More than 80 people dead in DR Congo after boat capsizes
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, President Felix Tshisekedi calls for investigation after boat accident on Kwa River in Mai-Ndombe province. More than 80 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have died after the boat they were travelling on sank, President Felix Tshisekedi has announced. The accident on Wednesday occurred on the Kwa River, about 70km (43 miles) from the city of Mushie in Mai-Ndombe province. “The President of the Republic is calling for an investigation into the true causes of this unfortunate incident, to prevent such a disaster from happening again in the future,” the presidency said in a post on X. Deadly boat accidents are common in the DRC, where vessels are frequently loaded well beyond their capacity. Adblock test (Why?)
Can Trump rein in his own base on abortion?
With the presidential campaign well under way in the United States, abortion rights are shaping up to be one of the defining issues of the 2024 election. President Joe Biden has placed it at the top of his electoral agenda, seeking to rally progressive and women voters. Polls have consistently shown a majority of Americans support abortion remaining legal while a number of legislative initiatives to pass abortion bans in Republican-dominated states have failed. That has caused former President Donald Trump to rethink his own campaign strategy on the issue. Fearing he may alienate moderate voters, he has significantly toned down his rhetoric on abortion rights, recently indicating that he would not sign a national abortion ban. This is not the first time Trump has flip-flopped on a key issue of public interest. He did so during the COVID-19 pandemic when he dressed his endorsement of vaccines in caveats about “personal freedoms” to please his support base. But this time, this strategy may backfire. To be clear, Trump doesn’t substantively care about abortion rights. He seems to have gone from being “very pro-choice” in 1999 to being “pro-life” in 2011 to advocating legal punishment for women who had abortions during his 2016 campaign. However, Trump does care about winning, or more precisely about being perceived as a winner. That is why as recently as last year, he was taking credit for “killing” Roe v Wade, the landmark case that guaranteed abortion rights until the Supreme Court overturned it in 2022. “After 50 years of failure with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform last year, adding: “Without me the pro Life movement would have just kept losing.” The problem that Trump now has is that the MAGA crowd sit far to the right of him on the issue of abortion and he does not seem able to rein them in. In fact, moderating his rhetoric on abortion may alienate some of his supporters, especially the white conservative evangelical base. For evangelicals, the fight against abortion has been the centrepiece of their unspoken bargain with Trump: We’ll ignore your many moral and legal failings as long as you push forward our agenda. They may perceive Trump’s moderation of rhetoric as a betrayal of this bargain at a time when they have built momentum towards eliminating all legal abortions in Republican-controlled states. Trump might try to hold onto these voters with other issues, such as LGBTQ rights, exaggerated narratives about urban crime and so on. But those may not be enough. Already Trump is feeling the heat from conservatives. In April, Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature blocked a Democrat-led effort to repeal an 1864 law banning abortion, defying Trump, who had said the ban “went too far”. Days later, former Vice President Mike Pence, a devout Christian, criticised his former boss in a New York Times opinion piece, accusing him of “retreating” on the abortion issue, displaying “weakness” and “leading other Republicans astray” by encouraging moderation. In early May, moderate Republicans in Arizona joined Democrats to repeal the 1864 law, but conservatives continued to defend abortion bans. The eagerness of state-level Republicans to restrict abortion and their recalcitrance against calls for moderation, even from fellow Republicans, create a challenge for Trump. So he may change strategy and avoid confronting abortion hardliners. This seems to be in play already. Trump was recently scheduled to virtually address supporters at an event hosted by the Danbury Institute, an ultraconservative organisation that seeks to completely ban abortion, which it considers “child sacrifice”. However, instead of doing a speech, his campaign sent a two-minute recorded message to be played to the audience in which he made one passing reference to protecting “innocent life” but otherwise sidestepped the issue of abortion entirely. As much as he tries, Trump will be unable to avoid an issue that is mobilising voters against the Republican Party, especially as the Biden campaign has already started to hang the abortion albatross around his neck. The topic will almost certainly come up in one or both of the debates the two candidates have agreed to have, and a number of states like Florida will have abortion measures on the ballot in November. Trump may also try to sell his supporters the idea that it’s politically expedient to moderate, at least until after the election. But many of his most fervent anti-abortion supporters are eager to capitalise on the successes they have had during and after his first term in office. Trump may, therefore, find it difficult to contain the political forces that he has unleashed, a reality that could end up costing him and his anti-abortion supporters victory in November. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
