After Obamas get personal at DNC, Trump asks ‘Do I still have to stick to policy?’
Former President Trump is pointing to personal attacks at the Democratic convention by former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as justification to disregard advice from allies to cut out insults and stick to policy attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris. “Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle,” Trump told supporters at a rally in battleground North Carolina on Wednesday. Pointing to Trump, the former first lady emphasized during her address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that “going small is petty, it’s unhealthy, and, quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.” And she argued that “it’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.” TRUMP SPOTLIGHTS JOBS REPORT REVISION TO TAKE AIM AT BIDEN AND HARRIS Minutes later, former President Obama called his successor in the White House “a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.” “It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually been getting worse now that he is afraid of losing to Kamala. There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” Obama added, as he made a hand gesture which seemed to imply he was mocking Trump’s manhood. Trump, spotlighting the verbal attacks on him from the previous night, seemed to mock advice from Republican allies. DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: LIVE UPDATES “You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy, don’t get personal,’” Trump said.” And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people.” “Do I still have to stick to policy?” Trump asked his supporters in the crowd. While criticizing Harris over key issues such as border security, crime and inflation, Trump in the past four weeks has also continuously slammed the vice president and insulted her during speeches, news conferences and in social media posts. Sources in Trump’s political orbit have told Fox News that top advisers to the former president are quietly aiming to persuade him to tamp down the insults to Harris and the questioning of the vice president’s racial identity and instead focus on branding her an ultra-liberal. Trump allies have publicly pitched the former president to refocus his attention. “You’ve got to make this race not on personalities,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last week in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “Stop questioning the size of her crowds and start questioning her position.” McCarthy emphasized that Trump has “a short time frame to do it, so don’t sit back. Get out there and start making the case.” During an interview last week with Bret Baier on Fox News’ “Special Report,” former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — Trump’s top rival from the Republican presidential primaries earlier this year — also had some unsolicited advice for her former boss. Haley, who reiterated that she wants Trump to win the presidential election, emphasized that “the campaign is not going to win talking about crowd sizes. It’s not going to win talking about what race Kamala Harris is. It’s not going to win talking about whether she’s dumb. It’s not. You can’t win on those things. The American people are smart. Treat them like they’re smart.” Trump, at his rally on Wednesday, imitated allies who have urged him to avoid personal insults. “Sir, you must stick to policy. You’ll win it on the border. You’ll win it with inflation. You’ll win it with your great military that you built,” Trump said. And minutes later, Trump surveyed his supporters in the crowd, asking “should I get personal, or should I not get personal?” Getting personal won by a very clear margin. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Most Americans reject push by Biden, Dems to change Supreme Court: poll
A new nationwide survey highlighted in a Wall Street Journal opinion editorial found that most Americans don’t support sweeping changes to the Supreme Court, despite President Joe Biden’s last-minute push for such a measure. The WSJ cited a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey that found that “support for the separation of powers just as many of the speakers at this week’s Democratic National Convention seek to undermine it.” President Biden, after abruptly leaving the presidential race a month ago, endorsed legislation that would impose term limits for justices, among other things, that would drastically alter the makeup of the high court. His plan is also of questionable constitutionality. According to the Journal, the Mason-Dixon poll found that after asking likely voters if they “support or oppose amending the U.S. Constitution to change the structure of the U.S. Supreme Court,” that 52% of them oppose the idea, while 41% of likely voters support the idea of amending the constitution to change the court’s structure. BIDEN TO ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR MAJOR CHANGES TO SUPREME COURT AMID OUTRAGE OVER RECENT DECISIONS: REPORT Noting that for “over 150 years, the United States Supreme Court has had nine justices” and that court-packing “is generally defined as increasing the number of Supreme Court seats, primarily to alter the ideological balance of the court,” the poll asked respondents if they agree with “court-packing.” TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION Only 34% supported such a plan, while 59% opposed and 7% of likely voters were undecided. The poll also found that an overwhelming number of voters supported this statement: “Plans to expand the membership of the U.S. Supreme Court are primarily motivated by political objectives.” Additionally, a full 87% of likely voters — including 84% of Democrats — agree with the following statement: “An independent judiciary is a crucial safeguard of our civil liberties.” Democrats in Congress, in conjunction with the White House, have pushed to make radical changes to the high court. And Democrats at the Democratic National Convention this week have already leveled attacks against the high court. BIDEN ‘PLAYING TO THE LEFT’ WITH SUPREME COURT REFORM REEKS OF ‘DESPERATION,’ NBC’S CHUCK TODD SAYS Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow falsely claimed that the Supreme Court has made Trump “completely immune from prosecution” in its presidential immunity decision. “Sadly, such poisonous attacks on the highest court are likely to be a staple of this week’s convention,” the Wall Street Journal wrote about the comment. “Thank goodness most Americans still don’t endorse them, according to the new Mason-Dixon poll commissioned by the First Liberty Institute, which advocates for religious freedom.”
