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Experts say billions in US Senate bill would be better spent at home

A number of scholars, politicians and advocates have condemned the United States Senate’s passage this week of a foreign funding bill that would provide billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan while American social programmes are in need of funding. It is unclear when – or even if – the House of Representatives will vote on the measure, which includes $9bn in international humanitarian assistance, some of which could go to besieged Palestinians in Gaza. But in passing the $95bn emergency aid package on Tuesday by a margin of 70 to 29, analysts say the Senate articulated Capitol Hill’s longstanding prioritisation of guns over needs for housing, healthcare, education and debt relief. Lindsay Koshgarian, programme director of the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Al Jazeera that she had “extreme concerns” about the total amount of the Senate legislation. “At $95bn, it’s a significant increase to the US federal budget and a significant devotion of resources to war,” she said. “There’s huge discrepancies in where the resources are going.” Across social media this week, some observers also denounced the foreign aid bill by invoking a lyric from the late rapper Tupac Shakur: “Got money for war, but can’t feed the poor.” ‘Skewed priorities’ The Senate bill (PDF) provides $60bn in military and economic aid to Ukraine and $14.1bn in security assistance to Israel, among other things. Money for munitions is tantamount to “throwing good money after bad”, according to critics of the legislation. House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested he won’t allow the aid package to reach the House floor for a vote, as he had demanded immigration reform as part of the legislative package. Since former President Lyndon B Johnson’s administration in the 1960s escalated the war in Vietnam and derailed the War on Poverty programme, the federal government has increasingly squeezed out social spending while devoting larger and larger proportions of its overall budget to militarised programmes. According to a May report by the National Priorities Project, 62 percent of the federal discretionary budget – $1.1 trillion – went to these programmes in the 2023 fiscal year. In contrast, “less than $2 out of every $5 in federal discretionary spending was available to fund investment in people and communities”, including public education, housing, and childcare, among other social programmes. “We must invest in humanity, both at home and abroad. Congress must stop funneling taxpayer dollars into endless wars and invest in the housing, health, education, and social programs our communities need,” Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush tweeted on Tuesday after the Senate bill was passed. We must invest in humanity, both at home and abroad. Congress must stop funneling taxpayer dollars into endless wars and invest in the housing, health, education, and social programs our communities need. pic.twitter.com/3Fdy9cs4Sc — Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) February 13, 2024 In particular, the Senate’s decision to funnel more military aid to Israel while it continues to bombard the Gaza Strip has fuelled widespread criticism and raised questions about priorities on Capitol Hill. “In a situation where the International Court of Justice has said that it’s plausible that a genocide could be occurring [in Gaza], the decision by the Senate to approve sending $14bn in weapons to Israel makes the US more directly complicit,” said Mike Merryman-Lotze, Just Peace Global Policy director at the American Friends Service Committee. William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and expert on US military budgets, also said that, overall, “even by Washington standards, $95 billion is a lot of money”. The Senate bill’s passage, Hartung wrote in Forbes on Wednesday, “lays bare the skewed priorities of the federal government”. “Despite deep divisions, it is possible to get bipartisan support for a package that mostly involves funding weapons exports. Don’t expect any such emergency measure to address record levels of homelessness, or aid the one in six American children living in poverty, or accelerate investments in curbing the climate crisis,” he said. A jobs boost? Biden has argued that the bipartisan legislation is critical to US national security interests and sends a clear message that his administration continues to stand by its allies. The bill also will bolster the US economy by creating jobs, according to the president. “While this bill sends military equipment to Ukraine, it spends the money right here in the United States of America in places like Arizona, where the Patriot missiles are built; and Alabama, where the Javelin missiles are built; and Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas, where artillery shells are made,” Biden said in a White House address on Tuesday. “And the way it works is we supply Ukraine with military equipment from our stockpiles, and then we spend our money replenishing those stockpiles so our military has access to them – stockpiles that are made right here in America by American workers,” he said. “That not only supports American jobs and American communities, it allows us to invest in maintaining and strengthening our own defence manufacturing capacity.” But research has shown that other types of government spending would do more to boost jobs than what one researcher described (PDF) as Washington’s pattern of “feeding one wolf – the militarized economy – to the detriment of others”. Heidi Peltier, senior researcher at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University and programmes director at the Costs of War project, wrote in a June report that military spending supports 6.1 jobs per $1m spent. By comparison, the report found that healthcare creates 11.6 jobs per $1m – nearly double – while a $1m investment in primary and secondary education creates 21 jobs, more than three times as many. The same investment in wind and solar also would create nine to 14 percent more jobs. Better uses for $95bn According to Koshgarian of the Institute for Policy Studies, there are a multitude of ways $95bn could be better used to support Americans, from funding programmes that tackle child

Driving in West Texas is deadly dangerous. A new report measures how much.

