With 30 days until voting starts, ‘election season’ kicks off sooner than you think
There are 90 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5. But if Americans vote like they did in the last two election cycles, most of them will have already cast a ballot before the big day. Early voting starts as early as Sept. 6 for eligible voters, with seven battleground states sending out ballots to at least some voters the same month. It makes the next few months less a countdown to Election Day, and more the beginning of “election season.” VANCE PRAISED FOR ‘ABSOLUTE FIRE’ TAKEDOWN OF HARRIS-WALZ ‘TAG TEAM’ RIOT ENABLERS: ‘MAKE AMERICA BURN AGAIN’ States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, like members of the military or people with illnesses. In some states, almost every voter casts a ballot by mail. Many states expanded eligibility in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in-person. That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in-person and 41% voting by mail. Early voting remained popular in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot before Election Day. TIM WALZ’S SELECTION AS HARRIS RUNNING MATE DRAWS SKEPTICISM, EVEN AMONG ANTI-TRUMP FIGURES Elections officials stress that voting early is safe and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed after the 2020 election did not reveal evidence of widespread fraud or corruption. There are a few ways to vote before Election Day. The first is early in-person voting, where a voter casts a regular ballot in-person at a voting center before Election Day. The second is voting by mail, where the process and eligibility varies by state. Eight states vote mostly by mail, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Registered voters receive ballots and send them back. Most states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot and send it back. This is also called mail voting, or sometimes absentee voting. Depending on the state, voters can return their ballot by mail, at a drop box, and/or at an office or facility that accepts mail ballots. In 14 states, voters must have an excuse to vote by mail, ranging from illness, age, work hours or if a voter is out of their home county on lection day. States process and tabulate ballots at different times. Some states don’t begin counting ballots until election night, which delays the release of results. This list of early voting dates is for guidance only. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, go to Vote.gov and your state’s elections website. The first voters to be sent absentee ballots will be in North Carolina, which begins mailing out ballots for eligible voters on Sept. 6. Seven more battleground states open up early voting the same month, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. KAMALA HARRIS HAS AVOIDED INTERVIEWS FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS SINCE BECOMING DEM NOMINEE In-person early voting in bold. Sept. 6 Sept. 16 Sept. 17 Sept. 19 Sept. 20 Sept. 21 Sept. 23 Sept. 26 Sept. 30 October deadlines Oct. 4 Oct. 6 Oct. 8 Oct. 9 Oct. 11 Oct. 15 Oct. 16 Oct. 17 Oct. 18 Oct. 19 Oct. 22 Oct. 23 Oct. 24 Oct. 25 Oct. 26 Oct. 30 Oct. 31
Pro-Israel college students gather for summit, vow to ‘take back’ campuses from radical agitators
FIRST ON FOX — Hundreds of Jewish and pro-Israel college students gathered in Washington, D.C., this week for a leadership summit to prepare for the coming school year after universities nationwide faced rampant protests against Israel and repeated instance of antisemitism, Fox News Digital learned. “At the ICC National Leadership Summit, the largest annual gathering of pro-Israel undergraduates, we witnessed the dedication and resilience of 500 students from 153 campuses. This summit empowered a diverse network of young leaders ready to ‘Take Back The Campus’ after the surge in brazen antisemitism on campus last semester,” Israel on Campus Coalition Jacob Baime exclusively told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We are grateful to all our speakers for inspiring and energizing our students to stand up for what’s right. ICC stands firmly with these students as they confront this difficult climate and take back their campuses.” The Israel on Campus Coalition describes