Lebanese FM says Israeli occupation is root cause of current crisis
NewsFeed “There will be instability and there will be war” as long as the Israeli occupation continues, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told the UN General Assembly while also saying he welcomed a US and French ceasefire proposal. Published On 27 Sep 202427 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 945
As the war enters its 945th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, September 27, 2024. Fighting Ukraine’s military said Russian forces fired 78 attack drones and six missiles over various regions during an hours-long attack from Wednesday into Thursday. Air defences destroyed 66 drones and four missiles, it added. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the attack targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. One woman was killed in a missile strike on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, while 10 people were injured in a guided-bomb attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said. At least one person was killed and one injured after Russian forces repeatedly shelled a village west of the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, Regional Governor Vyacheslav Prokudin said. A local official in the town of Slatyne in northeastern Kharkiv said rescuers were searching for people who might have been hurt after a fire triggered by a Russian rocket attack engulfed six houses. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces captured Ukrainsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The town, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the city of Donetsk, was home to more than 10,000 people before the war. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy met United States President Joe Biden at the White House. Biden promised that the US would “stand by” Ukraine and that Kyiv would “prevail” in the war that began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He also announced a high-level summit of 50 allies of Ukraine would convene in Germany next month. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris also met Zelenskyy and promised her “unwavering” support for Ukraine. She also criticised her Republican rival Donald Trump for what she said was his “surrender” policy on Ukraine. Trump, who has said Ukraine should have “made a deal” with Russia, confirmed he would meet Zelenskyy in New York on Friday. The foreign ministers of China and Ukraine met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said they discussed ways to achieve “a comprehensive, fair and lasting peace for Ukraine based on the UN Charter”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier held talks on Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Wang said Russia-China ties would “move forward” while Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the discussions as “constructive”. US President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC [Saul Loeb/AFP] Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s move to broaden its nuclear doctrine was a “signal” to Western countries that there would be consequences for attacks on Russia. Russia’s security service said it had arrested six people, including three teenagers, for allegedly setting fire to railway and communications equipment on orders from Ukrainian intelligence. Officials in Qatar said Ukraine and Russia will exchange 13 children following mediation by the Gulf state. Nine children and teenagers as well as a 19-year-old sibling will be reunited with their families in Ukraine, while four children will go to Russia, the officials said. A Polish court jailed a 23-year-old Ukrainian national and a 30-year-old Belarusian citizen after they were found guilty of spying for Russia, state news agency PAP reported. The two men were among 16 citizens of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia arrested as part of an investigation into a spy ring whose activities included collecting information on the transportation of military equipment to Ukraine. Balazs Orban, a senior adviser to Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told a pro-government newspaper that it was “irresponsible” for Ukraine to have responded to Russia’s invasion of its sovereign territory. Orban, who is no relation to the prime minister, said Hungary would probably not have defended itself if the same thing happened given Moscow’s brutal crackdown on the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising. Orban’s comments fuelled outrage on social media in Hungary. Weapons Biden announced nearly $8bn in new military aid for Ukraine, including Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) munitions to “enhance Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities” and to “win this war”. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told the Reuters news agency that Ukraine should be able to freely use the weapons that it has been given and that he hopes Kyiv would be able to target sites further into Russia with the latest weapons being delivered by the US. Adblock test (Why?)
Indian mountaineers name peak in Arunachal Pradesh after 6th Dalai Lama, China responds
India emphatically rejected China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is an integral part of India, and assigning “invented” names does not alter this reality.
