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Absentee voting begins in Maryland, Mississippi

Absentee voting begins in Maryland, Mississippi

Maryland and Mississippi join the large and growing list of states to begin early and absentee voting Monday. Voting is underway in nearly 20 states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Virginia.  States starting their early voting today are not competitive at the presidential level, but the Senate race in Maryland will be one of the most closely watched races on election night. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS THINK HARRIS DID BETTER THAN TRUMP IN DEBATE The last time the state voted for a Republican senator was 1980, but former Gov. Larry Hogan tied Democratic challenger Angela Alsobrooks in a recent poll, and has put forth a set of moderate policy proposals without raising the ire of former President Donald Trump.  Hogan, though a Republican, has been a vocal critic of Trump. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY Alsobrooks is leaning on her experience as a county executive and prosecutor, and the state’s heavily blue tilt gives her an edge. This race is ranked Leans D on the Fox News Power Rankings. This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Maryland. Maryland began absentee voting on Monday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5. Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day. Early voting begins Oct. 24 and runs through Oct. 31. Maryland residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 15. They can also register in-person during early voting or on election day. HOUSE GOP DOUBTS GROW AS JOHNSON DIGS IN ON FUNDING FIGHT: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’ This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Mississippi. Mississippi began absentee voting Monday. Applicants need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot, however. The state must receive a ballot application by Nov. 4, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5. Mississippi does not support early in-person voting. Residents can register to vote by mail or in-person through Oct. 7.

Congress has one more week in session to avert a government shutdown

Congress has one more week in session to avert a government shutdown

House lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon to begin their final week in session before Election Day – and a possible partial government shutdown. Congress has just five days to find an agreement on funding the government at the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. If no deal can pass the Republican-held House and Democrat-controlled Senate by then, thousands of federal employees could be furloughed and multiple government programs temporarily shuttered. Both Republicans and Democrats agree that some sort of short-term extension of this year’s funds, called a continuing resolution (CR), is needed to buy negotiators more time. They differ on how to get there, however. SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not given an indication of what his plan might be after his plan of a six-month CR combined with a measure requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process failed last week. Fourteen Republicans joined all but three Democrats in successfully voting down the bill, much to the chagrin of Johnson allies who had hoped it would be a strong opening salvo in his negotiations with the Senate. Several GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital last week said they expected Johnson to hold a vote on a “clean” CR through December – something desired by Democrats and some senior Republicans – which conservatives would see as an unequivocal loss. JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, made clear that he blamed his fellow Republicans for leaving the GOP in this position. “What we were trying to put forward was a provision that would get spending into the next year, allow us to reconstitute government with a new Congress, hopefully with a Republican House, Senate and White House . . . clear the decks so you’re not debating all this crap in December, get rid of the possibility of an omnibus, and, oh, by the way, have a real fight on the [Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act],” Roy said. “But they wanted to be political Nostradamus and saying, ‘I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen.’ Well, no s— that’s what’s going to happen when you kill it in the cradle.” CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION There’s no guarantee, however, that Johnson’s CR would be just a “clean” straightforward extension.  Several GOP lawmakers have suggested they would back adding additional Secret Service or disaster relief funding to such a measure. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP And with Johnson’s razor-thin four-seat majority in general, it is all but certain that he will need help from Democrats to get any CR across the finish line.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Oil advocates ‘skeptical’ of Harris pivot on fracking, but say her shift shows stance is a ‘winning issue’

Oil advocates ‘skeptical’ of Harris pivot on fracking, but say her shift shows stance is a ‘winning issue’

