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North Carolina prepares to launch in-person early voting with mountain areas still recovering from Helene

Early in-person voting is preparing to kick off Thursday in North Carolina, one of seven battleground states hotly contested in the 2024 presidential election. Some North Carolina communities are making last-minute adjustments to their 2024 election schedules in the fallout from Hurricane Helene this month. In Buncombe County, one of the counties hit hardest by the storm, the board of elections approved new times and locations for early voting. Early in-person voting kicks off Thursday morning, with polls remaining open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 1. “We’ve got a new early voting plan,” Buncombe Board of Elections Chair Jake Quinn said in a statement. “Please everybody, spread the word.” Buncombe is also having to adjust polling locations, as some are no longer fit to serve as polling places or are more difficult to access. The county published a list of locations that are now operating for early voting. MAYORKAS CALLS ON CONGRESS TO FUND FEMA DISASTER RELIEF, WARNING ‘HURRICANE SEASON IS NOT OVER’ Buncombe County voted decisively for President Biden in the 2020 election, according to state records. Biden received 96,515 votes, compared to former President Trump’s 62,412, totaling a 60%-40% split. VIDEO SHOWS HURRICANE MILTON-IMPACTED FAMILY, DOGS RESCUED FROM FLOODWATERS Nearby Watauga County also released its own revised early voting schedule this month. The county’s board of elections says none of its polling places has changed, but they will now expand their timing to be open on weekends during early voting. Residents will be able to access polling places from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. “We are grateful to all the people that worked so hard to build our county’s infrastructure back so quickly. It is truly amazing to see people from all over the country pitching in to help strangers in need. That’s what America is all about. This helped minimize any disruptions to voters so that every voice can be heard. We also want to thank all the election officials who offered to work the new weekend shifts. We literally can’t do it without them,” the board said in a statement. NORTH CAROLINA MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING FEMA WORKERS WITH ASSAULT RIFLE AMID HURRICANE HELENE CLEAN-UP Biden also took Watauga County in the 2020 election, receiving 53% of the vote to Trump’s 44%. State election officials are scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday on other measures they are taking to ensure the election goes smoothly. They say roughly 25 counties were heavily impacted by Helene, and those contain 76 polling locations. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NC State Board of Elections and Corinne Duncan, the Buncombe County elections director will lead the press conference. The majority of North Carolina voters in the 25 counties impacted by Helene are Republican, according to state voter registration records. Officials say 482,930 registered Republicans live in the area, compared to 294,106 Democrats. There are also 492,546 unaffiliated voters. This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for North Carolina. North Carolina began absentee voting for registered voters in September. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5. Early in-person voting begins Oct. 17. Check the state’s website for more information. The last day to vote in-person is Nov. 2. North Carolina residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 11. They can also register in-person during early voting between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.

Violent convict’s taxpayer-funded sex change challenged by state AG after judge’s approval

FIRST ON FOX: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is appealing a federal judge’s decision to allow an inmate – incarcerated for murdering his 11-month-old stepchild – sex reassignment surgery following the inmate’s lawsuit against the state’s correctional facility. “We were very clear that we disagreed with the judge’s decision in this case, and now we are officially appealing,” Rokita told Fox News Digital. “Prisoners like the convicted baby murderer in this case don’t have a constitutional right to gender transition surgeries, much less to have taxpayers foot the bill.” “We will continue doing our duty to defend Indiana’s commonsense laws,” he said.  INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY Fox News Digital first learned that Rokita filed the intent to appeal notice on Wednesday morning. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Indiana Department of Corrections last year on behalf of a transgender inmate, Jonathan C. Richardson, also known as Autumn Cordellionè, who was convicted of strangling his 11-month-old stepdaughter to death in 2001. Indiana law, however, prohibits the Department of Corrections from using taxpayer dollars to fund sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. However, the ACLU argues in the lawsuit, filed on Aug. 28, 2023, that the law is a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.” ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH The surgery for Cordellioné, who is serving out a 55-year prison sentence for reckless homicide, “is a medical necessity,” according to the ACLU lawsuit. Judge Richard Young agreed with the ACLU’s claims and ruled in favor of Cordellioné last month. “Specifically, Ms. Cordellioné has shown that her gender dysphoria is a serious medical need, and that, despite other treatments Defendant has provided her to treat her gender dysphoria, she requires gender-affirming surgery to prevent a risk of serious bodily and psychological harm,” the ruling states. In a separate lawsuit last year, Cordellioné filed a civil lawsuit against the prison chaplain for allegedly prohibiting him from wearing a hijab outside his immediate bed quarters, despite identifying as a Muslim woman.  TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB According to court documents, Cordellioné strangled his then-wife’s 11-month-year old daughter to death while she was at work on Sept. 12, 2001.  During Cordellioné’s initial interview with one of the detectives, he was calm and “unemotional” when recounting what happened, court documents from Indiana’s Court of Appeals show. 