Murdaugh lawyer Harpootlian loses Dem primary in South Carolina race
A longtime fixture in the South Carolina Democratic Party and the former lawyer for convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh was defeated in a primary for state senator on Tuesday night. Dick Harpootlian, who has served as a Democrat in the South Carolina state Senate since 2018, was defeated by primary opponent Russell Ott in a narrow race, The Post and Courier reported. Ott, a state representative from South Carolina’s 93rd district, brought in 51% of the vote, compared to Harpootlian’s 49%, and is expected to avoid an automatic recount, although Harpootlian could pay for one. “We just did something a lot of people didn’t think we were going to be able to do,” Ott told his supporters gathered on election night. “We talked to everyone, and I think that’s what the razor-thin difference in this race was, because we put in the hard work.” ALEX MURDAUGH SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS FOR FINANCIAL CRIMES AFTER POLYGRAPH CONTROVERSY Harpootlian, who served as chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2011 to 2013, delivered a press conference on Wednesday morning announcing he was conceding to Ott and congratulating him on his victory. Harpootlian, 75, became a national figure in recent years after decades in South Carolina politics when he represented attorney Alex Murdaugh in a double murder trial where Murdaugh was eventually convicted of killing his wife and son. FOX NEWS TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER: SCOTT PETERSON, BRYAN KOHBERGER, ALEX MURDAUGH CLERK, CHAD DAYBELL Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison in 2023. Harpootlian, who is married to Jamie Harpootlian, a Biden-appointed ambassador to Slovenia, has said he truly believes that Murdaugh did not kill his wife and son. In 2018, Harpootlian’s campaign released an ad narrated by now-President Biden saying Harpootlian was his “good friend” and that he had known him for a “long time.” The ad, which included several framed photographs of Biden and Harpootlian together, went on to say, “[Harpootlian] is a fighter who stops at nothing to get things done and make South Carolina a much better place.” “I’ve represented many, many, many guilty people,” he told the audience at CrimeCon last year. “A number of them have been acquitted and that’s great. A number of them have been convicted and that’s OK. I did the best I could. I’ve never had an innocent client convicted except for this one for 50 years.” Ott publicly criticized Harpootlian, who was not an incumbent despite being a sitting state senator due to his district being moved, for agreeing to defend the disgraced lawyer.
North Dakota voters approve ballot measure setting age limit on US congressional candidates
North Dakota voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that sets age limits on congressional candidates. The measure creates a new article in the North Dakota Constitution entitled “Congressional Age Limits,” that establishes “no person may be elected or appointed to serve a term or a portion of a term representing North Dakota in the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House of Representatives if that person could be 81 years old by December 31 of the year immediately preceding the end of the term, and any such person is prohibited from appearing on the ballot.” According to the election results shared online by the North Dakota Secretary of State, 60.88% of voters approved the measure, while 39.12% voted against it. A total of 111,709 votes were cast. The ballot measure, which bars people from running or serving in the U.S. House or Senate if they are to turn 81 years old during their term, is intended to avoid age-related and cognitive issues among officeholders, supporters say. Though it would not apply to presidential contenders, the measure comes in the same election year as there are serious concerns over 81-year-old President Biden’s mental fitness. REP. ARMSTRONG WINS GOP NOMINATION TO SUCCEED GOV. DOUG BURGUM IN NORTH DAKOTA It passed the same day that U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong won Tuesday’s Republican primary for governor of North Dakota, while longtime public utilities regulator Julie Fedorchak finished first in a rambunctious GOP race for the House seat he will vacate. Armstrong, who currently occupies North Dakota’s lone House seat, beat Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller in the race to succeed Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, who did not seek a third term and is under consideration to be 77-year-old Trump’s vice presidential running mate. Some legal experts view the measure as a test case for revisiting a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against congressional term limits. A state legislative panel attached a $1 million cost estimate to the measure in anticipation of a lengthy legal challenge, The Associated Press reported. EXPERTS REVEAL MAJOR ‘DOWNSIDE’ TO POTENTIAL TRUMP VP PICK: ‘NO WOW FACTOR’ Jared Hendrix, chair of the sponsoring committee, told the North Dakota Monitor that age limits are crucial to ensure lawmakers are healthy enough to adequately represent North Dakotans’ interests in Washington, D.C. “We just decided talking about it, thinking about it, that 81 was a good number where there’s virtually no opposition at that point,” Hendrix told the newspaper in February. Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, who had no primary challenge to his re-election bid, opposed the measure, saying voters should be able to choose whomever they want. “To limit those decisions arbitrarily just doesn’t make sense to me,” Cramer, 63, told the AP. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Enemies list’ of ‘Trumpists and Communists’ published by Biden-linked Ukraine group, lawmakers charge
