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Biden faces the most consequential weekend of his presidential rematch with Trump

Biden faces the most consequential weekend of his presidential rematch with Trump

As he frantically fights to salvage his campaign following last week’s disastrous debate performance, the next couple of days may determine if President Biden can survive or fall victim to a rising tide of calls from within his own party to end his re-election bid. The tests for the 81-year-old president begin on Friday, as he aims to prove that he has the fortitude to defeat former President Trump in their 2024 election rematch. First up is a rally Friday afternoon in battleground Wisconsin, which will be followed by a sit-down interview with ABC News that will run in prime time on network television. On Sunday, the president and First Lady Jill Biden appear in Pennsylvania, another key swing state he needs to carry to win re-election. Through it all, the oldest president in the nation’s history will need to show Americans that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world. BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN It’s a test Biden decidedly failed last week in Atlanta, Georgia, after his halting delivery and stumbling answers during the debate with Trump sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and some party donors for Biden to step aside as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer. This week, three House Democrats publicly called on Biden to step aside from his re-election bid, while more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress and governors publicly raised serious concerns about whether Biden could continue as the party’s standard-bearer. WHAT BIDEN SAID ABOUT HIS DEBATE PERFORMANCE  Facing a slew of red flags in post-debate public opinion polls and a growing chorus of prominent Democrats urging the president to quickly decide whether he can successfully continue his campaign, the next few days could potentially make or break Biden. Biden’s campaign has repeatedly insisted that the president has no intention of dropping out of the race. And publicly, the president remains steadfast. “I’m the Democratic Party’s nominee. No one is pushing me out. I’m not leaving, I’m in this race to the end, and WE are going to win this election,” Biden wrote in a text to supporters on Wednesday afternoon.  He made similar comments earlier in the day on a Zoom call with campaign and Democratic National Committee staffers. TRUMP GETS BOOST IN POST DEBATE POLLS AFTER BIDEN’S BOTCHED PERFORMANCE The president’s also made calls to senior congressional leaders and on Wednesday night huddled with the nation’s Democratic governors. Sources with knowledge of the meeting say Biden faced questions about his health, stamina, and political viability going forward. Speaking with reporters following the meeting, Democratic Governors Association chair and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Maryland Gov Wes Moore boosted Biden with supportive comments. But Moore also noted that “we always believe that when you when you love someone, you tell them the truth. And I think we came in, and we were honest about the feedback that we were getting. We were honest about the concerns that we are hearing from people.” Biden acknowledged in two recorded radio interviews that ran on Thursday morning that he “screwed up” and “made a mistake” at the debate. But hours later, at an Independence Day celebration at the White House, after a guest yelled out in support of the president, Biden reiterated that “I’m not going anywhere.” The clock is likely ticking for Biden to quickly prove his mettle — both to his party and to voters. “He has got a very short period of time to talk to the American people,” Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan told CNN. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Biden campaign launches $50M paid media blitz despite mounting pressure for president to drop out

Biden campaign launches M paid media blitz despite mounting pressure for president to drop out

Amid mounting pressure on President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, his campaign announced a massive media blitz to the tune of $50 million that will target battleground state voters. The media blitz will target Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the campaign said. In addition, the campaign said it will be executing an “aggressive, targeted campaign” to appeal to young and diverse voters which also includes an “aggressive travel schedule” for the president. He will travel to every battleground state along with Vice President Kamala Harris, the first lady and the second gentleman. DEMOCRATIC DONORS UNSURE IF BIDEN CAMPAIGN CAN CONTINUE: REPORTS The announcement of the “aggressive” campaign comes after Biden told a group of Democratic governors that he plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so he can “get more sleep,” according to a report from The New York Times.   The 81-year-old president is the oldest in the nation’s history. His disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump reportedly left Democrats in a “panic,” with many donors refusing to give money to the party unless Biden drops out. Despite this, Biden’s campaign boasted about its “record-breaking” $127 million fundraising haul in June, saying they are leveraging “a substantial infrastructure advantage over the Trump campaign and RNC with new efforts on the ground.” HOLLYWOOD MEGADONOR ARI EMANUEL TORCHES BIDEN, SAYS DONORS ARE MOVING MONEYY DOWNBALLOT: ‘WE’RE IN F— CITY’ A survey by The New York Times and Siena College revealed that Trump received a significant boost following his debate performance. According to the poll, Trump now tops Biden 49%-43% among likely voters nationwide, which is a three-point swing toward the presumptive GOP presidential nominee from the previous New York Times/Siena College poll from just a week ago. Trump’s lead over Biden edges up to 49%-41% among the larger pool of registered voters. However, Biden has remained steadfast in his commitment to running for a second term. During a Fourth of July celebration at the White House, Biden said “You got me, man” and “I’m not going anywhere” in response to the crowd calling out, “We need you.” In this month’s push, Biden’s campaign said that they will target “issues that will decide this election” like “a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, economic relief and opportunities for middle- and working-class families, and the threat Donald Trump poses to our democracy and the rule of law.” The campaign also plans on using their large budget to target key events in July, including the Olympic Games on NBC, Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular and The Bachelorette season premiere. The campaign’s expenditure is part of their continued effort to appeal to a “diverse group” of voters that, they say, is the backbone of their administration. Biden will kick off his new push with a trip to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday. He’ll deliver remarks at a campaign event with supporters. His campaign said he will be joined by Governor Tony Evers, Congressman Mark Pocan and others. Following Biden’s remarks at the event, he is scheduled to sit down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