Armed Services Republicans, White House push back against claims that Zelenskyy’s PA visit was ‘political’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to a U.S. Army ammunition plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Sunday has come under fire from some Republicans including Speaker Mike Johnson for being partisan. Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelenskyy, “The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats…” ZELENSKYY QUESTIONS CHINA’S ‘TRUE INTEREST’ BEHIND PLAN TO END RUSSIA’S WAR The visit was at the request of Ukraine to thank the American workers who have helped boost ammunition production for Ukraine to defend against Russia, White House and Pentagon officials told Fox News. Elected officials who attended the event were all Democrats, but that is because it is standard procedure to invite House and Senate members who represent the district where the visit is located. JOHNSON DEMANDS ZELENSKYY FIRE UKRAINE’S AMBASSADOR TO US AMID FALLOUT FROM PENNSYLVANIA TRIP In this case, all elected officials happened to be Democrats due to what is called the “geographical jurisdiction,” a defense official told Fox News. Zelenskyy has met exclusively with Republicans in past trips due to this same reason of who happens to be in elected office in the districts he is visiting. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY’S VANCE CRITICISMS COULD COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM, REPUBLICANS WARN Zelenskyy visited Utah in July of this year to meet with Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and met with Utah’s all-Republican Congressional delegation. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) the Senate Armed Services Committee’s top Republican said in a statement, “If President Zelenskyy came to Mississippi, he would be accompanied by Republican officials because that’s who the people in their wisdom elected.” The U.S. Army helped arrange the visit, White House press secretary KJP told Jacqui Heinrich in today’s briefing Jacqui Heinrich questioned KJP about this in the WH briefing earlier this afternoon- Karine Jean-Pierre: “This is something that Ukrainians asked for. They did this a couple months ago in Utah, in Utah, with a Republican governor and Republican, elected officials were there as well. We didn’t hear any type of investigation request when we went to a Republican state. We didn’t.”
Biden touts reduction in crime, slams Republican response to gun violence in Thursday press conference
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced new executive actions Thursday aimed at reducing gun violence, and capped off the afternoon with a press conference touting all the work the Biden-Harris administration has done on the issue, while slamming Republicans for their response to it. “Guns are the number one – hard to believe – they’re the number one killer of children in America. More than any other cause – accidents – more than any other cause. It’s almost unbelievable – it’s sick,” Biden said from the White House’s East Room on Thursday. “Last year, after another school shooting, my predecessor said – like other members of Congress say – ‘Just get over it.’ I’m going to be very blunt, Secretary Vance from Ohio has called these shootings ‘facts of life.’ Who the hell do these people think they are?” In addition to attacking Republicans, Biden also spent time during Thursday’s press conference touting the work his administration has done to reduce violent crime overall. “A year before we came to the presidency, we saw the biggest increase in murder rates on record. Last year we saw the largest decrease in murder rates nationwide,” Biden said. “In the first half of 2024, in large cities across the country, the homicide rate dropped another 17%. Last year we also saw the lowest rates of all violent crime in more than 50 years.” WHITE HOUSE GRILLED ON HARRIS’ GUN OWNERSHIP, MANDATORY GUN BUYBACKS The Thursday press conference came the same week as the one-year anniversary of Biden’s first-of-its-kind Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which Biden slammed Republicans for trying to “defund.” Prior to the Thursday afternoon press conference, the White House unveiled Biden’s plan to take new executive actions aimed at combating “emerging” firearms threats, such as unserialized “ghost guns,” which can be made via a 3-D printer, and improving the manner in which schools prepare for incidents involving an active shooter. Biden said his new actions would establish a task force that will address the issue of 3-D printed “ghost guns” and machine-gun conversion devices, which are firearm components that can turn a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic one. Biden added that the task force will publish a “risk assessment” report within 90 days that will lay out “a strategy to address these emerging firearms threats.” In addition, Biden is directing the members of his Cabinet to share a report within 110 days that outlines “resources and information for schools to improve active shooter drills, minimize this harm, create age appropriate content and communicate with parents.” “The lack of guidance today on how to prepare students while minimizing the trauma of active shooter drills is unacceptable,” Biden argued. HARRIS CAMPAIGN WON’T GIVE DETAILS ON TYPE OF GUN SHE OWNS, LAST TIME SHE WENT TO RANGE KAMALA HARRIS ONCE SAID POLICE COULD PAY SURPRISE VISITS TO LEGAL GUN OWNERS’ HOMES FOR SAFE STORAGE CHECKS Meanwhile, Vice President Harris spoke at the Thursday event and reiterated her support for a nationwide assault weapons ban. Harris also called for the implementation of universal background checks, safe storage laws, red-flag laws and more mental health counselors in schools. Both Harris and Biden also slammed the gun lobby and gun manufacturers as well, arguing they need to be held liable in certain instances of gun violence. “If [Republicans] got their way, criminals could traffic guns and commit crimes,” Biden said Thursday. “There’s an amendment to defund the office of gun violence prevention. Bless me Father, as we say in my church. They attack the FBI and want to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives … Folks, you can’t be pro-law enforcement and be anti-FBI and ATF.” HARRIS-LED OFFICE, ATF STONEWALLING PROBE INTO ‘COLLUSION’ WITH ANTI-GUN GROUP LAWSUIT: HOUSE OVERSIGHT CHAIR Gun control critics, meanwhile, argue that Biden’s executive orders were an effort to distract from his administration’s poor record when it comes to reducing crime in major metropolitan cities. “This Executive Order is just one more attempt by the Biden-Harris Administration to deflect attention from their soft-on-crime policies that have emboldened criminals in our country,” said Randy Kozuch, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. “The orders are notably heavy on election-year rhetoric and light on substance,” Kozuch continued. “It’s no secret that Americans don’t feel safe under the Biden-Harris Administration, as evidenced by the record number of firearms being purchased for the defense of self and family.”
