Karine Jean-Pierre praises Biden’s decision to exit 2024 race as ‘selfless act’
In the second White House press briefing since President Biden announced he would not be seeking a second term in office, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted again his decision was not based on his health and that he would be finishing his current term. “President Biden will go down in history as one of the nation’s greatest presidents, accomplishing more in nearly four years than most presidents do in eight years,” Jean-Pierre said. She read from a statement issued by Biden, saying, “I have given my heart and my soul to our nation like so many others have, and I have been blessed a million times in return, with the love and support of the American people.” Jean-Pierre said Biden made it clear Wednesday night during his address that, over the next six months, he will be focused on doing his job as president and building on his historic results for the American people. KJP SPEAKS FOR FIRST TIME FROM WHITE HOUSE SINCE BIDEN DROPPED OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE: ‘VERY PERSONAL’ “So, I want to start by saying that what the country witnessed last night was historic. We saw the leadership we always see from Joe Biden. We saw a man who, as he has always done, put the country first, surrounded by his family,” Jean-Pierre said. “You heard the president say, ‘I revere this office, but I love my country more.’” Jean-Pierre continued explaining the reason behind Biden dropping out of the 2024 race, saying he feels the defense of democracy is more important than any title. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER PUSHES BACK ON CNN HOST QUESTIONING BIDEN’S HEALTH: ‘HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT IT ENOUGH?’ “I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me. It’s about you, your families, your futures. It’s about we, the people, and I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Jean-Pierre said, quoting Biden. “That is the best way to unite our nation. This is a selfless act, something that very few politicians would ever do,” Jean-Pierre said. WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING FUELED WITH EMOTION AS KJP SAYS BIDEN NOT BEING TREATED FOR PARKINSON’S Biden had said before that only three things could sway him from pursuing reelection: the Lord Almighty, a medical condition and if his team showed him that he could not win. When pressed on the issue, Jean-Pierre repeated that his decision was not based on his health. “I can just tell you it’s not a medical decision because I’ve been asked before, and we answer that, very straightforward and in a very direct way. I’m just not going to get beyond that,” Jean-Pierre said.
Top Jewish group fears a Harris presidency would be ‘far worse’ amid rising antisemitism
Vice President Kamala Harris’ handling of the Israeli Prime Minister’s visit paints a preview of how a Harris administration would handle U.S.-Israel relations if elected, a GOP Jewish advocacy group claims. Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. on Monday after being invited by members of Congress to address lawmakers during a joint session. Harris, who became the likely Democratic nominee for president after Biden withdrew from the race, was not present to greet Netanyahu on the tarmac when he arrived. The Israeli prime minister delivered his address to Congress Wednesday, where he detailed the horrors of the country’s war against Hamas. Harris declined to preside over the address and instead attended a sorority event in Indiana. Anti-Israel protests broke out across Washington D.C. ahead of Netanyahu’s big speech, where agitators burned the American Flag, called the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal,” and vandalized a Liberty Bell replica with pro-Hamas writing. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS BURN AMERICAN FLAGS, ACCUSE NETANYAHU OF BEING ‘WAR CRIMINAL’ AS HE ADDRESSES CONGRESS A leader from the Republican Jewish Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works to lobby for conservative interests, has said that if Harris is elected, he expects her to follow in President Biden’s footsteps regarding Israel moving forward. “If you thought Joe Biden was bad on issues of top concern for pro-Israel voters, Kamala Harris is far worse,” Sam Markstein, RJC national political director, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It took her a full day to issue a weak condemnation of the pro-Hamas mobs that burned American flags and chanted vile antisemitic slogans at Jews in Washington, D.C. – with zero mention of any concrete action she would take to hold them accountable. It should be easy to condemn antisemitism – the real question is what she will do to confront it, and her statement speaks for itself,” Markstein added. “Clearly, her priorities are not our priorities – and if elected, we can expect more of the same.” Harris condemned the protests in a statement Thursday: “Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, D.C., we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric. I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews.” Netanyahu’s U.S. visit comes at a critical moment in Harris’ campaign, as she works to replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket and make her case to voters just four months before Election Day. GOP LOOKS TO REVOKE VISAS FROM PARTICIPANTS IN VIOLENT PROTESTS AHEAD OF NETANYAHU ADDRESS