Political handicapper shifts Montana Senate to ‘leans Republican’ as Tester falls behind
A top political handicapper has changed its prediction for the November Senate election in Montana to show an advantage for Republicans as Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has begun to slip in polling. The battle between Tester and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, was shifted from a “toss up” to “leans Republican” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics on Friday, with less than nine weeks until the election. The rating change followed the Thursday release of a new AARP poll showing Sheehy with a six-point 51%-45% advantage over Tester in a two-way race. In an expanded field, Sheehy still defeated Tester 49%-41%. SENATE GOP BRACING FOR LAST-MINUTE LEADER BIDS — POTENTIALLY BY KEY TRUMP ALLY “Beyond the polling, history and recent trends are just not on Tester’s side, as we have mentioned previously,” wrote managing editor Kyle Kondik. “He is one of a relatively small number of partisan outliers in either chamber of Congress, holding a Senate seat that the other party won by 16 points in the most recent presidential election.” “Perhaps ticket-splitting returns in force this year — if it did, Tester could still survive. But the longer-term trend is clearly toward less ticket-splitting,” he said. SENATE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR ‘CONCERNED’ OVER FUNDRAISING DISPARITY BUT PREDICTS WHO WILL WIN MAJORITY Campaigns for Tester and Sheehy did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. Montanans first elected Tester to the Senate in 2006, and he’s won re-election twice, despite the state traditionally voting Republican. The Democratic senator’s re-election bid in 2018 did not coincide with a presidential election, freeing him from concerns that the Democrat presidential nominee would influence his race. But now, Vice President Kamala Harris will be at the top of the Democratic ticket, while former President Trump, who won Montana twice in 2016 and 2020, will lead the Republican ticket in the state. LINDSEY GRAHAM PUTS AMAZON ‘ON NOTICE’ OVER ALEXA’S POTENTIAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE Tester has held off endorsing Harris and did not attend the Democratic National Convention last month. Despite appearing to distance himself from Harris and his party, the strategy’s effectiveness is unclear, particularly as reports have indicated that Tester, who was leading the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) at the time, was personally responsible for recruiting Harris for the Senate in 2015. DEMS LOSE GROUND TO GOP CONTENDERS IN PIVOTAL SENATE RACES AS VOTERS LOCK IN: POLL In addition, the Montana Democrat offered a ringing endorsement of fellow senator Harris when she was chosen as President Biden’s running mate in 2020. He wrote on X, “My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November.” More recently, Tester claimed, “I’m not going to endorse for the presidential – and I will tell you why.” “Two reasons: No. 1, I’m focused on my race. And No. 2, folks have wanted to nationalize this race, and this isn’t about national politics. This is about Montana,” he said, justifying his decision not to offer his seal of approval to Harris. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Harris conducts radio interviews with comedian Rickey Smiley and Spanish-language show in Phoenix
Vice President Kamala Harris conducted her second and third interviews since becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee, both of which are scheduled to air Friday. Harris sat down with comedian Rickey Smiley of the nationally syndicated “Rickey Smiley Morning Show” on Wednesday, while on Thursday she did an interview with a Phoenix-area Spanish-language radio station. The Smiley interview aired Friday morning, while the latter is expected to air at 1 p.m. ET the same day. The “Rickey Smiley Morning Show” can be streamed online, while the Spanish-language radio interview will be broadcast locally in Phoenix and will also be available to be streamed online as well. The Phoenix interview will air on Uforia Audio Network’s 106.3 FM. Uforia is the radio network subsidiary of Univision, one of the largest Spanish-language news outfits in the U.S. Univision did not indicate whether the interview would be available on its TV network when Fox News Digital inquired. HARRIS, TRUMP AND 2024: DEBATES, POLICIES AND PRESS SCRUTINY ARE CRITICAL NOT OPTIONAL The Friday interviews come amid criticism over Harris’ lack of formal press conferences and interviews when she can be asked hard questions. Last Thursday, Harris taped her first interview, with CNN, since becoming the Democratic Party’s informal nominee for president in mid-July. Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R–Ohio, have conducted several dozen interviews since last month, while Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have only conducted six. EX-OBAMA ADVISER WARNS ‘IT’S VERY POSSIBLE’ TRUMP WOULD WIN ELECTION IF HELD TODAY, SAYS REPORTERS TOO COCKY During Harris’ interview with Uforia entertainment reporter Edna Chapa, known as “Angel Baby,” they covered topics such as the economy and Harris’ new housing initiatives. The vice president also slammed Trump and argued there will be negative economic outcomes if the country faces another Trump presidency. “The issue of the economy is one of my highest priorities,” Harris told Chapa, according to pre-released excerpts of the interview obtained by Fox News Digital. The vice president’s first policy platform that was released last month covered economic issues, and this week, she unveiled new tax proposals intended to spur small business growth. Harris also targeted Trump during the interview with Chapa for his “hateful rhetoric,” adding that she wants to “chart a new way forward for the country.” “I’m running because I believe we are in a fight for our country’s future,” Harris argued. Next week, Trump and Harris will face off on the debate stage. The program will be moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
‘Leaders in Delhi never liked me…’ Omar Abdullah alleges poll ‘conspiracy’
Abdullah also indicated a possible political vendetta against him by political leaders in Delhi and highlighted the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Harris failing to cobble together Biden’s winning 2020 coalition: analysis
Vice President Kamala Harris is running behind President Biden’s 2020 numbers among several demographic groups, a gap that could loom large in what increasingly appears to be a razor’s-edge election. “Harris is significantly underperforming Biden, according to most polls, with Black voters, Hispanic voters, working class voters, and young voters,” Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told Fox News Digital. The comments come as an analysis of polling data released by the Wall Street Journal this week showed Harris still struggling with key demographics that have been critical to Democratic success in national elections. Although the vice president has made up ground on Biden’s numbers when he decided to drop out of the race, she has still failed to meet the president’s 2020 performance. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: FIVE THEMES EMERGE IN THE BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE GAVEL One such group Harris is struggling with is Black voters, with the vice president running 10 points behind the numbers put up by Biden in 2020. She is also behind Biden’s mark with Latino voters (6 points), voters under the age of 30 (12 points), male voters (4 points) and female voters (2 points.) Meanwhile, Trump has continued to make inroads with minority communities that have previously been difficult for Republicans to appeal to. The former President now has the support of 20% of black men, the Wall Street Journal analysis found, and only trails Harris by one point among Latino men, 48% to 47%. The figures could offer a glimpse into why Biden has begun joining Harris on the trial, with the president and vice president campaigning together for the first time over Labor Day weekend. Biden has also seen some positive momentum when it comes to his approval rating, which one USA Today/Suffolk poll showed has jumped 13 points in just a few months. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: THREE GOVERNOR’S RACES TO WATCH ON ELECTION NIGHT If Harris fails to match Biden’s standing among some minority demographics, the Wall Street Journal analysis suggests she may look to pick off the support of white voters, a group with whom Trump has traditionally performed well. But the analysis found Harris outperforming Biden’s 2020 marks among white voters with and without college degrees in seven critical swing states. “Harris is overperforming Biden with college-educated elites and suburban women,” Epstein said. “This suggests not just that Trump is likely ahead by a small margin, as Nate Silver has pointed out, but it also suggests longer-term realignment with the Democratic Party becoming a party of elites, and the Republican Party becoming a populist working-class party.” However, picking off enough white voters could put Harris over the top in a close race. “A small gain among white voters can offset a bigger loss among those from minority groups, because white voters account for 70% or more of those who participate in elections,” the analysis notes. The Harris campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Experts warn Iran could have a nuclear bomb before the next president takes office
Iran is closer to becoming a nuclear-armed power than much of the world realizes, according to a nonpartisan research group’s new report. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) claims Iran could have a nuclear bomb before the presidential election, and suggests U.S. troops need to be deployed to the region immediately to counter such an outcome. The FDD published a strategic plan, “Deterring Iran’s Dash to a Nuclear Bomb,” with two dozen specific recommendations they say the Biden administration needs to quickly change the tides on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. “Unless the Biden-Harris administration takes robust steps now to deter and hinder those advances, Iran could complete a crude nuclear bomb before the next U.S. president is inaugurated,” the plan’s co-author, Orde Kittrie, said. The report demanded the Biden administration declassify all intelligence assessments related to Iran’s