Judge blocks NY AG Letitia James from trying to silence pregnancy centers that promote abortion pill reversal
A federal judge this week issued New York Attorney General Letitia James a preliminary injunction that bars her from taking action against pregnancy clinics that promote abortion pill reversal on the grounds it would restrict protected free speech. The ruling came amid a lawsuit by the Thomas More Society on behalf of two pro-life ministries, Summit Life Outreach Center and the Evergreen Association. The lawsuit argues that James has targeted pregnancy centers with threats of prosecution for sharing information about abortion pill reversal, which she has said is unproven. “These small nonprofits, which exist to compassionately serve women and offer them alternatives to abortion, deserve to have their speech elevated—not chilled,” Peter Breen, Thomas More Society’s executive vice president and head of litigation, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This court order makes clear Ms. James cannot censor pro-life speech purely because she dislikes it.” HARRIS CALLS FOR ELIMINATING FILIBUSTER TO PASS ‘ROE’ ABORTION BILL INTO FEDERAL LAW Fox News Digital has reached out to James’ office. In his order, Judge John Sinatra Jr., a Trump appointee, wrote that James is barred from preventing the clinics from promoting abortion pill reversal on their websites and social media platforms. Medicinal abortion involves taking mifepristone and following it with treatment of misoprostol days later, but pregnancy clinics have advised that those who change their minds and want to continue the pregnancy can do so by abandoning the second drug and instead taking doses of progesterone. In May, James filed lawsuits against 11 pregnancy centers that promoted the abortion pill reversal procedure, accusing them of engaging in fraud, deceptive business practices and false advertising. She claimed the groups were “spreading dangerous misinformation by advertising … without any medical and scientific proof.” DEMS LOOK TO FORCE VOTES ON EMERGENCY ABORTION AS ABORTION PILL DEATHS MAKE HEADLINES Despite not being named in James’ lawsuit, Summit Life Outreach Center and the Evergreen Association said her targeting of other pregnancy centers had put them at risk. Barbara Bidak, the executive director of Summit Life Outreach Center, said her staff works “tirelessly to provide life-affirming options for women in need.” “We’re incredibly pleased a federal judge has now made clear that Attorney General Letitia James’ legal attacks on our state’s pro-life ministries unconstitutionally chills our First Amendment right to share the lifesaving message of Abortion Pill Reversal—which gives pregnant moms in the middle of a chemical abortion a second chance to choose life.” Breen said the pro-life ministries have a constitutional right to share information about abortion pill reversal, and that “their message is saving thousands of lives.” The Thomas More Society is representing the 11 clinics in a separate case. Last month, a federal judge in that case ruled the clinics were protected by the First Amendment. “Based on a careful application of the preliminary injunction factors, especially as they relate to Plaintiffs’ First Amendment Free Speech claim, motion for a preliminary injunction is granted,” the judge wrote. Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
Wisconsin DA investigating mayor’s removal of absentee ballot drop box
A Wisconsin district attorney is set to investigate a mayor for removing an official voting drop box. Mayor Doug Diny of Wausau recently made a spectacle of removing a voter drop box from outside City Hall. He posted a photo of himself on social media on Sunday, showing him carting away the metal ballot receptacle while dressed in a hard hat and gloves. WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN DEMANDS PROBE AFTER MADISON SENDS OUT OVER 2,000 DUPLICATE ABSENTEE BALLOTS County Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde reported Diny to Marathon County District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon, who is now pursuing an investigation via the state’s Department of Justice. The voting drop box was empty and not in use when it was removed, according to local reports. “This is no different than the maintenance guy moving it out there,” Diny said Wednesday. “I’m a member of [the] staff. There’s nothing nefarious going on here. I’m hoping for a good result.” WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT NEW LIBERAL MAJORITY REVERSES RULING THAT BANNED MOST BALLOT DROP BOXES IN SWING STATE Democrat Gov. Tony Evers called the drop box removal wrong and insisted that it be reinstated outside City Hall. “Drop box voting is safe, secure, and legal,” Evers said on social media. “As elected officials, we