Author:

Oregon mistakenly registered hundreds more voters without proving citizenship

Officials in Oregon announced Monday that they have identified an additional 302 people on the state’s voter rolls who didn’t provide proof of citizenship when they were registered to vote. The announcement comes just two weeks after officials in the Beaver state said 1,259 possible noncitizens have been registered to vote since 2021, bringing the total number of mistaken registrations to 1,561.  The mistakes occurred in part because Oregon passed a law in 2019 allowing some residents who aren’t citizens to obtain driver’s licenses. And the state’s so-called “Motor Voter” law, which took effect in 2016, automatically registers most people to vote when they seek a new license or ID.  OREGON MISTAKENLY REGISTERED NEARLY 1,260 POSSIBLE NONCITIZENS TO VOTE, DMV ADMITS The improper voter registrations stem from clerical errors at the state DMV.  On Monday, the DMV released an “After Action Report,” which identified errors in its processes that led to the mistakes, with Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade then directing county elections officials to inactivate all 302 voter registrations.  Griffin-Valade and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, both Democrats, called for an independent, external audit of the motor voter system in a joint statement. “Thanks to the swift action of elections officials, I have full confidence that these new errors will not impact the 2024 election,” Griffin-Valade said. “The DMV’s After Action Report raises serious concerns about this important part of our voter registration system. The first step in restoring the public’s trust in Motor Voter is a transparent review by a neutral third party operating under strict government auditing standards.”  DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said the agency believed two weeks ago that it was confident it understood and had reviewed all records at risk of error. “We have since learned this confidence was misplaced based on new information outlined in this announcement and after-action report and for this, we are sorry,” Joyce said in a statement. “DMV will follow the Governor’s directed actions and remains committed to continuous learning, corrective action, transparency and accountability.” Griffin-Valade has ordered her office’s elections division to immediately hire a new Motor Voter oversight position, according to the statement. And she has instructed the division to establish a documented process for performing regular data checks with the DMV and update the administrative rules governing the Motor Voter system. She said the Oregon Elections Division will work with the 36 county election officers to determine if any of the erroneously registered voters have previously cast a ballot. Every registered voter in Oregon is sent a ballot in the mail and the state had an 81.97% voter turnout rate in 2020. President Biden beat former President Trump comfortably in the 2020 election, winning the state by more than 380,000 votes.  RNC BLASTS WALZ ADMIN’S NONANSWER ON HOW NONCITIZENS MADE IT ONTO MINNESOTA VOTER ROLLS: ‘NO HYPOTHETICAL’ Of the 302 additional cases, 178 were due to people from the U.S. territory of American Samoa being misclassified as U.S. citizens, the DMV report said. However, under federal law, people from American Samoa are U.S. nationals, not citizens, and don’t have the same right to vote. Another 123 records stemmed from the previously identified clerical error, but weren’t included in prior reviews due to a newly identified software issue. And one case was caught by the DMV’s new quality controls. Griffin-Valade’s office says they are doing everything they can to prevent the 302 mistakenly registered voters from receiving a ballot, but cannot guarantee that all 302 ballots will be removed before they are mailed. Her office is putting in place a process that will ensure those ballots are not opened or counted. Of the 1,259 possible noncitizens identified last month, 10 mistakenly enrolled individuals went on to cast a ballot, according to Oregon’s secretary of state, although at least one became a citizen before voting. A DMV audit found staff may have accidentally selected “U.S. passport” when presented with a foreign passport, or “U.S. birth certificate” when given a foreign document, triggering voter enrollment. The DMV said its drop-down menu has now been rearranged so “U.S. passport” is no longer the first, default option. Staff must also enter the state and county for all U.S. birth certificates and respond to a prompt when passport information is entered confirming that the documentation is accurate. About half of all states, as well as Washington, D.C., have implemented automatic voter registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But there have been numerous allegations of improper enrollment in states without automatic registration too. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in August that officials have purged 1.1 million ineligible names from the voter rolls since the 2020 presidential election.  Ohio’s secretary of state referred 138 noncitizens believed to have voted in previous elections to the state’s attorney general for possible criminal charges.  And a conservative watchdog group is suing Arizona’s Maricopa County for allegedly failing to remove more than 35,000 people who did not provide proof of citizenship. Fox News’ Hannah Ray Lambert and Anders Hagstrom, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this story. 