itself as an organization that works to inspire American college students and pro-Israel college groups to “see Israel as a source of pride and empower them to stand up for Israel on campus.” More than 500 students from 153 campuses gathered in Washington, D.C., this week to take part in the group’s National Leadership Summit, which focused on its theme of “Take Back The Campus.” ‘WOKE’ POLITICAL, COLLEGE LEADERS SET STAGE FOR PRO-HAMAS DC PROTEST: LAWMAKER The summit included a large range of students who support Israel, including undergrads from historically Black colleges, who heard from a bevy of speakers, including former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett; Shye Klein, a photographer and survivor of the Supernova Music Festival; former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, and others. The summit also included a performance from singer and rapper Matisyahu and Israeli singer Noa Kirel. The speakers, Fox News Digital exclusively learned, focused many of their remarks on never apologizing for being Jewish, especially in the face of antisemtism, and to remain unified as the war continues raging since Oct. 7. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS BURN AMERICAN FLAGS, ACCUSE NETANYAHU OF BEING ‘WAR CRIMINAL’ AS HE ADDRESSES CONGRESS “Never apologize for being Jewish. Never apologize for loving the state of Israel,” Bennett said during his discussion. “There’s one single factor that will determine everything: Our ability to unite from within,” he added. “… Stand up for Israel. Keep it simple. Stick with truth, and never be silent.” PROTESTERS CHANT ‘FREE PALESTINE’ AS NETANYAHU ADDRESSES CONGRESS Marc Rowan, the CEO and co-founder of Apollo Global Management, focused his speech on galvanizing students ahead of them entering into a new school year while tensions surrounding the war in Israel continue to rage. “I divide the fight against antisemitism into three big buckets: 1) legal, political, and economic; 2) hearts and minds; 3) safety and security,” Rowan said. “As you return to your campus, and you think about the fight you’re about to undertake, I encourage you to think strategically about this.” HARRIS BOYCOTTS NETANYAHU, SNUBS ISRAELI LEADER’S WARTIME ADDRESS TO GIVE SORORITY SPEECH “We are not alone in this fight. We have lots of allies. We have people who believe in merits. We have people who believe in truth. We have people who believe in debate. We have to be really good at building the alliances we need to build,” Rowan added. Anti-Israel protests have been a powder keg situation in the U.S. since shortly after the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas. During the 2023-24 college school year, agitators and student protesters flooded college campuses nationwide to protest the war in Israel, which also included spiking instances of antisemitism and Jewish students publicly speaking out that they did not feel safe on some campuses. ‘CHICKENS FOR KFC’: NETANYAHU RIPS CEASE-FIRE ACTIVISTS IN SPEECH TO CONGRESS AS TLAIB SILENTLY PROTESTS Agitators on Columbia University’s campus, for example, took over the school’s Hamilton Hall building, while schools such as UCLA, Harvard and Yale worked to clear spiraling student encampments where protesters demanded their elite schools completely divest from Israel. Late last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington, D.C., where he addressed Congress. The visit sparked spiraling protests as protesters chanted, “Allahu akbar” outside of Union Station, burned the American flag and scrawled menacing graffiti on statues, including “Hamas is coming.” STEFANIK GRILLS HARVARD PRESIDENT OVER STUDENTS CALLING FOR ‘INTIFADA,’ RAMPANT ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS ANTI-ISRAEL YALE PROTESTERS JOINING COLUMBIA STUDENTS IN ‘TEAR DOWN OUR SOCIETY’ IVY LEAGUE MOVEMENT: LAW PROF “Let’s tell our story. Let’s be visible. We have no idea how powerful we are, because we have yet to find our voice. If we all said to the institutions, ‘We’re just not going to take it anymore,’ we would turn the tide pretty quickly,” Rowan advised the students. “Reach out to those alumni who are willing to back you up and willing to make the cause known. Don’t wait til there’s a problem — go now,” he added.
