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New poll reveals Republican edging Dem incumbent in key battleground Senate race

New poll reveals Republican edging Dem incumbent in key battleground Senate race

A new poll in a key Senate battle that may decide if the GOP wins back the chamber’s majority indicates the Republican challenger with the edge over the Democratic incumbent. Republican Senate nominee Tim Sheehy holds a six-point 51%-45% advantage over Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana in an AARP survey released on Thursday in a two-way match up. And the poll suggests Sheehy leading Tester 49%-41% in a multi-candidate field, with Libertarian Party candidate Sid Daoud at 4% and Green Party candidate Michael Downey polling at 1%. Four percent are undecided.   HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION POLLS  Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and who serves as CEO of Bridger Aerospace, a Montana-based aerial firefighting and wildfire surveillance services company, enjoys the backing of former President Trump, who headlined a rally in Montana last month. Trump carried red-state Montana by 16 points over President Biden four years ago. The poll indicates Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, by 15 points. TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN CRISS-CROSSES THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN ‘MAKE OR BREAK’ MOMENT TO WIN BACK MAJORITY Sheehy also has a strong ally in Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the chair of the Senate GOP’s campaign committee. Tester is considered of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats running for re-election this year, and Republicans are heavily targeting the incumbent. The poll’s release highlights that “with Republicans accounting for 39% of likely voters and Democrats only 24%, Tester will need to boost his edge with Independents or gain among Republicans to pull ahead.” But beating Tester, a Montana farmer and former state lawmaker who’s running for a fourth six-year term in the Senate and has a history of winning tough contests, is far from an easy task. SENATE DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN CHAIR GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH FOX NEWS Democrats control the Senate by a razor-thin 51-49 margin, and Republicans are looking at a favorable election map this year with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. One of those seats is in West Virginia, a deep red state that Trump carried by nearly 40 points in 2020. With moderate Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Joe Manchin, a former governor, not seeking re-election, flipping the seat is nearly a sure thing for the GOP. And in Ohio, which Trump comfortably carried four years ago, Republicans are aiming to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Five more Democratic-held seats are up for grabs this year in crucial presidential-election battleground states. With Democrats trying to protect their fragile Senate majority, former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan of blue-state Maryland’s late entry into the Senate race in February gave them an unexpected headache in a state previously considered safe territory. Hogan left the governor’s office at the beginning of 2023 with very positive approval and favorable ratings. The new AARP survey in Montana was conducted by the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & David Binder Research (D). The firms interviewed 1,064 likely voters from August 25-29, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Hunter Biden intends to plead guilty on federal tax charges brought by special counsel David Weiss

Hunter Biden intends to plead guilty on federal tax charges brought by special counsel David Weiss

Hunter Biden plans to change his plea to guilty on federal tax charges brought against him by special counsel David Weiss, his attorney said in court Thursday, shocking federal prosecutors. Abbe Lowell, the first son’s attorney, said Thursday in federal court that Biden intends to switch his plea and intends to plead guilty. He initially pleaded not guilty.  Federal prosecutor Leo Wise said that “this is the first we are hearing about this.” The trial began Thursday with jury selection in Los Angeles.  Weiss charged Biden with three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. Weiss alleged a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes while also filing false tax reports.  HUNTER BIDEN’S CRIMINAL TAX TRIAL BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION IN CALIFORNIA In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Biden “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.” Weiss said that, in “furtherance of that scheme,” Biden “subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions” from the company “outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform.” HUNTER BIDEN TAX TRIAL POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER The special counsel alleged that Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that in 2018, he “stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015.” Weiss alleged that Biden “willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes,” and that he “willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.” This is the second time Biden is on trial this year stemming from charges out of Weiss’ investigation.  Biden was found guilty on all counts in Delaware after Weiss charged him with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a licensed firearm dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.  A date has not yet been set for sentencing for those charges. With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.  President Biden has vowed not to pardon his son. 