FIRST ON FOX: Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance and Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz are demanding answers from Secretary of State Antony Blinken surrounding a State Department-linked Ukrainian nongovernmental organization (NGO) that published a list of Americans labeled “Trumpists and Communists” for their opposition to providing more U.S. funds to Ukraine, Fox News Digital exclusively learned. “On June 6, 2024, a Ukrainian corporation, Texty.org.ua, published an online article entitled ‘Rollercoaster: From Trumpists to Communists. The forces in the U.S. impeding aid to Ukraine and how they do it,’” the pair of Republican lawmakers wrote in their letter to Blinken. “The title of this article oversells the product: it is a substantively thin piece, largely an excuse to smear a large group of Americans who have been skeptical of aid to Ukraine in one form or another.” “But it is being broadcast as a part of a coordinated media strategy that has all the hallmarks of a U.S.-targeting influence operation,” the lawmakers continued, identifying the names detailed in the article as an “Enemies List.” Vance, who is considered a top contender as former President Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election, and Gaetz sent the letter to Blinken on Wednesday, demanding information – including any grant agreements – the State Department has with the NGO and its founder, Anatoly Bondarenko. HOUSE PASSES $60B UKRAINE AID BILL AS GOP REBELS THREATEN TO OUST JOHNSON Texty.org.ua published a list of 388 individuals and 76 organizations identified as alleged “Trumpists and Communists” for publicly opposing further funding to Ukraine as it continues battling Russia. As of last month, Congress has approved a total of $175 billion in aid and military assistance to Ukraine, following Russia invading the nation in February 2022. The pair of lawmakers highlighted to Blinken in their letter that the list includes 116 House members and 21 senators – all of whom are Republicans. DEMS SAVE JOHNSON’S $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN FROM GOP REBEL BLOCKADE “If this were merely some random news outlet in a foreign nation, such a hit piece would be easily ignored,” the lawmakers wrote. Bondarenko, the founder of Texty.org.ua, however, is “listed on a U.S. government website as supported by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.” A link provided by the lawmakers to the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs’ public diplomacy program website, called Tech Camps, details Bondarenko is “one of the founders of Texty.org.ua,” which is a news outlet that combines “classical and ‘digital’ journalism.” HOUSE TAKES KEY TEST VOTE FOR JOHNSON’S $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN AFTER DEMS HELP IT ADVANCE “He leads a team of 7 and is in charge of the data journalism part of the newsroom with four people working as designers, programmers and journalists at the same time. The team works on projects about corruptions, education, health care, news, city environment, state procurements, and specializes in telling a story using data visualization techniques. Anatoly holds a Masters degree in Engineering,” the U.S. government website states of Bondarenko. Texty.org.ua’s piece lists the so-called “Trumpists and Communists” in graphics, organizing the names, organizations and movements into three categories: Politics, Media, and Experts. The list includes politicians such as Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Tim Scott, Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as groups such as the “Squad” and the MAGA movement. TENSIONS ERUPT ON HOUSE FLOOR AS CONSERVATIVES CONFRONT JOHNSON ON $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN “We’ve identified a broad spectrum of aid opponents, ranging from Trump supporters to communists, and examined their connections,” the text from the article reads. ‘NOTHING MORE BACKWARDS’ THAN US FUNDING UKRAINE BORDER SECURITY BUT NOT OUR OWN, CONSERVATIVES SAY “While our research does not cover every public figure opposing aid to Ukraine, it highlights prominent individuals and common arguments that often mirror Kremlin propaganda,” it continued. Vance and Gaetz called on Blinken to send them information by June 28 regarding “all releasable material related to Department of State support for Anatoly Bondarenko or Texty.org;” “Provide a list of any Department of State directives, master agreements, or other policies that outline obligations of grantees or subgrantees of the Department relevant to the above publication;” “Provide a list of any grants or other awards by the Department of State to Anatoly Bondarenko or Texty.org or Texty.org.ua;” and “Inform us whether or not the Department of State is initiating any investigation into violations of Departmental policy regarding this matter.” “Needless to say, whatever one thinks of American foreign aid or support for Ukraine, all Americans can agree that our tax dollars should not be supporting direct attacks on U.S. persons based upon reasonable political disagreement, and especially not direct attacks on U.S. legislators based solely upon their vote,” they wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment on the letter but did not immediately receive a response.