Biden hunkers down in White House with no public events on schedule again
President Biden was briefly seen Monday walking from Marine One to the Oval Office, ignoring reporters’ questions, and the 81-year-old president has not been seen publicly since. A lack of public appearances has become the new normal for the president since he dropped out of the 2024 race, allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to take the lead on the ticket. This comes as the administration is anticipating a possible attack by Iran on Israel. When Fox News correspondent David Spunt asked why the American people have not heard directly from the president this week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We just put out two readouts today.” “Can we expect to see him this week? Because I know you guys have been putting out the schedule. You know, we’ve been getting it the night before,” Spunt asked Jean-Pierre during Tuesday’s press briefing. TIM WALZ CALLED BIDEN ‘FIT FOR OFFICE’ AFTER DISASTROUS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE PERFORMANCE “So we are in a different time,” Jean-Pierre responded. “As I’ve said many times before, and you will get to see the president, that I can say. Look, it is certainly the president’s priority, to make sure that we do everything that we can, to protect our national security, right?” The press secretary said Biden’s focus was to “de-escalate tensions,” adding that the two “readouts” released by the White House indicated that Biden spoke with the leaders of Jordan, Qatar and Egypt. “From that readout that we just put out, I was asked about the cease-fire deal and what the president – that last line – that was pointed out to me. That is something that the president has been focused on – getting that done. I don’t have anything beyond what we put out, but we’re monitoring the situation closely,” Jean-Pierre said. The president declared a state of emergency in Florida and South Carolina this week ahead of Tropical Storm Debby. Meanwhile, several U.S. personnel were injured in a rocket attack at a military base in Iraq. Calling for calm in the Middle East, top U.S. national security leaders said Tuesday that they and allies are directly pressing Israel, Iran and others to avoid escalating the conflict, even as the U.S. moved more troops to the region and threatened retaliation if American forces are attacked. “It’s urgent that everyone in the region take stock of the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions that will calm tensions, not exacerbate them,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the close of a meeting with Australian leaders at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted the attack Monday on U.S. forces in Iraq by an Iranian-backed militia group, which injured seven, and made it clear that the U.S. will not hesitate to respond. ISRAEL STARES DOWN ‘RING OF FIRE’ AS IRAN PLEDGES RETALIATION “Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region,” Austin told reporters. “And we remain ready to deploy on short notice to meet the evolving threats to our security, our partners or our interests.” Despite economic concerns, Biden claimed to have “cured the economy” last week, just days before global stocks plummeted on Monday. In a case disclosed by the Justice Department on Tuesday, Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man alleged to have ties to Iran, was charged in a plot to carry out political assassinations on U.S. soil, including potentially against former President Trump. Based on the ongoing DOJ investigation, Jean-Pierre told Spunt on Tuesday, no evidence suggests the defendant was connected to the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. “It’s an ongoing law enforcement DOJ indictment, so I’m going to be really mindful,” she said. “But we have said many times that we have been tracking Iranian threats against former politicians. We’ve been very clear about that. These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority – the highest priority.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jean-Pierre said the administration has taken a “comprehensive response” to these threats, including having “invested extraordinary resources in developing additional information about these threats, disrupting individuals involved in these threats, enhancing protective arrangements in potential targets of these threats, engaging with foreign partners and directly warning Iran.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP bill targets endowments in response to sky-high tuition, as Harris touts loan bailout on campaign trail
