Manipur Violence: Fresh violence erupts in Imphal East district; 2 killed in gunfight between armed groups
The shootout happened at a place close to the border of Kangpokpi district, a police officer said.
Trump addresses Iran attack on Israel at Pennsylvania rally: ‘Would not have happened if we were in office’
Following Iran’s attack on Israel, former President Trump shared a heated message to those in attendance at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, vowing it should not have happened. “Before going any further, I want to say God bless the people of Israel. They’re under attack right now. That’s because we show great weakness,” Trump said to open his speech. “The weakness that we’ve shown is unbelievable, and it would not have happened if we were in office. You know that. They know that, and everybody knows that.” Trump continued, saying that America is praying for Israel and is sending absolute support to everyone in harm’s way. “This is an attack that wouldn’t have happened. I mean to think about, to think about what you have to go through,” he said. “Ukraine would have never happened. Israel [being] attacked both October 7th and today would have never happened.” LAWMAKERS SEND MESSAGE TO WHITE HOUSE ON IMPENDING IRAN DRONE ATTACK TO ISRAEL: ‘STAND FIRM’ Trump joined other GOP politicians in voicing their concerns about the Biden administration and the attacks. “As Israel faces this vicious attack from Iran, America must show our full resolve to stand with our critical ally. The world must be assured: Israel is not alone,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X. “I will continue to engage with the White House to insist upon a proper response. The Biden Administration’s undermining of Israel and appeasement of Iran have contributed to these terrible developments.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said that President Biden must “stand firm” with Israel. “Iran’s drone strikes show us President Biden’s approach with Iran and the Middle East is backwards,” she wrote in an X post. “Now as we risk entering WWIII, the U.S. must stand by Israel’s commitment to democracy. The president must stand firm, and stop coddling Iran immediately.” IRAN WARNS US TO ‘STAY AWAY’ AS AMERICA SHOOTS DOWN DRONE LAUNCHED AT ISRAEL Biden was asked Friday how imminent a potential attack on Israel is from Tehran following an Israeli strike on Iran’s Damascus consulate in Syria. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel,” he added. “We will support Israel. We will defend, help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.” When asked what his message to Tehran was, Biden simply said: “Don’t.” When he was asked to elaborate, he walked away. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
House to focus just on Israel, Iran next week
EXCLUSIVE: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R, La., tells Fox News the House is shifting its legislative docket next week to deal exclusively with the crisis in the Middle East. Scalise says the House is jettisoning “themed” legislation focusing on attempts by the Biden Administration to curb the types of appliances people can buy and recalibrating toward foreign policy. WHY THE HOUSE DELAYED SENDING MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO THE SENATE TO BEGIN TRIAL The biggest issue is a potential aid package for Israel. Scalise says it’s not clear if the House would focus on just Israel or do something related to Ukraine and Taiwan. Scalise suggested an Israel-only bill was a distinct possibility. But did not rule out including Ukraine. Scalise says members must just figure out what can pass. Scalise says the House is also looking at bills to support Israel and resolutions to condemn Iran and condemn this weekend’s attacks. In particular, Scalise says the House will bring up a measure which was blocked last week when members torpedoed a procedural measure, blocking debate on a FISA bill. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Scalise says the House will resuscitate a resolution which supports Israel, condemning antisemitism and calls for a unilateral ceasefire.
