Texas Weekly Online

Netanyahu hits Biden admin, says Israel – not US – will decide how to handle Iran

Netanyahu hits Biden admin, says Israel – not US – will decide how to handle Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a swipe at President Biden’s administration Tuesday, stating firmly that Israel – not the U.S. – will decide how best to retaliate against Iran’s recent aggression. Biden administration officials have urged Israel to show restraint against both Iran and Hezbollah, the terrorist proxy group operating in Lebanon. Netanyahu’s regime has mulled action against Iran since it fired roughly 200 missiles into Israeli territory on Oct. 1. “We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest,” Netanyahu said in a statement. Netanyahu issued the statement following a report from the Washington Post claiming that the Biden White House was confident that Netanyahu was in a “more moderate place” now than in recent weeks. IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY White House officials say Israel has assured the U.S. that it will not target Iran’s oil or nuclear facilities, however. That agreement came after Biden and Netanyahu held a phone call last week and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israeli officials this week, according to the Wall Street Journal. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan reportedly told Israeli officials earlier this month that the U.S. expects “clarity and transparency” about Israel’s plans, specifically regarding any retaliation against Iran for the latest missile attack. AMERICAN FATHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN PUSHES US, ISRAEL ON ‘PLAN B’ AS NEGOTIATIONS FALTER Vice President Kamala Harris also wouldn’t say whether she thought the administration had influence over Netanyahu in an interview last week. Nevertheless, Biden approved the Pentagon to send an advanced missile defense system to Israel this week, along with roughly 100 U.S. soldiers to operate it. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) has previously been deployed to Israel in 2019, but only for an exercise, Pentagon officials say. The system helps bolster Israel’s defense against more sophisticated missiles in Iran’s arsenal. “The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran. It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Georgia judge rules election officials must certify vote counts, even if they suspect fraud

Georgia judge rules election officials must certify vote counts, even if they suspect fraud

A judge in a key battleground state has ruled that county election officials must certify results by the legal deadline even if they suspect fraud or mistakes. Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney of Fulton County, Georgia, ruled that “no election superintendent (or member of a board of elections and registration) may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.”  While they have the right to inspect the conduct of an election and to review related documents, McBurney wrote, “any delay in receiving such information is not a basis for refusing to certify the election results or abstaining from doing so.” Election results must be certified by Georgia’s individual counties by 5 p.m. the Monday or Tuesday after the race. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

‘Ruining our car industry’: Biden-Harris EV regs prove flashpoint in Michigan Senate debate

‘Ruining our car industry’: Biden-Harris EV regs prove flashpoint in Michigan Senate debate

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., traded blows on electric vehicle mandates and border security during their Senate debate in the critical swing state of Michigan. “It’s ruining our car industry,” Rogers said of mandates related to buying and producing electric vehicles (EV) during Monday’s debate, starting one of the most heated exchanges of the event. “You’re promoting Chinese technology in America.” The two candidates in Michigan’s critical Senate race have sparred over the issue of EV mandates throughout the campaign, highlighting how critical the issue is in a state that will play a major role in deciding the presidential election and control of the federal legislature. Rogers has attempted through two debates in the race to tie President Biden and the Democratic Party’s support for EVs to Slotkin, who has countered that her support for the technology will ensure that Michigan remains competitive in the future of auto manufacturing. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATES CLASH ON NATIONAL SECURITY, IMMIGRATION AND ABORTION Rogers said Democrats such as Slotkin are “killing the car business” when it comes to promoting EVs, accusing his opponent of voting for a “mandate” on EVs “at least three times.” While there has been no mandate that Americans must purchase EVs, the Biden administration has pressed emissions standards that could force automakers to ensure that up to two-thirds of their new vehicles sold are zero-emissions by 2032. According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, Slotkin voted against legislation that would have blocked the new standards, but has expressed openness to rewriting them if they would hurt U.S. automakers.  “I want that manufacturing here. I don’t care what you drive, I want to build them,” Slotkin said during Monday’s debate. The two candidates also attempted to cast blame on the other for the situation at the southern border, with Slotkin accusing Rogers and Republicans of a campaign to kill Biden’s border legislation before it could get through Congress. “What’s going on at the southern border is a symptom of a broken immigration system,” Slotkin said, accusing Republicans of using the “border as a political issue than actually do the real work and get things done.” FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS TICKS UP AND SENATE REPUBLICANS TAKE CHARGE Rogers instead blamed Democrats on the issue, calling Biden’s legislation a “terrible bill” that would have allowed for continued legal crossings, while Slotkin questioned how Rogers could claim to know better on the issue than the national Border Patrol union, which threw its support behind the deal. The debate also highlighted the two candidates’ competing views on abortion, with Slotkin doubling down on campaign ads that have accused Rogers of supporting several pieces of anti-abortion legislation. “He has shown us who he is, don’t trust him on this issue,” Slotkin said. MICHIGAN DEM LAUNCHES ANTI-EV AD IN BID FOR SENATE RACE AFTER VOTING AGAINST A BIPARTISAN PUSHBACK ON MANDATES Rogers countered by arguing that he supported leaving the question of abortion to the voters in each state, promising not to do anything in the Senate that would undo the will of voters in Michigan who voted to make abortion a right in the state. “I won’t do anything when I go back to the United States Senate to undo the vote of the people,” Rogers said. Another tense exchange saw the two candidates trade blows over gun reform, with Slotkin acknowledging her own history with firearms but calling for tougher legislation to “go after the number one killer of children in our communities.”  “It’s really, really easy to understand why politicians, in the face of murdered children, don’t do anything. They don’t do it because they receive campaign donations and they’re scared,” Slotkin said. “They’re scared because they don’t want to lose their election, and it’s terrible.” THE BIDEN-HARRIS EV MANDATES WILL HURT WORKERS IN STATES LIKE MICHIGAN: TUDOR DIXON Rogers countered that the issue mostly centered on the country’s struggles with mental health, and that “banning guns isn’t going” to solve the issue. Inflation and the economy were another major issue during the debate, with Rogers appealing to voters to remember if they were better off under the leadership of Republicans four years ago. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Rogers asked. “My opponent voted 100% with Biden-Harris (Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic presidential nominee) on all of the things that have raised your prices.” Slotkin responded by pointing to her support for bringing supply chains back to the U.S., which she argued would help bring prices down. She also hit Rogers on his lack of support for allowing the government to negotiate lower pharmaceutical prices, something she said would help alleviate the pressure on middle-class families. The Senate race in Michigan will be one of the closely watched nationally and features one of the few tight races that could determine control of the upper chamber this election. According to the Fox News Power Rankings, the Michigan Senate race leans in the Democrats’ favor. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Slotkin currently holds a slim 1.9 lead over her Republican opponent.  Even so, the race has shifted significantly since Sept. 19, when Slotkin held a 5.1 advantage over Rogers in the average. Republicans have showed optimism about the race, with Axios reporting Tuesday that the Republicans’ Senate Leadership Fund will pour another $10.5 million into Rogers’ campaign for the home stretch of the election. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Harris and Trump tied in battleground Michigan, Senate race on razor’s edge: AARP poll