Bomb hoax threats to airlines: Police detain class 11 student from Chhattisgarh

Police said a preliminary investigation hints at a financial dispute between the boy and a shop owner.

Laken Riley Act sponsor blasts Bill Clinton’s claim about Georgia student’s death

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who led the Senate introduction of the Laken Riley Act alongside Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., hit former President Bill Clinton for failing to acknowledge during his remarks about the border crisis “that this is a conscious choice the Biden-Harris Administration has made.” In a campaign visit to Georgia on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., Clinton invoked the February death of Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia’s campus.  The suspect charged with allegedly murdering Riley, Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, has pleaded not guilty.  SENATE DEMS TARGET BLACK VOTERS WITH NEW AD AS HARRIS’ SUPPORT FALLS SHORT “[Harris is] the only candidate who has actually endorsed a bill that would hold down immigration any given year to a certain point and then made sure we gave people a decent place to live, didn’t divide people from their children. And we did total vetting before people got in. Now, Trump killed the bill,” Clinton said during the campaign stop.  “You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it. A young woman who had been killed by an immigrant. Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted that probably wouldn’t have happened.” ‘A LOT OF TRUMP SIGNS’: RESIDENTS IN BLUE STRONGHOLD MILWAUKEE BREAK DOWN 2024 ELECTION In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Britt said, “Laken Riley would be alive today if the Biden-Harris Administration had stronger border security and interior immigration enforcement policies in place. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have willfully, recklessly, and unlawfully allowed poorly vetted individuals, including Laken Riley’s accused murderer, to unleash havoc on American families nationwide.” “What President Clinton refused to admit is that this is a conscious choice the Biden-Harris Administration has made,” she continued. “No one is forcing them to parole hundreds of thousands of poorly vetted individuals into communities across our country, and they could end their dangerous, unprecedented abuse of immigration parole today if they wanted to.” ‘I WAS MUCH BETTER OFF’: THESE VOTERS BACK TRUMP IN TOP BATTLEGROUND COUNTY Britt also slammed the extensive executive actions by the administration that she said, “weakened border security and immigration enforcement.” “They suspended deportations, halted construction of the border wall, and announced a plan to give amnesty to millions. That made it crystal clear from the start of their tenure that their goal was mass migration – not the safety and security of the American people.” The Alabama senator criticized her Democrat counterparts in the Senate for blocking “the commonsense, bipartisan Laken Riley Act and instead defend[ing] the Biden-Harris mass migration agenda – the very agenda that senselessly enabled the murders of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, and countless others.” “I’m going to continue fighting to pass this important legislation and return President Trump to the White House, so he can restore the strong border policies that were working under his Administration.” KAMALA HARRIS ACCUSED OF PLAGIARIZING IN 2009 BOOK ABOUT BEING ‘SMART ON CRIME’ Britt and Budd’s measure would require illegal immigrants who commit crimes such as theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting to be arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Further, the detainment of said illegal immigrants would be mandated until removal from the country can be coordinated.  The bill would also establish standing for states to bring civil action against federal officials that do not enforce immigration law or violate the law.  The measure is co-sponsored by nearly every member of the Senate Republican conference and one Democrat, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who joined in the summer after initially opposing a modified version of the bill being included in a several bill appropriations package earlier in the year.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

From Christmas City to the coal mines: An inside look at the Dems’ ground game in PA’s crucial Lehigh Valley

