GOP leaders vow ‘action’ as Columbia University swarmed by anti-Israel agitators
House Republican leaders are vowing to push back on anti-Israel protests that are once again taking over college campuses as students return for the fall semester. It comes as activists have already begun defacing property and staging demonstrations at Columbia University in New York City, which was a hotbed of controversial activity in the spring. “There should be a zero tolerance policy for antisemitic violence on campus that targets Jewish students. If universities won’t hold protestors accountable, Congress will,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital. “Just last month, we subpoenaed several Columbia University officials, and we will continue our investigations and take action on the floor as students return to campus.” HAMAS TERRORISTS RELEASE FOOTAGE OF SIX SLAIN HOSTAGES, PROMISE TO SHARE ‘LAST MESSAGES’ GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., similarly said, “Columbia University has repeatedly enabled radical pro-Hamas mobs, putting Jewish members of their community at risk and allowing antisemitic hate to take root at a once acclaimed institution. House Republicans will use every tool at our disposal to demand immediate action from Columbia University on behalf of the Jewish students who want to pursue their education without fear.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital, “It’s no wonder the pro-terrorist mob is back at Columbia — the Democrats have enabled and empowered the antisemites in their party.” Emmer said House Republicans would “continue to send a resounding message” of support for Israel and for Jewish students in the U.S. BIDEN CLAIMS NETANYAHU NOT DOING ENOUGH TO SECURE DEAL WITH TERRORISTS Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, urged the White House to speak out against the protests as well. “It is the first day of class at Columbia University and the pro-Terrorist, antisemitic mob is already back,” Johnson wrote on X. “The Biden-Harris Administration should condemn this mob immediately.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response. At least one protester was arrested during the Manhattan demonstrations on Tuesday, video shows. Footage also shows activists pushing barricades, and a second person was taken into custody outside of Columbia’s sister school, Barnard College. ANTISEMITIC RIOT AT COLUMBIA REACHES BOILING POINT AS AGITATORS TAKE OVER ACADEMIC BUILDING, BARRICADE DOORS Republicans have seized on Israel as a unifying issue for their own party as the left continues to fracture over U.S. relations with its close Middle Eastern ally. Moderate Democrats, however, have pointed to the primary losses of anti-Israel progressives as proof that the left is capable of policing its own anti-Semitism problem.
25 financial firms accused of putting enviro policy over shareholders’ green: ‘We’re going to get answers’
Twenty-four states’ attorneys general fired off a letter to 25 asset management firms, demanding answers for recent votes on proposals they claim disproportionately favor environmental concerns over those of their shareholders. The firms chosen to be questioned all had voted at least 75% of the time in line with the nonprofit Institutional for Shareholder Services’ (ISS) environmental proposals that had been highlighted by pro-green advocacy group Ceres. “The Asset Managers’ support for these shareholder proposals was over twice as high as the overall market, which supported them only 37% of the time, and only 17% of these proposals received majority support,” read the letter, spearheaded by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. “Given this wide disparity, we are concerned that the Asset Managers may have outsourced their voting in this area to ISS or another third party and are failing to carry out their fiduciary duties,” the letter read. PROJECT 2025 REMAINS NONPARTISAN, TRUE TO 1980S GOOD-GOVT INCEPTION DESPITE WIDE OUTCRY, KEY FIGURES SAY Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, another prime signatory, said that as the elected official in his state tasked with protecting Alabamians, that role includes consumer protection as well. Marshall said the letter seeks to determine whether these financial firms essentially “outsourced their due diligence” to a non-fiduciary entity that has an agenda more aligned with Washington Democrats and the green movement than their own stockholders. “So, to the extent there is adverse action being taken against our consumers, I think it’s incumbent upon us to act here,” he said. The letter intends to get answers to pressing questions, the most important of which is, ‘are [these votes] in the financial interests of those stockholders that are shareholders from my state,” Marshall said. “And, are you maximizing financial return or are you advancing a political agenda?” “One of those is consistent with their fiduciary responsibility. The other isn’t.” GREEN GOVERNANCE A NEW GUISE FOR MERCANTILISM, WILL LEAD TO GLOBAL INSTABILITY: EXPERT Fox News Digital reached out to several of the firms listed