should be working to make it easier—not harder—for every eligible Wisconsinite to cast their ballot. That’s democracy.” The state’s Supreme Court ruled in July 2022 that absentee drop boxes – such as those used in the 2020 presidential election – are not authorized under state statutes. The court ruled that the Wisconsin Elections Commission guidance encouraging their use was unlawful, but the ruling was overturned by the court’s new liberal majority in July 2024. The move, which sparked a protest in the city Tuesday night and anger among drop box advocates, is the latest example in swing state Wisconsin of the fight over whether communities will allow absentee ballot drop boxes. More than 60 towns, villages and cities in nine counties have opted out of using absentee ballot drop boxes for the presidential election in November, according to a tally by the group All Voting is Local. Drop boxes are being embraced in heavily Democrat cities, including Milwaukee and Madison. Wisconsin has a total of 72 counties. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics: The Happiest Place on Earth
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening… -Trump assassination task force holds first house hearing… -Vance takes jab at Harris for “working class family” claim… -Trump-Vance have done significantly more interviews then Harris-Walz… The United States Secret Service, which has been the subject of heated scrutiny after two assassination attempts against former President Trump that many believe were avoidable, is now facing even more heat as it prepares to send employees to an LGBTQ-focused event at Florida’s Walt Disney World. The Secret Service is expected to send agents to Disney World on Oct. 7-10 as part of the Out and Equal Workplace Summit that includes breakout sessions, a gala and various events aimed at promoting LGBTQ diversity in the workplace. “Individually and as a collective community, we can break down barriers, bring everyone along, and illuminate the way forward where workplaces—and the world—are rich in inclusion and belonging, and innovation and opportunity are unlocked, for LGBTQ+ people and for all,” the Out and Equal Workplace Summit’s website states. “And through the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, we will harness, nurture, and grow that light. We will remind our collective community and the world of the brilliance and power we hold. We will remind them that we are an unstoppable, radiant force.”…Read more ACTION ON GUNS: WH Press Call on New Actions to Reduce Gun Violence …Read more STOP THE FLOW: Biden urged to crack down on oil companies doing business with Venezuela …Read more TAKING TO TASK: Trump assassination attempts task force holds first House hearing Thursday …Read more DEEP FAKE IMPERSONATOR: Dem senator reportedly targeted by suspect impersonating Ukrainian official …Read more PAROLE PUSHBACK: GOP senators vow to stop Biden admin’s ‘amnesty wand’ for illegal immigrants with US spouses …Read more ‘A BETTER WORLD’: Consumer watchdog group pushes Congress to dismiss Democrat calls to codify Chevron …Read more ALL-OUT TRADE WAR: Republicans propose bill that would double tariffs on Chinese imports …Read more CLASS WARFARE: JD Vance takes apparent jab at Kamala Harris saying she’s from a working class family …Read more NOTHING SPECIAL?: VP debate unlikely to sway race but could still have ‘indirect’ impact: experts …Read more EARLY VOTING BREAKDOWN: Early voting begins in Illinois, North Dakota, Florida and Michigan …Read more NAIL BITER: 3 battleground states are toss-ups with White House at stake: poll …Read more KAMALA’S PROJECT 2025: Trump strikes back at Harris with far-left wish list …Read more ‘VOTERS NEED AN ANSWER’: NC gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson hires Trump-friendly lawyer to investigate porn website allegations …Read more ‘AGAINST OUR DAUGHTERS’: Cruz challenger hit with blistering 7-figure ad over vote on top culture war issue …Read more PULLING AHEAD: Alsobrooks leading Hogan by wide margin in Maryland senate race …Read more WHO’S MORE ACCESSIBLE?: Trump-Vance have done significantly more interviews than Harris-Walz …Read more UNION STRONG: The numbers don’t lie: Teamsters in key battlegrounds support Trump over Harris …Read more ‘PEOPLE ARE FIRED UP’: Republicans in NC reveal how they are getting out the vote ahead of November …Read more ‘DOUBLING DOWN’: Newsom vetoes homeless accountability bill …Read more NEXT IN LINE: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would replace Eric Adams if beleaguered mayor is ousted …Read more DATA CONTROL: FBI seizes Eric Adams’ phone as Dem mayor braces for federal case …Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
House Oversight probes FCC’s expedited approval of Soros purchase of 200+ radio stations ahead of election