nuclear program to build up domestic and international pressure to deter Iran. It also called for putting U.S. boots on the ground, “at least on a temporary basis,” to send a message that the U.S. is prepared to stop an Iranian nuclear breakout if necessary. The group warned that while most U.S. officials are monitoring Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium to 90%, the regime is taking other, covert steps toward a nuclear weapon, like taking measures toward building a nuclear explosive device that would make quick work of putting a bomb together. “It’s undertaking other advances which would make an eventual sprint to cross that line faster and much harder to stop,” Kittrie said. GRAHAM WARNS IRAN COULD ‘SPRINT TO A NUCLEAR WEAPON’ On July 19, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that it would take “one to two weeks” to produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for one nuclear weapon. “I think Americans should be very, very worried, because Iran is a vicious, bloodthirsty regime, and here they are on the verge of acquiring the world’s most powerful weapon.” It may be impossible for western nations to detect when Iran is in its final stages of building a nuclear bomb as much of the activity occurs in hidden, underground facilities, according to the report. BIDEN ADMIN NEEDS ‘MORE AGGRESSIVE’ PLAN TO TAKE ON IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS, EXPERTS WARN In addition to putting boots on the ground, the FDD is calling for President Biden to increase joint military exercises with partners in the region, lift the U.S. hold on 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs to Israel and remove any roadblocks to provide Israel with planes and munitions. The group also called on the top of the Republican and Democratic tickets, as well as Biden, to explicitly state their commitment to the use of force to prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon. “Biden’s strongest statement on this issue was actually weaker than Obama’s strongest statement on the same topic,” said Kittrie. “The administration keeps saying, well, a military option is on the table. But implying that a military option is on the table is not the same as stating that the option will, if necessary, be used in addition, the administration talks in terms of commitment that Iran never acquired a nuclear weapon. That leaves unclear the parameters of the undesirable result.” The FDD said the U.S. needs to “massively increase” the use of sanctions and work with nations like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to trigger sanctions within the United Nations.
Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden slaps hotel with lawsuit over incident that derailed career: ‘Didn’t happen’
FIRST ON FOX: Former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill, the man credited with killing Usama Bin Laden, is speaking out after recently filing a lawsuit against the hotel where he allegedly assaulted a security guard and used a racial slur, which he vehemently denies and says has crippled his business career. “I’ve lost a ton of business. There was a point in my career where I was giving 300 speeches in one year, between 250 and 300 speeches and that many cities in a year, and now it’s just dried up, because it’s a bad look that didn’t happen,” O’Neill told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview about the notorious incident at the Omni Hotel in Frisco, Texas in August last year when he was accused of assaulting a loss-prevention officer while intoxicated and calling that guard, who is white, the “N word.” O’Neill, a former SEAL Team 6 member, who has received two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars, says he never assaulted anyone and never used the slur which prompted him to file a lawsuit against the Omni Hotel. In the lawsuit, O’Neill argues that the security guard, Johnny Lee Loomis, should never have been hired, due to his allegedly checkered past, and alleges that he made false statements about that night. “Hotel Defendants knowingly, recklessly, and negligently hired and retained Loomis as a security guard, despite Loomis’ publicly available history as a pedophile and child sex purveyor,” the lawsuit states. “Hotel Defendants also knowingly, recklessly, and negligently hired and retained Loomis as a security guard despite his known history of violence and of making false accusations of violence and misconduct against Hotel guests.” CONVICTED PEDOPHILES COULD FACE MUCH DARKER FUTURE WITH GOP-BACKED BILL: ‘CAN’T REHABILITATE A PREDATOR’ O’Neill acknowledges that he had had a drink after a long day after a speaking engagement, falling asleep at the hotel bar, and that he had encountered Loomis while trying to get back into his room, but denies striking Loomis or calling him a racial slur. “It had been a long day flying from New York to Dallas, and then we had a dinner meeting and whatnot and went to the cigar bar and then came back, and generally just being in a hospitality environment such as a hotel, you know, you sit at the bar having a try to have a nightcap and then fell asleep at the bar, which, unfortunately, has happened before and then getting semi escorted up to my hotel room, which is fine. I guess