Canada launches sudden immigration crackdown amid public pressure: report

Canada launches sudden immigration crackdown amid public pressure: report

The Canadian government has started to reject more visitors and temporary residents as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberal government faces pressure from voters to stem the flow of immigrants into the country. Canada has turned away more than 3,700 people per month on average in 2024 and sometimes has refused more visitor visa applications per month than it has accepted, according to a report by Reuters. The “spike” in rejections, as Reuters classified it, comes as Trudeau’s party trails in the polls ahead of an expected election next year, with many voters blaming the country’s typical liberal immigration laws for contributing to shortages and high prices for housing. CANADA MOVES TO LIMIT IMMIGRATION AMID STRAINED RELATIONS WITH US The report comes after Trudeau has also faced increased pressure and strained relations with the United States over its liberal immigration policies, with U.S. lawmakers imploring Canada to stem the flow of migrant workers coming across its border. “U.S. lawmakers are calling to harden the northern border with Canada because of the fears of illegal migration from Canada,” Glenn Cowan, the founder and chief executive of the security company One9, said in a Financial Times report last week. “Stemming the flow of these visas will bolster U.S. relations.” Trudeau has in the past boasted about Canada’s willingness to take in immigrants and has not shied away from criticizing U.S. border policy, including 2018 remarks in which he slammed the U.S. for separating migrant families at the border, arguing “what’s going on in the United States is wrong.” “I can’t imagine what the families living through this are enduring. Obviously, this is not the way we do things in Canada,” Trudeau said during a press conference. SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS HELPED SPUR MASSIVE SPIKE IN CROSSINGS FROM CANADA AS WELL: EXPERT However, amid new pressure from home and abroad, Trudeau announced last week that he was “looking at the various [migration] streams to make sure, as we move forward, Canada remains a place that is positive in its support for immigration but also responsible in the way we integrate and make pathways for success.” According to the Reuters report, a crackdown behind the scenes was already underway, with Canada turning away 5,853 foreign travelers in July, a number that includes workers and tourists, the most rejections since at least January 2019. Border officers have also turned away an average of 3,727 foreign travelers per month so far in 2024, a 20% increase over the 633 average seen in 2023, while the country’s immigration department has seen an increase in the ratio of visas refused to accepted in recent months. Meanwhile, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in August that the number of approved study and work permits, which have been at the center of controversy in Canada, have also dropped from the highs of 2022 and 2023. “Canadians want a system that is not out of control,” Miller said, according to the report. Trudeau’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

‘Not a conspiracy theorist’: Harris fundraiser floats idea Trump colluding with Putin, Israel to win election

‘Not a conspiracy theorist’: Harris fundraiser floats idea Trump colluding with Putin, Israel to win election

A member of Vice President Kamala Harris’ national finance committee says that her social media posts questioning if former President Donald Trump is colluding with Israel, Russia and Saudi Arabia to boost his election hopes are “absolutely valid,” and she denies being a “conspiracy theorist.”  DNC National Finance Committee member Lindy Li has posted to X several times in recent days, speculating about potential coordination between the GOP presidential nominee and numerous foreign governments. “Did Trump collude with Netanyahu to block a ceasefire to help him win the election? Did Trump conspire with the Saudi Crown Prince to jack up gas prices to help him win? Did he and Putin agree to delay ending the war in Ukraine til after the election?” Li posted on Tuesday. “Americans deserve answers.” Li is a Philadelphia-area Democratic activist and strategist who serves as a national finance committee member for the Harris-Walz campaign. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed her last year as a commissioner for the state to serve on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, and Li is considered one of the top “influencers shaping the 2024 election,” according to Wired.  TIM WALZ’S BROTHER IS ‘100% OPPOSED’ TO DEMOCRAT VP NOMINEE’S POLITICS: ‘DON’T AGREE’ Li denied she was promoting any conspiracy theories and told Fox News Digital in a phone interview that she is simply asking questions. “I’m not a conspiracy theorist,” Li said, noting that “there have been media articles on each of” the points she made in the X post.  She added, “Trump himself has admitted to speaking with Putin. He even admitted it on a debate stage, literally, in June. … And then there’s been extensive reporting about Trump speaking with MBS. And then, when asked what they were talking about, he refused to say. But there’s also been reporting that before every election, the Saudis will do everything in OPEC to jack our prices.” To support her case, Li cites what she views as Trump’s history of leveraging issues to help his election hopes, accusing Trump of helping to scuttle a bipartisan immigration bill to keep illegal immigration “a salient campaign issue.”  “Given Trump’s widely reported destruction of the bipartisan immigration deal in order to keep it a salient campaign issue, I think it’s absolutely valid to ask if he would the same thing with a ceasefire deal, especially given how close Netanyahu and Trump are,” she said.  While Trump opposed the border deal, Senate Republicans mobilized against the deal, arguing it would allow 5,000 migrants into the country each day and hand Democrats “more authority, more funds, and frankly, more flexibility” on handling the border. Li’s post followed news this weekend that Hamas terrorists killed six hostages Saturday as Israel Defense Forces launched an operation in Gaza. Among the bodies recovered was Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been held by the Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7, when war first broke out between Hamas and Israel.  HARRIS SLAMS TRUMP OVER ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY ALTERCATION, PROMPTING FIERY RESPONSE FROM JD VANCE Protests erupted in Israel this week over the six hostages’ deaths, with residents demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu solidify a cease-fire deal and bring home the remaining hostages. Netanyahu said this week he will “not give in to pressure” for a cease-fire, saying Israel needs control of the narrow section of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt.  Li added in a follow-up message on X that “Nixon delayed ending the Vietnam War to finagle his way into office” while building the argument that Trump might be working with world leaders to bolster his odds of winning back the White House. “Trump, who considers Nixon to be his spiritual predecessor, would stop at NOTHING to win, even if it means continuing the immense suffering in Gaza to boost his own electoral chances,” she wrote. WALZ FACED ANOTHER ACCUSATION OF MISREPRESENTATION IN UNEARTHED, BLISTERING LETTER: ‘REMOVE ANY REFERENCE’ Li argued that President Ronald Reagan also leveraged a world event to bolster his election effort.  “Reagan made a deal with Iran to DELAY the release of U.S. hostages til AFTER the election,” Li posted. “Nixon made a deal with the Vietnamese to delay ending the war til AFTER the election.” TRUMP-VANCE TICKET HAS DONE COMBINED 37 INTERVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH COMPARED TO ONLY ONE FOR HARRIS-WALZ “Trump likely made a deal with Netanyahu to block a ceasefire til AFTER the election. Same damn playbook.” Li said that her questions and posts are ideas already put forth by other media pundits, pointing Fox Digital to a Steven Beschloss post from Monday and a New York Times op-ed penned by Thomas Friedman, titled, “How Netanyahu Is Trying to Save Himself, Elect Trump and Defeat Harris.” The ongoing war in Israel has increased pressure on the Biden-Harris administration to lock down a cease-fire, as Trump accuses Harris of being weak on foreign policy.  “The Israeli attack was made because we are perceived as being weak and ineffective and with a really weak leader,” Trump said during a campaign rally in Iowa the day Hamas first attacked Israel in October.  “All over the world things are not what they were just three years ago,” he added. Trump has gone on to say that if he were in office, wars in both Israel and Ukraine would not have occurred.  KAMALA HARRIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ‘PUSHED HARDER’ ON BIDEN’S MENTAL FITNESS DURING INTERVIEW: WAPO COLUMNISTS “I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would’ve never happened if I was president and the war caused by the attack on Israel, which would’ve never happened if I was president,” Trump declared during his nomination acceptance speech at the RNC in July.  “Iran was broke. Iran had no money. Now Iran has $250 billion. They made it all over the last two and a half years. They were broke. I watched the other day on a show called Deface