The Federal Communications Commission expedited a decision to allow Democrat megadonor George Soros to obtain a major stake in more than 200 radio stations—a move the House Oversight Committee is investigating amid concerns of “politicization” and interference in the 2024 presidential election. The FCC seemingly approved a deal that would approve left-wing billionaire George Soros’ acquisition of more than 200 Audacy radio stations across America, irking a Republican commissioner who “objected.” GEORGE SOROS CLOSER TO CONTROLLING 200 RADIO STATIONS DESPITE OBJECTION FROM TRUMP-NOMINATED FCC COMMISSIONER The New York Post first reported that the FCC last week “adopted an order to approve Soros’ purchase of more than 200 radio stations in 40 markets just weeks before the presidential election,” potentially allowing the far-left kingmaker to reach more than 165 million Americans at a critical time. According to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., the FCC expedited a required review of broadcast licenses by bypassing its standard procedures and processes. Comer and Langworthy penned a letter to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel requesting documents and communications to understand the FCC’s actions. Audacy Inc. owns more than 200 radio stations. Soros is attempting to purchase $415 million in debt in a chapter 11 reorganization of the company. Comer and Langworthy warned that Soros is a financier of organizations “advocating for speech restriction and censorship of conservatives online.” “He will ultimately become a ‘major’ shareholder when the bankruptcy deal concludes,” they wrote. But Comer and Langworthy warned that Soros has “sought to consolidate control over the airwaves.” “For example, Soros Fund Management is investing in podcast platforms and purchasing radio stations in major media markets, which has ramifications for what Americans hear and influences political dialogue in this country,” they wrote. “Indeed, 31 percent of all media consumption in the United States consists of audio, even more than television consumption at 24 percent.” CHIP ROY RAISES ALARMS ABOUT GEORGE SOROS’ PURCHASE OF RADIO GIANT AUDACY Comer and Langworthy said that the Audacy Inc. deal would lead to the company being partially “directly or indirectly controlled” by “foreign individuals or entities holding more than one-fourth of the capital stock.” The deal would require FCC approval to determine whether “the public interest will be served by the refusal or revocation of such license.” “In carrying out this statutory mandate under the Communications Act, FCC has years-long established processes and procedures for adjudicating broadcast licenses in such situations, most recently updated in 2016,” they wrote. The lawmakers reminded that during a hearing before their committee, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr noted FCC rules pertaining to foreign ownership of radio stations, and how the FCC, in this case, “is not following its normal process for reviewing a transaction.” “Commissioner Carr further noted that ‘the full commission itself has never signed off on a shortcut like this. What we usually do is we require people to file a petition with us. We bring in national security agencies, they can review the foreign ownership… Here, they’re trying to do something that’s never been done before at the commission level,’” they wrote, adding that Carr “noted that the national security review could take ‘3 to 4 to 5 to 6 months’ saying further that ‘[i]t looks like we got the cart before the horse this time.’” Comer and Langworthy said that “despite the unprecedented nature of this action, the FCC majority has apparently decided to approve licenses on an accelerated timeframe for a company in which George Soros has a major ownership stake, and with stations in 40 media markets reaching ‘more than 165 million Americans.’” “By all appearances, the FCC majority isn’t just expediting, but is bypassing an established process to do a favor for George Soros and facilitate his influence over hundreds of radio stations before the November election,” they wrote. Comer and Langworthy are demanding records between Jan. 7, 2024 and the present, and giving the FCC a deadline of Oct. 3. A Soros spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. An FCC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it received the letter from Comer and “will respond as we regularly do.” As for the Audacy transaction, the FCC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Audacy “application before the Commission pertains to a transfer from Audacy in bankruptcy, to Audacy post-bankruptcy.” “No decision is final until the Commission releases it, which we have not,” the spokesperson stressed. “Commission-level releases are made