Page 106 – Texas Weekly Online

Harris unveils agenda to help Black men ‘get ahead’ as polls show Trump gains

Vice President Harris is rolling out a new agenda that aims to boost financial and career prospects for Black men. The release of the Harris campaign’s “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” on Monday comes just four days after former President Obama, in comments that went viral, admonished Black male voters for a lack of enthusiasm in support of Harris. Obama’s comments came as polls indicate former President Trump is making gains with Black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters. The Harris campaign, with just over three weeks to go until Election Day, hopes to spotlight its agenda to help Black men achieve “the opportunity to get ahead, to thrive” by equipping them “with the tools to achieve financial freedom, lower costs to better provide for themselves and their families, and protect their rights.” OBAMA, STUMPING FOR HARRIS, REPEATEDLY TAKES AIM AT TRUMP The proposals include providing 1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business, championing education, training and mentorship programs that help Black men get good-paying jobs in high-demand industries and lead their communities, including pathways to become teachers. Also highlighted by the campaign is a regulatory framework to protect Black men’s investments in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, a health equity initiative focused on Black men that addresses sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer and other health challenges that disproportionately impact them, and the creation of opportunities for Black Americans in the recreational marijuana industry. PRO-TRUMP BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA Former Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Harris campaign national co-chair, said the new agenda aims to make sure that “Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.” “Donald Trump could care less about equipping hardworking Americans with the tools needed to get ahead,” Richmond said. “While Vice President Harris is promising to equip Black men with the tools needed to pursue our dreams and aspirations, Donald Trump is promising Black in America a national nightmare.” To help spread the message, the Harris campaign said it is teaming up this week with Black male celebrities, influencers and activists in key battleground states this week for “Black Men Huddle Up” events. The campaign spotlights that it’s also enlisting the support of influential entrepreneurs for what it calls an “Economic Freedom Talk” series with Black business owners. The new effort comes as Democrats are increasingly concerned about wavering support among Black men, and in particular younger Black men, for Harris, who would make history if she is elected as the nation’s first female president. Harris and Trump are locked in a neck and neck race in the seven key battleground states whose razor-thin margins decided President Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump and will likely determine the winner of the 2024 White House race. Any erosion of support among Black voters, and in particular Black males, could prove costly to the vice president. Obama, speaking Thursday at a Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh, recollected the surge in support among Black voters that boosted him toward history in 2008 to become the nation’s first Black president. He bluntly said he couldn’t understand why Harris wasn’t enjoying the same level of enthusiasm, noting that the hesitation was “more pronounced with the brothers.” “You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said. “I’ve got a problem with that.” Speaking directly to Black males, the former president said that “part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.” As expected, Black supporters of Trump quickly rebuked the former president. “President Obama’s recent call for Black men to support Kamala Harris based solely on her skin color, rather than her policies, is deeply insulting,” the Black Men for Trump advisory board argued this weekend. But some Democrats also called out the former president for his remarks, arguing that Obama unfairly admonished Black men without striking a similar chord with other demographic groups that have also expressed increased support for Trump. In another pitch to Black voters, Harris on Tuesday heads to Detroit in battleground Michigan to sit for a town hall discussion with radio talk show host Charlamagne Tha God, whose “The Breakfast Club” program is popular with Black listeners. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich breaks women’s marathon world record in Chicago

Chepngetich wins the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56, dedicating the record to Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car crash. Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich has put on a performance for the ages as she obliterated the women’s marathon world record in Chicago, taking nearly two minutes off the previous best to win in two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds. Chepngetich ditched the competition by the halfway mark and ran through a chorus of cheers through the final straight as she claimed her third title in Chicago on Sunday. The 30-year-old, who became the first three-time women’s winner of the Chicago race, broke the previous world record of 2:11:53 set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa last year in Berlin. Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede crossed the line seven minutes and 36 seconds later while Kenyan Irine Cheptai (2:17:51) was third. “This is my dream that has come true,” Chepngetich said. Chepngetich, who also won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, dedicated her latest victory to Kelvin Kiptum, who set the men’s world record at last year’s race just four months before he died in a car accident at the age of 24. “The world record has come back to Kenya, and I dedicate this world record to Kelvin Kiptum,” Chepngetich said. “I’ve fought a lot, thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it.” Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya poses with the clock after setting a new world record at the Chicago Marathon [Michael Reaves/Getty Images via AFP] Runners remember Kiptum Runners observed a moment’s silence on the start line in honour of Kiptum. Organisers also handed out stickers displaying Kiptum’s record-breaking time of 2:00:35 for the 50,000 participants to put on their race bibs. In the absence of Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, the 2023 Chicago winner, Chepngetich set a blazing early pace and reached the halfway point in 1:04:16, the fifth-quickest time in history for a half marathon by a woman. “The weather was perfect and I was well-prepared. The world record was in my mind,” Chepngetich, who was runner-up to Hassan 12 months ago, told reporters after the race. Chepngetich ran the first 5km (3.1 miles) in 15 minutes flat and by the halfway mark she had built a 14-second cushion between herself and Kebede. Television commentators were astonished as she ground through the course, comparing her attempt at a sub-2:10 marathon to the moon landing, and she only seemed to gain momentum as she sprinted through the final 2 miles (3.2km). Chepngetich, the 2019 world champion, hunched over in utter exhaustion after breaking the tape but later said “Chicago is like home”. Her compatriot John Korir won on the men’s side in 2:02:44. The 27-year-old Korir finished ahead of Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa (2:04:39) and another Kenyan, Amos Kipruto (2:04:50). Korir was part of a seven-man group at the head of the course 30km (18.6 miles) before he hit the accelerator and shed his rivals following a relatively conservative start. Four of the top five were Kenyans, with Vincent Ngetich and Daniel Ebenyo finishing off the podium. “It was really nice to run my PB and win in Chicago,” Korir said, adding that he too used the memory of Kiptum as a source of motivation. “Today I was thinking about Kiptum and I said, ‘Last year if he could run under 2:01, why not me?’ So I had to believe in myself and try to do my best.” Korir’s time was the second-fastest-ever run in Chicago. Adblock test (Why?)

