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Trump’s top legal foe to be handed ‘unprecedented’ election power ahead of November: election attorney

Trump’s top legal foe to be handed ‘unprecedented’ election power ahead of November: election attorney

A new requirement in New York that will take effect this weekend is set to grant Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James widespread power over the state’s election process, a New York election attorney said.  “Nobody is really talking about it or what a big effect it’s going to have,” election attorney Joseph T. Burns, partner at the law firm Holtzman Vogel, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview this week. “But it’s interesting because, look, there’s a lot of bad stuff that happens in New York when it comes to the elections and everything else, but this strikes me as being particularly bad. And it’s certainly quite a power grab by the attorney general as well.” Under the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, which Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law in 2022, a preclearance requirement in the law is set to take effect on Sept. 22. The new rule requires certain jurisdictions in the Empire State to request preclearance from the attorney general or a designated court to make election-related decisions, which range from changing the hours of early voting to culling deceased residents from a voter list, Burns said.  Burns published an op-ed in the New York Post this week, warning that the new law hands James “unprecedented power over election processes in some of the most hotly contested congressional districts in the nation, including those on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley.” The upcoming requirement has flown under the radar, Burns said, telling Fox Digital, “Nobody’s talking about. It’s pretty remarkable.” “The new rule upends the system of constitutionally mandated, bipartisan election administration that has served New York’s voters ably for generations,” Burns wrote in his op-ed, which was published on Sept. 15. “The law requires certain counties, cities, towns, villages and school districts to get the blessing of the AG or a designated court before making election-related or voting-related changes.” The new rule covers massive jurisdictions such as New York City and nine counties on Long Island, including America’s largest township of Hempstead, as well as other areas known as “covered entities” under the requirement.  The jurisdictions are determined by a handful of factors, including arrest rates for residents of “protected classes” and whether a jurisdiction committed civil rights or voting rights violations in the last 25 years, Burns said, citing documents from James’ office last year that detailed the rules.  NY ELECTION LAW THAT ‘NATIONALIZES’ LOCAL POLITICS FLIES UNDER THE RADAR DESPITE BEING ‘MONUMENTAL’: EXPERT Burns, who has a background in Republican politics and election legal issues, told Fox Digital there are “four triggers” that label a jurisdiction a “covered entity.” “Any political subdivision which, within the previous 25 years, has become subject to a court order or government enforcement action based upon a finding of any violation of this title, the Federal Voting Rights Act, the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution or a voting-related violation of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Burns said, reading from the 2023 document published by James’ office. Burns gave an example of Erie County, which is considered a “covered entity” under the new rules, when the jurisdiction was hit with a court order involving the 14th Amendment about a decade ago. “You think, ‘Wow, this sounds really sinister,’” he said of the 2014 court order. “‘They’re probably doing something. They’re disenfranchising a minority.’” BLUE STATE EFFORT TO UPROOT ELECTION LAW COULD FOREVER CHANGE LOCAL RACES: EXPERT “No, not at all. What happened was the county executive and the county legislature couldn’t agree on a redistricting plan,” Burns said of the case. “… Something like that would put a local government under preclearance.” “It isn’t just bad policy, because it undermines the bipartisan nature of the boards of elections. Which, again, they’re not perfect, there’s so many inefficiencies. But by and large, in this day and age where people are so concerned about election integrity, what’s better than having both sides have a stake in the outcome, both sides wanting to and needing to make sure that elections are run smoothly and fairly? And now you have a partisan elected official stepping in to essentially have a veto power over our boards of elections,” Burns said.  Under New York’s Constitution, elections are run by bipartisan boards that equally represent the Republican and Democrat parties.  NY COURT DECISION GIVES DEMS INSIDE TRACK ON COMPETITIVE HOUSE DISTRICTS “One side watches the other, and both parties have a stake in ensuring that elections run smoothly – even in jurisdictions heavily dominated by one party or the other, like New York City. It’s not a perfect system, and it certainly has its inefficiencies. But it successfully preserves voter confidence,” Burns wrote in his op-ed.  “The preclearance rules of the state VRA, however, undermine this constitutionally mandated system of bipartisan election administration,” he added.  Burns said it’s possible the new rule, which will go into effect roughly 40 days before the presidential election, could cause some hiccups at the polls this year. DEMS TURN TO STATE COURTS AS POLITICAL ‘WEAPON’ AMID 2024’S GERRYMANDER BLITZ: EXPERTS “It’s certainly possible. I mean, what’s going to happen if, God forbid, an early voting site or an Election Day poll site … and a pipe breaks and it floods and it’s unusable, or there’s a fire in the facility and it burns down. They got to move it.” Local commissioners would then choose a new poll site before filing an application with the AG’s office. Burns said he’s not arguing that the AG’s office wouldn’t swiftly approve the application but rather it adds additional layers of paperwork and clearance to run an election. “New Yorkers of all political parties and persuasions want elections to be run fairly, honestly and efficiently – and the state’s system of bipartisan election administration already serves voters well,” Burns wrote in his op-ed.  “Our elections – and the public’s faith in them – will not be improved by the AG’s meddling.” Fox News Digital reached out