Harris and Trump tied in battleground Michigan, Senate race on razor’s edge: AARP poll

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are tied in battleground Michigan, according to a new public opinion poll. Fox News’ Power Rankings have moved Michigan into the toss-up column, with both parties making a strong play for Rust Belt voters. The race has tightened significantly, with voters split along generational and gender lines, according to an AARP poll conducted Oct. 2-8. With a full ballot including all third-party candidates, Harris and Trump are tied at 46% support each, the survey said. Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. still receives 3% support even though he endorsed Trump in August. All other third-party candidates polled at a combined 2%.  In a head-to-head matchup, Trump leads Harris by just one point, 49%-48%. VP KAMALA HARRIS TO SIT DOWN WITH CHIEF POLITICAL ANCHOR BRET BAIER FOR FIRST FORMAL FOX NEWS INTERVIEW The survey is consistent with other AARP polls that have pointed to a generational divide.  Harris leads by double digits among voters 18-34 and 65+, while Trump polls stronger among voters 35-49 and 50-64. Voters are split by gender as well. “There is a very large gender gap of a net 40-points among voters overall and 29-points among voters 50+, with Harris strong with women voters and Trump with men,” the survey release states.  The AARP poll also finds a competitive race for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.  FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: THE BIGGEST SURPRISES COME AFTER OCTOBER Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a three-term House lawmaker, holds a narrow 49%-46% lead over Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers.  The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.9%.  Michigan, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are the three Rust Belt states that make up the Democrats’ so-called “Blue Wall.” The party reliably won all three states for a quarter-century before Trump narrowly captured them in the 2016 election to win the White House. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: SENATE REPUBLICANS TAKE CHARGE Four years later, in 2020, Biden carried all three states by razor-thin margins to put them back in the Democrats’ column and defeated Trump. Harris will swing through Detroit for a campaign stop Tuesday afternoon. During her visit to Motor City, she will participate in a radio town hall with Charlamagne tha God. The vice president will return to Michigan on Friday for events in Grand Rapids, Lansing and suburban Detroit. Trump visited Michigan last Thursday and delivered a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, where he announced proposals to make interest on auto loans tax-deductible, slash corporate taxes for American manufacturers and threatened up to 1,000% tariffs on foreign-imported vehicles if he returns to the White House. Fox Business’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this update.