UK general election live results 2024: By the numbers

UK general election live results 2024: By the numbers

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party is expected to lose the July 4 election after 14 years of Conservative rule. Vote counting is under way in the United Kingdom’s snap general election with 650 seats in the House of Commons – the lower house of Britain’s parliament – up for grabs. The candidates with the most votes in each constituency will be declared winners by the early hours of July 5. By 7am local time, most results should be declared. Here is how all the parties are performing: Previous election results In 2019, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party secured a majority by seizing seats from the Labour Party in its traditional heartlands in the north and midlands. The Conservatives won 365 seats with a net change of +49, while Labour had 203 seats, a net change of -60 from the prior election. The SNP gained 13 seats, bringing the total number of seats in parliament to 48. The Liberal Democrats had 11 seats, a net change of -2 since the last election. The Greens maintained their only seat. Which are the main parties in the race? There are several political parties in the UK, however, the two that have dominated the political arena in the 20th and 21st century are the Conservatives and Labour. The Conservative Party, also known as the Tories, is a centre-right to right party, currently led by Rishi Sunak, who took over from Liz Truss in October 2022. Labour is a centre-left party, led by Keir Starmer. They were last in power between 1997 to 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Liberal Democrats, centre to centre-left aligned, led by Ed Davey. In power from 2010 to 2015 in coalition with the Conservatives under David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, then leader of the Liberal Democrats. Greens, left-wing ecopolitics, led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay. Reform UK, right-wing party led by Nigel Farage. SNP, Scottish National Party, centre-left party led by John Swinney. Plaid Cymru, centre-left to left-wing Welsh party, led by Rhun ap Iorwerth. DUP, Democratic Unionist Party, centre-right Northern Irish party, led by Gavin Robinson. How does voting work in the UK? Voters in 650 constituencies across the UK will elect members of parliament to the lower chamber, the House of Commons, via the first-past-the-post system. To win each constituency and gain a seat in the House, candidates need to receive more votes than any of their competitors. A party needs to win at least 50 percent of the seats – 326 – to secure a majority in the House of Commons and be asked to form a government by the monarch, King Charles III. The members of parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, are appointed rather than elected. If no party wins a majority, there is a hung parliament. The UK’s outgoing parliament Before parliament closed on May 30, the House of Commons was represented by 13 parties and 17 independents, including: The Conservatives – 344 seats (52.9 percent) Labour – 205 seats (31.5 percent) The Scottish National Party (SNP) – 43 seats (6.6 percent) The Liberal Democrats – 15 seats (2.3 percent) The remaining 43 seats were held by nine other parties and independents. Adblock test (Why?)

Streaming giants challenge new Canadian revenue-sharing rules

Streaming giants challenge new Canadian revenue-sharing rules

Global streaming companies have said they were challenging new Canadian rules that oblige them to help pay for local news, saying Canada’s federal government had acted unreasonably and provided no legal basis for the demand. The Motion Picture Association-Canada, which represents Netflix, Walt Disney Co and other companies, said on Thursday that it has filed applications in a federal court for leave to appeal the rules and ask for a judicial review. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the national broadcasting regulator, said in June that major online streaming services must contribute 5 percent of their Canadian revenues to support the domestic broadcasting system, including news generation. “The decision does not reveal any basis for the CRTC’s conclusion that it is appropriate to require foreign online undertakings to contribute to news production,” MPA-Canada said in a legal filing. “The CRTC acted unreasonably in compelling foreign online undertakings to contribute monies to support news production.” The CRTC said the funding would be directed to areas of what it called immediate need in the broadcasting system, such as local news on radio and television as well as French-language and Indigenous content. The regulator declined to comment because the matter is before the courts. It has previously said the rules, which are due to become effective in September, will raise roughly 200 million Canadian dollars ($146m) a year. The measure was introduced under the auspices of a law passed last year that the federal government says will ensure online streaming services promote Canadian music and stories and support Canadian jobs. Other streaming platforms the MPA-Canada serves include those offered by Paramount, Sony, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros Discovery. Adblock test (Why?)