Trump has higher favorability numbers than Taylor Swift, poll finds

Trump has higher favorability numbers than Taylor Swift, poll finds

A new poll has found that former President Trump has higher favorability numbers among likely voters compared to pop superstar Taylor Swift.  The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College poll of 2,436 likely voters nationwide revealed that 44% have a favorable opinion of Taylor Swift, compared to 34% who have unfavorable views.  The same poll found that 47% view Trump favorably, compared to 51% who don’t. Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, was viewed favorably by 48% of the likely voters and unfavorably by 49%, the newspaper says.  The poll, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, was conducted from Sept. 11 to 16, starting one day after Swift endorsed the Harris-Walz campaign.  TAYLOR SWIFT’S ENDORSEMENT OF HARRIS DRAWS MIXED REACTION FROM VOTERS  “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote on her Instagram account on Sept. 10, following the presidential debate between the two candidates that day.  “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift added. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”  WHAT THE TAYLOR SWIFT ENDORSEMENT OF KAMALA HARRIS MEANS FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION  The New York Times reports that her endorsement appears to have divided voters along party lines.  The poll shows that 70% of Democrats have a favorable view of Swift, compared to 41% of independents and just 23% of Republicans. A total of 60% of Republicans indicated that they had an unfavorable view of Swift, while only 11% of Democrats felt the same way. 

NY rallygoers plead for Trump’s return to restore future of blue state, cite migrant crisis as major concern

NY rallygoers plead for Trump’s return to restore future of blue state, cite migrant crisis as major concern

Supporters of former President Trump in New York pleaded for his return to office, telling Fox News Digital outside his Uniondale, New York, rally that immigration and crime were at the top of their minds before November.   Former President Trump returned to the deep blue state he long called home Wednesday for a rally on Long Island just days after a second assassination attempt on his life.  “The main issue for me is illegal immigration. I believe in immigration, but just not illegally,” Mary Beth O’Hare told Fox News Digital outside the Nassau Coliseum. “And I think our city in particular is being overrun with illegals, and we are eventually going to pay the price for that if we’re not already, and we see it in our own communities.  “And I also think it’s not fair to the migrants as well. I think they’re being told that they’re going to get something fantastic when they get here. And when you actually speak to them, you realize that they’re not happy either. So, all around, it’s just an unfair situation. HARRIS TEAM ‘NOT AWARE’ OF STOLEN TRUMP DOCS SENT ‘DIRECTLY’ TO BIDEN CAMP “I do think New York is in need of a revival. And, as a matter of fact, I just sold my home, and we’re thinking about leaving New York as well. And it’s because you just don’t feel safe and secure here,” O’Hare added. “And it’s just gotten so expensive that you can’t see your own family being able to create a family here and continue the legacy that you started. “I think it’s time that we figure out why it is so expensive to live here and make it more affordable for younger people.” “First and foremost is the open border. I’ve seen Manhattan especially overcome by the illegal immigrants that have been traveling through the night on large jets and landing in our cities. I really see it in New York. And it’s not good,” Amy Hesse told Fox News Digital. “Trump is a New Yorker. That is his home. And he will turn that city around and turn the state of New York around. Go Trump 2024.”  Another Trump supporter, Tom, said immigration was one of the major issues facing New York state, where he predicted Trump was rallying not to win for himself but to generate support for GOP congressmen.  “It’s important for the sake of Republicans maintaining the House that these moderate districts remain in Republican hands, like the ones on Long Island, the ones in the Hudson River Valley,” he told Fox News Digital. “I think this is an opportunity to get good publicity that even within the heavy blue area of the state of New York, he can still bring out crowds like this peacefully, patriotically and joyfully celebrating the day. “I am the son of immigrants. I am proud to be the son of immigrants. And I believe that if you come into this country lawfully and want to be a part of the American dream, you are welcome,” Tom added.  “But that is not what is transpiring right now. And our cities, much less to be said in New York about this. We have had so many illegal immigrants come into this country that the infrastructure is bending. We don’t have the money to school these people properly. We don’t have the money to house these people properly. Right now, 25% of all the hotel rooms occupied in the city of New York are occupied by migrants.  “We are paying for this instead of using this money to educate our own children. Even in the inner cities, where they’re dying for additional funding for education. Instead, we’re welcoming these people in, and we don’t have any place to put them.”  A man wearing a “Jews For Trump” shirt outside the rally said he wanted to dispel the misconception that most Jews would vote for Kamala Harris, especially after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.  “If you look at everyone around you, the crime has gone up. Our cars are being broken into,” the man said. “The homes are being broken into. People are afraid to buy houses right now just because they’re afraid it’s going to be broken into. It’s not the way it was under Trump. The crime was less. The economy was better. Everything was better. There was no complaints. All the complaints we have is the crime is through the roof. The economy. We’re paying through the roof for everything right now. Vote Trump.”  He said the government has been housing a lot of migrants in his neighborhood in Queens.  “I get worried about my wife and kids a lot because of that,” he said. “Because there is crime going on. We don’t know who these migrants are. Yes, some of them could be good, but we don’t know. No one’s vetted them. And they just came into the country. We don’t know anything about them.” “New York needs to change. You know, New York used to be so prosperous. Like, New York was the hub of the entire world in regards to finance. And now it’s just like everybody’s leaving New York. The policies are horrendous,” Nick Passino, part of a group of Trump supporters who call themselves the MAGA Boyz, told Fox News Digital. TRUMP ADVISER UNPACKS WHY FORMER PRESIDENT IS HOLDING RALLY IN DEEP-BLUE STATE WEEKS FROM ELECTION Passino said he and his friend, Devin Dashnaw, were in the front row of Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when the July 13 assassination attempt unfolded.  He said their group stood behind Trump at his subsequent rally in Michigan to show support. Trump is keeping up his public rally schedule after another assassination attempt while the former president was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, over the weekend. Passino said Trump is making a statement “that he’s willing to do whatever it takes for the American people.”  “Even though they tried to take him

