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First and potentially only presidential debate between Harris and Trump being held in crucial battleground

First and potentially only presidential debate between Harris and Trump being held in crucial battleground

PHILADELPHIA – It’s fitting that Tuesday night’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump is being held in the key general election battleground state of Pennsylvania. Harris and Trump will face off at 9 p.m. ET at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the largest city in the Keystone State. The debate is the first and potentially the only showdown between Harris and Trump. Both candidates have repeatedly made stops this summer in Pennsylvania, which was one of seven key swing states that decided the outcome of the 2020 election between Trump and President Biden. And Pennsylvania, along with Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada, will likely determine who wins the White House in November. WHY THE HARRIS-TRUMP DEBATE SHOWDOWN IS SO CRUCIAL While the campaigns and their allied super PACs are pouring resources into all seven states, more money has been spent to run spots in Pennsylvania than any of the other battlegrounds. And both sides have dished out more dollars to reserve airtime going forward in the Keystone State than any of the other battlegrounds in the final eight weeks leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5, according to figures from AdImpact, a top national ad tracking firm. KAMALA HARRIS, DONALD TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: LIVE UPDATES “It’s the one state that it’s hard to see someone losing and then still winning the presidential race,” Mark Harris, Pittsburgh-based longtime Republican national strategist and ad maker, told Fox News Digital. “It’s clearly ground zero.” Harris, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns said, “You can see that in media reservations and in the candidates’ travel schedules. Clearly, the Trump campaign and the Harris camp believe this is a must-win situation.” Mike Butler, a Pittsburgh-based Democratic consultant, told Fox News Digital that when it comes to the White House race, “I don’t think any other state quite swings the needle as much as Pennsylvania.” It is not just the top of the ticket campaigning in Pennsylvania. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, have made numerous stops in the state. WHO WILL BE SPINNING FOR HARRIS AND TRUMP AT THE DEBATE SHOWDOWN Pennsylvania, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, are the three Rust Belt states that make up the Democrats’ so-called “Blue Wall.” The party reliably won all three states for a quarter-century before Trump narrowly captured them in the 2016 election to win the White House. Four years later, in 2020, Biden carried all three states by razor-thin margins to put them back in the Democrats’ column, as he defeated Trump. Fast-forward to the present day, and Pennsylvania remains a jump-ball, as the latest public opinion surveys in the state indicate a margin-of-error race between Harris and Trump.  “It’s going to be a fight to the finish. I think Trump has some advantages,” Harris said. “But its definitely going to be a very tight race.” Butler noted that Pennsylvania’s had razor-thin margins in the past two presidential elections. “Trump’s numbers are pretty solidly baked in. I can’t see him faring any worse than he did the last two times, which means it’s going to be a very competitive state,” he said. This isn’t the first time a presidential debate has been held at the National Constitution Center, which opened 21 years ago and is located on the north end of Independence Mall in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood. The venue hosted a 2008 Democratic presidential primary debate. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

Lawyer defending Google in DOJ case prepping Harris for debate is ‘conflict of interest,’ Jordan investigates

Lawyer defending Google in DOJ case prepping Harris for debate is ‘conflict of interest,’ Jordan investigates