A nonprofit commissioned the report that found severe and fatal vehicle crashes in the Permian Basin far outpaced the state.

Missouri Supreme Court upholds state Senate map, rejecting redistricting suit

A divided Missouri Supreme Court upheld voting districts drawn for the state Senate on Wednesday, rejecting a legal challenge that claimed mapmakers should have placed a greater emphasis on keeping communities intact. The high court’s 5-2 decision means the districts, first used in the 2022 elections, will remain in place both for this year’s elections and ensuing ones. The case was one of about a dozen still lingering around the country that challenged state legislative or congressional boundaries after the 2020 census. MISSOURI HIGH COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN SENATE REDISTRICTING SUIT Many of those fights have pitted Democrats against Republicans as each party tries to shape districts to its advantage, but the Missouri lawsuit has divided the GOP into two camps. While a Republican Senate committee supported the Senate map enacted in 2022 by a panel of appeals court judges, a GOP House committee sided with Democratic-aligned voters suing for the districts to be overturned. The lawsuit alleged that mapmakers should not have split western Missouri’s Buchanan County or the St. Louis suburb of Hazelwood into multiple districts. At issue were revised redistricting criteria approved by voters in a 2020 constitutional amendment. The Supreme Court said a trial judge correctly decided that the constitution makes “compact” districts a higher priority than keeping communities whole within districts. The majority opinion was written by Judge Kelly Broniec, one of Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s newest appointees to the court. In dissent, Judge W. Brent Powell said he would have struck down the map because it included a population deviation of more than 1% in the districts containing Buchanan County and Hazelwood while failing to keep the communities intact. He was joined by Judge Paul Wilson.

Texas man faces charges in revenge porn case under state law his senator father helped pass

The son of a Texas state senator is accused of engaging in revenge porn and now faces charges related to a recent law his father helped pass eight years ago. The former girlfriend of Matthew Schwertner, 21, son of state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Republican, began receiving threatening text messages from him six months after he broke up with her in July 2023, according to court documents obtained by FOX Austin. Matthew Schwertner allegedly texted his former girlfriend on Jan. 7, asking her to return various items he bought for her during the relationship, according to court documents.  ADVOCATE WARNS ABOUT ‘SEASONED’ SEX PREDATORS AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL The woman didn’t reply, the documents state. On Jan. 11 and Jan. 12, Matthew Schwertner allegedly contacted her again with an intimate image of her from when they were dating.  “Want me to send this to your mom instead?” he allegedly asked her.  When she asked Matthew Schwertner why he still had the image, he replied: “In case you acted like a 2-year-old.” He followed up with other messages that allegedly stated, “I’ll do it” and “And your sisters, too.”  The woman told authorities the messages continued after she asked Matthew Schwertner to stop contacting her. She also asked him to have his mother contact her instead.  On Jan. 13, when Matthew Schwertner contacted her again to ask for his stuff, she replied with an image of an Austin Police Department card with a case number. She told him she had reported him to the police and asked him to stop contacting her, court documents said.  FAMILY OF WOMEN ALLEGEDLY SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN THE BAHAMAS SPEAK OUT “I don’t have to delete s—. Hope you don’t get too famous or have another boyfriend Imao,” he allegedly replied.  After a back-and-forth, Matthew Schwertner wrote that “It’s ok ur a poor Mexican what can one expect” and “Learn some morals and find god you w—-.” On Jan. 14, he allegedly sent the woman several more text messages, including one of her genitals. Matthew Schwertner was eventually arrested on suspicion of harassment and felony threat to publish intimate visual matter, FOX Austin reported.  Sen. Schwertner voted in 2015 to make revenge porn a serious offense as part of Senate Bill 1135.  The law bars the distribution of an image depicting nudity or sexually explicit conduct under several circumstances, including if the person in the image did not consent to the distribution, the image was obtained or created when the person had an unreasonable expectation that it would remain private and if the dissemination caused harm to the person.  “Harm” is not defined in the bill.  Fox News Digital has reached out to Matthew Schwertner and Sen. Schwertner’s office.