Fani Willis notches legal win in Trump case after months of setbacks
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis caught a break this week after a Georgia judge decided that a court order pausing litigation in the electioneering case against former President Trump would not prevent him from letting some parts of the case move forward. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Tuesday said he plans to continue working on some pretrial motions while the Georgia Court of Appeals reviews his decision on the motion to disqualify Wills, Fox 5 reported. The appeals court on Oct. 4 will hear Trump and several co-defendants’ appeal to have Willis disqualified over her “improper” affair with special counsel Nathan Wade. The appeals court paused all pending litigation in their case in the meantime – a setback for Willis, who had hoped to try Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, before the election in November. However, McAfee’s decision to continue pretrial motions for the defendants not involved in the appeal is a win for Willis, who has been embroiled in scandal, leading to two separate Georgia legislature investigations into misuse of federal funds and probes by federal lawmakers over the same issue. FANI WILLIS FACES NOTHING BUT SETBACKS IN CASE AGAINST TRUMP, THE LATEST PENDING WITH SUPREME COURT Those six defendants are John Eastman, Ray Smith III, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Trevian Kutti and Misty Hampton. McAfee noted Tuesday that Hampton had filed a motion seeking a discretionary stay of proceedings, arguing that the eventual appellate ruling might disqualify the district attorney, Fox 5 reported. GEORGIA COURT PUTS PAUSE ON FANI WILLIS’ SWEEPING ELECTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP In his ruling, McAfee points out that even if Willis is disqualified, the indictment with several statutory and constitutional challenges must still be resolved, and he does not believe that a complete stay is the most efficient course – leading him to deny Hampton’s motion, the outlet reported. TRUMP’S APPEAL TO DISQUALIFY FANI WILLIS FROM GA CASE GETS OCTOBER HEARING DATE Trump and his co-defendants were indicted in August after a nearly three-year investigation on charges of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The indictment included 13 charges against Trump, as well as charges against 18 of his allies. Four defendants charged have already accepted plea deals. Six of the original charges have been dismissed, including three against Trump. In February, Michael Roman, a GOP operative and co-defendant in the case, dropped bombshell accusations that Willis had an “improper” affair with Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case in November 2021. Other co-defendants made similar allegations that she had financially benefited from her relationship with him by taking lavish vacations together. Both Wade and Willis denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring and said they would split the costs of their shared travels. Willis said she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash. After evidentiary hearings held in February, Judge McAfee ordered that Wade had to be removed in order to keep Willis from disqualification in the Trump election interference case in Georgia. Wade later resigned from the case. When the defense in March submitted a joint motion for a Certificate of Immediate Review, McAfee said that his Order on the Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss and Disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney issued March 15 “is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had” and allowed the defendants to ask the Georgia appeals court for an opportunity to appeal, which the court granted last month.