Harris has said that she supports Israel’s right to defend itself since the October 7 attack, but also highlighted calls for a ceasefire in the region. The vice president met with Benny Gantz, a rival of Netanyahu and member of Israel’s wartime cabinet, in March. That same month, Harris became the first administration official to call for an “immediate ceasefire” in the conflict. But anti-Israel protests erupted on college campuses across the country in the spring, and in June, Harris expressed sympathy for the agitators. “They are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza,” Harris said in an interview with The Nation. “There are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points. But we have to navigate it. I understand the emotion behind it.” “Kamala Harris and the Democrats will reap what they’ve sowed in this election – from undermining the US-Israel relationship to unprecedented lows and overseeing a spike in antisemitism to record high,” Markstein said. “The Jewish community is more energized than ever to help elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States to restore law and order to our cities and colleges so that American Jews can walk the streets and campuses without fear. November 5, 2024 cannot come soon enough.” Fox News’ Michael Lee and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump quickly moves to define Harris as ‘more left than Bernie Sanders’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In his first campaign event since the presidential race was upended, former President Trump didn’t waste any time in trying to define his new opponent. At a rally in the crucial battleground state of North Carolina, the Republican presidential nominee repeatedly took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he derogatorily called “lying Kamala Harris.” Harris has succeeded her boss, President Biden, as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee after Biden – in a blockbuster announcement on Sunday – dropped his re-election bid and endorsed his vice president. TRUMP HOLDS FIRST RALLY AFTER 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE TRANSFORMED The embattled president’s immediate backing of Harris ignited a surge of endorsements of Harris by Democratic governors, senators, House members and other party leaders. By Monday night, the vice president announced that she had locked up her party’s nomination by landing the backing of a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention. She also hauled in a staggering $129 million since Biden’s announcement, her campaign touted on Thursday morning. IT’S A MARGIN OF ERROR RACE BETWEEN TRUMP AND HARRIS Trump, speaking to a packed arena in Charlotte, aimed to paint Harris as the “most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history.” He charged that she “has been the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe. She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office.” And pointing to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the far-left champion and two-time runner up for the Democratic presidential nomination, Trump argued that Harris is “more liberal than Bernie Sanders. Can you believe it?” Throughout his more than hour and a half stream of comments, Trump repeatedly slammed the vice president over border security and crime, two top issues in the 2024 election. The strategy by Trump, his campaign, and allied groups, is simple: Define Harris, who is not nearly as well known to Americans as Trump and Biden, before Harris has the chance to define herself. Trump campaign spokesman and senior adviser Steven Cheung said that the former president’s team was ready to go on offense the moment Harris succeeded Biden as the Democrat’s standard-bearer. “There wasn’t any surprise. We were prepared for it. We had all our assets ready. We had all our content ready. It didn’t surprise anyone,” Cheung told reporters ahead of the Trump rally. Longtime Republican consultant David Kochel emphasized that both the Trump and Harris campaigns are “in a race to define” the vice president and that most Americans “know so little about her record … It’s go time for both sides.” Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns who remained neutral in the 2024 Republican primary, noted to Fox News that “Trump’s got a big megaphone.” He offered that Trump’s slights are “not without merit,” as he noted that Harris “did run to the left of Biden” in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race and that “she had one of the most liberal records in the Senate when she was there.” Harris is pointing to her hefty law enforcement resume as she spotlights Trump’s numerous legal controversies, including his 34 felony convictions two months ago in the first criminal trial of a former or current president. “As many of you know, before I was elected as vice president, before I was elected as a United States senator, I was the elected attorney general of California. Before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said Monday at an event at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. “Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So, hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type,” she emphasized as she pointed to Trump’s multiple lawsuits and criminal cases, many of which are ongoing. Harris repeated the line of attack the next day at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump responded at Wednesday’s