Ramaswamy unleashes first endorsement after announcing his ‘American Truth Pledge’

FIRST ON FOX – Former GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday threw his support behind Republican Congressional Candidate J.R. Majewski in his bid to unseat Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. Ramaswamy said he was endorsing Majewski to represent the 9th Congressional District in Toledo, Ohio, because he is an “America First” patriot.  Ramaswamy, who suspended his presidential campaign last month, said he would do “everything in his power” to ensure Majewski beat Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, who has held her position for more than four decades. “If there was ever a case for term limits, Marcy Kaptur is a perfect example,” Ramaswamy said.  Ramaswamy slammed the Republican establishment for bailing on Majewski in the 2022 midterms after the “mainstream media” falsely reported that he had not won an Air Force medal that he had in fact won.  FORMER GEORGIA HOUSE REP IS ELECTED STATE SENATOR, CURRENT HOUSE RACE GOES TO RUNOFF “It’s time for us to level up as a Republican Party. Time to actually stand up for truthful patriots – not swallowing what we’re force-fed by the mainstream media, but standing up for what’s right, what’s true,” Ramaswamy said.  Ramaswamy’s endorsement comes days after he unveiled his endorsement criteria for other political hopefuls he dubbed “The American Truth Pledge.”  The “American Truth Pledge” has four broad categories. The first reads “The people we elect to run government should actually run the government,” the second being “The first and only moral duty of US leaders is to US citizens,” the third being “Public service is about serving the public, not oneself,” and the final one reading “The absence of national pride is an existential threat to our nation’s future — we must fill that void.”  Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. 

New Menendez court docs: $150,000 bribe, a diamond ring, ‘007’ cellphone, a COVID-19 lab

Prosecutors unveiled additional details regarding the elaborate bribery scheme involving Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey in a court filing on Monday.  Allegations include a $150,000 bribe, which allegedly featured a diamond engagement ring for his wife, Nadine Menendez, a COVID-19 lab in New Jersey, and a “007” cellphone linked to Nadine. According to prosecutors, Nadine’s engagement ring was part of a $150,000 bribe from a New Jersey man who asked Menendez to get him off the hook for criminal charges after he was charged with insurance fraud in the state. Part of that chunk of cash was also used to purchase a Mercedes-Benz convertible for Nadine to replace her vehicle around the same time police records show she struck and killed a pedestrian in December 2018. SEN MENENDEZ RESPONDS TO LATEST SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT ON CORRUPTION CHARGES: ‘SENSATIONALIZED ALLEGATIONS’ The filing also alleges that in 2020 and 2021, Menendez solicited New Jersey mayors to authorize the use of a specific COVID-19 testing laboratory that at the time was paying Nadine. Prosecutors argued the additional evidence show “substantial evidence that Menendez did in fact know about the corrupt quid pro quo.” Menendez also allegedly regularly made calls to Nadine’s “007” phone, “an apparent reference to the fictional character James Bond,” prosecutors wrote.  Menendez, along with Nadine and three other New Jersey businessmen — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — were first charged in the federal bribery scheme on Sept. 23. All have pleaded not guilty. DEMOCRAT SEN MENENDEZ’S WIFE HIT, KILLED PEDESTRIAN WHILE DRIVING IN 2018: REPORTS According to the latest superseding indictment unsealed last month, Menendez is accused of accepting bribes and gifts in exchange for helping to benefit Qatar as part of a corruption scheme from 2021 through 2023, one year longer than originally thought, the Justice Department said. Menendez is already facing federal charges for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a senator. The Democrat senator allegedly made several public statements supporting the Qatari government and then provided them to Daibes so that he could share them with the Qatari investor and a Qatari government official. The investor negotiated a million-dollar investment real estate project with Daibes. Among the allegations is that Menendez and his wife enriched themselves with cash, gold bars and other luxury items. The couple received the gifts in exchange for Menendez using his influence to induce the Qatari Investment Co. to invest with Daibes, prosecutors say. DEMOCRAT SEN BOB MENENDEZ FACING INDICTMENT ON BRIBERY CHARGES Fox News Digital has reached out to Menendez’s office for comment. Menendez has repeatedly asserted his innocence and said “there is no evidence” of the gifts and payments he allegedly received as a suspected foreign agent. The defendants are scheduled to appear together for trial in May. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and David Spunt contributed to this report.