Democrats in the two-county Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania said they are confident in their ground game ahead of what could be another narrow election result in the perennial bellwether region. State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Bethlehem, a pragmatic Northampton County lawmaker who has served the region for decades, and Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, leader of Lehigh County’s largest city, spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Former President Trump won Northampton County in 2016, and lost it in 2020. Lehigh County – typically bluer due to Allentown’s influence – hosts a reliably conservative voting bloc in its rural, Pennsylvania German exurbs. Tuerk, whose “Band City USA” is also Pennsylvania’s third largest, said he’s heard directly from residents that they largely support Vice President Kamala Harris. Speaking from a conference of global mayors in Mexico City, Tuerk said dignitaries are coming up to him with interest in Allentown and the way the national election may turn based on the result in his city. POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS ‘OUT-MESSAGING’ HARRIS: I GET MORE FROM STEPHEN COLBERT “I happen to be from the swingiest district in the commonwealth… What I’m telling everybody is: Allentonians, broadly speaking, are supportive of Kamala Harris,” he said. “I know this because I’m actually knocking on doors. I go out every Saturday and sometimes Sunday and canvass for the campaign and talk to not just Democrats, but independents and Republicans.” Tuerk noted Allentown is now a majority-Latino city, and just like the patchwork of Pennsylvania Dutch, Polish, English and Syrian Americans in town, they, too, are not a “monolith.” But, Latinos in Allentown are mostly concerned about the same things: commodity prices, housing and job opportunities. “There’s a lot of people who are concerned about the rhetoric that former President Trump uses,” he said, adding that Republicans in the city often voice the same concerns as Democrats in that regard. “[They’ll] tell me they just can’t vote for the guy [but] they’re not switching their party.” “But they’re frustrated by the way that Donald Trump talks about our country. They’re frustrated by the way that he talks about people who are in need. So they’re looking for decency. And I think that’s been a pretty recurrent theme about the things that people are concerned with. But it’s primarily the economic issues and things related to housing.” Allentown, known for hosting America’s oldest community band – the Allentown Band, predating the Boston Pops – was once home to Mack Trucks’ headquarters, and Max Hess’ famed department store on Hamilton Street from 1897 to 1995 – where people as far as the Midwest would flock for holiday shopping and its world-famous strawberry pie under the slogan “You’ll find the best of everything at Hess’.” In 1982, Billy Joel famously sang about “living here in Allentown,” as Bethlehem Steel was “closing all the factories down” across the river in the Christmas City, and the area was beginning to stare down a long economic downturn. Since that time, the area has gone through dramatic change – as smoke from “iron and coke; chromium steel” has been replaced by the bright lights of a casino and the “SteelStacks” entertainment complex built amid its hulking, defunct namesake. HARRIS PLAYS MASHUP OF TRUMP’S ‘ENEMY WITHIN’ COMMENTS AT ERIE RALLY, AFTER CROWD CHANTS ‘LOCK HIM UP’ Not far from Boscola’s office, Harris-Walz signs were scattered along Church Street in Bethlehem’s 18th-century “Moravian” district, while Trump-Vance signs began poking out among their opponents’ placards along Nazareth Pike on the way out of town. “We are a bellwether county and I feel like not a day goes by when a surrogate, a family member or a candidate themselves is not in the Lehigh Valley stumping for the election,” Boscola said. “Every race from the presidential down through a local state House seat, the election is everywhere. The Democrats’ ground game is always solid. We have canvassers, phone banks and non-stop text messaging to get out the vote.” Issues in her district, which includes Northampton County’s Slate Belt plus the entirety of Bethlehem – split between the two counties by Monocacy Creek – include property taxes, the economy, immigration and abortion, she said. Businesses continue to struggle to find employees, Boscola said, and constituents also bring up the criminal element that is identified with the illegal immigration crisis. The lawmaker, one of the longest-serving in the Valley, said political messaging about government aid for illegal immigrants is resonating among working-class residents. On the abortion front, Boscola said she has heard from people who take both sides of the issue while not being “extreme on either side.” “They believe that people should have choice, but have reservations about on-demand, third-term abortions. They are looking for balance,” she said. Boscola added she has a bill before the state Senate that would allow registered Independents to cast votes in primaries. If passed, she predicted, Independents would promptly become the fastest-growing party in the area. “The extremes on either side do not work in the Lehigh Valley,” she said, echoing moderate Easton Democratic Mayor Sal Panto’s remarks to Fox News Digital in a separate interview. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It boils down to an individual, not a ticket, per se. Look at our elected officials over the decades, like our mayors and county executives, they are moderates,” the senator said. In Lehigh County, Allentown has had a spate of moderate-to-liberal Democratic mayors, including Tuerk, Ray O’Connell and Ed Pawlowski – the latter of whom is currently serving time in federal prison for a pay-to-play scheme. At the turn of the century, Republican Bill Heydt led the city and was seen as just as popular as his Democratic contemporaries. While Bethlehem Democratic Mayor J. William Reynolds ultimately did not respond to interview requests, that city last had a Republican mayor in the 1990s, when Kenneth Smith led the city through the collapse of Bethlehem Steel Corp. The Lehigh Valley’s prior congressman, Republican Charlie Dent, was a moderate who