Fox News Politics: Rep. Pascrell Jr. Dead
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. DNC Day 3: Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz takes the stage tonight! Follow for live updates. What’s happening… -Trump accuses Biden of scandal as new job numbers trend downward… -Nancy Pelosi interrupted by anti-Israel protesters on Colbert… -Anti-Israel mob burns American flag while Schumer blames antisemitism on Trump… Longtime New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. died on Wednesday at 87, according to an announcement from his family. The Democrat passed away after serving 14 terms in Congress. His family did not offer any details about his cause of death, though the lawmaker had been in the hospital since July. “It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved,” his family wrote in a statement….Read more ON GUARD: Biden approves updates to U.S. nuclear posture in face of new threats …Read more VANISHING JOBS: Trump accuses Biden administration of ‘MASSIVE SCANDAL’ after new jobs numbers dramatically revised downward …Read more ABORTION AGENDA: Biden-Harris’ HHS Secretary Becerra sidesteps backing any limits on late-term abortion …Read more ‘LAW & ORDER’ CANDIDATE?: Harris’ past comments on policing resurface as DNC ramps up …Read more ‘DON’T INTERRUPT MY GUEST’: Stephen Colbert’s interview interrupted by anti-Israel protester …Read more FILL THE WARCHEST: Billionaire businessman Mike Bloomberg donates $10 million to Democrats’ House Majority PAC …Read more NEW BARRIER: Trump rallies in NC behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor event since assassination attempt …Read more KAMALA ‘PHONY AND FAKE’: Cleveland women tell ex-CNN host they’re supporting Trump …Read more UNKNOWN VEEPS: Walz up in favorability over Vance, 4 in 10 voters don’t know enough about him: Poll …Read more DON’T KNOW ‘THE DETAILS’: Gavin Newsom avoids throwing support behind Kamala Harris price controls …Read more ‘PATH FORWARD’: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to address Americans on Friday …Read more LESSONS LEARNED: Moderate who defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman says his race reveals this about Dems …Read more ‘THE WORLD IS ON FIRE’: Trump says Harris, Biden ‘marched us to the brink of World War III’ during first outdoor event since assassination attempt …Read more REAL ESTATE CONTROVERSY: California bill helping migrants afford homes advances …Read more WHERE’S SHERROD?: ‘Missing’ person signs pop up at DNC after vulnerable Senate Dem skips convention …Read more FASHION FORWARD: Michelle Obama wears $3,000 pantsuit while criticizing the wealthy at DNC …Read more STUNNING CONTRAST: Anti-Israel mob burns U.S. flag outside while Schumer blames antisemitism on Trump …Read more HARRIS IS ‘THE FUTURE’: MSNBC host knocks Trump, supporters as part of America’s ‘White patriarchy’ past …Read more ‘DON’T CALL IT’ THAT: Axios trashed after denying Harris’ policy is price controls …Read more ‘SACRED TASK’: Van Jones calls Barack and Michelle Obama’s DNC speeches like an ‘oasis’ …Read more BLOOD IN THE STREET: Multiple shot, one murdered in Democrat-run Chicago on second day of DNC …Read more ‘ORWELLIAN ATTACK’: UK looks to treat misogyny as extremist violence …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.