that can happen,” O’Neill recounted. “It’s odd that it’s only one guy that did it. It’s odd the way that he knew he was going to a place with no audio and video, and also it’s just odd that he’s trying to use my wallet, my key, when as a loss-prevention officer, he has a key to a room. And any time I’ve seen it happen or been around security guys from a hotel, they have their own key. They don’t need the guy’s keys. So I was actually surprised at first when the police showed up.” HARRIS VP PICK SPENT YEARS PROMOTING RESEARCH FACILITY THAT COLLABORATED WITH ‘CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY’ O’Neill continued. “It wasn’t until later that I found out that not only had I been accused of assault, I’d been accused of using a racial slur. And that, to me, was odd, too, along with the one guy escorting me up to him being a middle-aged white guy, like a dude in his 60s and all of a sudden he’s claiming assault and claiming a racial slur, which with two guys alone in a hallway is just to me, silly.” O’Neill said the slur is a “horrible word” that he would “never use” and says he supports law enforcement and was treated well by local police but alleges in the lawsuit that Loomis has a track record of false statements and altercations with guests. The lawsuit states that Loomis has “been involved in several other physical altercations with guests at the Hotel” and that in one case, Loomis “published false statements and instigated that guest’s arrest, claiming the guest had started the altercation.” 9/11 VICTIMS’ RELATIVES BLAME ‘SPINELESS’ POLITICAL LEADERS, SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BIN LADEN LETTER GOING VIRAL “On at least one occasion before August 22, 2023, law enforcement personnel specifically warned Hotel Defendants about Loomis and his background,” the lawsuit states. “Yet, Hotel Defendants retained Loomis in his supervisory role, giving him continued, unsupervised access to Hotel premises and guests of all ages. Hotel Defendants also took no remedial or disciplinary action against Loomis.” “This lawsuit seeks substantial compensatory and punitive damages against Hotel Defendants for negligent hiring, screening, retention, and supervision arising from Hotel Defendants’ employment of Loomis, for Loomis’ false statements, and for events that occurred at the Hotel on or about August 22, 2023.” The lawsuit also states that Loomis did not hold the proper security guard registration credentials in accordance with Texas law and that Louisiana law enforcement, where Loomis had been previously employed, had called to warn the hotel about Loomis and the hotel continued employing him. O’Neill told Fox News Digital that a main reason he filed the lawsuit was to restore his name that he says has been forever sullied due to false allegations. “There’s a ton of damage done, and the internet is forever,” O’Neill said. “And it’s just hard to just sit here and say, well, that’s not really me when it’s already out there. People that know me know this is not me. Obviously, I want to restore my reputation. I want to restore the way my family is treated and the way that they think about my reputation and their relationships with me. And most importantly, I’ve been thinking about this for a year, and I assure you, that’s a long time to keep my mouth shut, especially with my platforms. But, I really don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this.” “When my
Israeli army withdraws from Jenin leaving trail of destruction
NewsFeed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin have been seeing the wreckage left by Israeli forces after a 10-day assault which left many people imprisoned in their homes without basic supplies. Published On 6 Sep 20246 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Russia backs Kamala Harris’: Putin’s history of US election ‘endorsements’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Moscow would back US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, in presidential elections in November. The nature of Putin’s comments suggests he was joking, or trolling the Harris campaign, at a time when the US government under the Joe Biden administration has levelled new allegations that Russia is seeking to interfere in the November vote, to favour former President Donald Trump. Yet whatever Putin’s motivations for the comments on Harris, they are the latest iteration of the Russian leader’s attempts to inject Moscow into the US electoral process. This is not the first time Putin has thrown his support behind a US presidential candidate. Putin himself has been in Russia’s top job since 2012. He was also president between 2000 and 2008. Al Jazeera recaps two decades of the Russian president’s tongue-in-cheek meddling in US elections. Did Putin endorse Harris? At an economic forum in the Russian Far East port of Vladivostok, Putin wryly said that current President Joe Biden was his “favourite”. Since Biden has dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, she was Putin’s next best bet, the Russian leader teased. He added that Harris has an “expressive and infectious laugh”, which indicates “she’s doing well”. The audience broke into scatted laughter as he said that if Harris is doing well, maybe she would not impose sanctions on Russia. “I don’t know if I’m insulted or he did me a favour,” Republican challenger Trump responded at a campaign stop at the New York Economic Club on Thursday. Putin’s comments came a day after the US Department of Justice accused Russian-owned state broadcaster RT of campaigning to sway the US vote, indicting two Russian journalists. But this isn’t the first time that Putin has stirred the pot of US domestic politics. 