Senator Lindsey Graham slams Palestinians as ‘radicalised’ in social post

Senator Lindsey Graham slams Palestinians as ‘radicalised’ in social post

United States Senator Lindsey Graham has sparked anger after he responded to protests outside his home in Seneca, South Carolina, with anti-Palestinian remarks on social media. “The Palestinians in Gaza are the most radicalized population on the planet who are taught to hate Jews from birth. It will take years to fix this problem,” Graham said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “When I hear ‘from the river to the sea,’ it reminds me of ‘the Final Solution.’ The Hamas terrorists are the SS on steroids,” he added, drawing a comparison to a Nazi paramilitary organisation, the Schutzstaffel (SS). As part of the post, Graham shared a video of a small line of protesters — about 20 in total — who held up a large Palestinian flag on the road outside his home and chanted, “Lindsey Graham, we’re not done. Intifada’s just begun.” Thursday’s remarks fell on the July 4 holiday, when the US celebrates its Declaration of Independence, and Graham used his post to denounce the protest as disruptive. “While I respect the right to peacefully protest, I apologize to my neighbors and their families for the disruption on the Fourth of July caused by this pro-Palestinian group,” he wrote. “Events like this make me more determined than ever to stand with Israel, de-radicalize the Palestinian people, and march toward a better and more stable world.” The comments are the latest in a string of anti-Palestinian remarks from the Republican senator, who previously suggested that Israel would be justified in using nuclear weapons in Gaza, where it has led a deadly military campaign since October. “Listen, here’s what I would say about fighting an enemy who wants to kill you and your family. Why did we drop two bombs — nuclear bombs — on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? To end a war that we couldn’t afford to lose,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press in May. “You don’t understand, apparently, what Israel is facing.” Those televised comments, in part, sparked the protest outside Graham’s home on Thursday. A group called the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) organised the demonstration to respond to his “hawkish stance” on Israel. In a statement released to local media, it warned Graham’s “warmongering rhetoric has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza”. “I’m Palestinian, and I have friends and family in Palestine,” Rose Hassouneh, a PSL member, told a local ABC news affiliate. “I am taking part in this campaign to support their struggle for liberation, and because we must end all US support for the Israeli apartheid regime.” In response to Thursday’s social media post, Claudia De la Cruz, the PSL’s presidential candidate, compared Graham to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It’s clear from Lindsey Graham’s comments that he considers the entire Palestinian population to be ‘the enemy’, making his genocidal intent as clear as Netanyahu’s. He should be held to account for aiding and abetting war crimes,” De la Cruz said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war on October 7, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas that killed 1,139 people. The military offensive and siege have spurred fears of genocide in the Palestinian enclave, and the United Nations and human rights groups have warned of a high risk of famine. A majority of Americans likewise disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza: The survey agency Gallup found in March that 55 percent oppose the military offensive, and approval dropped to 36 percent. But the US has continued to send weapons and aid to Israel despite the outcry, particularly from Arab, Muslim and progressive groups in the country. The US contributes $3.8bn in military aid to Israel each year, and it has committed billions of dollars in additional funds and supplies during the war. Graham is among the bipartisan majority in Congress who supports robust US assistance for Israel. Both Democrats and Republicans have resisted calls to place conditions on that aid in order to push for humanitarian safeguards. The administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has likewise remained steadfast in its “ironclad” support of Israel during the war, despite some criticism of the war’s humanitarian toll. In early May, for instance, Biden announced he had suspended a single shipment of heavy-duty bombs to Israel, citing concerns about their use in Israel’s assault on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. But the US continued other weapons shipments to Israel, and last month, US and Israeli media reported that Biden is expected to release the paused shipment soon, amid criticism over his decision. While I respect the right to peacefully protest, I apologize to my neighbors and their families for the disruption on the Fourth of July caused by this pro-Palestinian group. I want to make it crystal clear: I am with Israel wholly and completely. As I have consistently said,… pic.twitter.com/d9gElmgwBq — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 4, 2024 Graham is not the only member of the US Congress to face outcry over anti-Palestinian remarks. In February, Republican Representative Andy Ogles was filmed walking through the halls of Congress, telling antiwar protesters, “I think we should kill them all.” “Hamas and Palestinians have been attacking Israel for 20 years, and it’s time to pay the piper,” he added. Biden himself stirred anger when he questioned the rapidly rising Palestinian death toll in October. “I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said in a press conference. Advocates have said such remarks contribute to anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic and anti-Arab hate. In April, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it had received 8,061 reports of anti-Muslim hate in 2023, half of which came after the start of the war in Gaza. There have also been high-profile attacks on Palestinian Americans since the war began. In October, a six-year-old Palestinian American boy named Wadea al-Fayoume was stabbed to death by his neighbour, who