5 key takeaways from Kamala Harris’ ’60 Minutes’ interview

Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for an interview on “60 Minutes” on Monday, when she dodged or refused to get specific about her plans for the country. With less than a month before the election, CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker repeatedly pressed Harris for details on how to pay for her economic proposals, on whether President Biden’s loose immigration policies were a mistake and how a Harris foreign policy might differ from Biden or former President Donald Trump. There were several moments when Whitaker had to ask follow-up questions after Harris did not directly answer his inquiries.  Overall, the Democratic vice president did not differentiate herself much from her 2020 running mate, the sitting president of the United States. CBS said her Republican rival, former President Trump, backed out of an invitation to appear on “60 Minutes,” though the Trump campaign said there was never a formal agreement for Trump to appear on the program. Here are some standout moments from the Harris interview. ‘60 MINUTES’ ASKS HARRIS WHETHER IT WAS A ‘MISTAKE’ FOR BIDEN ADMIN TO GO SOFT ON BORDER, VP REPEATEDLY DODGES Whitaker asked Harris about the ongoing crises in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, with Israel under assault from Iranian proxies and Ukraine persevering in the fight against Russia’s invasion. In her answers, Harris did not do much to distinguish her foreign policy from that of the current administration. On Israel, Harris echoed Biden’s call for the war with Hamas to end, though she acknowledged the Jewish nation’s right to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, when terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people and took 250 captives back to Gaza.  “I maintain Israel has a right to defend itself. We would. And how it does so matters. Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war has to end,” Harris said. Whitaker pointed out that although the United States has handed billions of dollars to Israel in military aid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted the Biden-Harris administration’s call for a cease-fire with Hamas. When asked if the U.S. holds no sway over Netanyahu, Harris dodged the question and stayed on message, emphasizing the current administration’s diplomatic efforts. “The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles,” she said.  KAMALA HARRIS SET FOR EXTREMELY FRIENDLY INTERVIEW BLITZ WITH ‘THE VIEW,’ STEPHEN COLBERT AND HOWARD STERN Whitaker pressed, “but it seems Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening.”  Harris declined to answer that point. “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”  On Europe, Harris stuck with Biden’s position that Ukraine must be involved in any resolution to the war with Russia.  “There will be no success in ending that war without Ukraine and the U.N. charter participating in what that success looks like,” she said.  In a definitive statement, Harris said she would not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an end to the war unless Ukrainian representatives were present. However, she was less specific on whether Ukraine should join NATO. “Those are all issues that we will deal with if and when it arrives at that point. Right now, we are supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression,” Harris said. “Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now. He talks about, oh, he can end it on day one. You know what that is? It’s about surrender.”  TRUMP CAMPAIGN DENIES IT EVER AGREET TO ‘60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW AFTER CBS NEWS CLAIMED HE BACKED OUT Whitaker confronted Harris on her apparent flip-flop on immigration, noting that she supported Biden’s efforts to reverse Trump’s strict policies even as a historic flood of illegal immigrants crossed the border. Now, the vice president has “embraced President Biden’s recent crackdown on asylum seekers,” he said.  Whitaker asked, “If that’s the right answer, now, why didn’t your administration take those steps in 2021?” Harris responded by pointing to congressional Republicans who backed out of a bipartisan agreement on a border security bill negotiated by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. “Donald Trump got word that this bill was afoot and could be passed. And he wants to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem. So he told his buddies in Congress kill the bill. Don’t let it move forward,” she said. However, Whitaker pushed back on the vice president, observing that in the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, border arrivals quadrupled and there was no action from Biden or Harris. “Was it a mistake to loosen the immigration policies as much as you did?” Harris did not answer the question but asserted that her administration has offered solutions “from day one, literally.”  “We need Congress to be able to act to actually fix the problem,” she said, again echoing Biden. To fight inflation, Harris said she intends to ask Congress to pass a federal ban on price gouging for food and groceries. She would expand the child tax credit to $6,000, give first-time homebuyers $25,000 in down payment assistance and offer generous assistance to people starting a small business.  The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has estimated that the total cost of her economic proposals would add $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.  “How are you going to pay for that?” asked Whitaker. “Okay, so the other economists that have reviewed my plan versus my opponent and determined that my economic plan would strengthen America’s economy, his would weaken it,” Harris answered. “But my plan, Bill, if you don’t mind, my plan is about saying that when you invest in small businesses, you invest in the middle class, and you strengthen America’s economy. Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy.” HARRIS SAYS WEALTHY AMERICANS, CORPORATIONS WILL PAY HIGHER TAXES TO FUND ECONOMIC PLAN Whitaker pressed