Chinese military video shows major drill around Taiwan

NewsFeed The Chinese military has released video showing its forces conducting a mock operation against Taiwan. The war games around the island are taking place days after Taiwan’s president promised to “resist annexation” by China. Published On 14 Oct 202414 Oct 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

‘Burned and charred bodies’ as Israel hits tents at central Gaza hospital

An Israeli air attack on tents for displaced Palestinians inside a hospital complex in Gaza has killed at least four people and wounded at least 70, many of them critically, as Israel’s genocide in the besieged enclave continues for a second year. The attack at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah city in the early hours of Monday hit tents where many displaced Palestinians had been sheltering. Videos showed rescuers scrambling to save people as they struggled to contain a major fire. The death toll is expected to rise further. “What happened was that we woke up to smoke, flames, fire and burning pieces falling on the tents from every direction. The explosions terrified us in our tents and outside where we live behind Al-Aqsa Hospital,” Om Ahmad Radi, a survivor at the scene, told Al Jazeera. “The fire trucks couldn’t get here. There were so many burned and charred bodies all over the place. The amount of fire and explosions was enormous. We witnessed one of the most horrible and brutal nights.” A rescuer works at the site of an Israeli attack on tents sheltering displaced people at a hospital in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza [Ramadan Abed/Reuters] Gaza’s Media Office said it was the seventh time this year that Israel has hit the grounds of Al-Aqsa Hospital and the third in the past couple of weeks, killing Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said “some 20 to 30 tents were completely destroyed and completely burned down. “There were many people inside the tents as the fire spread, who could not be saved,” he said. “We are looking at a large number [of deaths] as these tents are close to each other, back-to-back and set up in a small space inside the hospital courtyard.” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed the Israeli air force conducted the attack, claiming, without evidence, that the hospital complex was used as a “command and control centre” by Palestinian group Hamas to carry out attacks against Israel. Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked medical facilities in Gaza since the assault began more than a year ago, with the enclave’s health sector already overwhelmed and infrastructure destroyed. Last week, a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) released a report which found Israel perpetrating “a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system”. Palestinians survey the damage at the site of the Israeli attack on tents at the hospital [Ramadan Abed/Reuters] Meanwhile, at least 22 more Palestinians were confirmed dead and 80 others wounded on Sunday when Israeli tanks shelled a school sheltering the displaced in Nuseirat, also in central Gaza. Israel’s genocide has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90 percent of its population of 2.3 million people, many of them multiple times. In northern Gaza, Israeli air and ground forces have laid a siege on Jabalia for days, claiming the Hamas fighters have regrouped there. Over the past year, Israeli troops have repeatedly returned to the refugee camp in Jabalia, which dates to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. The attack on Jabalia follows Israeli orders to fully evacuate northern Gaza, including Gaza City. An estimated 400,000 Palestinians remain in the north. The UN says no food has entered northern Gaza since October 1. The military confirmed that hospitals were also included in its evacuation orders, adding that it had not set a timetable and was working with local authorities to facilitate patient transfers. But Fares Abu Hamza, an official with Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service, told The Associated Press news agency that bodies of a “large number of martyrs” remain uncollected from the streets and under the rubble in the north. “We are unable to reach them,” he said, asserting that dogs were eating some remains. Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. More than 42,200 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and about 98,400 injured, according to local health authorities. Adblock test (Why?)