Harris teaming up with top anti-Trump Republican ahead of Bret Baier Fox News interview

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. – As she ramps up her efforts to court disgruntled Republicans in her battle with former President Donald Trump for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a two-pronged approach on Wednesday. The Democratic presidential nominee will team up in battleground Pennsylvania with more than 100 anti-Trump Republicans, including one of the most vocal and visible, former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger. Following her campaign event at the historic park where George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 – a turning point moment in the American Revolutionary War – the vice president will sit down with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier for an interview that will run on “Special Report” at 6 p.m. ET. With less than three weeks until Election Day, Harris and Trump are locked in a margin-of-error race in the key swing states. HARRIS RAMPS UP OUTREACH TO BLACK MEN AS TRUMP MAKES GAINS While Trump retains vast sway over the GOP, a small sliver of Republicans supporting Harris could make an important impact in what will likely be a race within the margins in the battleground states. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION Kinzinger, who flew missions as a pilot in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and later served a dozen years as a conservative member of Congress, had a prominent speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, when Harris gave her nomination acceptance speech. Kinzinger was one of only two Republicans who served on a special select committee organized by House Democrats that investigated the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to prevent the Congressional certification of the 2020 election. The other was former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the one-time rising conservative star among House Republicans who became a leading GOP crusader against Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden.  Cheney formally endorsed Harris as the two teamed up at a campaign event in swing state Wisconsin two weeks ago. The Harris campaign highlighted that the vice president on Wednesday will also be joined at her event in Bucks County – a key swing county north of Philadelphia – by former Republican Reps. Barbara Comstack of Virginia, Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma, Denver Riggleman of Virginia, Chris Shays of Connecticut, David Trott of Michigan, as well as former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and former aides who served in the Trump administration. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS IN THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW  As she did at her event with Cheney, Harris is expected to spotlight the importance of patriotism and upholding the Constitution in a bipartisan call for putting country above party in this election. “Anyone who recklessly tramples on our democratic values as Donald Trump has, anyone who has actively and violently obstructed the will of the people and the peaceful transfer of power as Donald Trump has … must never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States,” Harris emphasized two weeks ago as she stood on the podium with Cheney. Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has also endorsed Harris. Harris is also backed by more than 200 alumni who served in both Bush administrations or worked for the late Sen. John McCain and Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2008 and 2012 GOP presidential nominees, respectively. She is also supported by more than 100 Republican former national security officials and other prominent Republicans. HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH CHENEY AT BIRTHPLACE OF THE GOP Following Wednesday’s event, the vice president is expected to sit with Baier for approximately 25–30 minutes at around 5 p.m. ET, about an hour before “Special Report” airs live. “We are going to run it uninterrupted, unedited, all the way,” Baier said on the eve of the interview. The vice president’s first formal interview on Fox News will give her a chance to speak directly to viewers across the ideological spectrum who normally do not watch the rival cable news networks CNN and MSNBC. “Special Report” is regularly among the most-watched programs on cable news, and the show’s “Common Ground” segment features political leaders from across the aisle discussing the issues of the day with the goal of finding compromise. “We have a lot of eyeballs. We have Democrats, independents and Republicans,” Baier said. “We have the biggest cable news audience. And this is probably going to get a lot more eyeballs. I think tough but fair is what I pitched it as. And I think that’s what they’re going to see.” Harris largely avoided interviews after replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in mid-July. Her first formal sit-down interview with CNN did not happen until late August. However, she has ramped up her media appearances in recent weeks, including interviews with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” ABC’s “The View,” late night talk show host Stephen Colbert, radio personality Howard Stern and numerous podcasts. Most of those encounters were perceived as friendly interviews. The interview with Baier on Fox News, however, may feed the perception that the vice president in the closing stretch of the campaign is open to facing tough questions. “She knows there are going to be hard questions. She can handle those,” seasoned Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer told Fox News. “Going through that process and handling that, you’re kind of going behind enemy lines a little bit.” Harris will be the first Democratic presidential nominee in eight years to sit for an interview on Fox News, when Hillary Clinton spoke with Chris Wallace in 2016. However, leading Harris surrogates – including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – have made high-profile appearances on Fox News this summer and autumn. Additionally, Democratic vice presidential nominee, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, was interviewed on “Fox News Sunday” the past two weekends. The Harris sitdown with