rally, saying “I don’t think people are going to buy it.” And he argued that the vice president “was one of the worst prosecutors in history” and that “she destroyed San Francisco.” The former president touted his support for law enforcement and landed the backing of the National Association of Police Organizations, as the group’s president, Michael McHale, joined Trump on the podium to formally endorse the GOP nominee. The Harris campaign panned Trump’s performance, with spokesman Ammar Moussa calling it “an unhinged, weird and rambling speech” and arguing that “the American people won’t be fooled or distracted” by Trump’s salvos. The jabs by Trump come as Harris is in the process of taking full control of the Biden campaign, cementing her nomination, which will formally come as early as next week during a virtual roll call ahead of the Democratic convention, and choosing a running mate by early next month. While Harris is enjoying plenty of earned media during this seemingly honeymoon phase of her fledgling campaign, when it comes to paid media, the Trump campaign and its aligned groups currently have a massive advantage. Trump’s air superiority will likely be short-lived, as the Harris campaign appears to be working to produce and air spots as soon as possible. “She needs to be on the air with some pretty compelling bio stuff,” Kochel emphasized. Ahead of the rally, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said that even though Trump is now facing a new opponent at the top of the Democrats’ ticket, the GOP’s strategy “does not change … at all.” “We have been running our race, and we are going to continue to run our race,” Whatley, a former North Carolina GOP chair whom Trump installed as RNC chair in March after clinching the Republican nomination, emphasized in a Fox News interview. Whatley, speaking at the rally site at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum, noted that Trump and the RNC will relentlessly tie Harris to Biden’s policies on border
Kamala Harris’ historic candidacy energizes Texas’ Black and Indian American voters
Black and Asian American voters collectively made up just 15% of the turnout in Texas’ 2020 and 2022 elections, according to exit polls.
Jeffries says Republicans are ‘making up’ Kamala Harris border czar title
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of “making up” the title of “border czar” in reference to Vice President Kamala Harris, just before six members of his House Democratic Caucus voted to criticize her handling of the migrant crisis. “We have a single legislative item that is on the floor today … it’s a fake and fraudulent resolution cooked up, I think, by one of the representatives from New York – continues to embarrass herself regularly – that lies about the vice president,” Jeffries told reporters at his weekly press conference. “She was never assigned the position of border czar. They’re making that up, because the extreme MAGA Republicans are in full meltdown.” TRUMP EYES MULTIPLE BORDER VISITS AS HE DRAWS CONTRAST WITH ‘RADICAL LEFT’ HARRIS The resolution was introduced by House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. Fox News Digital reached out to her for a response to Jeffries. Harris was tapped by President Biden in 2021 to spearhead the administration’s response to the border crisis, in particular, the root causes of mass migration from Central and South America. Republicans have long accused Harris of not doing enough in the role, but those attacks gained new traction after the vice president was tapped to replace Biden in the November 2024 election. Democrats and some mainstream media outlets, in response, have claimed that Harris was never given the title of “border czar” – including Axios, which referred to her that way in April 2021. BIDEN ADDRESSES DECISION TO DROP OUT OF 2024 RACE, INTENDS TO COMPLETE TERM IN WHITE HOUSE But Jeffries still insisted, referring to Republicans: “They are making that up because they have no affirmative agenda, vision or track record for the American people.” His remarks came shortly before the House passed Stefanik’s resolution – the first piece of major House legislation targeting Harris since she became Democrats’ presumptive nominee. Half a dozen Democrats joined all voting Republicans to support the measure, which passed 220 to 196. The House Democrats who voted for the resolution are Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Mary Peltola of Alaska, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina and Yadira Caraveo of Colorado. KAMALA HARRIS HIT WITH ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OVER BORDER CRISIS, ‘MISLEADING’ PEOPLE ON BIDEN They’re also some of the few Democratic lawmakers who have not endorsed Harris, despite leaders like Jeffries, ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., all falling behind Biden’s chosen successor. During his press conference, however, Jeffries said he had not heard from any House Democrats who had issues with the way the party has handled its recent political upheaval. “I haven’t had a single conversation with a member of the House Democratic Caucus who has expressed that they are upset with what has unfolded,” Jeffries said. “President Biden . . . as he indicated last night, was ready to make his case to the American people, decided in a selfless way to pass the torch to the next generation of Democrats, led by Vice President Harris. We are unified. The other side is falling apart.”