higher up — denoting the most votes in-line with the pro-environmental recommendations — in the letter, and received only scant responses. When reached, a representative for Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) — which voted nearly 95% of the time “for” ISS-recommended proposals, declined comment. A person who picked up the phone at Wilmington Trust’s media relations office declined comment before saying the letter paints a “pretty broad swath” and ending the call. The Delaware-based firm was recorded having voted 88% in line with the environmentally friendly recommendations. Allianz Global Investors, with 93% recorded, did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did UBS Capital Management. Maryland-based ProFund Advisors/ProShares — at 93%, according to the letter — promised comment but never responded further. The letter went on to outline several specific proposals of concern, including 13 that would “set [greenhouse gas] targets for traditional energy producers and closely aligned companies, which would effectively limit sales of their products.” Ten other proposals sought to “limit [corporate] free speech” in compliance with the Paris Climate Accords, while others set a net-zero-emissions deadline of 2050. Asked about his main concerns, Marshall said there is a question as to how many charter members of the organizations these firms potentially seek guidance from are members of pro-ESG or net-zero alliances. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is shorthand for an investing principle that prioritizes environmental issues, social issues and corporate governance. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “[Those] have an absolute agenda — which has nothing to do with financial return for investors,” he said. “The question becomes for these asset managers, have you investigated that conflict and is that impacting the recommendations for those votes?” “Frankly, as a lawyer, you care about conflicts. But more importantly for the citizens of our state, are those conflicts potentially not only contrary to their financial interests, but also the economic interests of Alabama as a whole?” Another state prosecutor who signed the letter, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, said the firms have a fiduciary responsibility to be “proper custodians” for their investors. “Sound economics should take priority over social fads,” Miyares said, adding shareholder resources should not be “pocketed by those driven by irresponsible social and political agendas.”
Fox News Politics: Tar Heel Voter Trouble?
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Here’s what’s happening… – The White House calls Labor Day anti-Israel protests “heinous”… – VP Harris leads former President Trump by five points in new poll – Cuomo slammed ahead of COVID hearing The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) is facing another lawsuit, as the Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing the battleground state for allegedly opening the door for non-citizens to vote. The lawsuit brought by the RNC and the North Carolina Republican Party in Wake County last week accuses the NCSBE and members, Alan Hirsch, Jeff Carmon, Siobhan Millen, Stacy Eggers IV and Kevin Lewis of failing to require identification to prove citizenship. The lawsuit alleges that by violating the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and not checking the identification of approximately 225,000 voters, the agency “is opening the door for non-citizens to vote.” North Carolina is the first state in the nation to start voting. The battleground state starts mailing out ballots for eligible voters on Sept. 6. “The NCSBE has once again failed in its mandate to keep non-citizens off the voter rolls, fueling distrust and jeopardizing our elections,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. “We are committed to the basic principle – and commonsense law – that only Americans decide American elections. Deliberately failing to follow the law, right before our country’s most important election, is inexcusable. We will fight every day to ensure that NCSBE follows the law, cleans the voter rolls, and protects the vote for North Carolinians.”…Read more ‘ESPECIALLY HEINOUS’: White House blasts Labor Day protest including terror insignia …Read more ‘INSANELY WEIRD STORY’: Biden blasted for dusting off ‘tall tale’ at Labor Day campaign stop …Read more CAMPAIGN TRAIL CRASH: Incident involved vans traveling at the rear of VP candidate’s convoy …Read more ‘THAT WAS A JOKE’: Biden quips his family was ‘so damn disappointed’ to learn ancestor was not part of deadly secret society …Read more ‘MUTUAL INTERESTS’: VP Harris is ‘actively’ promoting illegal immigration in coordination with Mexico: Sen. Cruz …Read more ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICAN: Republican aiming to flip key Senate seat in blue bastion spotlights anti-Trump credentials …Read more TAKING A STAND: Jewish Americans take self-defense precautions before high holy days amid rising antisemitism …Read more BACK TO SCHOOL: Masked