available on the main page of the Commission’s website. On a more general note, the Commission has a long-standing process for reviewing transactions that involve emergence from bankruptcy.” According to officials, the licenses in question would not be transferred to Soros, but rather a transfer from Audacy as a debtor-in-possession to New Audacy. Soros would be a “major shareholder” but “he would not be the owner.” Some inside the FCC object to the notion the move was some sort of shortcut or “fast-tracked” for Soros, pointing to a similar process used to under the previous administration in the bankruptcy proceedings of Cumulus Media in 2018, iHeart Media in 2019, Liberman Television in 2019, Fusion Connect in 2019, Windstream Holdings in 2020, America-CV Station Group in 2021, and Alpha Media in 2021. Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
Former Republican U.S. senator endorses Kamala Harris, says election offers ‘stark choice’
EXCLUSIVE: Three more Republicans are crossing the aisle to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House. Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, R-Kan., former Kansas state senator and Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger and Deanell Reece Tacha, a retired federal judge, condemned the current state of the GOP in a statement shared with Fox News Digital Thursday. “This election presents a stark choice that is not easy for any of us. The Republican Party of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bob Dole, Frank Carlson, Jan Meyers, and generations of Kansas leaders does not exist within the current Republican Party,” the former officials wrote. “But, it requires Republicans speaking out and putting country over party when those values are at stake.” HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE EDGE IS CLEAR ON THIS KEY ISSUE They added that the race between Harris and former President Trump presented a “stark choice,” but not an easy one. “No candidate is perfect, and we do not pretend that we subscribe to all the policy positions taken either by the national parties or any individual candidates,” they wrote. “However, we fervently believe that we must do our part to try to build a brighter future, which is why we will be voting for Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] in this election. We believe they most closely align with the aspirations of Kansans and reflect our rich history of working together ‘to the stars through difficulty.’” All three have backed Democrats in recent elections, however. HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL Kassebaum, who now goes by Nancy Kassebaum Baker, served in the U.S. Senate from December 1978 through January 1997. She was the first woman elected to represent Kansas in the chamber, and her career included a stint as chair of the Senate Labor Committee. Tacha was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit by former President Reagan in 1985 and served as chief judge from 2001 until 2008. Praeger served as the Kansas Insurance commissioner from 2003 to 2015. Harris’ campaign has made a point of courting Republicans in a bid to widen her appeal and cast Trump as an extreme and polarizing choice. A majority of Republicans, particularly those still in elected office, do support Trump. The vice president has scored support from several notable GOP figures, however. Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Trump administration aides Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye have all publicly stated support for Harris. EARLY VOTING BEGINS IN ILLINOIS, NORTH DAKOTA, FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN Troye is one of several people who headlined a Republicans for Harris event Thursday alongside former representatives Barbara Comstock, R-Va., and Denver Riggleman, R-Va. A new Marist College poll found Harris and Trump neck and neck in three critical states. The two candidates are tied at 49% among likely voters in North Carolina, while Trump slightly edges Harris in Georgia and Arizona 50% to 49% in both states. Those statewide polls were conducted Sept. 19-24. Asked for comment on the Kansas Republicans’ endorsement, the Harris campaign sent Fox News Digital a broader statement on the Republicans for Harris initiative. “The Vice President is bringing together voters from across the political spectrum by running a campaign about freedom, democracy and opportunity,” said Austin Weatherford, National Republican Outreach Director. “Our Republicans for Harris program is taking that unifying, inspiring message to anti-Trump Republicans, moderates and independents. While we’re seeing a surge in support, we aren’t taking anyone for granted.” The Trump campaign said of the Harris endorsement, “Nobody knows who these people are, and nobody cares.”