Arizona senate candidate says Mark Kelly would give Harris ‘jolt’ as VP
Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego praised Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., as a “great” prospective choice to run with Vice President Kamala Harris on the party’s presidential ticket. In an interview on CNN Wednesday, Gallego said Kelly would give Harris a “jolt” ahead of the November election, when Democrats will face off again against former President Trump. “Adding Kelly to the ticket will add that extra jolt to the campaign,” Gallego told CNN’s Manu Raju. “And I think it’d be great for Democrats across the country… again, as a border state senator, [Kelly] understands border issues; as an astronaut, married to Gabby Giffords… It’s a good combination right there,” he said. KAMALA HARRIS VETTING LIST OF POSSIBLE RUNNING MATES WITH 4 STAND-OUTS: REPORT Gallego is a Democratic candidate for Senate, running against Republican Kari Lake for an open seat vacated by retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. Gallego currently holds a 3.4 percentage point lead over Lake in the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls. President Biden endorsed Harris to be his successor after his stunning announcement on Sunday that he would no longer seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The president withdrew from the race amid increasing pressure from party leaders who believe he would lose to Trump after witnessing Biden’s halting debate performance last month. Harris has now taken over Biden’s campaign and announced earlier this week she had secured support from enough delegates to claim the DNC nomination. Her team is now in the process of vetting several possible running mates, including Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Kelly’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate have spoken highly of him. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the party’s 2016 vice presidential nominee, told NBC News Kelly would be a “superb” choice for Harris. KEY ENDORSEMENTS POUR IN FOR KAMALA HARRIS AS VP SELECTION NEARS Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Kelly has “enormous depth and wisdom,” as well as “real common sense” and an ability to grasp “very complex” issues quickly, according to NBC News. Hailing from the key battleground state of Arizona, Kelly could assist Harris in locking up western states and provide credibility on the border, which he has said is in “crisis.” He has a compelling life story and career, being a former Navy pilot and astronaut. His parents were both retired police officers, which could help Democrats dodge GOP attacks for being too soft on crime. Kelly is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot during a campaign event with constituents in 2011. He cared for her throughout her recovery and continues to do so. Both are leading advocates of gun control reforms. Harris and Trump are locked in an extremely close contest, according to a new national poll conducted entirely after Biden announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing his vice president. Trump, who last week was formally nominated as the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, stands at 46% support among registered voters in an NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll. Harris, who on Monday night said she had locked up the Democratic nomination thanks to verbal commitments from delegates at next month’s Democratic National Convention, stood at 45% support. Trump’s one point edge is well within the survey’s sampling error. Nine percent of those questioned were undecided. Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this update.
Gov Newsom orders homeless encampments torn down across California: ‘No more excuses’
Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering California officials to dismantle homeless encampments across the state via an executive order. Newsom announced the initiative on Thursday, with his office stating that the governor has ordered “state agencies and departments to adopt clear policies that urgently address homeless encampments while respecting the dignity and well-being of all Californians.” “This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same,” Newsom said in a statement. HOMELESS PERSON ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTS 4-YEAR-OLD AT CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT AMID UPTICK OF CRIME “The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets,” he added. “There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.” The order is expected to affect tens of thousands of homeless Californians who have set up long-term encampments and occupied entire city blocks with open-air drug use. The governor’s office has emphasized that individuals living in targeted encampments will be notified ahead of time. CA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUES NEWSOM OVER BILL BANNING SCHOOLS FROM NOTIFYING PARENTS OF CHILD’S GENDER IDENTITY The statement from Newsom’s office said that the executive order “directs state agencies and departments to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property, including by taking necessary and deliberate steps to notify and support the people inhabiting the encampment prior to removal.” The governor claims that this initiative was spurred by the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson last month, which found laws restricting sleeping in public areas did not violate the Constitutional restriction against “cruel and unusual punishment.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The decision, which is expected to facilitate other anti-encampment policies in cities across the country, was made by a 6-to-3 vote along ideological lines. Newsome had encouraged the Supreme Court to take up the case, claiming court decisions preventing the government from punishing vagrants occupying public spaces had created an “unsurmountable roadblock” to addressing the crisis.