Bengaluru rains: ‘Manyata Tech waterfalls,’ internet mocks city’s infra amid heavy rainfall

Meanwhile, Social media users took on social media to ridicule Bengaluru’s infrastructure after the city was hit by heavy rains that resulted in extensive flooding.

Senate Dems target Black voters with new ad as Harris’ support falls short

The Senate Democrat campaign arm announced a new effort to reach Black voters on Wednesday as Vice President Kamala Harris, who leads the ticket, is struggling to match President Biden’s margin with the demographic.  The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is advertising in local Black media outlets across seven states with pivotal Senate races, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maryland, Texas and Florida.  The ads will focus on emphasizing the importance of participating in the upcoming elections, as fears of declining enthusiasm among Black voters are returning.  ‘A LOT OF TRUMP SIGNS’: RESIDENTS IN BLUE STRONGHOLD MILWAUKEE BREAK DOWN 2024 ELECTION “Our vote. Our power. Make your voice heard, make your plan to vote. IWillVote.com,” the ad said.  It is running, starting on Wednesday, in publications such as the Florida Star, the Baltimore Times/Annapolis Times, the Michigan Chronicle, the Call & Post in Ohio, the West Philly Journal, Houston Style Magazine, Dallas Weekly and the Milwaukee Community Journal.  “Black voters have the power to shape the outcome of the 2024 election and will play a critical role in defending Democrats’ Senate majority that is fighting for the values, priorities and issues that matter most for Black Americans. This campaign will build on Senate Democrats’ efforts to meet Black voters wherever they are and ensure that every voter has the information they need to make their plan to vote and make their voice heard in the 2024 Senate election,” DSCC Deputy Executive Director Jessica Knight Henry said in a statement. The Democrats’ effort to shore up Black voter turnout and support in crucial Senate races comes as recent polling indicates former President Donald Trump is making gains with Black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters. ‘I WAS MUCH BETTER OFF’: THESE VOTERS BACK TRUMP IN TOP BATTLEGROUND COUNTY It also comes as Harris’ campaign faces a disparity between Biden’s 2020 vote share of the demographic and hers.  In a recent poll, 76% of Black voters said they would support Harris if the election were held that day, per the New York Times and Siena College. While over three-quarters of the group indicated they would back Harris, the number was shy of the 90% of Black voters who chose Biden in 2020, when the president defeated then-President Trump.  Amid this concern, Harris’ campaign unveiled this week its “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men.”  Her plan includes fully forgivable loans for Black entrepreneurs, a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and legalizing recreational marijuana, among other measures.  KAMALA HARRIS ACCUSED OF PLAGIARIZING IN 2009 BOOK ABOUT BEING ‘SMART ON CRIME’ “Kamala Harris and Senate Democrats are struggling with Black voters because Black voters don’t like paying insanely high prices at the grocery store, mass illegal immigration, and having their taxpayer funds used to pay for gender transition surgery for murderers,” National Republican Senate Committee Communications Director Mike Berg told Fox News Digital in a statement. Top Democrat Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., recently admitted his concern about Black voters supporting Republicans, saying on CNN’s “State of the Union,” “I am concerned about Black men staying home or voting for Trump.”  Former President Barack Obama also expressed worry in Pennsylvania, telling people at a pre-campaign stop, “I’m speaking to men directly — 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.”  TRUMP ALLY TIM SCOTT MULLS BID FOR TOP ROLE AT SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM Harris answered questions about her support with Black men in a recent interview, explaining, “One, that’s not my experience,” and, “Two, Election Day has not arrived yet.” “Black men are no different from anybody else,” she said on the Black-focused entertainment show “The Shade Room.”  “They expect that you have to earn their vote. And that’s why I’m out here.” Harris also did an audio town hall this week on iHeartRadio with “Breakfast Club” radio show co-host Charlamagne Tha God, who is particularly popular with Black listeners.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Cruz, Allred trade barbs in heated Texas Senate debate: ‘Extreme,’ ‘threat to democracy’