Russian nuclear capabilities in space could threaten international satellites, US military comms: Sources

The United States has intelligence of a national and international security threat related to Russian nuclear capabilities in space which could threaten satellites, including potentially knocking out U.S. military communications and reconnaissance, Fox News has learned.  Sources tell Fox News that the Russian capability has not yet deployed. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner on Wednesday morning first warned of a “serious national security threat,” and called on President Biden to declassify it.  HOUSE INTEL CHAIR TURNER WARNS OF ‘SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT,’ URGES BIDEN TO DECLASSIFY “The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat,” Turner said. “I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.”  Fox News Digital obtained the notice sent to congressional members Wednesday, which pointed to “an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all Congressional Policy Makers.” Sources told Fox News that the deliberations about declassifying the intelligence relate to interests in protecting intelligence sources and methods.   A separate source told Fox News that the threat is “concerning Russian capability,” noting that the “potential seriousness of the threat is grave,” but “the threat is not immediate in nature.”  House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., later attempted to quell any panic caused by Turner’s statement by explaining that last month, he sent a letter to the White House “requesting a meeting with the president to discuss a serious national security issue that is classified.” “In response to that letter, a meeting is now scheduled tomorrow on this matter here at the Capitol with the Gang of Four and with the president’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan,” Johnson said. “I will press the administration to take appropriate action, and everybody can be comforted by that.”  Johnson said he “saw Chairman Turner’s statement on the issue, and I want to assure the American people there’s no need for public alarm.”  “We are going to work together to address this matter as we do all sensitive matters that are classified,” Johnson said. “And beyond that, I’m not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can’t say much of that, but we just want to assure everyone, steady hands are at the wheel, we’re working on it. There’s no need for alarm.”  BIDEN’S MEMORY STRUGGLES COULD IMPERIL NATIONAL SECURITY, DEFENSE EXPERTS WARN: ‘NOT ONLY WEAK BUT CONFUSED’ Meanwhile, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said their committee “has the intelligence in question, and has been rigorously tracking this issue from the start.”  “We continue to take this matter seriously and are discussing an appropriate response with the administration,” Warner and Rubio said. “In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing sources and methods that may be key to preserving a range of options for U.S. action.” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday at the White House press briefing said that he was surprised by Turner’s statement, given that earlier in the week he reached out to members of Congress to offer himself to come to Capitol Hill to give a personal briefing on the matter.  That briefing will take place on Thursday. “I am a bit surprised that Congressman Turner came out publicly today in advance of a meeting on the books for me to go sit with him alongside our intelligence and defense professionals tomorrow. That’s his choice to do that,” Sullivan said. “All I can tell you is that I’m focused on going to see him, sit with him, as well as the other House members of the Gang of Eight tomorrow, and I’m not in a position to say anything further from this podium at this time, other than to make the broad point that this administration has gone further, and in more creative, more strategic ways, dealt with the declassification of intelligence in the national interest of the United States than any administration in history,” Sullivan continued. Sullivan added: “You definitely are not going to find an unwillingness to do that when it’s in our national security interest to do so.” Sullivan said, however, that the administration has prioritized “the issue of sources and methods.” “Ultimately, these are decisions for the president to make, but in the meantime, the most important thing is we have the opportunity to sit in a classified setting and have the kind of conversation with the House Intelligence leadership that I, in fact, had scheduled before Congressman Turner went out today,” Sullivan said. Sullivan again stressed that he “personally reached out” to Congress on the matter. “It is highly unusual, in fact, for the national security adviser to do that,” he said. 

