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Harris team ‘not aware’ of stolen Trump docs sent ‘directly’ to Biden camp

Harris team ‘not aware’ of stolen Trump docs sent ‘directly’ to Biden camp

The Harris campaign addressed the revelation by federal agencies that individuals tied to the Biden campaign were targeted by Iranian actors with emails containing stolen Trump campaign materials, stating that they do not know of any materials sent “directly” to the Biden campaign, but that some people received emails on their personal accounts. “We have cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement authorities since we were made aware that individuals associated with the then-Biden campaign were among the intended victims of this foreign influence operation,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said in a statement. “We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt,” Finkelstein added. “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.”  In a joint statement released Wednesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said, “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails.”  PAKISTANI MAN WITH IRAN TIES PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN ALLEGED MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT TO ASSASSINATE US POLITICIANS “There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied,” the statement continued. “Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.”  The agencies said such “malicious cyber activity” served as the latest example of Iran’s multipronged approach “to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process.”  “As the lead for threat response, the FBI has been tracking this activity, has been in contact with the victims, and will continue to investigate and gather information in order to pursue and disrupt the threat actors responsible,” the statement said. “Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach November. In particular, Russia, Iran, and China are trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability.”  Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign spokesperson, said the development “is further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election to help Kamala Harris and Joe Biden because they know President Trump will restore his tough sanctions and stand against their reign of terror.” “Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians to hurt President Trump. What did they know and when did they know it?” she said in a statement. A Harris campaign official told Fox News Digital that “the material was not used.” IRAN TRIED TO INFLUENCE ELECTION BY SENDING STOLEN MATERIAL FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO BIDEN’S CAMP, FBI SAYS Federal authorities said they have thwarted Iranian assassination plots against U.S. politicians in recent months. U.S. officials say Trump, as well as President Biden and Nikki Haley, were among the targets. Earlier this week, a Pakistani man with deep ties to Iran was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court for alleging paying undercover agents he believed were hitmen to carry out the assassinations this summer.  Within two months, Trump has faced two assassination attempts at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and while golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, though authorities haven’t publicly linked either plot to Iran.  Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Flashback: VP Harris, Obama associated with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for Democratic causes

Flashback: VP Harris, Obama associated with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for Democratic causes

FLASHBACK: High-profile Democrats have had their fair share of collaborations with rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, whom federal authorities have charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and more in a disturbing indictment unsealed Tuesday.  Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Mayor Eric Adams and former President Barack Obama have all been connected to the “Hello Good Morning” artist for Democratic causes over the years. Combs has been one of the major celebrities backing Democrats throughout his career. In 2020, Harris, – now the Democratic frontrunner in the 2024 race – thanked Combs for hosting a political town hall about COVID-19.  “There’s a lot at stake for our communities right now and it’s critical we bring to the forefront how coronavirus is perpetuating racial inequality and health disparities,” Harris wrote on X. Combs also played a crucial role in engaging young voters for Democrats at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where he interviewed young delegates and Democrat lawmakers – including Obama and Clinton – for MTV.  SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS ARRESTED FOLLOWING RAIDS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATION In 2008, just days before the election, Combs made a last effort to court Black voters for Obama’s presidential campaign at a Democratic event – dubbed the “Last Chance For Change Rally” – in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 2020, Combs endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden for president and launched the “Political Black Party” while saying that “White men like Trump need to be banished” in a podcast interview with Charlamagne tha God.  Combs was awarded the key to New York City in September 2023, only to return it later at Mayor Adams’ request following the release of a 2016 video allegedly showing the rapper assaulting his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie. Adams informed Combs of the key’s rescission in a letter, and the key was returned to the city on June 10. Combs was part of a group of dozens of Black individuals who sent a letter to Biden in August 2020 urging him to select a Black vice presidential candidate, which appeared to reference reports that then-Sen. Harris was too “ambitious” to be his choice, The Hill reported. Combs has appeared with former President Donald Trump in photos in the past, primarily at galas and other apolitical celebrity functions. FOX NATION SPECIAL EXPLORES SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS INVESTIGATION, RAIDS Combs pleaded not guilty after appearing in a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment Tuesday. He was arrested Monday by federal agents based on a sealed indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed.  The rapper was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed earlier Tuesday. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE INDICTMENT Authorities claimed Combs ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used “violence, use of firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse” to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.  Combs engaged his victims in “physical, emotional, and verbal abuse” in order to force them into participating in the “freak offs,” the court docs read. Combs would also supply drugs to the sex workers and female victims to facilitate sexual encounters. DIDDY ALLEGEDLY FORCED STUDENT, EX KIM PORTER TO TAKE ECSTASY DURING SEXUAL ASSAULT, ACCORDING TO NEW LAWSUIT “Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” authorities stated. Combs often provided IV fluids to his victims following “freak offs” to recover from physical exertion and drug use, the indictment read. During raids on Combs’ home in March, authorities seized “freak off supplies” along with three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, the court docs stated. The feds took “cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs’ staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs – more than 1,000 bottles altogether,” Williams said at a press conference. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital’s requests for comment sent to Clinton, Obama, Adams and Harris were not returned before publication. When reached for comment, a White House spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s statements during Tuesday’s press briefing. “Look, it’s an ongoing — ongoing situation, legal matter. I would have to refer you to the Department of Justice. Everything, kind of, is happening today. And so, I’m just — we just don’t comment on ongoing legal matter. I’m not going to do that from here. So, I’m going to leave it there.” Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz and Andrew Murray contributed to this report.