anti-Israel protests return to Columbia as students arrive for first day of classes …Read more KILLING SPREE: Iran slammed for record surge in executions of regime opponents …Read more ‘TURN THE PAGE’: Ex-Obama adviser says Harris is running against ‘incumbent’ Trump …Read more HOPEFUL FOR HARRIS: The VP leads Trump by 5 points in a new poll …Read more FINAL STRETCH: Trump/Harris showdown: With 9 weeks until Election Day, the pace picks up …Read more ‘ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY’: Jobs, inflation are what Black Americans are voting on, says Chicago GOP activist …Read more 3 DAYS IN: With voting starting Sept. 6, ‘election season’ kicks off sooner than you think …Read more PROJECT 2025: The Heritage blueprint is not unprecedented, despite firestorm of controversy …Read more KILLING SPREE: Iran slammed for record surge in executions of regime opponents …Read more REEL IN THE KIDS: New Texas law takes effect requiring parental approval for children to create social media accounts …Read more ‘IT’S OK TO BE PATRIOTIC’: Chants of ‘USA’ erupt at concert for college students who defended U.S. flag …Read more ‘NO APOLOGY, NO REMORSE’: Cuomo slammed ahead of COVID hearings …Read more NORTHERN EXPOSURE: One US-Canada border sector is seeing more apprehensions than last 13 years combined …Read more ‘THE MAYOR IS DRUNK’: Ritzy beach town politician arrested for alleged DUI …Read more Subscribe now to get the Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump is ‘getting ready’ for debate by ramping up campaign schedule
Former President Donald Trump is ramping up his campaign schedule ahead of the highly anticipated debate against Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, with campaign officials telling Fox News Digital that meeting with voters and taking questions from the press is his way of “getting ready.” Trump and Harris are expected to face off for the first time in a debate on Tuesday, Sept. 10 on ABC News. The debate will be held in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center. The Harris campaign has agreed to the terms set forth in the initial agreement — the same terms used during the debate between Trump and President Biden in June. HARRIS PREPS FOR DEBATE WITH GOOGLE LAWYER, CREATING ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST,’ TRUMP CAMPAIGN SAYS Biden’s debate performance against Trump led to his ouster, shaking up the election cycle and forcing a switch to the top of the Democrat ticket. Biden suspended his re-election campaign shortly after and endorsed Harris. “We’re glad Kamala has finally agreed to the debate terms after trying to open up negotiations again,” a Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital. The rules are as follows: no notes, no sitting, no audience and no open microphones. The Harris campaign had argued last month that microphones should be open, and not muted, throughout the debate but ultimately agreed to the initial terms. Ahead of next Tuesday’s debate, Trump is ramping up his campaign schedule with multiple events per day. Trump will be in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for a town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday. On Thursday, Trump will travel to New York City to give a speech at the New York Economic Club. Later Thursday, he will deliver remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition. On Friday, Trump is headed to North Carolina to meet with law enforcement groups, where he is expected to deliver remarks. On Saturday, the former president will hold a rally in Wisconsin. TRUMP ADDS RFK JR., TULSI GABBARD TO HIS TRANSITION TEAM AS HE RECRUITS SUPPORTERS ‘ACROSS PARTISAN LINES’ “He uses rallies and speeches as a big part of debate prep,” a campaign official told Fox News Digital. “Meeting with voters and interacting with the press is a form of getting ready — you have seen him doing more media engagements in the last couple of weeks.” The official added: “In a lot of ways, that’s his preparation.” Fox News Digital has learned that campaign senior adviser Jason Miller is leading debate preparations, with Stephen Miller and the policy team also involved. As for the Harris campaign, Fox News Digital reported last month that the vice president had recruited Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison attorney Karen Dunn to help with debate prep. Dunn helped prepare Harris for her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. Dunn is simultaneously working as Google’s lead defense attorney in the Biden-Harris administration’s lawsuit against the tech giant. That lawsuit, United States v. Google LLC, is the Biden-Harris administration’s antitrust lawsuit targeting Google’s digital advertising practices. The trial is set to begin Sept. 9 — a day before the first presidential debate. “Kamala Harris will never stand up to Big Tech because she’s being coached on what to say in the debates by Google’s top lawyer,” Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh told Fox News Digital. “Think about how outrageous it is — their administration is suing Google, but Harris is taking political advice from the defendant’s lawyer.” Murtaugh said, “Any first year law student knows that’s a conflict of interest.” Neither the Harris campaign nor Dunn responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Border senator and former Harris VP short-lister claims ‘no evidence’ illegal immigrants vote