Fox News Poll: Biden and Trump in close race in Michigan

Despite Michigan voters disapproving of the job President Joe Biden is doing, many also say their family finances are holding steady or getting better — and that leads to a tight race between the incumbent and former President Donald Trump in the Wolverine State. In a hypothetical 2024 presidential matchup, Biden receives 45% support to Trump’s 47% in a Fox News survey of Michigan registered voters. Trump’s 2-point edge is well within the survey’s margin of sampling error.  Biden won Michigan in 2020 by less than 3 points. In 2016, Trump took the state by less than half a point — and that’s the only time the state went red since 1988. Biden’s best groups include those that traditionally go Democratic, including liberals, Black voters, suburban women, those voting on the abortion issue, and voters with a college degree. He’s also ahead with those living in union households, voters ages 65 and over, and women. NATO MEMBERS BRACE FOR TRUMP WIN AS RECORD NUMBER OF MEMBERS MOVE TO MEET SPENDING PLEDGES While he still has a substantial lead among Black voters, Biden’s 68% share today is down significantly from the 93% he won in 2020, according to the Fox News voter analysis election survey. He’s also lagging his 2020 numbers among women, voters under age 45, men under 45, and independents.  In 2020, Biden won voters under 45 and independents, but both groups now favor Trump. Trump’s strongest support comes from conservatives, those saying immigration and border security are extremely important to their vote, White evangelical Christians, Whites without a college degree, and rural voters. He’s also favored by younger voters, men, White voters, and independents. In addition, party loyalty also plays a big role in Trump’s advantage, as 93% of Republicans back him compared to 89% of Democrats for Biden. In a potential 5-way race, Trump’s advantage over Biden widens to 5 points (42% vs. 37%), with third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy receiving 11%, Jill Stein 3%, and Cornel West 2%. In this scenario, 77% of 2020 Biden voters stick with him, compared to Trump holding onto 87% of his 2020 voters.  “Third-party candidates are draining twice as much support from Biden as from Trump,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts Fox News surveys with Republican Daron Shaw. “While many currently supporting third-party candidates will gravitate back to major party candidates by Election Day, a low level of third-party support could make a difference in a close election if the defections come disproportionately from Biden.” The economy is the top issue in Michigan, as 6 in 10 say it will be extremely important in deciding their presidential vote. About half say the same about election integrity, immigration and border security, and health care. Fewer cite abortion, foreign policy, climate change, and the Israel-Hamas war. Of course, partisans see things differently on the issue front. Three-quarters of Republicans prioritize the economy and immigration/border security. For Democrats, the top two issues are health care and abortion, as over half say those will be extremely important to their decision. Election integrity comes in third among both Democrats (48%) and Republicans (57%).  MEET 5 DEMOCRATS WHO HAVE BEEN FLOATED AS POSSIBLE BIDEN REPLACEMENTS Republicans are three times more likely than Democrats to prioritize immigration/border security, while Democrats are four times more likely than Republicans to say climate change is extremely important.  More Michigan voters trust Biden than Trump to handle climate change, abortion, election integrity, and health care. More prefer Trump on the issues of immigration/border security, the economy, Israel-Hamas, and foreign policy.  Each candidate is favored on four issues, but Trump is trusted by double-digit margins on two of the highest priorities, including the top issue the economy, while Biden is preferred by smaller single-digit margins on ones that are somewhat less important to voters.  “Even though Trump is the challenger and has had to negotiate a competitive primary, he has locked down almost all Republican partisans,” say Shaw. “The issue climate isn’t terrible for Biden here, but he has significant work to do to recover Democrats and traditionally Democratic constituencies. If he can’t improve his showing with African Americans and younger voters, he is heading toward a one-term presidency.” In the Middle East conflict, Michigan voters are twice as likely to side with Israelis over Palestinians. Looking at views among voting blocs show some of Biden’s challenges on this issue. While most Republicans side with Israel, Democrats split between Israelis and Palestinians, and liberals and young voters are more likely to favor Palestinians.  Overall, Biden’s job rating in Michigan is negative by 12 points: 44% approve of his performance as president, while 56% disapprove. That’s a touch more positive than how he’s doing nationally.  Michigan voters feel fairly positive about their finances, with over half saying their situation is holding steady or improving — and both of those groups heavily support Biden. Some voters have concerns about Biden and Trump.  A minority of Trump supporters, about 2 in 10, say it is at least somewhat likely that concerns about his legal problems could cause them to rethink voting for him. That number is a it higher for Biden, as about 3 in 10 of his backers say it is at least somewhat likely worries about his mental soundness could make them reconsider their support. Poll-pourri Some 18% of Michiganders who voted for Biden in 2020 disapprove of the job he’s doing today and 12% don’t support him in the 2-way matchup against Trump. In fact, 6% of 2020 Biden voters currently back Trump. One-third of voters who “somewhat” disapprove of Biden’s job performance still back him over Trump in the 2-way race.  HALEY BLAMES TRUMP FOR GOP LOSS IN KEY SPECIAL ELECTION AS SOUTH CAROLINA SHOWDOWN INTENSIFIES Biden leads former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by 9 points in the 5-way ballot test. Kennedy gets almost as much support as Haley in this scenario – in part because she only gets 50% of Republicans while 30% of them go