Kamala Harris claims she’s got a gun, but Second Amendment supporters say good luck getting yours

Vice President Kamala Harris recently drew the ire of Second Amendment advocates after claiming she owned a “Glock” handgun, which contrasts with her previous support for bans and restrictions on these types of guns. “I have a Glock, and I’ve had it for quite some time,” Harris said during a recent interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” citing her “background in law enforcement” as the reason she has it. The remark came after Harris and her campaign repeatedly highlighted that she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners, noting during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that anyone breaking into her home is “getting shot.” However, throughout Harris’ long career, including stints as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, she repeatedly voiced support for banning or restricting citizens from legally possessing handguns. She also argued at the federal level that banning handguns does not violate the Constitution’s Second Amendment rights. BIDEN TOUTS REDUCTION IN CRIME, SLAMS REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO GUN VIOLENCE IN THURSDAY PRESS CONFERENCE Fox News Digital questioned the Harris campaign about what model Glock handgun the vice president owns but did not receive a response. “Throughout her political career, Harris has been rabidly anti-gun and supported measures that prohibit the possession of handguns by law-abiding, peaceable Americans,” Randy Kozuch, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), told Fox News Digital. “That position is not only radical in modern American politics but goes further than most gun control activists are willing to admit.” As San Francisco’s district attorney, Harris sponsored a 2005 ballot measure known as Proposition H that sought to ban the manufacture, sale or possession of pistols by San Franciscans unless they are a member of law enforcement, in the military or work in private security. While the ballot measure was passed by voters, it was ultimately struck down by the courts in 2008 before it could ever take effect. Despite the challenges to Proposition H, Harris intensified her campaign to restrict handguns in 2008. Harris, alongside a handful of other district attorneys, penned an amicus brief to the Supreme Court arguing a ban on handguns does not violate the Constitution. The court was considering the matter of handgun restrictions in D.C. v. Heller, a case that is widely considered the nation’s most prominent Second Amendment case. The court ultimately ruled the Constitution does protect a person’s right to own a handgun for self-defense and other lawful purposes. KAMALA HARRIS ONCE SAID POLICE COULD PAY SURPRISE VISITS TO LEGAL GUN OWNERS’ HOMES FOR SAFE STORAGE CHECKS Additionally, in 2013, as California’s attorney general, Harris took steps that one Second Amendment expert in California said severely restricted the types of handguns residents could own. In California, under the Unsafe Handgun Act passed in 2001, only certain approved pistols can be bought, sold or owned in the state. Harris, for her part, made that list even more restrictive when she acted to certify “microstamping” for all handguns in the state. “The manufacturer has to put this little raised number on the inside of the chamber and on the firing pin so that … if police find the cartridge case at a crime scene, they can try and trace it back to a gun,” said Chuck Michel, a California attorney who litigated against Proposition H on behalf of the NRA. He pointed out that the move “resulted in the number of models of handguns that are available for people to buy in California going from tens of thousands to just hundreds.” TOM COTTON TURNS TABLES ON CNN’S DANA BASH ON GUNS, BRINGS UP HARRIS’ PAST REMARKS ON SCHOOL SHOOTINGS Michel also noted that Harris, as California attorney general, sought to block efforts to eliminate the state’s requirement that gun owners show “good cause” to obtain a concealed carry permit. “Kamala Harris never met a gun control law that she didn’t like,” Michel said. “She supported everything that the extreme progressive San Francisco City Council ever proposed. She tried to limit concealed carry by intervening in a court case to block a Ninth Circuit win. She obviously supported Prop H. And she supported the D.C. handgun ban with an amicus brief in the Heller case that she took the lead on. And she certified microstamping.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP However, while critics like Michel say Harris is a hypocrite for being a gun owner, Clark Neily, one of the co-counsels who successfully argued the Heller case, said he didn’t think there was anything “hypocritical or duplicitous” about Harris owning a handgun while also taking the stance that the Constitution does not protect one’s right to own one. “For example, many thoughtful people think women should be able to have an abortion — and have had or would have an abortion themselves — but nevertheless don’t believe there’s a constitutional right to an abortion.”