Water erupts from manhole during heavy rain in Tokyo
NewsFeed A manhole cover blew off and water shot up into Tokyo’s night sky, as torrential rain drenched Japan’s capital city. Published On 21 Aug 202421 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Israel kills dozens of displaced Palestinians in Gaza amid more evacuations
Israel has killed at least 50 more Palestinians and wounded more than 120 in Gaza as its military has ordered new evacuations in central and southern parts of the enclave. Gaza’s Civil Defence agency on Wednesday said at least four people were killed and 18 wounded in the latest Israeli strike on Salah al-Din School, which is sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City. Agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency that 10 of the injured were children. A father told AFP his child was killed in the strike while playing in the schoolyard. “We ran to see and saw my son dead,” he said without giving his name. “What did this child do to deserve this? He had no missile, no plane, no tank.” Displaced Palestinians flee the western part of Khan Younis after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] The Israeli military said in a statement the air force “conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control centre” located in the school compound. “Hamas operatives used the compound as a hideout and a base to plan and execute attacks against [Israeli] troops and the State of Israel,” a statement said. Israel has targeted more than 500 schools in its 10-month offensive on Gaza, alleging Hamas was using them as hideouts. But it has not provided sufficient evidence to back up its claim while Hamas has denied the charge. In Bani Suheila, a town near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, an Israeli air raid killed seven Palestinians, two of them children and five women, at a tent camp for displaced people, medics said. In Rafah, a Civil Defence crew recovered the bodies of four other Palestinians. They were farmers working near al-Mawasi who were killed by Israeli tanks, which opened fire on them without warning, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported on Wednesday. Israel’s military has killed at least 40,223 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health. Most of the dead in Gaza are women and children, the United Nations human rights office said. ‘Have mercy on us, world’ Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders on Wednesday for several neighbourhoods in Deir el-Balah, the enclave’s most densely populated area, signalling an expansion of the army’s ground operations from south to central Gaza. Israeli forces fired into the crowds, killing at least one person and wounding several others, medics and residents in the central Gaza city said. Al Jazeera’s Maram Humaid, reporting from Gaza, said “a wave of terror and panic has swept through the area” as people scrambled to leave following the orders. She said witnesses reported Israeli tanks near the al-Mazraa school area, southeast of Deir el-Balah. “The tanks approached one of the schools and started shelling near civilians. Quadcopters were also shooting at people,” Dia Lafi, another Palestinian journalist, reported. “There’s no place to go, no transportation for those trying to flee.” As Mohammad Yasser loaded mattresses into a car outside his family’s temporary shelter, he shouted in desperation: “Have mercy on us, world! Have mercy! We don’t want aid or food coupons. Just stop this war. “The evacuation feels like a mass exodus. There’s nowhere to go. Deir el-Balah is the final station. We’ll end up sitting in the streets,” Yasser told Al Jazeera. “If it weren’t for my children, I would stay, even if it meant dying here. My daughter was born and raised in this war. We have endured enough.” Gaza’s Government Media Office said more than 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced to so-called humanitarian zones. Only about 9 percent of the Gaza Strip is now designated “safe” by the Israeli military. Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes in such areas, which lack basic infrastructure and water and are overcrowded. The UN says at least 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced at least once since the start of the war in October. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA, denounced Wednesday’s strike on the Gaza City school, saying “some were burnt to death” in the “horrific attack on one of our UNRWA schools”. “Is there any humanity left?” Lazzarini wrote on the social media platform X. “Gaza is no place for children anymore. They are the first casualty of this merciless war. “We cannot let the unbearable become a new norm. Enough. A ceasefire is beyond over due.” Adblock test (Why?)
Meet the ‘uncommitted’: How Gaza hangs over Democratic National Convention
Chicago, Illinois – The “uncommitted” delegates at the Democratic National Convention in the United States have a message for their party: “Help us help you.” Approximately 30 such delegates earned a spot at the convention in Chicago after hundreds of thousands of people voted “uncommitted” in the Democratic primaries, in protest of President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Since then, Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race, and Vice President Kamala Harris has replaced him on the Democratic ticket. Still, the war in Gaza remains a flashpoint dividing the Democratic Party. Many of the “uncommitted” delegates say they want Harris to win — but they also want her to listen to the antiwar voters who elected them to the convention. Only with their support can she succeed on election day, several delegates told Al Jazeera. The “uncommitted” movement started with the Listen to Michigan campaign in February. A grassroots protest movement, Listen to Michigan encouraged the state’s