The Texas Senate debate between longtime Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred was not without its share of name-calling and fiery exchanges in the state’s first and only debate before the November election. Abortion, immigration and transgender issues brought out the most contention between the two candidates. While Cruz sought to destroy any attempt of Allred being portrayed as a moderate candidate by continually bringing up his voting record throughout the hour-long debate on Tuesday night, Allred painted Cruz as an “extremist” who opposes exceptions to abortions, like in instances of rape. ‘BOYS PLAYING GIRLS’ SPORTS’ AD LANDS TEXAS DEM IN HOT WATER WITH LGBTQ ACTIVISTS ON EVE OF PIVOTAL DEBATE “You’re not pro-life,” Allred said to Cruz. “It’s not pro-life to deny women care so long that they can’t have children anymore. It’s not pro-life to force a victim of rape to carry their rapist’s baby.” Cruz, during his opening statement, said, “In Texas, we overwhelmingly support that parents should be notified and have to consent before their child gets an abortion.”  “In Texas, we overwhelmingly agree that late-term abortions in the eighth and ninth months, that’s too extreme, and I’ll tell you, in Texas, we overwhelmingly agree that taxpayer money shouldn’t pay for abortions,” he added. At one point during the squabble over abortion, one of the hosts, WFAA’s Jason Whitely, repeatedly probed Cruz but did not do the same to Allred. “Why is this an issue you won’t address, about saying whether you support or oppose exceptions like rape or incest?” Whitely asked Cruz. “Why do you keep asking me that?” Cruz shot back. “But yet I’ve asked Congressman Allred twice about his voting record and the fact that he voted to strike down Texas’ parental notification law and parental consent law. You haven’t asked him about that.” Cruz said during the debate he supports abortion being left up to each state. TEXAS DEM’S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS ‘RACIST’ When it came to border security, Allred contended that Cruz voted against the bipartisan White House deal – which Republicans tanked, arguing it didn’t actually address border security – earlier this year.  “In fact, he does worse than nothing when the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the United States Senate, $20 billion for border security,” Allred said. “And you know, listen, this is not this is a pattern for him. He’s never there for us when we need him.” “He’s voted against the border wall, not once, not twice, but three times, every single time there’s a serious measure in the House to secure the border,” Cruz responded. “Colin Allred is Kamala Harris. Their records are the same.” During another part of the debate, Allred recounted his experience during the Jan. 6 riot, and said, “You’re a threat to democracy.” TEXAS DEM ALLRED SAYS HE OPPOSES ‘BOYS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS’ DESPITE PAST OF ALLOWING IT, FIGHTING PARENTAL RIGHTS Regarding the issue of trans women competing in women’s sports and sharing facilities – topics Cruz has targeted in several attack ads – Allred firmly reiterated that he does not support any of the “ridiculous things he’s talking about.” To escape the hot seat, Allred redirected the issue back to abortion. “But what he wants you thinking about is kids in bathrooms, so you’re not thinking about women in hospitals, because it’s indefensible,” Allred said.  Cruz, the two-term Republican who has held the seat for the last 12 years, kept pinning his main point on Allred at every turn: “He said not a word about his own record.” In October 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law restricting transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. Texas is one of 23 states with laws in place to prevent transgender inclusion in women’s sports. In June 2023, Allred co-sponsored a bill that would require public schools to permit biological male student athletes who identify as transgender on girls’ sports teams. The Texas Senate race is a likely GOP win, according to the latest Fox News Power Rankings. The most recent Real Clear Politics polling average shows Cruz with a four-point lead in the race. Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Voters to face climate-related ballot initiatives, such as repealing law to reduce emissions by 95% by 2050