Biden White House has ‘very low’ trust in Netanyahu regime, urges transparency: report

The Biden-Harris administration has privately warned of “very low” trust in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime following several Israeli strikes the U.S. was not warned about, Axios reported Tuesday. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan reportedly told Israeli officials that the U.S. expects “clarity and transparency” about Israel’s plans, specifically regarding any retaliation against Iran for last week’s missile attack. “Our trust of the Israelis is very low right now and for a good reason,” one U.S. official told the outlet. The report comes after weeks of the Biden-Harris administration growing more and more willing to criticize Netanyahu’s regime. They have repeatedly stated that they support Israel’s right to defend itself, however. AMERICAN FATHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN PUSHES US, ISRAEL ON ‘PLAN B’ AS NEGOTIATIONS FALTER Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn’t say whether she thought the administration had influence over Netanyahu in an interview this week. CBS’ Bill Whitaker asked Harris about why Netanyahu seemed to be “charting his own course,” despite the billions of dollars of military aid the U.S. has provided to Israel. “Does the U.S. have no sway over Prime Minister Netanyahu?” he asked. IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY “The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the Israelis and the people of Israel. And when we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah presents, Iran, I think that it is without any question, our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks,” Harris responded. “Now the work we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles, which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done which would release the hostages and create a ceasefire. And we’re not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders,” Harris responded. ISRAEL’S GROUND INVASION INTO LEBANON IMMINENT AS CABINET APPROVES NEXT PHASE OF THE WAR Harris later declined to say whether the U.S. has a “close ally” in Netanyahu. She instead stated that the American people and the Israeli people share an “important alliance.” Despite U.S. efforts to push for a cease-fire, tensions in the region only continue to rise. One year after the Oct. 7 massacre, Israel is now engaged in a multi-front conflict with Hamas to the south and Hezbollah to the north.

Wisconsin Senate race shifts to ‘toss up’ by handicapper as Tammy Baldwin fights for re-election

A top political handicapper shifted its rating for the Wisconsin Senate race on Tuesday to “Toss Up” with less than a month until Election Day.  The race in Wisconsin, a pivotal battleground state in both the presidential and Senate matches, was most recently considered “Lean Democrat” by the Cook Political Report. TRUMP, REPUBLICANS VENTURE TO BLUE AREAS IN WISCONSIN TO BOOST GOP TURNOUT The handicapper cited changes in polling in recent days, with Hovde appearing to close the gap with Baldwin. But Cook also referred to private polling from both campaigns, which it said each showed the race within the margins of error.  A source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital that Baldwin’s internal polling shows such a race.  VULNERABLE DEM JON TESTER TURNS ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER DEI AFTER MONTANA UNIVERSITIES STRIPPED OF FEDERAL FUNDS In response to the rating shift, Hovde spokesman Zach Bannon said, “Sen. Baldwin’s radical agenda has sparked record high inflation, created chaos [at] the southern border, and made our communities less safe. Eric Hovde is going to win because the people of Wisconsin are ready for change.” HERE’S WHAT 2 UNDECIDED WISCONSIN VOTERS ARE HOLDING OUT FOR IN 2024 ELECTION “After 25 years in Washington, Tammy Baldwin has become the typical D.C. politician, voting in lockstep with the failed Biden agenda and hiding her Wall Street partner’s stock trades from her constituents. Wisconsinites are ready for change, and Eric Hovde has the momentum,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Tate Mitchell in a statement. SENATE REPUBLICANS MARK OCT 7 ATTACK 1 YEAR OUT AS ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR CONTINUES The latest Marquette Law School poll showed Baldwin winning the battle, 51% to Hovde’s 45%. The survey interviewed 882 registered voters over Sept. 18-26. The poll’s margin of error was +/-4.4 percentage points.  The most recent Fox News Power Rankings from last month had Wisconsin at “Leans Dem.” With Cook’s ratings change, Wisconsin joins other “Toss Up” Senate races in Ohio and Michigan.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

