Biden mocks Trump for legal woes: ‘A little busy right now’
President Biden took a jab at his presumptive Republican rival for the presidency while campaigning in Pennsylvania. Biden made the remark while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. “Under my predecessor, who’s a little busy right now, Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs,” Biden said while boasting of his economic policies’ benefit to blue collar workers. WHITE HOUSE DEEMS HOUSE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY ‘OVER,’ PRESIDENT BIDEN FORMALLY DECLINES TO TESTIFY United Steelworkers endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket last month, applauding the president’s investments in “worker-centered trade policy.” “President Biden proved time and again during his first term that he stands with working families,” USW International President David McCall said in the March announcement. He added, “His vision and leadership allowed our nation to strengthen workers’ access to collective bargaining, grow the middle class, and embark on a path to widespread prosperity.” BIDEN RETURNS TO CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS TRUMP FORCED TO REMAIN IN COURT FOR SECOND DAY OF NEW YORK HUSH MONEY TRIAL While Biden is on the road campaigning, Trump is currently stuck in New York City for his criminal trial surrounding alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels during his successful 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. It is the first ever criminal trial of a former president. Trump has been ordered to attend the daily court proceedings of the trial. Judge Juan Merchan told Trump that if he fails to be present, a warrant will be issued for his arrest. “It’s a scam. It’s a political witch hunt,” Trump said after court adjourned Monday. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts last year. Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
Trump cuts into Biden’s lead among demographic traditionally dominated by Dems: poll
A new well publicized poll from Harvard University is the latest to indicate rising support for former President Trump among the nation’s youngest voters, who traditionally are a key part of the Democratic Party’s base. President Biden leads his Republican challenger 45%-37% among people ages 18 to 29 in a Harvard Youth Poll released early Thursday by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. Sixteen percent of those questioned were undecided. However, Biden’s 8-point advantage over the former president is much smaller than his 23-point lead over Trump at the same point four years ago in the 2020 election cycle. The president’s lead over Trump widens to 50%-37% among registered voters under age 30, and to 56%-37% among those likely to cast a ballot in the November election. BIDEN-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHO’S GOT THE EDGE IN THIS CRUCIAL MIDWESTERN BATTLEGROUND? However, even Biden’s 19-point margin among likely voters under age 30 is much smaller than his 30-point lead over Trump four years ago. Additionally, the poll indicates that the president’s 19-point lead over Trump among likely voters shrinks to 13-points when third party and independent candidates are added to the mix. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION According to the survey, Biden stands at 43%, Trump 30%, Democrat turned independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 8%, Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 4% and independent Cornel West at 2%. The poll suggests Trump’s made major gains among young male voters. “Democrats have lost significant ground with young men,” the poll’s release highlighted. The president leads among women by 33 points in the poll, but his advantage among men is just six points. While Biden’s lead among women is nearly identical to four years ago, his advantage among men has plummeted 20 points from this point in the 2020 election cycle. “The gap between young men’s and young women’s political preferences is pronounced,” polling director for the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics John Della Volpe emphasized. He also cautioned to “make no mistake, this is a different youth electorate than we saw in 2020 and 2022.” The poll also indicated that younger voters supporting Trump are much more enthusiastic about the former president than Biden voters are about the current president. More than three-quarters of those backing Trump said they were enthusiastic about their support, compared to just 44% of Biden backers who said the same thing. The poll is the latest to indicate an erosion in support for Biden among younger voters. Also alarming for the president is his approval rating among those under 30, standing at just 31% in the new survey. The Harvard Youth poll of 2,010 Americans ages 18-29 was conducted March 14-21, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Black Chicago voters rip mayor on extra $70M for migrants as recall petition gathers steam
Infuriated Black Chicagoans showed up in force at a City Council meeting on Wednesday to protest Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request for an additional $70 million in taxpayers’ funds to be spent on tackling the city’s migrant crisis, while a petition that would give residents the right to recall the mayor is gathering serious traction. The progressive mayor, who has vigorously defended the city’s sanctuary policies in the past, wants aldermen to greenlight the extra cash in a vote on Friday despite the Windy City having already poured $300 million into housing, food and healthcare for the recently arrived migrants, according to the city’s latest numbers. However, critics of the spending spree blasted the mayor during Wednesday’s gathering, where aldermen were initially expected to vote on rubber-stamping the new funds. Aldermen deferred the measure, using the council tactic to stall consideration. CHICAGO MAYOR URGES BIDEN TO GRANT WORK PERMITS TO HALF MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “We need that money in my neighborhood, we need that money on my block,” railed one Black woman wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cowboy hat. “So I’m asking ya’ll to use our tax money for our people, we need it.” Another Black woman, donning a “No More Blue Go Red” top, issued a strong warning to aldermen. “Vote for the money for these immigrants today and we coming for those seats, you can believe that,” she said. “You better be worrying about your job, you better be worrying about your longevity because we gonna vote and we gonna getcha out, cos you ain’t doing right by us, that’s what time it is.” The $70 million, should the full City Council approve the proposal, will be drawn from the city’s assigned fund balance from 2022, Budget Director Annette Guzman said Monday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Johnson pinned the city’s financial woes on the federal government’s failure to come to its aid. City projections from late last year showed it on course to run deficits of up to $1.5 billion and $1.9 billion for 2025. “We have what we have. We don’t have an inordinate amount of reserves,” Johnson said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “This has been a strain on Chicago.” Nearly 40,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since August 2022, according to the city’s “New Arrivals Situational Awareness Dashboard.” VACCINATING MIGRANTS LIKE US CHILDREN WOULD HAVE PREVENTED DISEASE OUTBREAKS AT CHICAGO SHELTERS: EXPERTS The progressive mayor’s handling of the migrant crisis and Chicago’s crime has frustrated some residents so much that they are now working to get Johnson recalled. A group is currently laying the groundwork by gathering signatures for a ballot referendum to change state law, which currently does not allow the recall of anyone except the governor. Dan Boland, a former technology salesman, is leading the effort and says Johnson is not taking care of its citizens first. “We can’t let Chicago circle the rim for another three years,” Boland says. “We need to get out of this cycle and fix things… if [Johnson] can’t fix it, we need to get someone in there who can.” Johnson has dismissed the claims and says they are being organized by residents living in the suburbs. However, Boland laughed it off, telling Fox that he has lived in Chicago for 33 years and is an independent. Boland’s petition drive needs to collect 56,464 valid signatures by Aug. 5 for the question to go on the ballot in November. He says he has been inundated with support from people of all backgrounds. “We’ve never had this opportunity to recall before and its very apparent based on the mayor’s abilities right now, or lack of accountability, that this needs to be addressed,” he added. Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
13 Dems vote against resolution condemning Iran after Israel strike
More than a dozen House Democrats voted against a resolution condemning Iran’s airstrikes on Israel Thursday. The resolution, which also affirms U.S. support for Israel responding to the attack however it deems necessary, overwhelmingly passed 404 to 14. Just one House Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against the bill. Fox News Digital reached out to Massie for comment. Massie was joined by 13 Democrats, including “Squad” member Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.; and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was also among those opposing the bill. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House GOP leader, tore into the Democrats who voted against condemning Iran in a statement to Fox News Digital after the vote. ‘NOTHING WOULD REMAIN’: IRAN’S PRESIDENT VOWS TO COMPLETELY DESTROY ISRAEL IF IT LAUNCHES ‘TINIEST INVASION’ “House Democrats’ hatred for Israel runs so deep they would rather defend terrorists than support our strongest ally in the Middle East. Vote after vote, the Democrat Party continues to cement their position as the pro-terrorist party,” Emmer said. Iran fired a barrage of rockets at Israel over the weekend, 99% of which were intercepted, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria. It was a marked escalation of tensions in the region as the first attack on Israel directly from Iranian soil. The 13 progressives who voted against the measure are among a growing faction of the Democratic Party who are critical of the U.S.’s strong ties to Israel, particularly in the wake of Israel’s invasion of Gaza. WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN FOLLOWING ATTACK AGAINST ISRAEL: ‘THE PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE’ Israel’s war on Hamas began after militants from the pro-Palestinian terror group invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and killed more than 1,000 people. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, has said over 30,000 Palestinians have died in the months since. House Republicans have seized on the Democratic divides over Israel, distancing themselves from that fight by standing firm with the long-standing relationship. In response to the Iran attack, House GOP leadership lined up 17 bills for a vote this week affirming U.S. support for Israel and against Iran. BIDEN SILENT AFTER BEING PRESSED ABOUT IRANIAN STRIKE AGAINST ISRAEL: ‘WHAT NOW?’ Ocasio-Cortez criticized that effort earlier this week in a statement, saying “Following last weekend’s unprecedented response by Iran to Israel’s attack on its consulate, the Republican Majority is explicitly leveraging a series of bills to further escalate tensions in the Middle East.” “This is a blatant attempt to distract from their own incompetence. The country and the world need real leadership from the House of Representatives in this moment, not resolutions designed purposefully to increase the likelihood of a deadly regional war or worse. I will oppose any cynical effort to further inflame tensions, destroy a path to peace in the region, and further divide the American people,” she said.
