Page 1635 – Texas Weekly Online

New ad ties vulnerable Dem senator to Biden’s ‘failing’ record ahead of CNN Presidential Debate

FIRST ON FOX: Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno released an ad on the morning of Thursday’s CNN Presidential Debate linking his vulnerable Democrat opponent’s policies to those of President Biden that will be featured on stage in Atlanta. “Sherrod Brown voted with Biden 99% of the time,” the Moreno ad says as two men ride a tandem bicycle with the license plate JB SB, the initials of Ohio Democratic Gov. Sherrod Brown and President Biden, in Washington, D.C. “Sherrod Brown & Biden combined 100 years in office,” the new ad says. “Sherrod Brown & Biden oppose a border wall.” The ad also says the pair “support amnesty for illegals” and that “prices are up 20%” in the Brown and Biden economy. VULNERABLE DEM. SEN RIPPED AFTER RAKING IN CASH FROM CORPORATE PACS DESPITE PREVIOUS OBJECTIONS: ‘HYPOCRISY’ “Don’t let extreme liberals Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden take America for a ride,” the ad says at the close before Brown and Biden crash their bicycle. The Moreno campaign also unveiled JustLikeBiden.com on Thursday, where information on the similarities between Biden and Brown’s policies can be found underneath a banner that reads, “Sherrod Brown is always ridin’ with Biden.” VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR BLASTED OVER VOTING RECORD AFTER AD TOUTS STRENGTH ON IMMIGRATION: ‘WON’T BE FOOLED’ “Sherrod Brown said it best: his politics are not much different than Joe Biden’s,” Moreno Communications Director Reagan McCarthy told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Brown votes with Biden almost 100% of the time and has helped create the invasion at our southern border, a dismal economy with record-high inflation, and a war on American energy. The Biden-Brown agenda is failing Ohio and Ohioans will retire them both in November.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment but did not receive a response. Brown’s race against Moreno in November will be one of the most closely watched in the country. Many view it as one of the best opportunities Republicans have to take back control of the Senate, which Democrats currently hold by a 51-49 margin. The Cook Political Report ranks the Senate race in Ohio as a “toss up.”

North Carolina blocks RFK Jr., Cornell West from ballot – for now

The election board of North Carolina has denied two political parties’ bids to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West as their candidates. State election officials have confirmed that We the People Party submitted more than the 13,865 valid signatures necessary to register as a political party ahead of the 2024 election. The Justice for All Party similarly turned in more than the minimum number of signatures necessary. Republican members of the election board on Wednesday backed the two parties’ push for formal recognition, which would allow them to select candidates for the ballot. NEVADA DEMOCRATS SUE TO KEEP RFK JR., GREEN PARTY OFF NOVEMBER BALLOT Three Democrats on the election board blocked the motion, citing concerns about how the third parties presented themselves during the signature gathering process and how voters understood their goals. A delay has been instituted as officials further investigate whether the two parties presented themselves as coherent political organizations or only as a vehicle for Kennedy and West as “independent” candidates. Independent candidates in North Carolina are subject to a much higher 83,188 signature threshold to qualify for the ballot. DNC KEEPS GOING AFTER RFK JR. SUPER PAC, ALLEGES TRUMP’S LARGEST DONOR PROPPING UP CANDIDACY Board Chair Alan Hirsch told leaders of We The People that the challenge is “not intended to deny your status as a party.” “It’s just to do our job and to be sure that […] the people that signed the petition know the purpose and intent,” he explained. The elections board will reconvene on July 9 to revisit the parties’ demand for formal recognition. “Today the Democrat-controlled North Carolina Board of Elections has done Joe Biden’s bidding, willfully ignored North Carolina law, and betrayed the public trust of North Carolinians by voting not to qualify Cornel West or Robert Kennedy Jr. for the presidential ballot,” said Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley. Whatley blasted the board’s decision to delay certification as a “desperate attempt” to keep Kennedy from the ballot — a situation many Democratic strategists have warned would warn President Biden in November. “This is one more example of Democrats fracturing trust in America’s democratic institutions and flouting the electoral process in their increasingly desperate attempts to hold onto political power — we are leaving all options on the table to remedy this issue.”