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., denied there was any evidence of illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections on Tuesday when he was asked about legislation that would require proof of citizenship in order to vote. “There is no evidence that undocumented migrants vote,” the border senator told Fox News’ Chad Pergram at the Capitol during the chamber’s pro forma session. Kelly had been asked for his thoughts on including a bill to require proof of citizenship in order to vote in a must-pass spending bill at the end of the month. MCCORMICK SEIZES ON PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE GAP, LAYING BORDER BLAME ON CASEY “This is a solution looking for a problem,” he responded. Kelly reiterated again, “The problem doesn’t exist.” Republicans have ramped up their efforts to secure elections ahead of the pivotal November races, in part by removing noncitizens from voter rolls across the country. Last month, 138 noncitizens were found to have recently voted in Ohio during a months-long voter roll audit. This came after Ohio removed hundreds of registered noncitizens from voter rolls earlier this year. It’s unclear, however, whether the noncitizens who have illegally voted were in the U.S. illegally. BLUE-STATE REPUBLICAN TOUTS HIS ANTI-TRUMP CREDENTIALS IN BID TO FLIP SENATE SEAT RED Despite Kelly’s claim, similar instances of registered noncitizens have been found across the country. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, revealed that more than 6,500 noncitizens were registered in the Lone Star State. “Of the over 6,500 potential noncitizens removed from the voter rolls, approximately 1,930 have a voter history,” read an August press release. Alabama, Virginia and Georgia also announced numerous instances of noncitizens being registered to vote during their own audits. MICHIGAN BECOMES TOP GOP SENATE TARGET AS MIKE ROGERS TIES WITH DEM OPPONENT AMONG OLDER VOTERS Ahead of the 2024 election, some conservative Republicans in the House and Senate have made it their mission to include the federal legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote in a must-pass stopgap spending bill at the end of September. The bill, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, passed the Republican-led House earlier this summer by a vote of 221-198. Five Democrats joined the measure, including Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. GOP SENATORS LOOK TO TIE CRACKDOWN ON NONCITIZEN VOTING TO MUST-PASS SPENDING BILL However, the bill has not been scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Some proponents have suggested tying it to the spending bill is the only way to secure a Senate vote on the measure. According to Kelly, it is “hard enough to get citizens to vote.” He said the legislation would create a “new system and requirements that there doesn’t seem to be any necessity [for].” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Chip Roy says voters ‘don’t give 2 flying s—s’ about government shutdown fight
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is convinced that American voters care more about having secure elections than the politics of a possible government shutdown, he said Tuesday, “My constituents want [honest elections], they want a secure border, they don’t really give two flying s—s about the government funding,” Roy told Fox News Digital in an interview. Members of Congress will be back in Washington, D.C., next week after their summer recess, returning with just three weeks to find an agreement to avoid a partial government shutdown by Oct. 1. HARRIS WAS ‘OPEN’ TO PACKING SUPREME COURT DURING 2019 PRESIDENTIAL BID It’s all but certain that a short-term funding extension called a continuing resolution (CR) will be needed to buy negotiators more time to hash out spending priorities for fiscal 2025. Roy and other conservative rebels in the House have been pushing Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to pair a CR with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill to require proof of citizenship for registering to vote. But the SAVE Act has been deemed a nonstarter by the White House and Senate Democrats, and both sides are wary about the optics of a partial government shutdown just weeks before Election Day. Roy declined to say whether he would support a shutdown but told Fox News Digital the blame would be on Democrats rather than Republicans. HARRIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER IGNORES PRESS CONFERENCE QUESTION AS VP HITS 33 DAYS WITHOUT ONE “I’m not going to play the shutdown game … the press wants to make it about a shutdown. Democrats want to make this about a shutdown,” Roy said. “Our point is pretty simple. We’re offering to fund the government – all manners of sin, by the way, in that government – we’re willing to do that, but these guys need to make sure our elections are secure.” “If [Democrats] want to shut the government down, that’s on them.” Two sources told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that pairing the bill with a CR through March is at least one plan being discussed by House GOP leadership. Johnson’s office did not return a Friday request for comment on the record on whether that would be his plan. Fox News Digital followed up on Tuesday. HARRIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER IGNORES PRESS CONFERENCE QUESTION AS VP HITS 33 DAYS WITHOUT ONE Former President Trump said on Monica Crowley’s podcast last week that House Republicans should “shut down the government” if such a proposal isn’t passed. Meanwhile, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., previously said he would support a CR through December but cast doubt on whether the SAVE Act would be attached, noting any final product would have to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. But Roy’s comments are an early warning sign that the fight to fund the government in the next fiscal year could be as messy as last year’s protracted battle that resulted in the ouster of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Republicans, pro-life advocates split on Trump’s proposal to federally subsidize IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) accounts for only 2% of all U.S. births, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a major campaign issue dividing some Republicans from their party standard-bearer, former President Trump, who recently indicated he would push for federally funding the procedures if elected. But some Republicans and pro-life religious conservatives aren’t fully on board with federally funded IVF procedures. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., — a Trump ally — said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he would rather support a tax-credit for IVF users “to encourage people to have children.” “We’ve been accused — the party has — of being against birth control,” Graham, who voted with most Republicans against the Democrat-led Right to IVF Act this year that would have protected access to IVF this year, said. “We’re not. We’ve been accused of being against IVF treatments. We’re not.” REP. MAXINE WATERS DODGES QUESTION ON CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION PROCEDURE “I’ll talk to my Democratic colleagues,” he added. “We might be able to find common ground here.” Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that “all Republicans, to my knowledge, support IVF in Congress.” “And there’s no state that prohibits or regulates IVF in a way that makes it unacceptable,” he said. “It is expensive for many couples. I understand that. So, it’s something I’m open to, [and] that most Republicans would be open to.” Nearly all of California Republicans likewise voted against a Democrat-led bill last week aimed at expanding IVF access, too. While former President Trump skirted attacks from his pro-life base last week for suggesting he may oppose Florida’s six-week abortion ban — calling it “too short” — he later came out in opposition to Amendment 4, an initiative on the Sunshine State’s ballot this November that critics say would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution. Trump also said he’d subsidize the costly IVF treatments, because “we want more babies,” despite leaving abortion access up to the states. The Trump campaign did not directly respond to what constitutes a state issue versus a federal one when asked via email last week. JD VANCE VOWS TRUMP WOULD NOT IMPOSE FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, VETO IT IF IT COMES ACROSS HIS DESK “President Trump also supports universal access to contraception and IVF. Contrarily, Kamala Harris and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and forcing taxpayers to fund it,” Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. IVF is a fertility treatment for couples struggling to have children that involves freezing eggs to use later for conception. But some religious pro-lifers believe the procedure is a moral dilemma. The treatments also cost tens of thousands of dollars per couple. Illume Fertility, a leading modern fertility treatment network, reported in May that when their clinic retrieves 12 eggs, approximately 80% — or nine to 10 eggs — are viable. Of these viable eggs, around 80% will successfully fertilize, resulting in about seven to eight embryos per patient, the report noted. TRUMP CAMPAIGN SAYS PRO-LIFERS GIVE ‘TACIT ENDORSEMENT’ OF HARRIS’ ‘RADICAL’ ABORTION POSITION BY NOT VOTING Eric Sammons, executive director of faith-based magazine Crisis Pub, said, “No child created via IVF is evil any more than a child created via rape is evil. But that fact doesn’t make the method of creation good.” Live Action social media consultant Samantha D. wrote, “We still need to keep the pro-life pressure on Trump. Government funded IVF is CRAZY. So many lives will be lost.