Trump juror previously arrested for ripping down right-leaning political ads dismissed from trial
A second juror was excused from the jury in former President Trump’s criminal trial on Thursday after it was revealed the man was once arrested for tearing down right-leaning political advertisements. Juror #4, who was selected and sworn in on Tuesday, was excused by Judge Juan Merchan on Thursday morning. TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: JUROR EXCUSED AFTER SAYING SHE DOES NOT THINK SHE CAN BE FAIR The man had been arrested in Westchester, N.Y., for tearing town political advertisements, according to a prosecutor from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. “I actually believe the propaganda that was being ripped down was political posters that were on the right — the political right,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said Thursday. Steinglass said that after additional research, it also appeared that the juror’s wife had been previously accused of, or involved in a “corruption inquiry” that needed a “deferred prosecution agreement with the district attorney’s office.” Jurors are asked on a questionnaire to list whether they or someone close to them have ever been arrested. Juror #4 was excused shortly after juror #2 was excused. Juror #2 admitted that she could no longer be fair. Juror #2, a woman who lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and works as a nurse, returned to court Thursday morning and said that after further thought, she had concerns about being fair and balanced in the case. “I definitely have concerns,” she said, noting that her family and friends questioned if she was serving on the jury. “I don’t think I can be fair.” TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL TRIAL IS HAVING ‘REVERSE EFFECT’ AS HE CAMPAIGNS AT NEW YORK BODEGA, VOWS TO SAVE CITY She also said she thought that “outside influence” would “interfere.” The woman also noted that she did not want aspects of her identity to be reported. Judge Juan Merchan excused her and warned the press about covering the trial. “You can write about anything on the record, but apply common sense when writing about jurors using physical descriptions and descriptors,” Merchan said. Merchan directed the press to refrain from writing about anything that can be observed with eyes in order to “ensure jurors remain safe.” “We lost what would have been a good juror,” Merchan said, adding that she was “afraid of being intimidated.” After the departure of juror #4 and juror #2, only five jurors have been sworn in. Thirteen more jurors are needed before opening arguments can begin. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
US imposes new sanctions on Iran after attack on Israel
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programmes come as fears mount over possibility of greater regional escalation.
Photos: The destruction of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza
[unable to retrieve full-text content] The Israeli army left a trail of destruction when it withdrew from the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Students rename Canadian university buildings after Palestinian places
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Student activists at a university in Canada have ‘renamed’ dozens of campus buildings to places in Palestine.
ED arrests AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in Delhi Waqf Board-linked money laundering case
ED arrests AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in Delhi Waqf Board case
Kennedy family to make major endorsement in 2024 presidential race as Dem panic grows over RFK, Jr: Report
Members of the iconic Kennedy family, a longtime staple in American politics, will reportedly announce a major endorsement in the 2024 presidential race on Thursday — a move expected to be a snub of one of their own seeking the White House. According to Axios, more than a dozen Kennedy family members will appear alongside President Biden at an event in Philadelphia to publicly back him over Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is driving Democrats to panic that his independent White House bid could lead to a victory for former President Donald Trump. “President Biden has been a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncles stood for,” RFK Jr’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, is expected to say in prepared remarks shared with Axios that reference the late former President John F. Kennedy, the late former U.S. Attorney General and New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and the late former Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. 2 KENNEDY CHILDREN ENDORSE OPPONENT OF PROGRESSIVE LOS ANGELES DA, CITE PAROLE HEARING FOR RFK’S KILLER “I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s outrageous lies and behavior would have horrified my father,” she is expected to say. According to the report, Biden will be introduced by former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., who ran a failed campaign for U.S. Senate in 2020, and currently serves as Biden’s special envoy to Northern Ireland. The family members will then put in some work on behalf of the Biden campaign in Pennsylvania, a major swing state, including making calls and knocking on doors. When reached for comment, Kennedy’s campaign pointed Fox News Digital to a statement the candidate made on social media just ahead of the event. “I hear some of my family will be endorsing President Biden today. I am pleased they are politically active — it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other,” RFK, Jr. wrote. “I hold this as a possibility for America too. Can we disagree without hating our opponents? Can we restore civility and respect to public discourse? I think we can.” TRUMP THREATENED WITH JAIL IF HE MISSES HUSH MONEY TRIAL AS BIDEN CAMPAIGNS IN PENNSYLVANIA “My campaign, which many of my family members are working on and supportive of, is about healing America — healing our economy, our chronic disease crisis, our middle class, our environment, and our standing in the world as a peaceful nation. But this will only happen if we heal our national conversation, and move from rage and fear into love and respect,” he added. The announcement marks the latest and most forceful rebuke of RFK, Jr. by members of his family after they described his candidacy as “perilous for our country” last October following his decision to run as an independent instead of a Democrat. They’ve also been critics of his past comments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, which he once suggested was engineered to target certain ethical groups. Last month, the Democratic National Committee launched an effort to silence the threat to Biden’s re-election from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, in the form of a team that is expected to actively combat them with legal challenges and opposition research. BIDEN TAKES HEAT OVER STRANGE CANNIBAL STORY: ‘LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A BAD SCRIPT’ Since its inception, members of the team post near constant criticism of RFK, Jr. on social media, and have frequently referred to him as a “spoiler” candidate. They have also claimed Kennedy is in cahoots with Trump in order to help him win. Earlier this month, the DNC accused RFK, Jr’s campaign of acknowledging its role as a “spoiler” after a woman associated with the campaign was captured on video discussing campaign strategy and how Trump could win the state of New York with the independent candidate on the ballot in November. “The only way that Trump can even, remote possibility of taking New York is if Bobby is on the ballot,” a self identified Kennedy campaign staffer, told a room of Republicans in New York in a video reviewed by Fox News Digital. “If it’s Trump vs. Biden, Biden wins. Biden wins six days, seven days a week. With Bobby in the mix, anything can happen.” Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.