Black activist to blast Biden admin energy agenda allegedly causing low-income households to ‘suffer most’

Black activist to blast Biden admin energy agenda allegedly causing low-income households to ‘suffer most’

A director at a leading Black activist group is expected to slam the Biden administration’s energy agenda for prioritizing climate policies over the affordability crisis, according to an internal preview of Capitol Hill testimony. Donna Jackson, the director of membership development at Project 21, a Black think tank at the National Center for Public Policy Research that seeks to promote the views of African Americans, is expected to testify during a House Budget Committee hearing Thursday dubbed, “The Cost of the Biden Energy Crisis.” According to a copy of Jackson’s prepared remarks, she will comment on the cost of household appliances, electric vehicle mandates and how the housing affordability crisis is affecting Black Americans.  “Cars are also indispensable to raising a family. As a single mom who raised five kids, don’t even try to tell me that I could have done that by relying on public transportation,” Jackson says in prepared remarks.  BIDEN PLEDGES $7.3B IN ‘CLEAN ENERGY’ SPENDING WITH NATIONAL DEBT AT $35T “Dangling free money in front of low-income households does not make up for the damage done. Whether it is proposals to give $25,000 to new home buyers or the generous tax credits to buy EVs, or government rebates for politically-correct appliances, no handout can substitute for getting rid of these policies,” the activist is expected to tell the committee. BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN HAS ‘FAILED’ REPEATEDLY ON HEALTH CARE: ANALYSIS Jackson will also rail against the Biden administration’s “Green New Deal-style policies.”  “These green policies are a bad deal for the American people, and it is low-income households that suffer most when energy affordability is no longer the priority.” Jackson is expected to conclude her speech by discussing energy poverty, specifically how the continued use of coal, oil and natural gas would “ensure real energy abundance and affordability.” Other witnesses expected at the hearing include Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation; Alex Epstein, president and founder of the Center for Industrial Progress, and Trevor Higgins, senior vice president for Energy and Environment, Center for American Progress.

Rick Scott leads effort to up Secret Service protections after 2nd assassination attempt on Trump

Rick Scott leads effort to up Secret Service protections after 2nd assassination attempt on Trump

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led several Republicans in a bid to increase U.S. Secret Service (USSS) protections for presidential nominees in the wake of the second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. “Over the course of just 65 days, two deranged individuals have tried to kill President Donald Trump, and one was able to shoot him in the head,” Scott wrote of his introduction of the Protect Our Presidents Act. “It is unthinkable that this could happen in America today and demands the immediate action of Congress,” he said.  ‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’ “Today, I am leading my Republican colleagues to introduce the Protect our Presidents Act, which mandates that the USSS provide the same level of protective services to presidential nominees that it affords to sitting presidents.” “President Trump has great officers and agents working around the clock to keep him safe, but it’s clear that the vile rhetoric on the left toward President Trump has made him a target and more resources are required to ensure the safety of him and his family. I urge Senate Democrats to join Republicans to quickly pass this bill that will support the protection of President Trump and all future presidential nominees.” The Florida Republican was joined by cosponsors Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., James Risch, R-Idaho, Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo. HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL The measure would require that the Secret Service give nominees for president a level of protection on par with the current president. However, a nominee is free to decline this.  It would additionally extend that presidential-level protection to vice presidential nominees, in this case to Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn. GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE Further, the bill led by Scott would require regular reporting from the Secret Service to leaders of the House and Senate on the status of candidates’ protection. Such reports would include threat levels, security measures, costs, amount of personnel assigned, and any needs that are unmet.  On Wednesday, the Secret Service told Fox News Trump actually had the same level of protection on Sunday during the second assassination attempt, as he did when he was president. In fact, they told Fox News that not only had Trump’s security increased from the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., on July 13, but that it was part of what helped thwart the attempt on Sunday.  SECRET SERVICE TOLD LOCALS THEY WOULD ‘TAKE CARE OF’ BUILDING USED BY THOMAS CROOKS TO SHOOT TRUMP The USSS revealed that President Biden, Trump, and Vice President Harris are all outfitted with counter snipers, counter assault, counter surveillance, protective intelligence, and drone teams.  This high level of protection for presidential candidates would be codified by Scott’s bill.  The House is set to vote on a similar bill, which has gained bipartisan backing in the lower chamber, on Friday. It would also grant major presidential candidates the same protection as sitting presidents.

