control extremists is an old and tired concept.” “It aims to dismantle Second Amendment rights through coordinated action between government and gun control lobbying groups,” McLaughlin said. “This tactic was on full display by Dr. Megan Ranney’s testimony before Congress.” Ranney, who McLaughlin called “a known gun control extremist” has been associated with Moms Demand Action, a progressive grassroots group advocating for stricter gun control and the federal assault weapons ban. POLICE IN THIS BLUE STATE WILL CONTINUE ENFORCING ‘DRACONIAN’ HANDGUN LAW RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL BY COURT “She has supported bans on commonly owned semi-automatic rifles since 2013 and has consistently attacked NRA,” McLaughlin said. “This pattern of behavior among activists shows a concerted effort to reframe the gun ownership debate in terms of public health to effectively shred our Second Amendment.” GOP Sen. John Kennedy and Ranney sparred last week during the committee’s hearing that examined gun violence as a “public health crisis.” When questioned by Kennedy about why Chicago’s shooting rates are so high, Ranney claimed Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri “actually have higher firearm death rates.” FLORIDA CRIME TRENDING DOWN WHILE CALIFORNIA SKYROCKETS EXPLAINED BY ONE KEY DIFFERENCE: EXPERT The exchange generated backlash on social media from conservatives who pointed out that the “gun homicide” rate in Chicago is much higher than those states per 100,000 people. Additionally, some took issue with Ranney’s seemingly random selection of three red states while pointing out crime statistics are most useful at the local level, where crime is handled. In response to Kennedy asking about Chicago’s gun violence rate, Ranney responded that “there’s easy access to firearms combined with environmental conditions, lack of great education.” “There have actually been studies that when you green vacant lots and repair abandoned buildings in urban neighborhoods you see decreases in gunshots and violence as well as in stress and depression in the neighborhoods around them,” she said. But McLaughlin said her claim is “misleading” because “it relies on conflating data from different age groups to create an alarmist narrative.” “This statistical manipulation is a key part of their tired strategy to strengthen the case for restrictive gun control measures,” he said. Data reviewed by Fox News Digital shows Chicago’s gun homicide rate has ranged from 25-29 murders per 100,000 people since 2019. In 2019, Louisiana, Missouri and Mississippi saw 12.5, 9.3 and 13 gun homicides per 100,000 people, respectively. A recent report from the Heritage Foundation shows that homicide rates have been higher in Democrat-run “blue counties” than they have been in “red counties” since 2002, contradicting a popular talking point recited by prominent liberals like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and billionaire George Soros. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
These six battleground states could cost President Biden the White House in 2024
Joe Biden won the White House in the 2020 election with narrow victories over Donald Trump in six crucial battleground states. Fast-forward three years, and the most recent polling in those key swing states is raising fears regarding Biden’s re-election in 2024 as he faces a likely rematch with Trump, the commanding frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Numerous national polls and a couple battleground state surveys conducted in recent weeks, which have an indicted Trump edging Biden in hypothetical general election showdowns, have grabbed substantial media attention. The polls suggest Biden’s support is deteriorating among Black, Latino and younger voters, who have all long been key constituencies in the Democratic Party’s base. BIDEN FACES A BIGGER POLLING DEFICIT NOW THAT OBAMA DID A YEAR BEFORE THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION “The lack of enthusiasm and declining support is certainly real,” noted Chris Anderson, a veteran Democratic pollster and strategist and the Democratic partner on the Fox News Poll for a decade and a half. HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 POLLING “In terms of where those folks will be next November, I would expect a lot, if not the vast majority of them, to return to the Democratic base if it’s a Biden-Trump matchup,” Anderson said. “I think as soon as Trump’s name is opposite Biden’s, everything is different than if you’re evaluating Biden on his own.” Another potential electoral hazard for the president is the prospect of independent or third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Green Party candidate Jill Stein, progressive university scholar Cornell West and a potential bipartsan ticket supported by the centrist No Labels organization, which could draw votes from Biden. Here are the six battleground states (in alphabetical order) where Biden will likely need to work overtime to keep them in the Democrats’ column. Biden edged Trump by less than 11,000 votes out of more than 3.3 million cast. He became the first Democrat to carry the state — and its 11 electoral votes — since President Bill Clinton in 1996. The most recent polls in the state of Arizona for a hypothetical 2024 rematch suggest Trump either slightly ahead or tied with Biden. Biden topped Trump by less than 12,000 votes out of roughly 4.5 million cast. He became the first Democrat to win the state — and it’s 16 electoral votes — since Clinton in 1992. The most recent polls in Georgia for a potential 2024 rematch indicate Trump ahead of Biden from the lower to upper single digits. Biden defeated Trump by 2.8 percentage points to flip a state Trump had captured in 2016. Michigan has 16 electoral votes up for grabs again in 2024, and polls suggest a tight contest between Biden and Trump in the Great Lakes battleground. Biden defeated Trump by 2.4 percentage points to flip a state Trump had captured in 2016. It was the smallest margin of victory for any Democratic presidential nominee in the Silver State since the party last lost Nevada in 2004. Nevada has six electoral votes up for grabs again in 2024, and polls suggest Trump is ahead of the president from the low single digits to the low double digits. Biden defeated Trump by 1.2 percentage points to reclaim a state for the Democrats that Trump had flipped in 2016. Pennsylvania will have 19 electoral votes up for grabs in 2024 — down one from 2020 — and the latest surveys indicate Biden either even with Trump or trailing slightly. Biden edged Trump by just over 20,000 votes out of more than 3.2 million cast in the 2020 election. He reclaimed a state that Trump had flipped from blue to red in 2016. Wisconsin has 10 electoral votes up for grabs again in 2024, and polls suggest an extremely tight contest between Biden and Trump. “Whether those six states in particular will be more difficult [for Biden], I think we’re a little far out to say that,” Anderson said. “I think it’s clear that we have a sharply divided country that hasn’t become less divided in the past four years.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.