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is requesting a briefing from the Justice Department on how it is working to combat “potential conflicts of interest and political bias” in its lawsuit against Google, amid reports that the Big Tech giant’s lead attorney is helping prep Vice President Kamala Harris for the debate against former President Donald Trump.  Fox News Digital obtained a letter House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday morning.  “The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government continue to conduct oversight of how and to what extent the Executive Branch has colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech,” Jordan wrote.  HARRIS PREPS FOR DEBATE WITH GOOGLE LAWYER, CREATING ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST,’ TRUMP CAMPAIGN SAYS Jordan went on to cite a Fox News Digital report that revealed that the lead attorney defending Google in U.S. v. Google LLC, a high-profile antitrust case led by the Justice Department, is simultaneously advising and prepping Harris for the debate against Trump on Tuesday night, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia. Karen Dunn, who is Google’s outside counsel through law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is listed in the lawsuit as a “lead attorney.”  Dunn is also on Harris’ campaign team to prep her for her debate against Trump. Dunn also advised Harris ahead of her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence.  The Trump campaign, last month, called out a potential conflict of interest.  “In light of existing evidence that the Biden-Harris Administration pressured and colluded with Google to censor the lawful speech of American citizens, we write to request a briefing about how the Department of Justice is working to combat potential conflicts of interest and political bias in United States v. Google LLC,” Jordan wrote.  HOUSE WEAPONIZATION COMMITTEE: BIDEN ADMIN ‘COLLUDED’ WITH BIG TECH, ‘FACILITATED THE CENSORSHIP OF AMERICANS’ “This apparent conflict of interest raises serious concerns about whether Dunn’s relationship with key figures in the Biden-Harris Administration creates a conflict of interest that could inappropriately bias the Department’s approach in United States v. Google LLC,” Jordan added.  Jordan reminded Garland that when he was nominated attorney general, he pledged to “guarantee the independence of the Department from partisan influence.”  “This assertion is hard to square with reporting that Ms. Dunn is leading debate preparations for Vice President Harris while she also leads Google’s defense against a Biden-Harris administration lawsuit,” Jordan wrote. Jordan said that “given this potential conflict of interest,” he is requesting a briefing on how the DOJ is working to combat “this and other potential conflicts of interest and political bias” in the Google case.  Jordan asked that DOJ staff arrange the briefing by Sept. 24.  Neither the Harris campaign nor Dunn responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Dunn’s work ahead of the debate.  The Justice Department confirmed receipt of the letter, but declined to comment on the matter.  The revelations come after Google came under scrutiny following the assassination attempt against Trump. Google’s autocomplete search results did not initially register the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump.  Google admitted that it initially blocked and eliminated search prompts for the assassination attempt against Trump, saying they were prohibited by design and part of the company’s policy to prevent search results for “hypothetical political violence against current figures.”  “We do not allow predictions that can be interpreted as accusations against individuals or groups of serious malevolent acts, where there is a lack of well-established or expert supporting evidence,” he said. 

US and Iraqi officials drawing up plan that could see American troops pulling out as soon as next year

US and Iraqi officials drawing up plan that could see American troops pulling out as soon as next year

Washington and Baghdad are working on a plan to draw down the U.S. troop presence in Iraq as soon as next year. The U.S. and Iraq have reached an “understanding” on plans to have hundreds of U.S. troops leave Iraq by September 2025 and the remainder leave by January 2027, according to a new Reuters report. However, no set-in-stone decision has been made, two defense officials told Fox News, and the timing is in flux.  While the U.S. pulled out the last of its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, some 2,500 troops still remain in Iraq, and 900 remain in Syria.  The remaining service members in Iraq are largely focused on combating ISIS under a global coalition, known as Operation Inherent Resolve. Last month, the U.S. carried out a joint raid, killing 15 ISIS fighters in Western Iraq.  When asked about the Reuters report on Monday, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder told reporters that U.S. and Iraqi officials “continue to have their discussions” on drawing down troops, as they have been since the start of the year. He would not comment on the accuracy of the report.  5 US SERVICE MEMBERS, 2 CONTRACTORS INJURED IN ROCKET ATTACK ON AL-ASAD AIRBASE  “As part of the U.S. Iraq Joint Security Cooperation dialog, we establish the Higher Military Commission, that will look at, the transition of the global coalition, into a long-term U.S. Iraq bilateral security cooperation relationship. And so those conversations are ongoing. And I just don’t want to get ahead of that process.”  The U.S. initially invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime and drawing down its troop presence from wartime levels in 2007 and leaving altogether in 2011, before returning in 2014 at the head of the coalition to fight the Islamic State. ISRAEL STRIKE IN LEBANON REPORTEDLY KILLS 4 HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES AS REGION BRACES FOR POSSIBLE IRAN ATTACK Other nations, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, also contribute hundreds of troops to the coalition. Under the reported plan, all coalition forces would leave the Ain al-Asad Air Base in the western Anbar province and significantly pull back their presence in Baghdad by September 2025. While their mission is focused on the Islamic State, the U.S. troop presence serves as a strategic position against the growing threat of Iran. U.S. forces in Iraq have shot down rockets and drones fired towards Israel in recent months, according to U.S. officials.  Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has said he appreciates the U.S. help, but forces there have become a target for instability, often targeted and responding with strikes not coordinated with the Iraqi government. Al-Sudani is walking a tight line between an alliance with both Washington and Tehran.  Defense experts argue that U.S. resources in Iraq indirectly benefit Iran because of the Iraqi government’s close alignment with the regime. “Our continued presence, while necessary during the fight against ISIS, now risks contributing to instability rather than achieving long-term peace,” Jason Beardsley, a former senior Defense official, told Fox News Digital. “Recent events have shown that Iraqi forces are increasingly capable of managing their own security,” the Army and Navy veteran said.  “With the current Iraqi government heavily influenced by Iranian-backed Shia factions, including the Popular Mobilization Front, maintaining U.S. troops doesn’t effectively counterbalance Iran. In fact, our resources end up indirectly benefiting those aligned with Iranian interests, making this a misguided strategy.” “The Iranians have done a fantastic job infiltrating the Iraqi Security Forces,” said Bill Roggio, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “But this ensures Iranian dominance in Iraq.” “They get free rein in Iraq to do their bidding. And as far as the fight against the Islamic State goes, this is going to be harmful as well. Islamic State has not been defeated, as much as the Trump and Biden administrations have said,” he went on. “I also don’t see how the U.S. is going to maintain troops in Syria. Without the troops in Iraq, they’re going to be isolated.” However, according to Roggio, “As currently situated, the U.S. either needs to put more troops in to secure themselves from militia attacks, or they need to be withdrawn.”