FIRST ON FOX – As the school year approaches, and education costs figure to be a major issue in the presidential election, Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, is pushing a bill with an alternative approach to cutting education costs – targeting bloated university endowments. Joyce’s bill, which he is introducing this week with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., would more than quintuple the tax on private universities’ endowment profits, from 1.4% to 10%, and it would lower the threshold for the tax from endowments with $500,000 per student to $250,000 per student. Joyce says that schools are taking advantage of federal loan guarantees as they keep increasing the cost of education. “I think the universities have benefited the most from our student loan program, and they’ve raised tuition at a multiple that exceeds inflation in many cases. And so they had the most to gain for it,” Joyce told Fox News in an interview. “I think you’ve got to get universities to have more skin in the game.” MINNESOTA MAYOR THANKS PRESIDENT BIDEN FOR CANCELING HIS STUDENT LOANS Schools that raise tuition above the rate inflation would be hit even harder. If a private university increases net tuition more rapidly than the rate inflation over a three-year time period, the next year it would be forced to pay a tax of 20% on its endowment profits. “Our legislation will finally hold universities accountable for their role in fueling the student debt crisis and encourage them to limit rapid tuition increases,” Malliotakis said in a statement. According to the Department of Education, the average cost of tuition, fees, room and board in 2022-23 was $30,884 per year, compared to $12,992 in 2000-01. The legislation comes as the Biden administration, Vice President Harris and her allies are leaning into their push for student loan forgiveness. “We see a future … where no teacher has to struggle with the burden of student loan debt,” Harris said at an American Federation of Teachers (AFT) event. KEVIN O’LEARY TORCHES BIDEN STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT AS ‘UNFAIR’ AND ‘UN-AMERICAN’: ‘I REALLY REALLY HATE THIS’ “A future of opportunity, a future where kids do not have student debt, a future where we can have a thriving middle class. That’s what Kamala Harris means,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said Monday on a Progressives for Harris Zoom call. The Department of Education announced last week it aims to give debt relief “to tens of millions of borrowers this Fall.” “Today, the Biden-Harris administration takes another step forward in our drive to deliver student debt relief to borrowers who’ve been failed by a broken system,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. Joyce dismissed the move as political in an interview with Fox News. AFTER URGING RESPECT FOR JUSTICE SYSTEM, BIDEN CLAIMS SCOTUS’ TRUMP CASE RULING IS ‘ATTACK’ ON ‘RULE OF LAW’ “Let’s face it, it comes out in an election year…. The Supreme Court have already said what this administration has done to date is not legal. And so therefore, they’re doubling down on it in the year of the election. It sounds to me like they’re pandering to votes versus trying to find the real root cause,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The solution, Joyce said, is to shift universities’ priorities to emphasize providing better value for students. “There’s a lot of great people out there who work very hard, who could use those scholarships that they could be funding with their endowment fund versus taking the money from a student loan that’s been backed by the federal government,” Joyce said.
Harris and Walz made unprecedented abortion clinic visit prior to presidential ticket team-up
Vice President Kamala Harris previously made history alongside her future 2024 running mate when she visited a Minnesota Planned Parenthood earlier this year – in what was seen as the first time a sitting U.S. vice president has ever visited an abortion provider. “I’m here at this health care clinic to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like,” Harris said from a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota in March. “The reason I’m here is because this is a health care crisis,” she continued. “Part of this health care crisis is the clinics like this that have had to shut down and what that has meant to leave no options with any reasonable geographic area for so many women who need this essential care.” As Harris made history as the first sitting veep to visit an abortion clinic, her future 2024 running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, stood by her side in support. The chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States, Planned Parenthood’s regional president and CEO Ruth Richardson, and Rep. Betty McCollum also joined Harris at the clinic. KAMALA HARRIS TORN APART BY PRO-LIFERS FOR HISTORIC TRIP TO ABORTION CLINIC: ‘NORMALIZATION OF EVIL’ Harris continued in her remarks that Americans need not “abandon their faith” to support abortion. “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling women what to do with their body,” Harris said during remarks following a tour of the clinic. “If she chooses, she will consult with her priest, her pastor, rabbi, her imam. But is that for the government to tell her what she can and cannot do with her own body?” Conservatives and pro-lifers slammed Harris for the visit, saying it was the “normalization of evil.” “This is a historic ‘first,’ in the worst possible way. VP Kamala Harris is getting a private tour of a Planned Parenthood in Minnesota today. I’d bet that they’ll show her everything except for an actual abortion,” Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins posted to X at the time. She added: “PRO-LIFE GEN: If you’re in or near Minneapolis, join us TODAY to show we are NOT going to accept this evil or the promotion and normalization of evil. Expected location of Kamala Harris: Planned Parenthood on Vandalia St.” Following the visit to the abortion clinic, Walz told the media that “old white men” need to talk about abortion and reproductive health more. “I think old white men need to learn how to talk about this a little more,” Walz told CNN at the time. “And I think the big thing is: Listen to women. Listen to what they’re saying. We’ve seen that when we listen to them, they’re speaking loudly, and they’re speaking at the ballot box.” VP HARRIS VISITS PLANNED PARENTHOOD, SAYS PEOPLE DON’T NEED TO ‘ABANDON THEIR FAITH’ TO BACK ABORTION ACCESS On Tuesday morning, Harris announced that she had chosen Walz to join her on the presidential ticket as her running mate, just weeks after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his vice president to make a run for the office. Biden dropped out amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity and age, and he has vowed to finish out his term in the Oval Office. “I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work,” Harris announced on X Tuesday. Planned Parenthood lauded Harris for the choice in a press release, saying Walz and Harris Vice President Harris are “the most pro-reproductive freedom ticket in history.” PRO-CHOICE OBGYNS CRITICIZE FETAL DEVELOPMENT VIDEO FOR SEX ED CLASSES: ‘LAST THING KIDS NEED TO BE WATCHING’ “Gov. Walz is a longtime champion of sexual and reproductive health care and has been a fierce abortion rights champion as governor, helping to protect abortion rights in Minnesota,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said. The press release also noted Walz “made history with Vice President Harris” just months ago in Minnesota. “As Vice President, Harris visited a Planned Parenthood health center, making her the first vice president in history to do so — and Gov. Walz accompanied her on this historic visit,” it read.
India losing allies: What is Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s achievement?
The collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh may cause many problems for India.
‘Squad’ Rep Cori Bush’s loss cheered by right, left sounds off on AIPAC spending
Controversial Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush on Tuesday became the second “Squad” member to lose in a Democratic primary this year, following Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. Bush, a controversial lawmaker who rose to prominence in the Black Lives Matter movement, was denied a third term when Democratic voters nominated St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell for the seat that represents St. Louis city and part of St. Louis County. Pro-Israel groups spent millions to unseat Bush, a vocal critic of the war in Gaza and the Jewish state. “The Many have spoken!” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee posted on X after the race was called for Bell. “Congratulations to pro-Israel progressive leader @bell4mo on your big win against anti-Israel Squad member Rep. Cori Bush!” Bell’s campaign received a big boost from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose super political action committee, United Democracy Project, spent $8.5 million to oust Bush. She was targeted after repeated criticism of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. ‘SQUAD’ REP CORI BUSH LOSES HIGHLY CONTENTIOUS PRIMARY AGAINST PRO-ISRAEL DEMOCRAT It was a game plan that worked earlier this year in New York. In June, United Democracy Project spent $15 million to defeat another Squad member — Bowman, who lost to George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist. “AIPAC and our 4.5 million grassroots members are proud to stand with Wesley Bell!” the group said. “Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!” Bush called out AIPAC in her concession speech. “All they did is radicalize me, so they need to be afraid,” she said. “AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down,” Bush declared. “And let me put all of these corporations on notice, I’m coming after you too!” Bush’s defeat was welcomed by conservatives and those who support Israel. “Congresswoman Cori Bush becomes the second squad member to lose a primary this election cycle. She and Jamaal Bowman are free to join Hamas together,” OutKick founder Clay Travis posted on X. THIS HOUSE DEMOCRAT BECOMES THE FIRST SQUAD MEMBER DEFEATED IN A PRIMARY “NEXT UP: Ilhan Omar,” said Chaya Raichik, who runs the popular Libs of TikTok account on X. “The squad are too radical even for Democrats.” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., an adversary of the “Squad” in Congress, jokingly said, “I will miss Cori Bush missing every committee meeting.” Some on the left accused AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups of smearing Bush in a multi-million dollar ad campaign or even of buying the seat. “AIPAC can gloat about “taking out another member of the ‘squad,’” but in the end they’ll be losers. They & their allies spent over $13 million to smear & defame @CoriBush,” said James J. Zogby, founder and president of the American Arab Institute. “Cori was much beloved & their treatment of her will not be forgotten.” AOC EASILY WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Eman Abdelhadi, a University of Chicago sociology professor, accused AIPAC of using racist tropes to defeat Bush, referencing claims that the United Democracy Project distorted photos of her in mailers. The super PAC has denied the charge, calling it “completely false and absurd.” “AIPAC illegally ran ads against Cori Bush where they distorted her face into a racial caricature. That’s the state of American politics today. She deserves better than this clown country,” Abdelhadi said. Brianna Wu, a former congressional candidate and founder of the progressive Rebellion PAC, offered a more nuanced take on Bush’s loss. “Cori Bush lost tonight because she didn’t take her district seriously, and because she became the national poster child for the most braindead progressive ideas like defund the police,” said Wu. CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NEWS APP “Any future for progressive politics is going to look less like Bush and more like [Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim] Walz.” “Being besties with antisemites also unhelpful,” she added. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Walz’s ‘freedom’ message clashes with record on COVID school closures, indoor mask mandates
Democratic vice-presidential nominee for the 2024 election Gov. Tim Walz’s message celebrating individual freedom clashes with his track record during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minnesota governor offered sharp criticism of the Republican Party on Tuesday during his campaign debut at a rally in Philadelphia with Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris. “Some of us are old enough to remember when it was Republicans who were talking about freedom,” Walz told the crowd. “It turns out now what they meant was the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office.” VP KAMALA HARRIS PICKING GOV. TIM WALZ AS RUNNING MATE MET WITH MEDIA SCORN: ‘SUCH A WEIRD CHOICE’ He continued, “In Minnesota […] there’s a golden rule: mind your own damn business.” Conservative activists have pushed back on Walz’s self-characterization, pointing to his track record on issues such as COVID-19 lockdowns, parental rights, and more. “He should take some of his own advice, because during COVID not only did he lock down schools and mask children, he encouraged neighbors to snitch on each other if they were taking their kid to the playground,” said Tiffany Justice, Moms for Liberty co-founder. HARRIS LEANING INTO ‘PRO-HAMAS,’ ‘PROGRESSIVE’ WINGS OF DEMOCRAT PARTY WITH WALZ VP PICK: GOP STRATEGIST Critics point to Walz’s memorandum mandating indoor masking during the coronavirus pandemic, which he enacted in 2020 and ended in 2021. The Upper Midwest Law Center sued, calling the mandate unconstitutional, but an appellate court ultimately sided with Walz. In 2020, Walz set up a COVID-19 hotline that allowed Minnesota residents to inform authorities about suspicions their neighbors may be violating lockdown measures. “From overseeing the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country, to asking neighbors to tattle on one another for violating lockdown mandates, to forcing hospitalized COVID patients back in their nursing home facilities…” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told the New York Post. “Tim Walz proved during the pandemic he does not have the competency to lead in times of crisis.” Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo, Michael Lee, and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
Fox News Power Rankings: With VP picks, Harris and Trump miss opportunities to broaden their appeal
Trump still has an edge, but the race is closer than ever. That is the outlook in the first Fox News Power Rankings with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket and two new running mate picks. When this cycle began, most voters didn’t want President Biden or former President Donald Trump in the race. In a Fox News survey conducted weeks after the midterms, 64% of voters said they wouldn’t like to see Biden run for re-election, and 58% said they weren’t happy about Trump running either. Throughout his campaign, reliably blue voters drifted away from Biden, and he lagged with independents. The top reason was clear and consistent: voters thought he was too old for a second term. Last month, the president acquiesced to his doubters and stepped out of the race. On Monday, Harris became the Democratic nominee. Meanwhile, Republicans have been rallying around Trump. But the former president has proven there is a ceiling in his level of support, particularly with independents. Collectively, the polls suggest that the winner of the 2024 presidential race could be the candidate who reminds voters least of Biden or Trump. In other words, Harris and Trump each have up to 90 days to prove they can be “someone else.” The type of “someone else” matters. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS NAMES MINNESOTA GOV. TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE A majority of Americans say Biden is too liberal. In June, 56% of adults said they felt that way, and so did 56% of independent voters. Trump’s “MAGA” movement is also unpopular. In a survey last year, only 24% of Americans said they had a positive view of the movement, and only 12% of independents agreed. That makes both candidates’ vice presidential picks missed opportunities. There is also little time left in the race. Most Americans now cast a ballot before election day and early voting kicks off in 30 days. After a sleepy start, America is sprinting to the finish line. If Harris’ goal is to not remind voters of Joe Biden, she starts with a clear advantage. The vice president is 22 years younger than her boss. That has helped wipe out Biden’s deficit in national polls. After the presidential debate, Biden had support from 42% of registered voters in an average of polls, with Trump at 49% (NYT, WSJ). That is a 7-point gap. In the first polls from the same outlets after Harris became the likely nominee, she improved to 47%, with Trump still at 49% (NYT, WSJ). That is a race within the margin of error. We know age was the driver of this upswing because when these polls were conducted, Harris hadn’t changed anything else. Tuesday, she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz has supported a long list of socially progressive policies. He signed a law that made illegal immigrants eligible for drivers’ licenses, and another that, per a memo circulated by allies, made Minnesota a “Trans Refuge State.” He has also faced criticism for his slow response to rioting, looting, and arson after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. With reporting over the weekend that Harris had narrowed her choices to Walz or moderate Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had a 61% favorability rating in a must-win swing state, Harris’ decision seems unhelpful to her campaign. Walz is unlikely to hurt the campaign either. His signature policies include expansions of paid family and medical leave, legislation protecting abortion rights, education funding and drug affordability. Those positions are all in line with Biden and Harris’ agenda over the last four years and are popular in battleground states. Democrats are also excited about his “folksy” demeanor, military service, and working-class background. And while there is no polling evidence so far that Walz has outsized appeal with Midwestern voters, he doesn’t underperform with them either. In the midterms, he won re-election by seven points. The problem is more that Walz doesn’t help Harris win over independent voters who already say that Biden is too liberal. Meanwhile, while voters prefer Trump on policy, he must show independents that he is a more honest and temperate man than he was in his first term. Surviving a terrifying assassination attempt gave Trump an opportunity to do this, and surrogates were eager to play up the “changed” Donald Trump throughout the Republican National Convention. An uneven convention speech and an aggressive appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago last week proved Trump is still Trump. His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has been unhelpful so far. Vance earned his spot on the ticket because he was the most aligned to Trump and the “MAGA” movement out of all the leading candidates. The polling shows that “MAGA” has limited appeal outside the Republican base. Vance has also had to defend several comments he made about women. In a 2021 interview, he called some Democratic politicians “childless cat ladies,” and the same year, said rape and incest were possible circumstances of a child’s birth that society views as “inconvenient.” Vance said he meant society sometimes sees babies as inconvenient in a Fox interview last week. Like Walz, Vance brings a Midwestern background to the ticket. Republicans are excited about his ability to empathize with working-class voters who propelled Trump to victory in 2016 and say his military experience will be an asset. He has cosponsored bipartisan legislation to lower the price of insulin and make banks more accountable when they fail. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: IS KAMALA HARRIS UNBURDENED BY WHAT HAS BEEN? And in the midterms, Vance won his race by about six points against one of the strongest Democratic candidates in decades. Overall, Trump’s combative personality and the Vance pick are not quite the strategic mistakes that some analysts say they are. The “MAGA” movement excites core Republican voters, and firing up the base was a key factor in Trump’s 2016 win. But depressing Democratic turnout was also key to that victory. The polling now shows that Harris
Loss for country…: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son on Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from Paris Olympics
Following Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from Paris Olympics, Karan Bhushan Singh, son of former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, termed it a loss for the entire country.