Trump says ‘I don’t care when you vote’ in new House GOP ad urging voters to turn out early

Trump says ‘I don’t care when you vote’ in new House GOP ad urging voters to turn out early

FIRST ON FOX: A dramatic, months-long campaign season is drawing to a close as the clock ticks closer to Election Day, according to a new message from House Republicans to voters. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP’s campaign arm, released a new digital ad on Tuesday marking 21 days until the election. It comes as Republican Party operators at the state, federal and local level work overtime to convince supporters to vote early, particularly in pivotal swing states like Georgia and North Carolina that have been ravaged by Helene this storm season. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION The ad features audio clips from the entire House GOP leadership suite – Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson – as well as former President Trump. Trump’s voice opens the video with, “Republicans must win, and we must use every appropriate tool available to beat the Democrats. They are destroying our country.” “I don’t care when you vote, but you’ve got to vote,” Trump says in the video. Meanwhile, clips of vulnerable Republicans, like Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Ken Calvert, R-Calif., flash across the screen interspersed with the word “vote.” GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE It’s set against a portion of “Dream On” by Aerosmith, per an airing viewed by Fox News Digital. “In 21 days, Americans will cast their ballots to end Democrats’ dangerous, far-left socialist agenda for our country. Every trip to the grocery store, fentanyl death or crime committed in a family’s neighborhood should give voters another reason to record their vote in this critical election,” NRCC rapid response director Macy Gardner told Fox News Digital. Early in-person voting is kicking off in four states this week. Georgia can head to the polls before Election Day from Tuesday through Nov. 1, while North Carolina begins early voting on Thursday. Voters in Iowa and Kansas are also heading to the polls. Republican Party officials have been working overtime to convince their base to vote early after Democrats walloped the GOP with non-Election Day voters in 2020. SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’ Those efforts will be particularly critical in North Carolina and Georgia, both states hit hard by Hurricane Helene and where the election is expected to be close. Getting likely voters to head to the polls early, Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon explained early this month, frees up resources closer to Election Day to convince “low propensity voters” to turn out as well. “All of that requires resources. That requires money – put mail in the mailbox, ads on television, telephone calls to their home, knocking on their door. We’re trying to do all of those things,” McKoon told Fox News Digital. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

GOP governor slams ‘unprecedented’ DOJ lawsuit over removal of noncitizens from voter rolls

GOP governor slams ‘unprecedented’ DOJ lawsuit over removal of noncitizens from voter rolls

The Virginia governor’s office is hitting out at what it says is an “unprecedented” lawsuit by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to remove noncitizens from its voter rolls. The DOJ is claiming that Youngkin violated the National Voter Registration Act with an executive order that required the election commissioner to regularly update the state’s voter lists to remove individuals who have been “identified as noncitizens” and had not responded to a request to verify their citizenship in 14 days.  Virginia has announced that it has removed more than 6,000 individuals between Jan 2022 and July 2024. THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND The complaint says federal law says that states must complete their maintenance program no later than 90 days before an election under a clause known as the Quiet Period Provision. The complaint notes that voters were identified as possible noncitizens if they responded “no” to questions about their citizenship status on certain forms submitted to the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). “This systematic voter removal program, which the State is conducting within 90 days of the upcoming federal election, violates the Quiet Period Provision,” the DOJ said. The Justice Department seeks injunctive relief that “would restore the ability of impacted eligible voters to vote unimpeded on Election Day,” and “would prohibit future quiet period violations,” the DOJ said in a statement. DOJ SUES VIRGINIA FOR ALLEGEDLY PURGING NONCITIZENS FROM VOTING ROLLS TOO CLOSE TO ELECTION  However, in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital, the governor’s office called the DOJ’s move an “unprecedented lawsuit” that targets the state “for appropriately enforcing a Virginia law, signed by then-Gov. Tim Kaine in 2006, that requires Virginia to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls – a process that begins when an individual themselves indicates they are a noncitizen during a DMV transaction.” The memo is penned by Richard Cullen, counselor to the governor, and says that Virginia’s process has taken place under both Republican and Democratic governors. It also argues that the 90-day quiet period is not relevant “since Virginia conducts an individualized—not systematic—review per Virginia law in order to correct registration records.” It also says the process is mandated by law and not subject to the governor’s discretion. The memo also says that individuals are notified twice of their cancelation by mail and email and that the state also offers same day voting registration if someone incorrectly indicated they were a noncitizen. Youngkin previously called the lawsuit “a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of the elections in the Commonwealth, the very crucible of American Democracy.” DOJ: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STOLE US CITIZEN’S IDENTITY TO VOTE IN MULTIPLE ELECTIONS, OBTAIN AMERICAN PASSPORT The Virginia order and the subsequent lawsuit are the latest battles over concerns about potential noncitizen voting from Republicans and potential disenfranchisement from Democrats and the administration. The DOJ sued Alabama last month over the state’s purging of alleged noncitizen voters. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, dozens of lawmakers in the House and Senate sought more information from the DOJ over what they saw as a “serious threat” to election integrity from the potential of noncitizen voting. In August, Republican lawmakers pushed for the SAVE Act, which aimed to require states to obtain proof of citizenship in person when registering an individual to vote and require states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls, to be attached to a spending bill extension to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year. The DOJ itself recently announced that it had charged an illegal immigrant with stealing a U.S. citizen’s identity to vote in multiple elections and fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport.  Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.