GOP lawmaker unveils effort to ban illegal immigrants from using IDs to buy guns

FIRST ON FOX: A House lawmaker is raising concerns about the possibility of people who are in the country illegally being able to purchase firearms through the same process a U.S. citizen would use. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is unveiling a new bill called the “No Guns for Illegal Aliens Act,” which would explicitly ban illegal immigrants from buying firearms using government-issued IDs. He also expressed support for former President Trump’s controversial mass deportations plan, which would likely be the largest such move in U.S. history, while criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE “Border Czar Kamala Harris has allowed criminal illegal aliens to enter our country and roam our streets. Meanwhile, radical liberals like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are offering driver’s licenses to illegals – creating a recipe for disaster,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. “As we await President Trump’s historic mass deportation effort, we must ensure illegal aliens with government-issued IDs cannot obtain firearms and wreak havoc on our communities.” It’s the latest move in a wider push by House Republicans to direct attention to crime perpetuated in the U.S. by illegal immigrants after several high-profile incidents in the last few years, including the killings of Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. FOCUS GROUP REACTS TO TRUMP CLAIM THAT MIGRANTS ARE ‘EATING THE DOGS’ IN OHIO TOWN The three high-profile killings did not involve a gun, but Clyde argued that progressive policies allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses could open the door to more crime. Clyde, a gun store owner, has had his own firearms license for over 30 years, according to his office. As of now, 19 states plus Washington, D.C., offer driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also recently developed a pilot program to distribute federal IDs called “Secure Docket Cards” to people who cross the border illegally and are awaiting immigration proceedings. It’s not immediately clear if these IDs can be used to purchase guns, however. The rate of crimes committed by illegal immigrants is lower than that of U.S. citizens, according to a study by the National Institute of Justice. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE But Republicans argue that the act of entering the U.S. illegally is a crime in itself, and that instances of violent crime by such groups could be prevented just by having tougher border and immigration laws. The Minnesota Governor’s Office directed Fox News Digital to the Harris-Walz campaign when reached for comment, but it did not immediately respond.  Fox News Digital also reached out to the Office of the Vice President for comment.

‘No guns for illegal aliens’ bill rolled out by House GOP lawmaker

FIRST ON FOX: A House lawmaker is raising concerns about the possibility of people who are in the country illegally being able to purchase firearms through the same process a U.S. citizen would use. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is unveiling a new bill called the “No Guns for Illegal Aliens Act,” which would explicitly ban illegal immigrants from buying firearms using government-issued IDs. He also expressed support for former President Trump’s controversial mass deportations plan, which would likely be the largest such move in U.S. history, while criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE “Border Czar Kamala Harris has allowed criminal illegal aliens to enter our country and roam our streets. Meanwhile, radical liberals like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are offering driver’s licenses to illegals – creating a recipe for disaster,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. “As we await President Trump’s historic mass deportation effort, we must ensure illegal aliens with government-issued IDs cannot obtain firearms and wreak havoc on our communities.” It’s the latest move in a wider push by House Republicans to direct attention to crime perpetuated in the U.S. by illegal immigrants after several high-profile incidents in the last few years, including the killings of Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. FOCUS GROUP REACTS TO TRUMP CLAIM THAT MIGRANTS ARE ‘EATING THE DOGS’ IN OHIO TOWN The three high-profile killings did not involve a gun, but Clyde argued that progressive policies allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses could open the door to more crime. Clyde, a gun store owner, has had his own firearms license for over 30 years, according to his office. As of now, 19 states plus Washington, D.C., offer driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also recently developed a pilot program to distribute federal IDs called “Secure Docket Cards” to people who cross the border illegally and are awaiting immigration proceedings. It’s not immediately clear if these IDs can be used to purchase guns, however. The rate of crimes committed by illegal immigrants is lower than that of U.S. citizens, according to a study by the National Institute of Justice. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE But Republicans argue that the act of entering the U.S. illegally is a crime in itself, and that instances of violent crime by such groups could be prevented just by having tougher border and immigration laws. The Minnesota Governor’s Office directed Fox News Digital to the Harris-Walz campaign when reached for comment, but it did not immediately respond.  Fox News Digital also reached out to the Office of the Vice President for comment.