North Carolina blocks RFK Jr., Cornel West from ballot – for now

Most Biden rally appearances are shorter than a sitcom, helping fuel stamina concerns

President Biden spoke for a maximum of 33 minutes and clocked in at well under half an hour during the majority of the 11 campaign rallies this year at which he gave a solo address – performances that are at odds with the White House’s portrayal of the president’s stamina and that contrast sharply with the numerous lengthy orations delivered by Biden’s 2024 rival: former President Trump. Biden spoke for more than 30 minutes on just three occasions during the 11 rallies in 2024 examined by Fox News Digital. Rallies are defined as campaign events at which Biden took the stage alone, stood in front of a podium and was joined by cheering supporters, as opposed to intimate campaign stops, fundraising events, or the brief remarks he has made while carrying out his duties as president. All three rallies at which he spoke for more than 30 minutes occurred during the first two months of 2024. He spoke for 33 minutes at a rally in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, in January; for about 32 minutes during a rally at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina, also in January; and for 32 minutes during a North Las Vegas rally in February. OBAMA LEADING BIDEN OFF LA FUNDRAISER’S STAGE JUST LATEST EXAMPLE OF ALLIES DIRECTING PRESIDENT Biden’s most recent rally came on May 29 in Philadelphia and was one of just two that occurred after March. OBAMA AGAIN STEPPING INTO ROLE AS JOE’S CLOSER AHEAD OF TRUMP V BIDEN REMATCH The eight campaign rallies at which he spoke for fewer than 30 minutes are: roughly 20 minutes at an event in Manassas, Virginia, in January; about 10 minutes during an event in Culver City, California, in February; about 25 minutes during a campaign event in Wallingford, Pennsylvania; and just under 30 minutes at a rally in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in April. He also spoke for about 20 minutes during a campaign rally in Philadelphia in May; about 10 minutes at a rally at a restaurant in Phoenix in March; about 27 minutes during a Las Vegas campaign rally focusing on the economy in March; and about 20 minutes during an Atlanta rally in March. Biden notably did speak for more than an hour during the State of the Union on March 7. Trump, on the other hand, holds rallies on a regular basis – outside of when he faced trial in Manhattan regarding 34 counts of falsifying business records. CELEBS SHOWER BIDEN WITH CAMPAIGN CASH, BUT COULD UNDERCUT ‘SCRANTON JOE’ IMAGE Trump’s stops have included instances during which he spoke for nearly two hours in Georgia after winning that state’s Republican primary in March. He spoke for 90 minutes at a Wildwood, New Jersey, rally in May. As recently as Saturday, Trump spoke for an hour at a rally on Temple University’s campus in Philadelphia. Biden’s relative bevy of campaign events this year are a departure from his 2020 cloistered campaign strategy during the pandemic, which earned him the nickname “Basement Joe” from Trump. However, outside of the election cycle, the 46th president has also delivered far fewer news conferences than his predecessors, which earned him criticism in the first weeks of his presidency. BIDEN LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE ON STAR-STUDDED HOLLYWOOD FUNDRAISER AFTER TRUMP’S MASSIVE CASH HAUL IN BLUE STATE Biden began his tenure in the White House with criticism from voters and members of the media for waiting months before holding his first formal, solo news conference in March 2021. The nearly three-month stretch of no full news conferences was the longest a newly-minted president has gone without speaking to the press in at least 100 years. GAY TRUMP VOTERS SHATTER DEM ‘LIE’ LGBT AMERICANS ONLY VOTE BLUE, SAYS LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS CHIEF Data compiled by Fox News shows Biden has held 36 news conferences as of this year, with the pressers lasting an average of 33 minutes. During the same time period during the Trump administration, the 45th president held 60 news conferences, while President Barack Obama held 74. Biden is set to take the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday evening, where he will face off against Trump for the first time since their debate on Oct. 22, 2020. The CNN Presidential Debate will air for 90 minutes, including two commercial breaks, far longer than Biden typically spends at a podium on the campaign trail. MELANIA TRUMP RETURNS TO CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH PRO-LGBT REPUBLICAN EVENT APPEARANCE: REPORT Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer told Fox News Digital when reached for comment that Trump and “the crazy person screaming in the street all speak for longer than 30 minutes” and “no one believes that is a sign of mental acuity – well maybe Dr. Ronny Jackson does.” “Every day, Joe Biden is president of the United States, fighting to protect women’s rights, build an economy that works for all Americans rights, and defend democracy at home and abroad. Donald Trump couldn’t do that, that’s why he’s no longer president, spending his weeks golfing, sleeping in courtrooms, and gladhanding racist billionaires who want to cut Social Security,” Singer said. Trump has challenged Biden to take a drug test ahead of the event, previously suggesting the president takes substances to enhance his cognitive functioning. While former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who now serves as a Republican Texas congressman, also called on the president to take a drug test ahead of the debate, citing a recent bombshell Wall Street Journal report detailing interviews with roughly 45 lawmakers and administration officials who described Biden as an 81-year-old leader losing his savvy. “This is a Biden-specific concern based on the unexplained change in his demeanor during the [State of the Union]. President Trump has been the same his entire life, and there have definitely been no concerning changes. President Trump has also previously offered to take one if Biden does,” Jackson previously told Fox News Digital. The White House hit back that the Wall Street Journal story and anecdotes were examples of partisan