Germany to send new missiles to Ukraine as army struggles on eastern front
Germany says it will hand over Patriot air defence system and missiles, while Russia claims capture of another village. Germany will deliver a United States-made Patriot air defence system and air defence missiles to Ukraine at a “critical time” as Kyiv struggles to defend its energy system from Russian bombardment, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. More than two years into its full-scale invasion, Russia has staged three massive air attacks on power stations and substations in recent weeks, prompting Kyiv to issue desperate appeals for supplies of high-end air defences. “I am grateful to the chancellor for the decision to supply another, additional Patriot system to Ukraine, as well as missiles for the existing air defence systems,” Zelenskyy said after speaking by telephone with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday. He described their conversation as “important, productive” and said: “I call on all other leaders of partner states to follow this example.” Germany will hand over the Patriot system immediately and it will be in addition to air defence systems that were already delivered and planned, the German defence ministry said in a post on X. An April 10 German government summary of arms and military equipment transfers to Ukraine included two Patriot systems on a list of air defence supplies already delivered, making this the third from Germany. Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine needed 25 US-made Patriot air defence systems to protect the country from Russian attacks. After the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022, Germany dropped a traditionally pacifist stance and has become Ukraine’s second-biggest supplier of military aid, after the US. As well as Patriots, Berlin has supplied a wide array of other armaments, ranging from artillery to armoured fighting vehicles. Pressure on eastern front On the front lines, “the situation on the eastern front has deteriorated significantly in recent days”, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, said in a statement on Saturday. This comes as Russia claimed the capture of a village near the industrial town of Avdiivka that it captured in mid-February. Russia’s defence ministry announced its troops had “liberated” the village of Pervomaiske in the Donetsk region, about 11km (seven miles) west of largely destroyed Avdiivka. Ukraine has not confirmed the loss. Its army said on Friday that it had repelled attacks on the village. On his Telegram channel, Syrskii wrote of “a significant intensification of the enemy’s offensive after the presidential elections in Russia” last month. The commander-in-chief, who took over in February after Zelenskyy fired his popular predecessor General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, added decisions were being taken “to strengthen the most problematic defence areas with electronic warfare and air defence”. Russia says 10 killed in attack by Ukraine Meanwhile, in the southern Zaporizhia region, a local Kremlin-installed official blamed Ukraine on Saturday for a shelling that killed 10 people, including children. The Tokmak municipal administration reported on Telegram that the shelling struck three apartment blocks on Friday evening. Five people were pulled alive from the rubble and 13 were hospitalised, according to the regional head, Yevhen Balitsky. The town fell to Russia at the start of the invasion. Ukrainian authorities in Zaporizhia said Russia had attacked the region more than 400 times over the last day, including from planes. Ukraine has also said the situation around the eastern front-line city of Chasiv Yar is “difficult and tense” with the area under “constant fire”. Chasiv Yar lies 20km (12 miles) west of the town of Bakhmut, which was flattened by months of artillery fire before it was captured by Moscow last May. Russia is recently securing new territorial gains and trying to press onward against Ukrainian units hobbled by delays in the supply of Western military aid. Adblock test (Why?)
Iran launches air attack on Israel, with drones ‘hours’ away
US and Israel confirm that an aerial attack on Israeli territory is under way as Jordan and Iraq close their airspace. Iran has launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed, after Israel said Tehran had begun attacks. The IRGC said on Saturday that it had released the drones and missiles under the operation “True Promise”, adding that the move was part of the punishment for “Israeli crimes”. Israel said the drones would take several hours before reaching its airspace. The strikes come nearly two weeks after an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria killed seven IRGC members. “We launched an operation using drones and missiles in response to the Zionist entity’s crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria,” the IRGC said in a statement. “The operation was carried out with dozens of missiles and drones to strike specific targets in the occupied territories.” Speaking in televised address on Saturday, Israel’s army’s spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said: “Iran launched UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] from its territory towards the territory of the state of Israel. “This is a severe and dangerous escalation. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are at the highest level of readiness ahead of this large-scale attack from Iran.” An ambulance is parked outside the Iranian embassy in Damascus after an Israeli strike on April 1, 2024 [File: Firas Makdesi/Reuters] High alert Israel has been on heightened alert since its strike on Damascus on April 1, even though it did not comment on that attack. Iran pledged revenge and a retaliatory attack had been expected. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel was prepared for a “direct attack from Iran”. Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant said Israel was “closely monitoring a planned attack” against it by Iran and its allies in the region. United States President Joe Biden, who on Friday warned Iran against attacking Israel after saying such a scenario appeared imminent, has pledged to stand with Israel against Iran, the White House said. US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement that Biden is regularly updated by his national security team and is in constant communication with Israeli officials, US partners and allies. Syria also put on high alert its Russian-made Pantsir ground-to-air defence systems around the capital Damascus and major bases in the event of an Israeli strike, army sources told the Reuters news agency. Meanwhile, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel announced they had temporarily closed their airspace. ‘A country waiting’ A retired Israeli general, Amos Yadlin, told the country’s Channel 12 news that the Iranian drones were equipped with 20 kg (44 pounds) of explosives each. Israel’s military said sirens would sound in any threatened areas and that its defences were poised to deal with them. “We know that planes are patrolling in the skies above [Israel], we know that Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with his war cabinets, his security cabinets this evening,” said Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem. “This is a country… waiting for those drones to arrive,” he added. Challands said that although Haggari did not confirm how long it would take, “it will have to go through several countries’ airspace … They could take about nine hours to arrive”. Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its seventh month, has driven up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq. Earlier on Saturday, Iranian armed forces seized a container ship linked to Israel near the Strait of Hormuz. Adblock test (Why?)
How high is the risk of conflict between Iran and Israel?
Tehran promises a response to Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria. Iran is threatening retaliation for the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria that killed seven people at the start of April. The United States is talking up the possibility of an imminent attack by Tehran and promising to defend Israel. So how dangerous is the situation? And what’s the risk of a wider conflict? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Hassan Ahmadian – Professor of Middle East and North Africa studies at the University of Tehran Trita Parsi – Executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, a US think tank in Washington, DC Carne Ross – Founder of the Independent Diplomat advisory group Adblock test (Why?)
Lawmakers send message to White House on impending Iran drone attack to Israel: ‘Stand firm’
Lawmakers reacted after Iran launched drones from its own territory toward Israel late Saturday, calling for the White House to “stand firm” and “stop coddling Iran.” Speaker Mike Johnson pledged America’s “full resolve” to stand with Israel. “As Israel faces this vicious attack from Iran, America must show our full resolve to stand with our critical ally,” Johnson said in a statement. “The world must be assured: Israel is not alone.” Johnson promised to “insist upon a proper response” from the White House. “I will continue to engage with the White House to insist upon a proper response,” he said. “The Biden Administration’s undermining of Israel and appeasement of Iran have contributed to these terrible developments.” ISRAELI MILITARY WARNS OF ‘DANGEROUS ESCALATION’ FROM IRAN, STANDS ‘READY’ TO DEFEND “Now more than ever, we must stand with Israel,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., wrote in an X post. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the U.S. commitment to Israel is “unwavering.” “This is the moment for the United States to show we stand together with our allies. Our shared enemies, including Iran and their proxies, need to know our commitment is unwavering,” he said in a press release. “We must join with Israel to ensure that Iran’s aggression is met with resolute action and resounding strength.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the Iran attack on Israel, while placing the blame on the Biden administration. “Iran has encircled Israel and has been attacking our Israeli allies from almost every front for months. They have launched attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, the West Bank, Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon, and of course the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Now they have escalated by launching attacks directly from Iranian territory,” Cruz said in a statement. “These attacks are enabled and financed by deliberate policy choices made by Joe Biden and Biden officials, who have allowed roughly $100 billion to flow to Iran since 2021. Americans and Israelis have been made catastrophically more vulnerable by these policies.