Fox News Power Rankings: The biggest surprises come after October

A Democratic win in Indiana. A Republican victory in New Mexico. And an election where Missouri was decided by less than 4,000 votes. They’ve all happened in the last twenty years. These results are little more than trivia questions today (the answers are 2008, 2004, and 2008 again). At the time, they raised eyebrows and changed our understanding of the electorate. Surprises happen on election week. And when the national race looks this close, one unexpected flip can decide who wins the White House. Vice President Harris still has the edge in this week’s forecast. It predicts that Harris will take home at least 241 electoral college votes to Trump’s 219. Her advantage is no larger than it was in September, and as this column has mentioned, battleground states are usually – and mostly – won and lost together. The six toss-up states in this forecast are worth 78 votes, enough to give either candidate a victory on election night.  National polls show a tight race: a Quinnipiac survey has Harris and former President Trump tied at 48%-48% with likely voters, while Marist has the candidates at 50%-48%, well within the polls’ margins of sampling error. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP MAINTAINS LEAD ON TWO TOP ISSUES Neither poll shows Trump slipping with the national electorate. Other recent polls showed a point worth of erosion after the September presidential debate. Battleground state polls have been sparse. (Hurricane Helene has devastated communities in Georgia and North Carolina, and Hurricane Milton will soon make landfall in Florida. This will affect the accuracy of polling in these areas.) Overall, this race is still anyone’s game. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance debated a week ago in New York City. Vance mostly broke through the character that Democrats had constructed for him, while Walz stumbled out of the gate.  A flash poll showed neither candidate winning the night. As always, wait for results from multiple polls conducted in the weeks after the debate to properly assess the polling impact. That was the only scheduled event that could surprise voters this month. (Fox News Media has proposed a second Harris-Trump debate later in October.) Of course, it’s the unexpected events in years past that have done more to reshape the race. And events in two categories have already resurfaced.  FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS CITE HIGH PRICES AS BIGGEST MOTIVATOR TO VOTE Polarization will limit the impact of these events on the horserace. But watch Harris and Trump’s support with independents over the coming weeks. Those voters made up 5% of the electorate in 2020, and they broke for President Biden by 15 points; recent polls put Harris in that ballpark. Trump likely needs to claw that back to win the race. Two states that could surprise in November There are nine “likely” races on the Power Rankings map. The two that would have the biggest impact on the race are Florida and Virginia. Former President Trump improved his performance in Florida in the 2020 presidential election, bringing his margin up to about 372,000 votes. That’s a win of 3.4 points, or his second-closest victory of the cycle. (The closest was North Carolina, a toss-up in the rankings, which he won by 1.3 points.) Republicans have strong advantages. The state’s White working-class and senior voters lean towards Trump, while its large Hispanic population, particularly the Cuban and Venezuelan communities, has shifted right in recent years. The GOP won big at every level in the midterms and enjoys a 1 million-plus voter registration advantage, and most tellingly, the Democratic Party is not making significant investments. Democrats hope that a competitive Senate race, where incumbent Republican Rick Scott has personally spent more than $8 million, means the presidential election is closer than people think. Florida is also one of three competitive states with an abortion measure on the ballot. It would take a blowout night for Harris to flip the Sunshine State. It would also be the first state after the battlegrounds to go blue. Florida stays at Likely R in the rankings.  A win for Trump in Virginia would also be shocking, especially since Biden won this state by more than 10 points in 2020. The state has a higher proportion of Black, suburban, and college-educated voters than the rest of the country, and all three groups help Democrats run up the margin. While Republicans talked about Virginia after the June presidential debate, the race has changed, and neither party is making big investments in the state today. Some polls show a race that isn’t over for the GOP. A survey from Virginia Commonwealth University in September put Harris at 47% with registered voters and Trump at 37%. A poll from the Washington Post earlier in the month had Harris at 50% to Trump’s 42%. Still, it would take a blowout in the other direction for the Old Dominion to reject Harris. Virginia remains a Likely D race. Four weeks until election night More than 1.5 million voters have cast their ballot as the countdown to election night continues. Early voting has now begun in:  The Harris ticket continues a media tour this week while Trump will rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The GOP has done surprisingly well there in recent years.