Trump ahead of Biden in North Carolina with 50% support

Former President Donald Trump won the Tar Heel State by small margins in the last two presidential elections, and it looks as though the GOP frontrunner could take the state a third time, according to a new Fox News Poll of North Carolina registered voters. The survey, released Wednesday, finds Trump (50%) ahead of President Joe Biden (45%) by 5 points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup. That’s inside the poll’s margin of sampling error. In 2016, Trump won North Carolina by less than 4 points. In 2020, it was even closer, with Trump edging out Biden by a little more than a single point. TIM SCOTT TO JOIN TRUMP ON STAGE AT CAMPAIGN RALLY AMID VP PICK RUMORS Trump receives strong support from his base, including Republicans (94%), White evangelicals (78%), White men without a college degree (71%), and rural Whites (67%). Self-identified independents also break for Trump by 11 percentage points (48% Trump vs. 37% Biden), which is still within the error of margin for this small subgroup. Biden is ahead among his key coalition groups but to a lesser degree than Trump is with his: Democrats (91%), Black voters (75%), suburban women (59%), urban voters (57%), and voters with a college degree (55%).  MEDIA, DEMOCRATS INSIST BIDEN HAS ‘STRONG MENTAL ACUITY’ AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE HITS HIS ‘POOR MEMORY’ Additionally, 95% of 2020 Trump voters back their candidate again, while 90% of 2020 Biden voters say the same (5% defect to Trump and 4% wouldn’t vote or are unsure). Voters under age 30 and those ages 65 and over are relatively split in their support between Biden and Trump. Third-party candidates will likely be on the November ballot, and the survey shows they hurt Biden more than Trump.  When other candidates are included, Biden slips to 37%, Trump is still ahead, but drops to 46%, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 8%, Jill Stein 2%, and Cornel West 1%.  Twice as many Biden supporters as Trump supporters break ranks in the five-way race. Fourteen percent of those who backed Biden in the one-on-one matchup against Trump say they would vote third party, while for Trump, that number is 7%.  “Biden’s coalition is scattered in North Carolina — less than 8 in 10 Democrats are supporting him when third-party candidates are involved,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Republican Daron Shaw. “But if partisans come to believe a third-party vote equals a vote for Trump, this race could tighten quickly, especially if Trump is convicted of something.”  What about Trump’s legal battles and concerns over Biden’s mental acuity? A quarter of Trump backers (23%) say they would be very or somewhat likely to rethink their support because of his legal problems, while almost twice as many Biden backers (40%) say the same about issues surrounding his mental soundness. Still, majorities of both candidates’ supporters say it’s unlikely they’ll change their mind.   Trump backers under age 35 (39%) and non-MAGA Republicans (29%) are those most likely to rethink supporting him, while among Biden backers it’s also those under 35 (66%), plus women (43%) and Black voters (39%).  Meanwhile, Biden’s job rating is underwater: 41% approve vs. 59% disapprove. What’s more, North Carolina voters are more than twice as likely to strongly disapprove (45%) than strongly approve (20%).    More than 4 in 10 (44%) North Carolinians feel they are falling behind financially — that’s more than three times as many as say they are getting ahead (13%).  Forty-two percent say they’re holding steady.   The economy is the number one issue voters are considering when deciding their vote for president.  Sixty-six percent say the economy is extremely important to their vote, followed by health care (54%), election integrity (52%), immigration (49%), abortion (44%), foreign policy (35%), climate change (28%), and the war between Israel and Hamas (25%).   The top 3 issues among Democrats are health care (63%), abortion, and the economy (55% each) while for Republicans it’s the economy (77%), immigration and border security (75%), and election integrity (57%).  On the top issue of the economy, Trump is seen as better able to handle it than Biden by 16 points (56% Trump vs. 40% Biden). Trump’s also the choice for immigration/border security (+19 points), Israel-Hamas war (+15), and foreign policy (+8).  Voters are split on other priorities such as health care (Biden +1) and election integrity (Biden +2). The story is similar on abortion (Biden +2), although Biden has a stronger hold on climate change (+8). Voters largely back Trump when it comes to handling the Middle East conflict, and 6 in 10 North Carolinians side more with the Israelis than the Palestinians (59% vs. 22%).  Those backing the Israelis support Trump in the head-to-head, while those supporting the Palestinians go for Biden. “North Carolina has been fool’s gold for Democrats in recent years, and these early results are daunting,” says Shaw. “If Biden can make the election about health care, abortion, and election integrity, he might be able to reclaim enough support among Democrats and independents to make a go of it. Right now, though, he’s leaking support among constituencies he desperately needs.” What about Haley? In a hypothetical head-to-head, Nikki Haley also bests Biden by 5 points, but doesn’t reach the 50% support Trump does: 46% Haley vs. 41% Biden. That’s because while 75% of Trump supporters from the 2-way matchup against Biden would back her, 6% go for Biden here and 18% would vote third-party, not vote at all, or are unsure. Haley’s helped by 15% of the 2-way Biden supporters backing her. HALEY CALLS FOR ‘DIMINISHED’ BIDEN, TRUMP TO TAKE MENTAL ACUITY TESTS However, when the race is expanded to include third-party candidates, Haley finds herself trailing Biden by 2 points: 31% Haley vs. 33% Biden. Kennedy comes in third with 19% support, while West and Stein receive 2% apiece. CLICK HERE FOR TOPLINE AND CROSSTABS These results for Haley can also be attributed to defections among the 2-way Trump supporters as 3% would support Biden, 47% Haley, 29%