primary voters to cast protest votes — and its push exceeded expectations, winning more than 13 percent of the vote. Then the movement went national. Voters across the country cast enough “uncommitted” ballots to send delegates from states like Hawaii, Washington and Minnesota to the convention. Those delegates are using their presence at the convention to demand a commitment to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo against Israel, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians over the past 10 months. To make their case, the delegates are arguing that, without a meaningful change in policy, large parts of the party base — including young voters, Arabs, Muslims and progressives — will not be energised to elect Harris in November. At the convention this week, uncommitted delegates and their allies are making themselves visible with keffiyehs and lapel pins calling for an end to weapon transfers to Israel. Al Jazeera spoke to several uncommitted delegates in Chicago. Here’s what they had to say. Uncommitted delegates speak to reporters on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Yaz Kader: ‘We just need to apply’ US laws Kader, a delegate from Washington state, says the “uncommitted” movement has allowed people to use a “powerful” civic tool — voting — to protest the atrocities in Gaza. “We have to work within the system that we have. And we are showing right now that political pressure can be applied from within,” Kader told Al Jazeera. “And furthermore, the Democratic base here is in agreement with us. We can make those changes. We’ve already seen some of the changes in language. We need to make changes with policy.” The 35-year-old Palestinian American medical professional arrived at the convention draped in a keffiyeh decorated with a pin. “Not another bomb,” it read. Kader added that it has been “very tough” seeing what Palestinians in Gaza are enduring. “There are US laws and international laws that are already on the books. We just need to apply them and make sure that this can never happen again,” he said. “Our laws do not allow for 16,000 children to be killed in Palestine. There has been this exception made for the Israeli government and military, and it’s not OK.” Abbas Alawieh: ‘A big responsibility’ Alawieh, a Michigan delegate and one of the leaders of the “uncommitted” movement, says he has not been getting much sleep as he works to advance the campaign’s goals. “It feels like a big responsibility to the voters who sent us here, who sent me here,” Alawieh told Al Jazeera. “I also feel a big responsibility to our Palestinian community members who are counting on us to push as hard as we can for Palestinian human rights. I also feel a responsibility to my own family in south Lebanon, who want to know when the bombing that’s happening all around them is going to stop. It feels like a big weight, and I’m trying to remember to drink water.” Sabrene Odeh: ‘We just need an end to the violence’ Odeh, a delegate from Washington state, says it has been “incredibly depressing” being a Palestinian American during the war on Gaza. At the same time, she said it is a “huge honour” to represent Palestinian rights supporters at the convention in Chicago. “Our messages are very clear: We want a permanent, immediate ceasefire, and we want an arms embargo. Everything else comes after. We just need an end to the violence and to the slaughtering of the Palestinian people,” she told Al Jazeera. Uncommitted delegate Sabrene Odeh from Washington state attends a news conference on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Jeremiah Ellison: Pushing Democrats to adopt ‘popular policies’ Ellison, a Minneapolis City Council member, said the war in Gaza is affecting people across Minnesota, not just Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. He dismissed criticisms that the “uncommitted” movement helps Republican candidate Donald Trump by splitting the Democratic base, calling the idea “silly”. “We are here as delegates in the party,” Ellison told Al Jazeera, explaining that he and other delegates are “participating in the process that the party built” to make themselves heard. “If we had an interest in helping Donald Trump win, we would not have become delegates to the DNC. We would have saved our money, saved our time, and we would have gone and told people how to vote in November,” he said. “We’re here now at the DNC, trying to get this party to adopt really popular policies across the Democratic Party.” Ellison stressed that the uncommitted delegates are “not doing it alone”, saying that many voters care about the issue and want an end to the atrocities in Gaza. Uncommitted Democratic delegate Jeremiah Ellison wears a pin on his lapel to show support for a Gaza ceasefire [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Shay Chan Hodges: Harris should listen to young people Chan Hodges, an uncommitted delegate from Hawaii, says she wants Harris
Blowing off the Windy City: Some Democrats give Kamala and the DNC a cold shoulder