Mike Lee outlines roadmap for McConnell successor, warns the ‘health of the Republican Party’ is at stake

Utah Sen. Mike Lee has sent a letter to Republican offices outlining his suggested course of action for the successor of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, warning his colleagues that “the health of the Republican Party and the future of the republic itself are at stake.”  Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas; John Thune, R-S.D. and Rick Scott R-Fla., are among those jockeying to take over McConnell’s leadership role after the 82-year-old announced in February that he would be stepping down in November.  “The best way we can help lower the temperature of our politics and restore public trust in our institutions is to ensure that the people have more say in the laws that govern their lives,” Lee wrote in his letter, which was obtained by Politico. “We have a once-in-a generation opportunity to do so with the upcoming election for our Senate Republican leadership.”  “This is our moment to reaffirm and strengthen the greatest features of the Senate and set a new course for our conference,” he added. “I am confident that with the right leadership and a commitment to these reforms, we can create a stronger, more accountable Senate that truly serves the people.”  JOHN CORNYN FLEXES FUNDRAISING CHOPS AS BATTLE TO SUCCEED MITCH MCCONNELL RAMPS UP  In his letter, Lee outlined three reforms that he says should “guide” the approach of Senate Republicans going forward.  He called for more time for debate and deliberation, writing that “We all know the pressure that comes with last-minute votes on massive spending bills that are dropped on our desks hours before a deadline” and “This is not how the Senate should operate.”  “First, at the beginning of each year, the republican floor leader should propose a structured process and floor schedule for considering appropriations legislation, just as the leader publishes a calendar of days in session at the beginning of each year,” Lee said. “Second, when omnibus spending bills are considered, we should ensure at least four weeks to debate and amend them.”  Lee also said “We must be strategic in promoting the conservative values that our voters elected us to champion” and that “currently, must-pass legislation is overwhelmingly shaped by the progressive priorities of the Democratic Party.”  “First, we should ask that our new floor leader to propose policy goals at the start of each year, to be ratified by the conference,” he said. “Second, in addition to having general policy goals, the leader should present specific strategies for achieving Republican victories in connection with must-pass legislation.”  SENATE GOP BRACING FOR LAST-MINUTE LEADER BIDS – POTENTIALLY BY KEY TRUMP ALLY  “Third, the Republican floor leader and whip should whip for or against a bill or nominee only with the support of the majority of the conference,” Lee continued. “Above all, this would protect Republican leadership from ever being in the position of having to whip for legislation advancing Democrat priorities, as happens from time-to time when must pass legislation is up against a critical deadline.”  In addition, Lee told his colleagues: “One of the fundamental issues we face is that our current processes are shutting out the people we represent. Most Americans would be shocked to learn that their senators often cannot offer amendments to legislation. Filling the [amendment] tree has become commonplace in recent years. Since Sen. Harry Reid began centralizing the process in the early 2010s, the vast majority of senators have been largely excluded from the legislative process for most bills.”  The Senate describes filling the amendment tree as “a process by which a certain number and type of amendments are offered under Senate precedents” and “Once these amendments are offered and the ‘tree is filled’ no other amendments are allowed.”  It’s a process that the Congressional Research Service says majority leaders can use to “freeze” the amendment process in place and block additional floor amendments.  Lee wrote that “One simple, additional reform” for this process “could involve requiring three-fourths of our conference to agree before the tree can be filled.” 