Dem senator echoes Netanyahu’s attacks on pro-Hamas agitators hours after condemning his rhetoric about them
A Democratic senator criticized Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for comparing those protesting Israel’s fight against Hamas to Hamas sympathizers – only to be shocked by “disturbing” pro-Hamas cheers hours later. “The speech was more a commentary of U.S. politics, rather than a path forward for Israeli and U.S. security,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in an X post after Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress, which had brought thousands of anti-Israel protesters to Washington, D.C. “The suggestion that any American who objects to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is a Hamas sympathizer was way out of bounds,” Murphy said. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS BURN AMERICAN FLAGS, ACCUSE NETANYAHU OF BEING ‘WAR CRIMINAL’ AS HE ADDRESSES CONGRESS Anti-Israel demonstrators descended on Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in response to the address by Netanyahu, who had launched a counterattack against the terror group after the gruesome terror attack on Israel in October 2023. Protesters have said that Israel’s response has been disproportionate and led to mass civilian casualties. But at least one demonstrator, whose face was covered, was spotted by Fox News carrying what appeared to be the flag of the terrorist group Hamas, while others were heard shouting “allahu Akbar.” At Union Station, agitators burned an American flag and vandalized a Christopher Columbus statue with the words “Hamas is coming.” They also took down an American flag and flew the Palestinian flag instead. The crowds also chanted “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea…,” an antisemitic phrase that calls for the elimination of the state of Israel. PROTESTERS CHANT ‘FREE PALESTINE’ AS NETANYAHU ADDRESSES CONGRESS In his remarks, Netanyahu took aim at “many anti-Israel protesters” who he said “choose to stand with evil.” “They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers. They stand with people who came into the kibbutzim, into a home, the parents hid the children, the two babies, in the attic, in a secret attic. They murdered the family, the parents, they found the secret latch to the hidden attic and then they murdered the babies,” he said. “These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.” Hours later, as images emerged of the anti-Israel protests in Washington, D.C., Murphy condemned the pro-Hamas support he was seeing. HARRIS BOYCOTTS NETANYAHU, SNUBS ISRAELI LEADER’S WARTIME ADDRESS TO GIVE SORORITY SPEECH “I’ve seen some disturbing images coming out of today’s protests at the Capitol. I’ll always support Americans exercising their First Amendment rights but pro-Hamas cheers and messages of hate and antisemitism have no place in our country. Period,” he said. The apparent contrast in statements brought criticism from some conservatives online. “Chris Murphy was surprised to learn that the protests saliently feature Hamas support. Not sure where he’s been all year,” Max Abrahms, an associate professor at Northeastern University, said on X. “He’s supposedly an international security expert.” “Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) was outraged by Netanyahu’s suggestion that the protesters were Hamas sympathizers,” Joel Petlin, a school superintendent and commentator, said. “A few hours later, he was disturbed to find out that the protesters that he defended were actually Hamas sympathizers.” Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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Anti-Israel protesters descend on White House as Biden meets with Netanyahu
A group of protesters approached the White House with an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many gallons of red paint on Thursday. The protest coincides with Netanyahu’s visit to the White House to meet with President Biden. Police closed the park just outside the White House’s north lawn, relegating the protesters to a side street. The protesters are carrying many of the same signs seen at Wednesday’s anti-Israel protest at Union Station. That protest saw pro-Hamas slogans and the burning of American flags. This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.