Trust in Supreme Court plunges ahead of key decisions on presidential immunity, Jan. 6

A new poll shows that 70% of Americans believe Supreme Court justices are more likely to shape the law to fit their own ideology, rather than serving as neutral arbiters of the law. The Associated Press-NORC poll released Thursday further found that less than a third of Americans believe the nation’s highest court is more likely to provide an independent check on other branches of government by being fair and impartial. The poll comes as the court is poised to release rulings in several high-profile cases relating to former President Trump and the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Roughly 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they have hardly any confidence in the people running the Supreme Court, according to the poll. The poll surveyed 1,088 U.S. adults from June 20-24 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. The poll advertises a margin of error of 4%. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN KEY FIRST AMENDMENT CASE CHALLENGING BIDEN ADMIN TEAMWORK WITH BIG TECH Just half of Republicans have a great deal or a moderate amount of confidence in the court’s handling of important issues, including gun policy, abortion, elections and voting, and presidential power and immunity, according to the new poll. BIDEN LIKELY VIOLATED FIRST AMENDMENT DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS Meanwhile, 8 in 10 Democrats say justices are likely to shape the law to fit their own ideology. Roughly 7 in 10 independents agree. The Supreme Court is due to hand down rulings in key cases both Thursday and Friday. The court mistakenly posted a draft of an opinion on a key abortion case to its website Wednesday before quickly taking it down. The case relates to whether Idaho hospitals are required to perform abortions in emergency situations despite a state law banning the act in most situations. Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe confirmed to Fox News Digital that the opinion has not formally been posted. On Wednesday, the Court handed the Biden administration a win, ruling that plaintiffs challenging the federal government’s effort to influence social media lacked standing to do so. The Associated Press contributed to this report

Feds stop massive number of Haitian illegal immigrants landing by boat in this red state

Border Patrol agents on Wednesday stopped over 100 Haitian illegal immigrants attempting to land on U.S. soil in Florida, a crossing that renewed concerns about an often uncovered part of the ongoing migrant crisis. “At approximately 4:00 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol agents with support from federal, state & local law enforcement partners responded to a migrant landing & encountered 118 Haitian migrants,” Miami Sector Chief Patrol Agent Samuel Briggs said. The incident occurred in Key West. It was the latest arrest by authorities of those trying to cross into the U.S. by boat. Earlier this month, 305 people from Haiti and the Bahamas were intercepted by the Coast Guard. That was part of an operation that intercepted nearly 12,000 migrants in FY 2023. DHS WARNS HAITIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING BY BOAT FACE ‘IMMEDIATE REPATRIATION’ Amid continued unrest in Haiti, where gangs raided prisons, burned police stations and overran the capital earlier this year, authorities have been ramping up their presence amid concerns it will fuel migration by boat. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in March the deployment of soldiers and officers, as well as aircraft and boats to “protect” the state from vessels carrying illegal immigrants. “Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and seacraft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state,” he said. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been similarly muscular in its language and said those entering illegally would be returned. “U.S. policy is to return noncitizens who do not have a fear of persecution or torture or a legal basis to enter the United States. Those interdicted at sea are subject to immediate repatriation pursuant to our longstanding policy and procedures,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital in March. “The United States returns or repatriates migrants interdicted at sea to The Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.” DHS did, however, stress that migration flows through the Caribbean remain low. DESANTIS SENDS SOLDIERS, AIRCRAFT TO ‘PROTECT’ FLORIDA FROM ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BOATS AMID HAITI UNREST “All irregular migration journeys, especially maritime routes, are extremely dangerous, unforgiving, and often result in loss of life. DHS will continue to enforce U.S. laws and policy throughout the Florida Straits and the Caribbean region,” a spokesperson said. On Wednesday, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that it is the latest example of the consequences of the border crisis and called on the administration to implement a strategy to deal with the Haitian crisis, claiming it has stood by as the country descended into “chaos.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “As the Representative for the Florida Keys, the security of our community is at risk of another mass migration event from Haiti due to the rampant gang violence and the mass release of thousands of violent criminals from the country’s jails,” he said. “Florida is a border state & this vessel carrying 118 Haitian nationals is just the latest example of how Biden’s border crisis is impacting communities across the nation. I demand the Biden Administration implement a comprehensive strategy to address the unrest in Haiti and prevent this security crisis from impacting South Florida families.”