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said that President Biden must “stand firm” with Israel and “stop coddling” Iran. “Iran’s drone strikes show us President Biden’s approach with Iran and the Middle East is backwards,” she wrote in an X post. “Now as we risk entering WWIII, the U.S. must stand by Israel’s commitment to democracy. The president must stand firm, and stop coddling Iran immediately.” Representative Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said that the Iranian regime’s “consistent” use of proxies “warrants” immediate U.S. action. “Enough is enough-the Biden administration must take concrete steps to support Israel, our closest ally,” Lawler said in a press release. “This is a direct Iranian attack, after the regime has consistently used it proxies, warrants immediate U.S. action to back any Israeli response.” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem wrote that she “expects” the Biden administration to “hold Iran accountable.” “We stand with the people of Israel against this brazen and callous attack,” Noem wrote in an X post. “Iran hates democracy, freedom, and basic human rights — making them an enemy of Israel and the United States.” “I expect the Biden Administration to stand up for these shared principles and hold Iran accountable,” she wrote. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., wrote that the attacks against Israel were a “direct result” of Biden’s “lack of leadership.” “Iran just launched drone strikes on innocent Israeli civilians. This is a direct result of Joe Biden’s lack of leadership,” Mast wrote in an X post. “The White House should be standing resolutely with Israel. Instead, they’ve spent months kissing up to the terrorist regime in Tehran to appease a few loud, far-left, and anti-American lawmakers in Congress.” On Friday, Biden was asked how imminent a potential attack on Israel is from Tehran following an Israeli strike on Iran’s Damascus consulate in Syria. “I don’t want to get into secure information, but my expectation [is] sooner than later,” he replied. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel,” he added. “We will support Israel. We will defend, help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.” BIDEN CUTS BEACH TRIP SHORT AMID POTENTIAL IRANIAN ATTACK ON ISRAEL When asked what his message to Tehran was, Biden simply said: “Don’t.” When he was asked to elaborate, he walked away. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-M.D., echoed Biden’s statement Friday, saying that Israel has America’s “full support.” “Last week, President Biden sent a definitive message to Iran about this pending attack: ‘don’t.’ I reiterate what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made clear to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant just last week – Israel has America’s full support in defending against Iranian aggression,” Hoyer wrote in a press release. “We stand by our ally as it exercises its absolute right to defend itself,” he said. U.S. officials have reaffirmed their country’s “ironclad” support for Israel while calling for a deescalation. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed,” Biden said on Friday. The Pentagon and State Department have expressed similar positions.
White House says US support for Israel is ‘ironclad,’ will ‘support their defense’ amid Iran attack
The White House vowed Saturday that the United States’ support for Israel’s security is “ironclad,” pledging to stand with the Jewish state and “support their defense” after Iran launched an aerial drone attack towards the country Saturday afternoon. Iran launched drones from its own territory toward Israel late Saturday, days after its Supreme Leader warned it would hit back in response to an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that left several generals dead. “Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Saturday. “President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House.” The White House said the president’s team “is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies.” “This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours,” Watson said. “President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad,” Watson continued. “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.” The president is expected to meet with national security officials to discuss the events in the Middle East in the White House Situation Room Saturday evening. The officials will likely include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, CIA Director Bill Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and more. The president was briefed earlier in the day by his national security team. Earlier in the day, Sullivan said he spoke his Israeli counterpart, National Security Advisor Hanegbi. Sullivan said that during the call, he “reiterated the United States’ ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.” Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to “reiterate unwavering U.S. support for Israel’s defense.” “The United States stands with Israel amid threats from Iran and its regional proxies,” Austin said Saturday. Saturday afternoon, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that Iran had “launched a direct attack from Iranian soil toward the State of Israel.” “We are closely monitoring Iranian killer drones that are en-route to Israel sent by Iran,” Hagari said. “This is a severe and dangerous escalation. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are at the highest level of readiness ahead of this large- scale attack from Iran.” Hagari added that “together with our partners, the Israel Defense Forces is operating at full-force to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel.” “This is a mission that we are determined and ready to fulfill,” he said. Earlier Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had for weeks “been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran.” Netanyahu said Israel’s “air defenses are deployed, we are ready for any scenario, both in attack and in defense.” “I established a clear principle — whoever hurts us, we hurt him. We will protect ourselves from any threat and we will do so with coolness and determination,” he said. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Los Angeles in hot water over for spending hundreds of millions on worsening homeless crisis
In the same week that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s council on homelessness blamed local governments for a state audit report that found California has failed to track how billions of dollars have been spent trying to tackle the homelessness crisis, the Los Angeles City Council agreed to pay an outside firm $2.2 million to audit its own programs. A federal judge in California, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, requested last month an independent audit of Los Angeles’ homelessness programs, accusing the city of failing to do enough to significantly curb the problem in recent years. City and county officials are also demanding that its lead homeless service provider release data about its efforts. The $2.2 million agreement is roughly half of what the independent firm, selected by Carter, originally requested. It’s unclear why the amount was reduced. FLORIDA HOUSE PASSES BILL TO PROHIBIT HOMELESS PEOPLE FROM SLEEPING IN PUBLIC The audit comes after a lawsuit filed by the LA Alliance for Human Rights — a coalition of business owners and residents — argued that the city hasn’t honored its 2020 settlement agreement that promised it would build thousands of shelters and sweep out homeless encampments. The coalition urged Carter to sanction the city and pay up to $6.4 million for not meeting the settlement’s terms. “At a time when the City and County of Los Angeles are spending record levels of taxpayer dollars to address homelessness, somehow the impacts to individuals and neighborhoods are only getting worse,” a spokesperson for the LA Alliance, Daniel Conway, told Fox News Digital. “We are long past due for a hard look at how these dollars are being spent, and the programs used to do the work.” GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM FACES RECKONING WITH $73B BUDGET DEFICIT LAWMAKERS SAY HE HELPED CREATE Conway said the audit will provide “an unprecedented look into spending and outcomes of homeless services, with implications about how local, state and federal dollars are used.” “With five unhoused people dying every day on the streets of LA, Angelenos deserve answers,” he said. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the city’s main hub for homeless services, more than 75,500 people were considered homeless in 2023, a 9% increase countywide. In the city, about 46,200 were considered homeless, a 10% increase from the previous year. Last month, city council members also brought forth a motion to develop an evaluation framework for LAHSA that would examine LAHSA’s contracts and expenditures as well as other data points. NEWSOM’S HOMELESSNESS COUNCIL BLAMES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR FAILING TO TRACK BILLIONS SPENT ON CRISIS Meanwhile, LAHSA’s 2022-2023 budget totaled around $845.4 million, with $726.2 million going to service providers. About $662 million was earmarked for housing, according to LAHSA’s financial documents. Just over $40 million went to LAHSA administration. Despite more taxpayer dollars at work, the homeless population continues to rise in the Golden State. It’s up 6%, compared to last year, and has the highest number of homeless people living outdoors in the country. About 181,000 people were considered homeless in the state’s 2023 count, and most are suffering from drug addiction or mental illnesses. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A senior spokesperson for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (CICH), which coordinates homeless programs across the state, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the audit’s findings “highlight the significant progress made in recent years to address homelessness at the state level, including the completion of a statewide assessment of homelessness programs.” The spokesperson added local governments “are primarily responsible for implementing these programs and collecting data on outcomes that the state can use to evaluate program effectiveness.”