AI sector frustrated by Congress’ slow pace keeping up with the advanced tech

People close to the growing artificial intelligence (AI) sector say the industry is frustrated with the pace at which Congress is handling the issue. AI experts and those who work with the industry are particularly concerned with Election Day being less than a month away. With sophisticated AI technology becoming more accessible, instances of “deepfakes” and other misinformation are growing prevalent on social media, particularly as it relates to politics. “Congress has struggled to pass national technology laws,” said Craig Albright, senior vice president for U.S. government relations at The Software Alliance. He noted there was an appetite among lawmakers for more action but added “it’s also the case that Congress has really been almost entirely focused on things that are must-do. Like, keep the government open, increase the debt limit, reauthorize a program that helps keep the country safe from terrorists. And the tech policy has been in the ‘nice to do,’ category. … I think that’s really been one of the main impediments.” FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: CREEPY, YET HELPFUL ROBOT IS READY TO ASSIST Tatiana Rice, deputy director for U.S. legislation at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), said, “In terms of the conversations I’ve had with the kind of companies that we work with, there certainly is a frustration there.” FPF works with figures in big tech, business, academia and civil service to help those sectors better understand and craft policy around AI. “In the absence of federal actions, we’re seeing more states enacting their own laws, and, therefore, you see businesses are concerned about a forthcoming ‘patchwork of regulation,’ which makes compliance really difficult,” Rice explained. PIONEERS OF AI WIN NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS FOR LAYING THE GROUNDWORK OF MACHINE LEARNING “I think especially in an election year and as we get closer to the election, it becomes much more difficult, of course, for Congress to push things through. “Congress has been trying to advance data privacy regulation for the past two decades. … The U.S. is one of the only G-20 nations that doesn’t have a federal privacy law,” she said. “So, there is reason to be pessimistic in how the lack of federal action really does have kind of consequences for businesses and consumers alike.” Leaders in both the House and Senate have emphasized that getting lawmakers up to speed on AI is a priority for the 118th Congress, though they’ve diverged somewhat on what that means. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has favored a more narrow, targeted approach focused on educating members on AI but has shown little appetite for the kind of large-scale regulatory framework desired by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Now, with less than three months before the end of this congressional term, it’s unclear whether the two sides can compromise on some kind of action. Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths, who has advised both the White House and the Senate on AI, noted there was progress being made with AI, particularly in the health and national security spheres, but noted that issues persist with misinformation, particularly as it relates to the election. EXPERT WARNS UN’S ROLE IN AI REGULATION COULD LEAD TO SAFETY OVERREACH “I do think that it’s been perhaps a little bit frustrating for the media and for the public that we haven’t seen as much quite as quickly,” Griffiths said. “There have been a number of efforts to bring things forward. “In fairness, I have to say, artificial intelligence – it’s not a single technology. It is actually very complex and has many different parts to the technology, and then enabling technologies as well. It’s moving very, very quickly. … It really cuts across every part of society.” All three experts who spoke with Fox News Digital brought the struggle back to Congress’ difficulties with privacy regulations, particularly since the rise of the internet. “Privacy went out of the window at that point in time for young people, totally unaware of the longer-term implications of their interactions on social media. I think in some respects we are somewhat in that stage with AI,” Griffiths said. Rice specifically brought up the issue of children’s online privacy. “We’re seeing some movement,” Rice said. “But even things that have broad consensus, even that is having difficulty moving forward. So, it is not surprising that a little bit more nascent technology like AI or generative AI is moving at a slower pace.”

Massachusetts town issues cease and desist to resident projecting political signs on town water tower

A resident of Hanson, Massachusetts has been asked to stop projecting political signs onto the town’s municipal water tower or face fines, according to a statement released by Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green. Green issued the statement after she became aware the resident was projecting the image from his residence. “On Friday, Oct. 11, the Town of Hanson became aware that a resident was projecting the image of a political sign from their property onto the Town of Hanson municipal water tower at 228 High St. This misleads the public into believing that this activity is sanctioned by or condoned by the Town,” the statement from Green read. COURT RULES PENNSYLVANIA BOROUGH ORDINANCE CRACKING DOWN ON LAWN SIGNS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL Green went on to say the Town “does not endorse candidates for any office from any political party.” Town officials are combating the visibility of the “Trump 2024” campaign logo being projected onto the water tower with a floodlight; however, it was still visible as of Friday evening. And the Cease and Desist order being prepared for the violator will impose a $100 per day fine until the activity stops. “Highway Department employees have positioned a spotlight to shine on the water tower to dim the projection. Further measures are being considered at this time,” the statement said. “This individual’s actions have the potential to cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars, including attorney fees, overtime to pay Highway Department workers to turn the spotlight on and off each day, and the potential for having to rent or purchase stronger lighting equipment. The $100 per day fine will likely not cover these expenses.” Hanson officials wanted to be clear that they respect everyone’s rights and expression of political views as long as they do not insinuate that they are views of the town as a whole. NEW YORK COMPANY UNVEILS 100-FOOT ‘VOTE FOR TRUMP’ SIGN, GETS SUED BY DEMOCRATIC MAYOR “The Town of Hanson respects the free speech rights of all residents, and the right of all residents to express their political views, but not on Town property or in a manner that makes it appear that the Town of Hanson is endorsing any political candidate,” said the statement. No further information is available at this time.

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