Former senator launches 6-figure ad blitz against Fani Willis ahead of Georgia election

Former senator launches 6-figure ad blitz against Fani Willis ahead of Georgia election

FIRST ON FOX: The super PAC of former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler has launched a six-figure ad campaign that the PAC said is aimed at exposing the “failures” of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ahead of the election in November.  The $100,000 ad campaign, launched by Greater Georgia on Thursday, will include digital ads, direct mail and text messages – all of which will run over the next nine weeks, reaching Atlanta-area voters ahead of the election on Nov. 5, the group said.  The ad titled, “Failed,” will run on streaming services and programmatic media including Fox News, CNN, WSB-TV, Hulu, Roku and Fubo. “On Fani Willis’ watch, dangerous crime is everywhere in Fulton County – murders, rapes, burglaries are all on the rise,” the ad narrates.  FANI WILLIS NOTCHES LEGAL WIN IN TRUMP CASE AFTER MONTHS OF SETBACKS “She’s focused on herself, her political ambitions, high profile prosecutions and profiting off partisan lawfare, all at the expense of families living in fear and innocent lives lost. We deserve a district attorney who will do the job to keep us safe,” the ad says.  The campaign alleges rising homicides in Fulton County under Willis, and her “wasting” of taxpayer funds “and profiting off prosecutions,” and “pursuing personal ambition over public safety to advance her political career and celebrity.” Willis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.  Willis, who will face a Republican contender for office in November, rose to national prominence after she indicted former President Donald Trump last year with sweeping racketeering charges.  Early this year, Trump and co-defendants alleged that Willis should be disqualified from the case after it was revealed that she was having an “improper” affair with Nathan Wade, whom she hired as special counsel.  FANI WILLIS FACES NOTHING BUT SETBACKS IN CASE AGAINST TRUMP, THE LATEST PENDING WITH SUPREME COURT The case to disqualify Willis is set to be heard in December in the Georgia Court of Appeals.  Greater Georgia said that since Willis was elected, homicides increased by 8% in Fulton County from 2021 to 2022, and since 2023, homicides have increased by 13% in Atlanta. In 2023, 13,787 people were arrested for felonies but never indicted. At the end of 2023, the DA still had a backlog of 11,700 unindicted cases, the group said.  Greater Georgia also claimed that of the felons that have been indicted, many have gone on to commit more crimes while awaiting trial. GEORGIA COURT PUTS PAUSE ON FANI WILLIS’ SWEEPING ELECTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP The group noted that in 2021, Willis was accused of misappropriating $488,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and was later subpoenaed over the allegations by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Separately, members of the U.S. Senate launched an investigation into Willis related to accusations that she misused $2,000,000 in DOJ funds earmarked for clearing sexual assault cases. “Fani Willis had one job when voters took a chance on her in 2020: put criminals behind bars and protect the families of Fulton County. Instead, she’s spent the last four years focused only on chasing vanity cases instead of criminals in an attempt to grow her celebrity, line her pockets, and fuel her political ambitions,” said Loeffler. “On her watch, prosecutions are down, crime is up, and more citizens have become victims – denied justice because she is too distracted and too incompetent to deliver it. Fani Willis is a profound embarrassment to the state of Georgia, a threat to public safety, and the number one local official who must be ousted this November in order to get Georgia’s safety back in line,” she said.