House puts HHS on notice to ensure universities receiving federal funding are free of ‘antisemitic behavior’

House puts HHS on notice to ensure universities receiving federal funding are free of ‘antisemitic behavior’

FIRST ON FOX: House members are taking steps to ensure that universities receiving federal funds are complying with civil rights laws amid a House-wide effort to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses. The Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a joint letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday asking whether there have been any complaints of “unacceptable antisemitic behavior” from educational institutions receiving federal grants. HHS awards federal funding to universities through National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, which require that institutions receiving funding are free of discriminatory harassment, according to the NIH Grants Policy Statement. “These concerns stem from the unacceptable antisemitic behavior witnessed across college campuses – including encampments, calls for violence, and severe interruption to the learning and research environments,” the letter, obtained first by Fox News Digital, reads. JEWISH DEMOCRAT SUING HARVARD OVER ANTISEMITISM CHASTISES HIS PARTY FOR INACTION, ENDORSES TRUMP The letter notes that the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) does provide guidance on what is or is not allowed on campus, as well as how people can be protected by federal civil rights laws, but demands further action should be taken. “Merely issuing guidance does not demonstrate that HHS OCR is taking active steps to ensure that universities or institutions are complying with federal civil rights laws, specifically as it pertains to antisemitism,” the lawmakers wrote. “This is particularly concerning when universities that receive hundreds of millions of dollars a year in funding from HHS – such as Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles, among others listed in our letters issued on antisemitism concerns – are under active investigation by the U.S. Department of Education OCR for possible violations of Title VI.” NEW SEMESTER REIGNITES FEARS OF ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: ‘WE’RE VERY CONCERNED’ The lawmakers are requesting HHS provide a list of all misconduct allegations and all documents of communication at NIH-funded institutions relating to alleged antisemitic incidents from fiscal year 2023 to present by Oct. 2, 2024. “When a doctor takes the Hippocratic Oath, he or she pledges to do no harm and to treat all patients with respect. Unfortunately, it seems that there are HHS-funded medical institutions – including Columbia – that aren’t living up to that standard as they allow antisemitism to run rampant,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The goal of our committees is to ensure that no patient, professional, or student is subject to discrimination, and certainly not on the taxpayer’s dime.” “HHS has received the letter and will respond directly to the committee. The Department and its operating divisions are committed to ensuring that HHS-funded institutions are free from harassment and discrimination, including the abhorrent rise of antisemitism in the United States,” a spokesperson for HHS told Fox News Digital in a statement. The committees sent a similar letter, obtained by Fox, to Columbia University regarding whether the university is “maintaining a safe environment for all members” as a recipient of funding through HHS grants. Columbia University reportedly received $611,173,605 in NIH grants in fiscal year 2024, according to HHS’ public page on NIH funding. The letter, addressed to interim President Katrina Armstrong, comes as part of an ongoing investigation into the university after anti-Israel protests broke out on the Ivy League campus during the spring semester. In their letter, the lawmakers requested that Columbia provide any and all complaints of a “hostile environment based on antisemitic discrimination, harassment, or safety concerns” received by the university, as well as how they were addressed. Columbia University did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. “We’ve been seeing health organizations, practices, schools, and associations take radical political positions whose only practical effect is to exclude Jews, as well as more blatant efforts to ostracize Jewish members of our community,” Evan Bernstein, VP of community relations for Jewish Federations of North America, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We’re hearing more and more concerns about this from our Federation communities across America, so we decided it was time to come to Washington to sound the alarm.”

Majority of Black swing-state voters back Harris, as Trump makes inroads with Black men: poll

Majority of Black swing-state voters back Harris, as Trump makes inroads with Black men: poll

New data from the Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion offers insight into Black voters’ support heading into the 2024 presidential election. The Howard University poll shows an overwhelming majority of Black voters in the seven swing states support Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. A whopping 82% of respondents told pollsters that they supported Harris compared to just 12% that backed Trump. NEW POLL INDICATES WHETHER HARRIS OR TRUMP HAS THE EDGE IN THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLEGROUND Approximately 5% of respondents indicated they are undecided and the final 1% said they intend to vote for a candidate other than Harris or Trump. The data shows a significant difference between age groups. Approximately 89% of Black voters over 50-years-old backed Harris, while only 8% backed Trump and 4% backed an alternative candidate. AMERICANS FAVOR TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION, SUPPORT MASS DEPORTATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, POLL FINDS Among young Black voters, the majority still overwhelmingly backed Harris (75%) but support for Trump doubled to 16% and support for alternative candidates shot up to 9%. This age difference was most obvious among men — men under fifty-years-old broke 72% to 21% in favor of Harris, contrasted against 88% to 10% among men over fifty. The Howard University poll surveyed Black voters over the age of 18 and registered to vote in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The poll was conducted between Sept. 4 and Sept. 11 with a total of 1,000 respondents and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points. Individuals were surveyed via landline, cellphone, and text-to-web.