A look back at Trump’s past debates

A look back at Trump’s past debates

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to face off in their first presidential debate, and the stakes could not be higher. Harris has erased Trump’s comfortable lead in the polls, setting up a razor-thin election with less than two months to go. The highly anticipated matchup is the first time Trump and Harris will meet in person. It comes just 51 days after President Biden withdrew from the 2024 race and 75 days after his disastrous debate performance. With Trump set to make a record seventh general election debate appearance, here is a look at what to expect in tomorrow’s debate as well as his past performances.  THE MANY FACES OF DONALD TRUMP FROM PAST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES Although Tuesday’s debate is the second one of the 2024 campaign season, it is the first time the current nominees will face off. The 90-minute, audience-free debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.  While Harris is hunkering down in Pittsburgh, Trump has forsaken traditional debate preparation. Trump has, however, employed former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to help him refine his skills. Gabbard, who recently endorsed Trump, had her own famous moment on the debate stage, when in 2020, she attacked Harris for her record as a California prosecutor. TULSI GABBARD GIVES UPDATE ON TRUMP’S DEBATE PREP: ‘HE KNOWS THE ISSUES’ Trump is expected to focus on inflation and immigration, two of the top issues in the 2024 race. The Trump campaign has been linking Harris to some of Biden’s weaker areas, a strategy he is expected to employ in the debate. Harris is expected to focus on abortion rights, which is tied with inflation at 14%, as the second-biggest issue in the race. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has proven to be one of Trump’s greatest political vulnerabilities. The only 2024 debate between Biden and Trump was the first time a sitting president and a former president ever debated. It is also perhaps the most consequential in history as it ultimately led Biden to abandon his 2024 bid. During the debate, the president struggled to mount a coherent defense or finish his sentences at times. As Biden wrapped up an argument about his record on border security, Trump quipped, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either.” FIRST 2024 TRUMP-BIDEN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TOP CLASHES OVER ISSUES FROM THE BORDER TO UKRAINE The Atlanta debate where Trump and Biden clashed over abortion, immigration, foreign policy and inflation amassed 51.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. At the time, Real Clear Politics had Trump leading Biden by 1.5 points. Trump and Biden squared off in Nashville, Tennessee, less than two weeks before Election Day. The debate was more subdued than the first round, in part due to new rules that kept each candidate’s microphone muted.  As Biden and Trump squabbled over personal finances, Trump claimed Biden had made money from foreign entities. Trump further sought to paint Biden as a typical, corrupt politician. A recent report from House Republicans alleged that Biden “participated in a conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family.” HARRIS WILL HAVE TO ‘FACE OFF’ AGAINST BIDEN, HIS LEGACY IN DEBATE AGAINST TRUMP: NYT COLUMNIST Trump also questioned Biden’s accomplishments over his nearly 50-year public service career. Trump said he decided to mount a run for president because of the Obama administration’s “poor job.” “I ran because of you, Joe,” Trump said. “I ran because of you.” Nielsen Media Research recorded 63 million viewers for the final debate of the 2020 cycle. On the day of the debate, Biden led Trump by 7.9 points. What people most likely recall from this debate is Trump’s constant interruptions that led an exasperated Biden to declare, “will you shut up, man?” The debate quickly descended into chaos as the two sparred over abortion rights and Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. An unrelenting Trump pushed Biden on whether he would “pack” the Supreme Court in the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. As the two men heatedly talked over each other about the pandemic, Trump declared, “I’ll tell you Joe, you could never have done the job that we did. You don’t have it in your blood.” Trump did not shy away from making personal attacks on Biden, hurling insults about his intelligence, saying, “There’s nothing smart about you, Joe.” TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT REVEALS WHICH 3 ISSUES TRUMP SHOULD FOCUS ON DURING DEBATE: ‘LET HARRIS TALK’ With 73.1 million viewers, the debate in Cleveland was the third-most watched for a Trump-Biden matchup. Real Clear Politics had Biden leading Trump by 6.1 points on the day of the debate.  The final debate of the 2016 cycle had Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton focusing more on personal weaknesses than policy. When Clinton attempted to tie Trump to Russia, he retorted that Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t respect” Clinton or then-President Barack Obama and insisted that he did not know Putin. As the two contended over Obamacare and Social Security, Trump proceeded to call Clinton, “such a nasty woman.” DEBATE FLASHBACK: TRUMP AND CLINTON’S MOST MEMORABLE 2016 MOMENTS Clinton repeatedly used the debate to belittle Trump’s character. Clinton’s strongest language came when she challenged Trump’s behavior toward women. Trump pushed back, vehemently denying any claims of inappropriate behavior toward women. “Nobody has more respect for women than I do,” he said.  A key highlight of the debate came when Trump declined to say he would accept the results of the election (much like his responses in 2020). Trump doubled down on insisting the process was “rigged” and that he would “look at it at the time.” Trump used this debate as an opportunity to launch a blistering attack against Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. When questioned about his conduct toward women, Trump stated “there’s never been anybody in the history of politics that has been so abusive to women,”