In 2024, voters in multiple states will decide on key ballot initiatives that will shape their climate and environmental policies for the next several years. Washington residents face a particularly important decision on whether to repeal the state’s major climate policy, the Climate Commitment Act, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% below 1990 levels by 2050. The measure, dubbed Washington Initiative 2117, would repeal the 2021 law and prohibit state agencies from implementing any carbon cap-and-trade system. Proponents of the bill have heavily criticized the law and claim the current carbon tax has increased energy costs. HARRIS DROPS MILLIONS ON PRIVATE JET SPENDING DESPITE CALLING CLIMATE CHANGE AN ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’ Let’s Go Washington, a political action committee (PAC) endorsing the measure, suggested that if the bill passes, voters will save on gas, groceries and on energy bills. “We are urging all Washington residents to vote yes, pay less on 2117 to finally hold [Gov. Jay] Inslee’s administration accountable for their arrogant and reckless policymaking,” Brian Heywood, Let’s Go Washington founder, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The Climate Commitment Act is a deeply flawed and broken program that’s taken billions of dollars off the backs of everyday Washingtonians while doing nothing to reduce carbon emissions.” A group opposing the bill, however, tells Fox News Digital that passing the measure would mean “more pollution in our air and water.” LAWSUIT ACCUSES STATE DEPARTMENT, DOJ OF STONEWALLING FOIA REQUESTS REGARDING CLIMATE OFFICE PERSONNEL “I-2117 is a deceptive initiative opposed by more than 500 organizations across Washington, including small businesses and major employers, firefighters, doctors and nurses, the majority of federally recognized Tribal Nations in Washington state, because it would threaten our health and devastate investments in transportation,” said Kelsey Nyland, a spokesperson for the No 2117, a coalition campaigning against the measure. “By forcing $5.4 billion in cuts to our state’s transportation funding, it would hurt every corner of our state, putting major road and bridge projects addressing congestion, safety and freight mobility at risk of being delayed or even canceled.” California voters will also see a climate initiative on their ballots this fall.  If passed, Proposition 4 would create a $10 billion taxpayer-funded bond to finance climate projects in the state. Some of these include improving drinking water across the state, wildfire prevention efforts, and protecting coastal areas from sea level rise. Opponents of the ballot measure call it too pricey, suggesting that there would be financial implications to passing it. “Prop 4 is a Democrat political wishlist disguised as so-called ‘climate action,’ saddling taxpayers with nearly $20 billion in Wall Street debt. Rather than funding lasting infrastructure, it funnels money into pet projects like pop-up tents for farmers’ markets and zoo exhibits – far from the meaningful solutions Californians need,” Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Don’t be fooled by claims of progress; Prop 4 won’t address any of the major issues facing our state, but will leave taxpayers bearing the cost of yet another massive loan.” The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) also said the state should not take a loan-based approach to climate-related mitigation. “Clean water and fire mitigation are important priorities that should be funded in the budget, first, not last. Proposition 4 instead borrows $10 billion, which has to be repaid with interest. This is the most expensive way to pay for anything. Prop. 4 also funds billions of dollars of vague grants and programs, and these should never be paid for with borrowed money,” a spokesperson for HJTA told Fox.  Other states will vote on environmental initiatives this cycle. Question 4 on Rhode Island’s ballot will decide on a $53-million bond for land preservation in the state, while Amendment 1 in Minnesota seeks to earmark funds from the state lottery to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) for environmental projects. The future of climate and environmental policy will also weigh heavily on the presidential race, pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Trump. A Pew Research poll found that 62% of Harris supporters believe climate change is a very important issue, compared to only 11% of Trump supporters who see it as a top issue.