Trump leading Biden ahead of CNN Presidential Debate, support from Black voters way up since 2020: poll

Former President Trump has a four-percentage-point lead over President Biden in a national poll released ahead of their first 2024 televised presidential debate hosted by CNN on Thursday. The latest New York Times/Siena College poll released on Wednesday showed 48% of the electorate say they would vote for Trump, the Republican, if the presidential election were held that same day, while 44% said they would vote for Biden, the Democrat. That contrasts to April’s New York Times/Siena College poll that showed Trump leading Biden by just one percentage point. Asked whether Biden should remain the Democratic Party’s nominee, 61% said there should be a different Democratic nominee, while 33% said Biden should remain. That compares to 54% who said there should be a different Republican nominee, while 41% believe Trump should remain. The poll showed 26% of Black likely voters would support Trump in the 2024 election. While 65% of Black likely voters said they would support Biden, Trump’s gains represent a significant uptick since 2020. According to a New York Times/ Siena College poll conducted June 17-20, 2020, just 5% of Black registered voters said they would support Trump, while 79% said they would support Biden. BLACK REPUBLICAN CALLS OUT BIDEN’S ‘REAL RECORD ON RACE’ IN SIX-FIGURE AD BUY TO AIR DURING CNN DEBATE Notably, for the time, 68% of national registered voters said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of the protests and riots following George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis. The latest poll of 1,226 registered voters nationwide, including 991 who completed the full survey, was conducted in English and Spanish on cellular and landline telephones from June 20 to 25, 2024. It also asked whether participants believed Biden or Trump are too old to be an effective president. A net percentage of 68% agreed Biden is too old, while 39% said the same for Trump. TRUMP ENLISTS PROMINENT BLACK REPUBLICANS TO APPEAL TO THEIR PEERS: ‘FISHING WHERE THE FISH ARE’ Conducted following Trump’s criminal conviction in the hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the poll found just 11% of the electorate were more likely to support Trump after he was found guilty, while just 19% were less likely to support him. Most people, 68%, said Trump’s hush-money conviction made no difference in whether they would back him. There was a two-percentage-point lead in respondents who agreed the charges against Trump are mostly politically motivated contrasted against those who believe Trump was charged mostly because prosecutors believed he committed crimes. The majority, 55%, agreed that Trump should not be sentenced to prison in the hush-money case, while 37% said he should be kept behind bars. With just over four months until Election Day, Thursday’s debate offers both candidates a rare potential to alter the trajectory of the race. Trump and Biden have not been on the same stage or even spoken since their last debate weeks before the 2020 presidential election. Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration. Thursday’s broadcast on CNN will be the earliest general election debate in history. It is the first-ever televised general election presidential debate hosted by a single news outlet after both campaigns ditched the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which had organized every one since 1988. Under the network’s rules, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not qualify. Aiming to avoid a repeat of their chaotic 2020 face-offs, Biden insisted — and Trump agreed — to hold the debate without an audience and to allow the network to mute the candidates’ microphones when it is not their turn to speak. There will be two commercial breaks, another departure from modern practice. The candidates have agreed not to consult staff or others while the cameras are off. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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