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Lila Rose, the founder of Live Action, also sparked controversy last week for her comments suggesting she would not vote for Trump unless he made more public anti-abortion statements. She has also slammed the notion of funding IVF treatments. “Trump just announced his admin would either pay for IVF with tax dollars or force all insurance companies cover it,” Rose wrote last week on X, “How is this morally different than the contraceptive mandate under Obama?” An Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year established that frozen embryos created in the IVF process are considered children. However, IVF treatments have a success rate of around 50% for women under 35, dropping further with age. To increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy, critics argue that clinics reportedly create more embryos than needed, leading to the freezing or disposal of millions of excess embryos.
McCormick seizes on Pennsylvania Senate race gap, laying border blame on Casey
The Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, is targeting Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., on his alleged lack of action to secure the southern border and the coinciding fentanyl overdose epidemic wreaking havoc on the battleground state. In a new ad placed after Labor Day, Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott recalled the loss of his son to a fentanyl overdose. “If the border was secure, chances are my son would be alive today. We can’t bring back the people we’ve lost. But we can get rid of the weak politicians like Bob Casey who let it happen,” he said. The $2.2 million, 30-second ad buy will run on TV and digital statewide. BLUE-STATE REPUBLICAN TOUTS HIS ANTI-TRUMP CREDENTIALS IN BID TO FLIP SENATE SEAT RED Labor Day, which is less than 10 weeks from the presidential election, is traditionally considered by operatives to be when voters begin to commit to their candidate choices. And while McCormick has been trailing Casey in recent polls, GOP strategists expect voters to begin paying closer attention and get behind the Republican. In a poll last month by Quinnipiac University, Casey defeated his challenger 55% to 44% among likely voters in Pennsylvania. Quinnipiac University Polling analyst Tim Malloy explained, “McCormick battles low name recognition and a popular incumbent in a closely watched, critical Senate race.” MICHIGAN BECOMES TOP GOP SENATE TARGET AS MIKE ROGERS TIES WITH DEM OPPONENT AMONG OLDER VOTERS However, recent Fox News polling has also demonstrated the importance of immigration as an issue not just nationally but in Pennsylvania. Immigration was considered the most important issue in the upcoming election by the second-most number of Pennsylvania voters in a July survey, with 16% saying so. The issue considered as the most important by the largest number of people was the economy at 39%. The presidential matchup in the coveted battleground state is further expected to influence the Senate election, putting McCormick in a position to reap the benefits of former President Trump potentially taking Pennsylvania. The July Fox News Poll showed Trump and Vice President Harris tied in the Keystone State. GOP SENATORS LOOK TO TIE CRACKDOWN ON NONCITIZEN VOTING TO MUST-PASS SPENDING BILL In response to the latest attack on Casey’s immigration record, Casey campaign spokesperson Kate Smart told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Casey is working hand in hand with law enforcement to stop the flow of fentanyl, and has passed bipartisan legislation to sanction Chinese fentanyl producers. Meanwhile, David McCormick invested millions in China’s largest producer of fentanyl and even opposed a bipartisan border deal that would’ve helped prevent fentanyl from being trafficked across our border.” Smart referenced the fact that McCormick was CEO of Bridgewater Associates from 2020 to 2022, and that as of 2021, the company had a nearly $1.7 million investment in Chinese company Humanwell across seven different hedge funds, according to publicly available records with the Department of Labor. HARRIS WAS ‘OPEN’ TO PACKING SUPREME COURT DURING 2019 PRESIDENTIAL BID However, the pharmaceutical manufacturing company produces medical-grade opiates and is not one of the companies the U.S. has identified as a producer of chemical fentanyl precursors, which are transported illegally through the southern border. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “[I]llicit fentanyl, primarily manufactured in foreign clandestine labs and smuggled into the United States through Mexico, is being distributed across the country and sold on the illegal drug market.” The agency has pointed to illicitly manufactured fentanyl as the primary cause of the substantial increase in overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
State health department blocks transgender Texans from changing sex on birth certificates
The agency quietly rolled out the policy change on its website last week, days after DPS blocked changes to the sex listed on a Texas driver’s license.