Biden border plan offers neither ‘investment’ nor ‘solutions’: immigration watchdog
President Biden’s recently unveiled border security policy will likely do little to fix the surge in crossing attempts at the southern border, according to an immigration policy think tank. “At present, the government is offering neither investment nor solutions,” reads an American Immigration Council analysis of the Biden policy. “It is essentially crossing its fingers that the asylum system will fix itself.” The analysis comes after the president signed an executive order last week aimed at tightening border security, a move he argued was made necessary by “Republican obstruction” of his bipartisan border bill that failed in the Senate earlier this year. “The border is not a political issue to be weaponized,” Biden said when announcing the order. JEN PSAKI ADMITS BIDEN’S BORDER EXECUTIVE ORDER MEANT TO ADDRESS ‘POLITICAL VULNERABILITY’ AHEAD OF ELECTION Biden’s order will cause a temporary suspension of entry for non-citizens once the number of average border encounters is over 2,500 per day over a seven-day period, staying in effect for 14 days after the seven-day average has reached fewer than 1,500 encounters. According to the American Immigration Council, historical trends indicate that it is unlikely Biden’s order will be lifted anytime soon. “Recent history indicates that it is highly unlikely that the current emergency will be lifted in the near future, barring an unprecedented and sudden break in border trends. In five of the last six fiscal years, monthly average border crossings have exceeded 1,500 in every month but one,” the analysis reads. The report noted that it is possible there will be a temporary dip in border apprehensions, which has historically happened as migrants and human traffickers take a “wait and see” approach to U.S. policy, changes at the border, especially during the summer period when border apprehensions generally slow historically. BIDEN ORDER TO BLOCK MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHEN CROSSINGS SURGE, AS ELECTION NEARS “But success on the Biden administration’s own terms – reducing border crossing levels for the next six months or longer – would require far more than that. It would require the United States to do what it has tried, and failed, to do for a decade: stop people from fleeing their homes, in the midst of a global displacement crisis, by making life harder for some of those who have already arrived in the United States,” the analysis reads. Instead, the report calls on the U.S. to strengthen its asylum system and provide “new pathways for people to come without feeling forced to cross the border,” though the report acknowledges such an approach would require “an infusion of resources from Congress to support the humanitarian protection system, including hiring more asylum officers, port of entry staff, immigration judges, and support staff throughout the system.” “Committing to a deterrence strategy would also require meaningful investment, but for highly uncertain benefit; committing to a solutions strategy would ensure today’s investments will make the system work better tomorrow,” the report reads. ‘IT IS INSULTING’: BIDEN BORDER ORDER TAKES HEAT FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS The report also comes as Biden’s order has come under fire from Republicans, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott accusing the administration of “gaslighting” Americans into believing the president has taken meaningful action. “As long as the Biden administration refuses to provide any type of enforcement, any type of blockage of people crossing illegally, all that this new Biden policy is doing to do is to actually attract and invite even more people to cross the border illegally,” Abbott told Fox News last week. “There’s no slowing down of people crossing the border. In fact, it’s just accelerating.” Abbott’s critique of the policy seemingly played out the day after the executive order was signed, with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources telling Fox News that the Border Patrol apprehended roughly 4,000 illegal migrants between ports of entry the day after Biden’s announcement. That number was at least as high as what averages had been in prior weeks leading up to the order, which usually hovered in the mid to high 3,000s. The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Biden pushed to revoke Al Jazeera credentials after Israeli hostage reportedly found in journalist’s home
FIRST ON FOX: President Biden is being pressured to revoke media credentials from Al Jazeera and cut off its access to the White House following revelations that one of its affiliated journalists reportedly held an Israeli hostage in their family’s Gaza home. “It is no secret that Qatar-funded Al Jazeera has long been a mouthpiece for terrorists and has peddled anti-American sentiments,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote in a letter to Biden sent on Tuesday evening. “As such, I urge you to immediately revoke Al Jazeera’s access to the White House until it cuts all ties with U.S.-designated [Foreign Terrorist Organizations].” Al Jazeera Media Network is a global media enterprise with numerous channels and publications in various languages. It originated in Qatar in 1996. It is still based in Qatar and notes on its website that it is “funded in part by the Qatari government.” The network also has dozens of bureaus in countries around the world. DEMS CLAIM GOP ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES CRUMBLED’ AFTER HUNTER BIDEN GUILTY VERDICT “The list of Al Jazeera ‘journalists’ in Gaza who are supporting terrorism is only growing,” Rubio claimed. “According to reports, three of the hostages rescued by Israeli Defense Forces after 246 days in captivity in Gaza, were held captive by Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist, Abdallah Aljamal, and his extended family,” the Republican highlighted. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged earlier this week that Aljamal, who was killed during the successful hostage rescue mission, “was a Hamas terrorist holding Almog, Andrey and Shlomi hostage in his family’s home in Nuseirat.” The IDF provided a screenshot of Aljamal’s author page on Al Jazeera. SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY BLASTS ‘SURREPTITIOUS’ RECORDING AS DEMS TARGET JUSTICE ALITO Earlier this month, Israel conducted the largest hostage recovery operation since the onset of the war with Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, rescuing four Israeli hostages. Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Shlomi Ziv, 41, and Andrey Kozlov, 27, were recovered by the IDF in central Gaza after being held for 246 days. Al Jazeera pushed back against the connection to Aljamal, claiming he “has never worked with the Network, but had contributed to an Op-ed in 2019.” The network’s public relations X account added, “these allegations are completely unfounded.” ‘LOOSE CANNON’: SENATE DEM ESCALATES ATTACK ON JUSTICE ALITO AFTER SECRET RECORDING Rubio noted that despite the claim from Al Jazeera, “he is listed on the company’s English language website as ‘a Gaza-based reporter and photojournalist’ who ‘often reports from the ongoing ‘March of Return’ protests at the fence separating besieged Gaza from Israel.’” TRUMP TO MEET WITH HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS IN DC THIS WEEK Further, the Florida senator pointed out Aljamal was also a contributor to the Palestine Chronicle, which is “an English-language pro-Hamas outlet led by ex-Al Jazeera official Ramzi Baroud.” Aljamal’s past stories with the outlet often refer to the war as a “genocide.” MIKE LEE PRAISES TRUMP FOR RESISTING CLINTON LAWFARE, WARNS BIDEN OF SLIPPERY SLOPE As Rubio claimed, Baroud was once deputy managing editor of Al Jazeera online, per his LinkedIn profile. He now serves as editor of the Palestine Chronicle. “A free press is built into the DNA of our nation,” Rubio prefaced. “However, for years, Al Jazeera has used its platform to sow anti-American sentiments and harm our own security and those of our allies.” “So long as it employs journalists and reporters who operate as members and affiliates of FTOs, Al Jazeera will continue to undermine our nation from inside our government buildings,” he claimed, adding, “There is absolutely no reason Al Jazeera, or its employees, should have access to you, the White House, or any of your advisors.” He urged Biden to remove credentials from Kimberly Halkett, an Al Jazeera reporter covering the U.S., along with any other “employees who have access to the White House.” The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. Al Jazeera did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital when contacted.
BJP leader Pema Khandu to become Arunachal Pradesh CM for third consecutive term
Pema Khandu became Chief Minister for the first time in 2016.
Key battleground tips to Trump according to latest poll
Former President Trump holds a slight edge over President Biden in battleground Pennsylvania, a key swing state in general elections that will likely be crucial in deciding the winner of their 2024 rematch. That was the headline from a new Marist College Poll, which indicates Trump at 47% support and Biden at 45% backing among registered voters in Pennsylvania. Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy registered at 3% in the survey, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 1% and 2% undecided. Among the smaller pool of those likely to vote in the presidential election, the presumptive Republican nominee continues to edge his Democratic successor in the White House 48%-46% in a multi-candidate field. TRUMP WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF BIDEN IN LONGTIME BLUE-LEANING STATE Trump became the first Republican in nearly three decades to win Pennsylvania – which is considered part of the Democrats’ blue wall of northeastern and Midwestern states – when he carried it by a razor-thin margin in his 2016 White House victory over Hillary Clinton. However, four years later, Biden narrowly carried his native state en route to defeating Trump and winning the presidency. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION The new poll from Marist, conducted June 3-6, points to problems for Biden with parts of the Democratic Party’s base. “While still strong, Biden has lost his formidable support among Black voters. 68% break for Biden to 23% for Trump. Biden handily won the support of most Black voters in the 2020 presidential election, 92% to 7% for Trump,” the poll’s release spotlights. The poll also points to a Trump surge among voters under age 45 in Pennsylvania. Biden carried the group by 24 points in his victory four years ago, but the survey indicates Biden’s edge at just two points over Trump. However, the survey also highlights that “Trump’s advantage among older voters has evaporated. He carried voters 45 or older by 12 percentage points in 2020. Now, three percentage points separate Trump (48%) and Biden (45%) among this group.” While Trump holds the edge over Biden in the latest polling in most of the key swing states, and while his fundraising has surged in the wake of his conviction two weeks ago in the first criminal trial of a current or former president, Trump and the Republican National Committee are currently facing a large deficit to the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee when it comes to grassroots out reach and get-out-the-vote efforts. The Trump campaign along with the RNC and the Pennsylvania GOP last week opened their first campaign office in Pennsylvania. In comparison, the Biden re-election campaign, the Democratic National Committee and Pennsylvania Democrats, spotlight that they have 24 coordinated offices and hundreds of staffers across the Commonwealth. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.