To some Senate Democrats facing competitive re-election bids, Chicago is not their kind of town. Prominent Democrats from battleground states like Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jon Tester of Montana, and Jacky Rosen of Nevada all gave the city of big shoulders the cold shoulder, as their party convenes the Democratic convention in Chicago. “Every candidate’s going to make their own decision as to where they should be. And certainly, some candidates would much rather just be in their state talking to voters in their state,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. Peters chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), in charge of getting Democrats elected to the Senate. Democrats are trying to cling to their slim Senate majority this fall. There are currently 51 senators who caucus with the Democrats and 49 Republicans. The Senate battlefield favors Republicans with a host of Democrats up for re-election in red or swing states. It’s an uphill climb for Democrats to knock off Republicans who are up this cycle like Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., is retiring. That seat is almost destined to turn red. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., is retiring. The race between Democratic nominee Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and GOP standard-bearer, former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., is tight. MICHELLE OBAMA WEARS NEARLY $3K PANTSUIT WHILE CRITICIZING THE WEALTHY AT DNC So Democrats are ducking Vice President Harris and distancing themselves from progressives who take the stage at the convention, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Better to blow off the Windy City when you can campaign back home and not face tough questions from the national press. Or, if you’re a moderate, get your photo snapped with someone who is too far to the left. Or is controversial when it comes to the war in the Middle East. Or get asked about your take on President Biden dropping out, something Harris said, or the military service of Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Jon Tester scratched Chicago for Pearl Jam. The band’s bassist, Montana native Jeff Ament, headlines a fundraiser for Tester in Missoula in the middle of the convention. If Tester wins, he scores a fourth term in the Senate. Or, as Pearl Jam might sing, “Come Back.” Democratic leaders applauded their colleagues who stayed away from Chicago. “I think it will help Jon,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “Jon is running as a Montana Democrat. Not a national Democrat.” Rosen is keeping her distance from Chicago as she seeks a second term in the swing state of Nevada. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., barely won re-election in 2022 by less than 8,000 votes. Cortez Masto’s race was the last one called. Her victory preserved the Senate Democratic majority. President Biden bested former President Trump in the Silver State in 2020 by fewer than 35,000 votes. Even though Rosen is staying clear of Chicago and Harris, the senator’s allies believe a win by the vice president in Nevada could boost Rosen. The Senate contest tilts slightly in favor of Rosen right now. The Cook Political Report shifted it from a “toss-up” to “lean Democrat.” VP HARRIS STILL HASN’T RELEASED WEBSITE ON POLICY — SO TRUMP CAMP DID IT FOR HER However, some Democrats from swing states who are on the November ballot aren’t shunning Chicago. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is attending. He’s running for the Senate against GOP nominee Kari Lake. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who caucuses with the Democrats, is retiring. And then there are sitting Democratic senators from competitive states: Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., surfaced in Chicago. The Keystone State’s other senator, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is not up this fall. But Fetterman skipped the convention. He said he had other things to do. Fetterman has sparred with the left over his positions on immigration, the border and the Middle East. However, this year’s Democratic no-shows aren’t the only ones who have skipped their respective party conventions. Former Sen. Clarie McCaskill, D-Mo., faced a competitive re-election bid in 2012 when Democrats convened their convention in Charlotte. Tester and Manchin faced challenging re-election bids that year, too. Same with then-Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. All ducked the convention. And all won their races. Hard to argue with that strategy. Many Republicans weren’t enamored with former Trump. So they dodged the GOP’s 2016 convention in Cleveland and the pandemic-curbed convention in 2020. Former Sens. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., weren’t on hand for 2016. POLITICAL PARALLELS BETWEEN 1968 AND 2024 AS THE DEMOCRATS RETURN TO CHICAGO Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, sat out the 2020 show. In some cases, prominent political figures have even spoken at the convention of the opposite party. The late Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., addressed the Republican convention in New York, renominating President George W. Bush for a second term as he tangled with the Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Former Republican Ohio Gov. and Congressman John Kasich spoke at the Democrats’ quasi-convention (due to COVID) in 2020. This is especially interesting since Kasich ran for president as a Republican in 2016. The late Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., came to the Senate as a full-fledged Democrat in early 1989. But after losing his 2006 primary – but winning re-election – Lieberman declared himself an “independent Democrat.” Still, Lieberman caucused with the party at the end of his career. He was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000. But Lieberman spoke on behalf of 2008 Republican nominee and late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the GOP convention in St. Paul. The move almost prompted Democrats to bounce Lieberman from the Senate Democratic Caucus. Especially since the nation elected President Obama – who at the time was Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Tracking the political taxonomy of former Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., is nearly as complicated as that of Lieberman. Crist was elected governor of Florida in 2006 as a Republican. He then lost the GOP
Rep. Shawn Thierry joins anti-trans policy group after losing Democratic primary
The Houston Democrat lost her seat after backlash for voting with Republicans to ban transition-related care for minors.