Harris takes slim lead over Trump in new poll as voters view her as candidate of change

Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a slight edge over former President Donald Trump in a new poll released Tuesday that looked into which candidate voters view as the candidate representing change. Trump, however, maintained his lead among male voters and has kept the trust of most voters on economic issues. The latest New York Times/Sienna College national poll found that if the election were held today, 49% of respondents would vote for Harris while 46% would vote for Trump. It marks the first time Harris has led Trump in the Times/Sienna poll since President Biden dropped out in July. Harris took a slim lead among respondents who saw the vice president, not Trump, as a break from the status quo, garnering 46% compared with 44% for the former president. Harris’ lead in this category was greater when broken down into non-White and younger voters, garnering 61% and 58%, respectively, compared to 29% of non-White and 34% of younger voters favoring Trump, according to the poll. MICHAEL MOORE MOCKS DEMOCRATS PANICKED BY TIGHT 2024 RACE: ‘SHOCKING TO ME’ THEY BELIEVE TRUMP IS GOING TO WIN Despite the slight change for Harris, the poll found Trump still maintained the majority of voter trust on what they consider their most important issues, such as the economy, with 48% compared to 46% for Harris. Trump is also leading Harris with male voters by 11 points, a group which also favored Trump over Biden in the 2020 election, according to the poll. NORTH CAROLINA GOP FOCUSING ON ‘HAND-TO-HAND POLITICAL COMBAT’ TO RAMP UP GROUND GAME IN BATTLEGROUND STATE While national polls are often a good indicator of the general mood among Americans, they don’t always predict who will win elections, which often come down to important battleground states. In the latest Fox News survey of registered voters in North Carolina, viewed as one such battleground state, Harris has a 2 percentage-point edge over Trump, 50% to 48%. A month earlier, Trump was ahead by 1 point (50% to 49%), for a 3-point shift in the presidential race. Respondents in this poll also found Trump more likely to better handle the economy and also gave him the edge in making the country safe.

‘Tough call’: Atlanta voters split on who will win Georgia

ATLANTA – Voters in Georgia’s capital city are split over which presidential candidate has the best chance of winning their pivotal swing state in November. “I see a lot more signs for Kamala than I do for Trump,” Atlanta resident Stephanie Roberts, who works at a financial advisory firm, told Fox News Digital. “However, go to the south, go to the more rural areas, and you will see a lot more Trump signs.” Roberts, a Vice President Kamala Harris supporter herself, added, “I do feel like the energy is more positive for Kamala.” GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE The Peach State could be critical to deciding the winner of the 2024 presidential race between Harris and former President Donald Trump. The traditionally red Georgia has trended more favorably toward Democrats in recent years, particularly since Trump became the face of the GOP. Its pivotal turning point came in 2020, when President Biden won the state by just over 11,000 votes. SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’ “I think it’s going to be a tough call. I think the current polls are pretty tight,” said Atlanta resident Jose Malabo, who spoke with Fox News Digital in the city’s Piedmont Park. “I think if people show up and vote in numbers, I think Kamala has an edge here.” Another person who only identified himself as Kevin said Harris would “definitely” win Georgia. “She’s the best candidate, in my opinion, from what I’ve read. And I follow it closely,” he said. However, despite Atlanta’s reputation as a blue stronghold, not everyone there agreed Harris would take the state – a testament to Georgia’s purple trends. “Really, we’re a Republican state,” Tramel Simpson, a music producer, told Fox News Digital. “Most people who voted in 2020 were just voting non-Trump…it’s more of a decision now.” FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’ Atlanta resident Terry Davis also said Trump would “probably” win. “It seems like he has a fair amount of momentum in the state right now, and I think Georgia continues to be a red-leaning state despite its purple status in the last couple of cycles,” Davis said. Another person who did not give their name simply told Fox News Digital, “I don’t know. It’s a close call.”