Down the shore: New Jersey lawmakers seek to undo sunscreen prohibition for kids

Down the shore: New Jersey lawmakers seek to undo sunscreen prohibition for kids

Since the 1970s, the state of New Jersey has regulated sunblock as an over-the-counter medication, which means it can be prohibited in schools, according to state lawmakers. State Assemb. Nancy Munoz, R-Union, put forward a bill Wednesday directing schools to allow students to use sunscreen and for faculty to assist in certain situations. Munoz is a former nurse, who said visiting the Jersey Shore isn’t the only place people are susceptible to the repercussions of sun exposure. “Children need protection during the entire day, including recess, sports, and outside activities. Sunscreen, along with protective clothing and shade, are the most effective ways to protect children from the risk of getting skin cancer,” she said.  “However, it is not readily accessible at schools without a doctor’s note because the [FDA] classifies it as an over-the-counter drug.” TRUMP ORGANIZATION FLAMES REPORTS NJ MIGHT PULL LIQUOR LICENSES AFTER CONVICTION Munoz noted that sunblock is indeed subject to federal regulation and testing as it prevents or treats disease, but that students need access to it. Dr. Seth Matarasso, president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that 90% of skin cancer is preventable. “Helping to reduce our children’s UV ray exposure, while instilling in them lifelong sun-safe habits, is one of the best things we can do to protect them,” he said. “I’m pleased New Jersey is taking the initiative to protect children from overexposure to the sun.” NJ RESIDENTS HIT WITH DOUBLED ENERGY BILLS AS LAWMAKERS FUME OVER MURPHY’S ENERGY ‘DISASTER PLAN’ Unprotected ultraviolet light exposure is the most preventable skin cancer risk factor, as Munoz said the disease is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. Last September, “Margaritaville” scribe and longtime performer Jimmy Buffett passed away after battling an aggressive form of skin cancer called Merkel-cell carcinoma. Nearly 8,000 other Americans died last year from more-common melanoma skin cancer. “It is up to us as adults to protect the health and wellbeing of New Jersey’s children through reasonable and commonsense legislation,” Munoz said, adding scholastic sports and recess should not come with such risks. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The bill has also received its first co-sponsor, Assemb. Michele Matsikoudis, R-New Providence, as of Thursday morning. In Congress, another Garden State lawmaker sounded the alarm on skin cancer risks, launching a “Sunscreen Safety Plan” to streamline the FDA approval process among other goals. “One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, and more than two people die of skin cancer in our country every hour,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said in a recent statement. “It’s critical that more Americans wear sunscreen and that we all have access to the absolute best and latest sun-protecting products on the market.” Gottheimer also said only 35% of U.S.-marketed sunblocks pass what are reportedly more stringent European Union standards.