2004: Putin endorses Bush In October 2004, Putin endorsed Republican incumbent President George W Bush. He said that if Bush lost it would lead to the “spread of terrorism” globally. Bush had been facing criticism from Democratic challenger John Kerry for not adequately tackling “terrorism”. This was amid the war on Iraq which started in 2003 after the US under Bush invaded the country. Bush defeated Kerry in the 2004 race and was re-elected as president. 2008: Russia leans towards Obama win While Putin did not make a clear endorsement in the 2008 US presidential race, experts were clear that a win for Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain was Russia’s preferred outcome. While both Obama and McCain held a harsh stance on Russia, Kremlin officials believed that under Obama, a newcomer at the time, US-Russia relations could start with a clean slate unlike under Cold War veteran McCain. After being in office for two terms between 2000 and 2008, Putin was constitutionally barred from assuming the role of president for a third consecutive term. Hence, Dmitry Medvedev rose to the top job with Putin as his premier. However, it was widely believed in Russia and globally at the time that Putin continued to hold real power in Russia. It was said that Putin and Medvedev ruled in “tandemocracy”. Obama won the 2008 election. 2012: Putin praises Obama Ahead of the 2012 US presidential race, in which Obama was taking on Republican challenger Mitt Romney, Putin told Russian state media that Obama was “an honest person who really wants to change much for the better”. Romney had deemed Russia the top “geopolitical foe” of the US, something Putin said Romney was “mistaken” about, during the same interview. Obama defeated Romney in the 2012 election. 2015: Putin deems Trump ‘outstanding and talented’ Ahead of the 2016 US election, Putin spoke highly of Trump during an annual news conference with reporters. “He is a bright and talented person without any doubt,” he said, adding that Trump is “outstanding and talented”. Trump was up against Democratic challenger Hilary Clinton in the election. After Trump’s election victory, Putin said Trump was a “clever man” who would “quickly understand” his role in office. 2016: US blames Russia for DNC leaks, election interference In July 2016, Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails were hacked and leaked, showing preferential treatment to Clinton, angering supporters of her primary Democatic opponent Bernie Sanders. The US government formally placed the blame for the hack on Russia in a joint statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Putin denied Russia’s role in the DNC hack but said the leaks themselves were important. “The important thing is the content that was given to the public,” he said. The US also accused Russia of a larger election interference programme aimed at defeating Clinton and helping Trump come to power, involving troll farms that amplified messaging tailored against the Democrats. 2019: Putin jokes Russia will meddle in 2020 election In October 2019, on a panel at Russian Energy Week, Putin was asked if he would interfere with the 2020 US election. “I’ll tell you a secret: Yes, we’ll definitely do it. Just don’t tell anyone,” the Russian president joked in a fake whisper. He then said his working relationship with Trump did not mean that he had any influence on the domestic politics in the US. He insisted that he did not interfere in the 2016 US election and that he was dealing with issues in his own country. “We have our own problems,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
How Israel’s war on Gaza is destroying Palestinian education
With 80 percent of schools destroyed, students in Gaza have lost a year of education and are on the brink of losing another. It is a back-to-school week in the Middle East, except for Palestinian students in the Gaza Strip. Their classrooms are in ruins or have become shelters for the displaced. Their backpacks used to be filled with books but now carry the little they have left. Almost 80 percent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, and the last remaining university in the Strip was demolished by the Israeli military in January. What effect will all these losses have on the culture and the memory of Palestinians? Presenter: Anelise Borges Guests:Samar Saeed – Georgetown UniversityMuhannad Ayyash – Mount Royal UniversityDeanna Othman – Educator & journalistNoor Nasar – Schools Without Borders founderAfaq Baker – Student in Gaza Adblock test (Why?)
‘When we were dragged on roads…’: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat slams BJP
Phogat vowed to continue the fight especially for the women in the country and affirmed that she is proud she joined a party that stands with women and is ready to fight from ‘sadak to sansad tak’.