Biden approval rating jumps 13 points while Harris leads Trump: poll
President Biden’s approval rating has climbed 13 points over the last few months, while Vice President Harris has opened up a lead over former President Trump in November’s election. Forty-eight percent of voters approve of Biden’s performance while 49% disapprove, representing a 13-point spike in support for Biden in the USA Today/Suffolk poll since the last time the poll asked the question in March. “President Biden moved us successfully out of a once-in-a-century pandemic, restored an economy that was flat on its back when he took office to the strongest in the world, and strengthened alliances that strained under Trump,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt told Fox News Digital. “More Americans are recognizing that he led us successfully out of a series of crises and is planting the seeds for a prosperous future.” BIDEN TEAMS UP WITH HARRIS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE DROPPING OUT OF 2024 RACE The poll, which was conducted entirely after the Democratic National Convention, represents a stark difference when compared to other polling on the president’s job performance, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing that Biden is 12.3 points underwater across multiple polls. Aside from the most recent USA Today/Suffolk poll, Biden’s best showing was in an NPR/PBS/Marist poll conducted on Aug. 1-4, which showed 51% of respondents disapproved of his performance compared to 47% who approved, a four-point spread. Meanwhile, Biden was 18 points underwater in a Fox News poll conducted on Aug. 9-12, with voters disapproving of the president’s performance 59%-41%. The latest poll is also a departure from the last USA Today/Suffolk poll to ask the question on March 3-8, when 55% of respondents disapproved of Biden’s performance compared to 41% who indicated disapproval, a 14-point spread against the president. NEW FOX NEWS POLL NUMBERS IN 4 KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES Meanwhile, the poll also showed Harris with an edge over Trump nationally, coming in with a 48%-43% lead over the former president as the debate looms. The Harris lead represents a seven-point swing from the March poll, when Trump led Biden 40%-38%. Helping Harris make up that ground was voter feelings on immigration, where voters favored Trump by three points, 50%-47%. But that number represents a dramatic improvement for Democrats since March, when Trump held a 13-point edge over Biden on the issue. The Trump campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment before the publication deadline. Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Trump campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that Trump “continues to build a historic movement to make America great again and expand his support with disaffected Democrats and Independents.” “Voters trust President Trump on all of the issues most important to them like crime, the economy, and immigration because they know President Trump gave us the most secure border in history, record low inflation, and safe neighborhoods,” Leavitt added. “Meanwhile, Kamala Harris wrecked our economy, allowed millions of violent illegal immigrants into our country, and raised money to bail out rioters who tried to burn our country down. While Kamala Harris continues to avoid any venue without a teleprompter, President Trump and our campaign will continue to travel this country prosecuting the case against Kamala Harris.” The USA Today/Suffolk poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.