Oil and gas industry leaders are skeptical of Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on critical state issues and are calling for clarity on her positions before Election Day. Harris said there is “no question” she would be in favor of banning fracking, during her 2020 presidential campaign, but after becoming the 2024 Democratic nominee, the vice president said that she will not ban hydraulic fracturing if elected. “As a native Pennsylvanian, who understands the importance of oil and gas to local communities and consumers nationwide, I have to be skeptical of the vice president’s pivot on fracking. And we still haven’t seen an energy policy plan,” Jeff Eshelman, Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President & CEO, told Fox News Digital. HARRIS DODGING FLIP-FLOP ATTACKS AS FACELESS SURROGATES FLIP KEY POSITIONS: ‘PLAYING POLITICS’ Eshelman added that her shift signals that fracking is a winning issue. HARRIS CLAIMS SHE ‘MADE CLEAR’ HER POSITION ON FRACKING IN 2020 – TRANSCRIPT SHOWS ANOTHER STORY “If the VP is now endorsing a pro-fracking plan, we are the experts and would encourage a meeting with oil and gas producers. However, Harris’ endorsement of hydraulic fracturing shows how important energy issues are to voters who understand increased oil and natural gas development is key to bringing down gas prices and decreasing reliance on foreign oil,” Eshelman said. “Her shift makes it clear that unleashing abundant and affordable American energy resources through safe and responsible fracking technology is a winning issue.” The issue remains of top concern to swing state voters in Pennsylvania, as well as on a national level, after a New York Times/Siena College poll released in September found that 43% of voters somewhat or strongly oppose a ban on fracking. The American Petroleum Institute (API) echoed the questions surrounding her position.  “I think the Vice President should be held to account for what exactly she means. And she has been successful to this point in not having to say a lot. And I would posit the reason why she is all of a sudden talking about fracking is because the path to the presidency runs through Pennsylvania, and they know full well how important the oil and gas sector is to the nearly half a billion people in the state of Pennsylvania that are employed in and around the industry,” said Amanda Eversole, Executive Vice President of API. API also suggested that swing state voters could be a driving force behind her decision to change face on the issue. “President Trump – we know where he stands on energy. But voters deserve to know what the vice president’s philosophy is, and just articulating support of hydraulic fracturing is not enough. There are a lot of questions that voters deserve to have answers to.” A spokesperson for the Harris campaign told Fox News Digital that the vice president has been clear on where she stands on the issue. “Vice President Harris was proud to cast the tie-breaking vote on the largest ever investment to address the climate crisis and under the Biden-Harris administration, America is more energy secure than ever before with the highest domestic energy production on record. The Biden-Harris administration ignited an American manufacturing boom and created 300,000 energy jobs, while Trump lost nearly a million, and his Project 2025 would undo the enormous progress we’ve made the past four years.  “Vice President Harris is focused on a future where all Americans have clean air, clean water and affordable, reliable energy, while Trump’s lies are an obvious attempt to distract from his own plans to enrich oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class,” the campaign told Fox.

Gun rights, gender transitions, medical pot among issues SCOTUS will tackle this term

Gun rights, gender transitions, medical pot among issues SCOTUS will tackle this term

Gun rights, medical marijuana use, regulation of e-cigarettes and gender transition medical procedures for minors are just a few of the issues awaiting the Supreme Court when it comes back to work from its summer recess two weeks from today. Last term, the court decided a series of politically charged cases like former President Trump’s presidential immunity case, a challenge to the government’s regulation of the abortion pill and free speech in the digital age. The high court will kick off the 2024 term on Oct. 7 as it also navigates pressure from Democratic lawmakers for Congress to impose a new code of ethics and term limits.  Here are some cases to watch:  LEGAL EXPERTS WARN THAT LATEST SUPREME COURT LEAKS ARE ‘ENORMOUSLY DESTRUCTIVE’ In a challenge to the Biden administration’s regulation on so-called “ghost guns,” the Supreme Court will decide whether the federal rule is constitutional. The rule in question was issued in 2022 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to regulate “buy build shoot” kits that are available online or in stores that allow any individual to assemble a working firearm without a background check or the usual serial numbers required by the federal government. The Biden administration argued the rule is necessary to respond to rising numbers of untraceable guns. The Justice Department had argued in court that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years. However, gun rights groups say the rule is “unconstitutional and abusive.”  In this case, a truck driver, Douglas Horn is suing a medical marijuana company after he took one of its CBD products for chronic pain.  But after he failed a drug test and lost his job, he sued the company using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) – a federal statute used to fight organized crime. The justices will decide whether Horn can continue his suit.   ALASKA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATS AGAINST 6 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES In this case, two veterans sued after they were repeatedly denied medical care for post-traumatic stress disorder after the Department of Veteran’s Affairs said they did not qualify for care. The case could expand benefits for thousands of veterans. This case will decide whether to allow the FDA to deny approval for fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. The FDA asked the high court to overturn a ruling that overruled the agency’s denial, warning that the decision has “far-reaching consequences for public health.”  The agency has authorized the marketing of four e-cigarette products in the U.S., including the first menthol-flavored vaping product. But the FDA has routinely denied applications for fruit-flavored products, claiming the risks of addicting children outweigh any benefits for the rest of the population.  This case will review the Biden administration’s “equal protection” challenge to Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and transgender surgeries for minors.  APACHE TRIBE TAKES FIGHT WITH FEDS OVER SACRED LAND TO SUPREME COURT It is the first time the high court will consider restrictions on puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for minors. Tennessee is one of 22 states that has measures banning such medical intervention for minors. This challenge, launched by a trade association for adult-only content, asks the high court to decide whether a Texas law’s age verification requirement for accessing online sexual content violates the First Amendment.  The law passed in 2023 sets requirements for any commercial website where more than one-third of its content is “sexual material harmful to minors.”