US to sanction Mexican drug cartel Jalisco over fentanyl trafficking

US to sanction Mexican drug cartel Jalisco over fentanyl trafficking

FIRST ON FOX: The Treasury Department is expected to announce sanctions Tuesday against individuals and entities linked to a violent Mexico-based drug trafficking cartel responsible for a significant portion of fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the United States, Fox News Digital has learned. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is set to announce sanctions against nine Mexican nationals and 26 Mexico-based entities linked to a fuel theft network that generates tens of millions of dollars for the cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion. ‘MOST RUTHLESS’ MEXICAN CARTELS OPERATE IN ALL 50 STATES, BRING TURF WARS TO US: DEA Mexico-based drug trafficking cartels, like cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, have turned to fuel theft in recent years, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue to the Mexican government.  The Treasury Department’s move to sanction was coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as well as Mexico’s government. U.S. officials also coordinated with Mexico’s financial intelligence unit.  Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Fox News Digital the Biden administration is “committed to taking decisive action to disrupt the funding and operations of deadly fentanyl-trafficking cartels like CJNG.”  Adeyemo said that the cartel’s “diverse revenue streams, including fuel theft, ultimately strengthen its ability to traffic fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States.”  “Treasury will continue to use its expertise and tools to target relentlessly drug trafficking gangs to make our communities safer and keep poisonous drugs like fentanyl off our streets,” Adeyemo said.  Last year, the Treasury sanctioned members of the Sinaloa cartel.  US SLAPS SANCTIONS ON SINALOA CARTEL MEMBERS, INCLUDING ‘THE ANTHRAX MONKEY,’ AS PART OF ANTI-FENTANYL MOVES Earlier this year, the DEA said cartels Jalisco Nueva Generacion and Sinaloa have flooded major U.S. cities with meth and fentanyl, and they use violence to protect their turf.  “Together, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have caused the worst drug crisis in U.S. history,” the DEA report states.  Sinaloa and Jalisco have “effectively eliminated any competition in U.S. markets” and “dictate the flow of nearly all illicit drugs” into the country, according to the report, which notes that thousands of cartel-linked dealers currently operate in the U.S.  In late April, 12 traffickers tied to the Jalisco cartel were sentenced to 4.5 to 40 years in federal prison after they were busted in Del Rio, Texas, in 2021 for coordinating a shipment of nearly 200 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine worth $9.9 million. Over the course of that particular investigation, law enforcement seized about 650 kilograms of methamphetamine, 17 guns, $220,922 in cash and $12,200 in real and personal property, federal North Texas prosecutors said.  Fentanyl, which can be fatal even in small doses, has caused the deaths of more than 70,000 Americans per year. It is often cut into other drugs or made into counterfeit pills, so users often do not realize what they are ingesting.  The drug is primarily produced in Mexico by cartels using Chinese precursors and then shipped across the U.S. land border.  The Biden administration launched a global coalition to address the threat of fentanyl, including cooperation with countries like Mexico to crack down on smugglers and regulate precursor chemicals.  Last year, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen launched the Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force. In April, Yellen announced the launch of an exchange with the People’s Republic of China to “enhance cooperating in combatting money laundering associated with drug trafficking and other crime.”