Free abortions being offered outside DNC could land Planned Parenthood in trouble with IRS
CHICAGO — A pro-life group filed an IRS complaint against Planned Parenthood claiming that its deployment of a mobile abortion van offering free services near the Democratic National Convention violated its nonprofit status this week. The organization, 40 Days for Life, exclusively shared the filings with Fox News Digital on Wednesday accusing the Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers – IL of violating their tax-exempt status. “Targeting political parties and candidates with free abortions and other in-kind gifts is strictly prohibited by the IRS — a basic rule that every nonprofit understands,” CEO Shawn Carney told Fox News Digital. “Planned Parenthood’s recklessness on such a public stage is astounding.” CHICAGO GETS ‘WEIRD’ FOR DNC WITH ABORTION TRUCKS, INFLATABLE IUD AND FREE VASECTOMIES, CONSERVATIVES SAY “Alongside the filing is — what a dark and somewhat goofy message that the DNC is sending, that abortion will be a priority, not in philosophy or policy, but in action, that we’re going to do abortions as part of our convention, and brag about it,” Carney said. “We have never seen a political party, or frankly, a candidate, celebrate abortion as the No. 1 issue.” According to the filing, “These actions by Planned Parenthood openly advertise and provide free services from not-for-profit entities to participants of and in direct relation to a nationwide political rally for one party and certain political candidates.” The filing added, “These actions clearly are and/or suggest direct or implicit endorsements of a certain party, platform and candidates,” that violates nonprofit status. PRO-LIFE GROUPS ANSWER PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTION VAN WITH OUTREACH NEAR DNC Planned Parenthood Great Rivers of St. Louis announced in an X post that a bus was headed to the DNC in Chicago on Aug. 19-20 to offer free services. As of Tuesday, a Planned Parenthood worker told Fox News Digital it was only performing medicinal abortions and was fully booked. “Here we come, Chicago! Our mobile health clinic will be in the West Loop with @ChiAbortionFund & @TheWienerCircle Aug 19-20, providing FREE vasectomies & medication abortion,” the post said. “EC will also be available for free without an appointment.” SOFTENED ABORTION LANGUAGE IN TRUMP-APPROVED GOP PLATFORM IRKS SOME SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES In a news release statement, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, Dr. Colleen McNicholas said, “Accessibility is a core value at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, and our mobile health clinic helps us bring care to more people who need it.” “As people from across the country travel to Illinois this week, we are proud to demonstrate what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care,” McNicholas said. This election year, Democrats have made abortion a central issue on their party’s platform, warning that a Trump presidency could lead to a nationwide, federal ban on abortions. Former President Trump has already said the decision will be left up to the states to restrict abortions, in line with the overturning of Roe v. Wade accomplished. On day one of the DNC, abortion took center stage, with several speakers talking at length about it being one of the central issues of the Democratic Party’s 2024 platform. Fox News Digital has reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment.
Trump stuns critics with praise for ‘nice gentleman’ Obama while predecessor slams him at DNC
Former President Trump appeared to stun many of his critics Wednesday night after he offered rare praise to former President Barack Obama, an action that was unexpected given their ideological differences. In comments to CNN, Trump said, “I like him,” referring to the Illinois Democrat: “I think he’s a nice gentleman, but he was very weak on trade… I happen to like him. I respect him and I respect his wife,” Trump said. In an ensuing panel, CNN reporter Jamie Gangel wondered aloud, “Who is that man?” DNC PAINTS HARRIS AS LAW-AND-ORDER STANDARD BEARER DESPITE PAST COMMENTS ON MILITARIZATION OF POLICE Meanwhile, CNN anchor John King also appeared surprised and contrasted Trump’s comments with an interview he held with the then-first-time candidate the day Obama released his Hawaiian birth certificate amid pressure from Trump. Trump’s words, however, were later contrasted with Obama’s comments on the mogul during his Democratic National Convention speech later in the evening. Obama drew roaring laughter from the crowd when he appeared to make an obscene hand gesture while referring to Trump’s purported obsession with crowd sizes. PGH DINERS FUME AFTER RESTAURANT CLEARED FOR ‘STAGED’ HARRIS CAMPAIGN STOP “Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” Obama said “It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually been getting worse now that he is afraid of losing to Kamala.” “There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.” For her part, former first lady Michelle Obama also lobbed invectives at Trump, referencing how the GOP nominee has said illegal immigration has disproportionately affected minorities. Trump said in the June debate with President Biden that the influx of migrants is “taking Black jobs.” Michelle Obama asked the DNC crowd who would want to tell Trump that “the job he’s currently seeking might be one of those Black jobs.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When asked about the disparity, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said the DNC is no longer “Barack Obama’s Democrat Party.” “Kamala Harris is even more dangerously liberal. As California’s attorney general, Harris defied the Obama administration to allow law enforcement to ignore ICE detainers, and she has driven the party even further left by pushing to end private health insurance, impose the job-killing Green New Scam, and spearhead runaway wasteful spending that has driven inflation.”