Rashida Tlaib votes ‘present’ on nearly unanimous vote to condemn Hamas’ use of rape as weapon of war

The House on Wednesday passed a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas terrorists’ use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war during — and since — the attacks in Israel on Oct. 7.  The resolution, introduced by Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., and endorsed by 200 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, passed in a vote of 418 to 0.  Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., voted “present.” “Our bipartisan resolution says it loud and clear: rape and sexual violence are crimes against humanity and should never be used or accepted as weapons of war,” said Rep. Frankel.  REPUBLICANS PUSH TO RESUSCITATE UKRAINE AND BORDER TALKS AS DEMS URGE GOP TO SIDESTEP JOHNSON The resolution “condemns all rape and forms of sexual violence as weapons of war, including those acts committed by Hamas terrorists” and calls on “all nations to criminalize rape and sexual assault, and hold accountable all perpetrators of sexual violence, including state and non-state armed groups.”  “There are some subjects that are so difficult to talk about, but it is our responsibility to do so,” Rep. Frankel said from the House floor Wednesday. “Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 and continuing is almost too difficult to speak about, raping, mutilating and burning to inflict psychological pain and unleashing trauma that continues to plague a grieving Israel,” she said.  “Shockingly and alarmingly, Hamas’ violence has been met with a shrug from many corners in the world, and many deny it. Such weapons have been used throughout history and around the world to terrorize and traumatize victims, but that doesn’t make it OK. It must never be normalized. Our resolution makes it clear sexual violence is a crime against humanity,” Frankel said.  HAMAS HAD COMMAND TUNNEL UNDERNEATH UNRWA’S HEADQUARTERS IN GAZA, ISRAEL SAYS Rep. Tlaib said she was “disturbed” that the resolution “completely ignores and erases any sexual violence committed” allegedly committed by IDF forces. Those claims are unsubstantiated.  The resolution also calls on all international bodies to “unequivocally condemn the barbaric murder, rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping by Hamas and other terrorists” on and since Oct. 7 and hold accountable all perpetrators.” ISRAELI MILITARY KILLS HAMAS TERRORISTS, FINDS ‘SIGNIFICANT’ WEAPONS AND ASSETS INSIDE UNRWA HEADQUARTERS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It also reaffirms the United States Government’s support for independent, impartial investigations of rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas and reaffirms its commitment to supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence, including those brutalized on and since the Oct. 7 attacks.