Six House seats that could flip from blue to red in 2024, potentially giving GOP a bigger majority
A handful of House seats currently held by Democrats could flip in the 2024 elections, giving Republicans a potential sigh of relief as they seek to build on their slim majority. All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs this cycle amid the GOP’s fight to pick up seats in districts that favor right-wing candidates. That fight will likely take place in districts that were won, or narrowly lost, by Republicans in recent elections. Republicans currently hold a 218-to-213 majority in the chamber. Amid the resignations and departures by several Republicans from the House in recent months, that number is expected to fall even further on April 19, when Wisconsin GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher, the chairman of the House select committee on China, leaves Congress. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analyst, currently ranks 11 Democrat-held seats as “Toss Up” races this cycle. Several of those races also include districts won, or nearly won, by former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. REPUBLICANS BLAST DEPARTING GOP LAWMAKERS AS RAZOR-THIN MAJORITY FUELS FEARS OF DEM TAKEOVER Of the many races, here are six House seats currently held by Democrats that could flip in 2024: Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, is looking to continue his representation of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District — a position he has held since 2019 — in the state’s November election. Two Republicans are running in the state’s June 11 primary election, which uses a ranked-choice voting method, to challenge Golden — Maine state Rep. Michael Soboleski and Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver who also serves in the state House. Once characterized by Politico as one of the “Trumpiest seats” for Democrats to defend, the district categorized as a “Democrat Toss Up” by the Cook Political Report covers four-fifths of the state, including the cities of Lewiston, Bangor and Auburn. Despite the odds that are reportedly stacked against him in terms of voter demographics, Golden, a Marine Corps veteran who has bucked his party on a number of issues in recent years while serving as a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, has won the seat three times — in 2018, 2020 and 2021. Currently represented by longtime Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Ohio’s 9th Congressional District is a seat that Republicans are looking to pick up in the state’s 2024 election. Kaptur, a Toledo native who has represented the recently redrawn Ohio district in the House since 1983, is currently the longest serving woman in the history of Congress. But that could all change later this year as Kaptur, whose votes align with President Biden’s interests nearly 100% of the time, plans to face off against Derek Merrin, her Republican challenger in the race. Merrin, who was endorsed by Trump just prior to the state’s GOP primary election last month, currently serves as a state representative. He previously served as a councilman and as mayor of the City of Waterville. The race has been labeled by the Cook Political Report as a “Democrat Toss Up” in 2024. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM RAKES IN OVER $33 MILLION TO KICK OFF 2024 ELECTION BATTLES In Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright is looking to retain his post in the House. Cartwright has voted nearly in lock-step with Biden since assuming office in 2019, giving Republicans who have largely focused on the economy and other topics like immigration and crime something to talk about. Though the primary elections in the state won’t take place until April 23, Cartwright, the presumed nominee for his party, is likely to face off against Rob Bresnahan Jr., the sole Republican challenging him. Bresnahan has served as the chief financial officer and CEO of a family business, an electrical contracting company, since the age of 16, and his website states that he is “uniquely qualified to send a jolt of energy through Congress and deliver results” for the residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The race has been labeled by the Cook Political Report as a “Democrat Toss Up” in 2024. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., also co-chair of the moderate Democrats’ Blue Dog Coalition in the House, is seeking re-election to the House after serving a single term in office representing Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Perez is running in a race that has been labeled by the Cook Political Report as a “Democrat Toss Up” in 2024. Perez, who was first elected to the House in 2022, is one of five candidates who will take part in the state’s nonpartisan primary election on August 6. The current Republican candidates looking to unseat the congresswoman include U.S. Army veteran Joe Kent, who ran against Perez in 2022 and narrowly lost, as well as Leslie French and Leslie Lewallen. Kent, according to his campaign website, is “focused on restoring common sense Republican values and defeating the woke extremist Democrat Congresswoman Marie Perez.” SCALISE BRINGS IN EYE-POPPING $12M AS GOP KICKS OFF 2024 BATTLE TO KEEP HOUSE Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, the first Democrat to represent Alaska’s at-large congressional district in nearly 50 years, is hoping to earn the support of Alaskans through its ranked-choice voting method later this year. Peltola, who was elected to serve a full term in the House in 2022 and has worked to portray herself as a moderate ever since, previously served for a decade as a member of the Alaska state House. An Alaska native, Peltola is now gearing up for a political showdown for the Last Frontier as she prepares to take on Republican candidates Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom, the state’s current lieutenant governor, in Alaska’s August 20 primary election. Peltola, who also serves as a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, has faced criticism from her GOP challengers for failing to vote in favor of the interests of Alaska residents. “We like Mary as a person, but we don’t like her voting record. She’s not speaking for Alaskans,” Dahlstrom told Fox News Digital earlier this year. Similarly, Begich told Fox that “voters are furious”