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Harris’ death tax reform could impact more than just the ultra-wealthy, experts say

Harris’ death tax reform could impact more than just the ultra-wealthy, experts say

Under former President Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the federal estate tax – often referred to as the death tax – can only apply to estates passed on to heirs valued over $13.61 million.  If that exemption threshold were to expire or lapse, as Vice President Kamala Harris has signaled she would allow if she becomes president, some experts say it could impact more than just the ultra-wealthy. “It creates monopolies,” one conservative economist said.  “It’s going to impact a lot of our clients,” a New Jersey estate planning attorney insisted.  “The exemption is meant to reduce the double taxation of income,” another economist said. “In a way, it’s like the capital gains tax, where people are like, ‘Oh, it’s to [tax] privileged capital.’ No, it’s actually to reduce the double taxation of income.” The Harris campaign told The New York Times in August that the vice president supports President Biden’s proposed tax increases laid out in the most recent federal budget plan put together by his administration, which would reduce the threshold at which the death tax kicks in from roughly $13 million to around $5 million.  Meanwhile, Harris reportedly endorsed the death tax reforms outlined in the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2024, which would reduce the threshold even further to $3.5 million. While running for the presidency in 2019, Harris wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post that raising the estate tax was a solution to poor teacher wages. HARRIS SAYS WEALTHY AMERICANS, CORPORATIONS WILL PAY HIGHER TAXES TO FUND ECONOMIC PLAN Critics of letting the TCJA’s current exclusionary threshold for the death tax expire told Fox News it will promote monopolies, impact small businesses and create an additional tax for a meaningful portion of the country. However, others strongly disagree.  “If estate tax parameters revert, that will only affect a tiny sliver (about two-tenths of 1%) of estates – those with estates over the (now lower) threshold,” Kimberly Clausing, an economist with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement. “Those affected will be quite well off and easily able to pay the tax, and without an estate tax, much capital income would escape tax entirely.” KAMALA HARRIS WANTS AMERICA TO HAVE THE WORLD’S HIGHEST DEATH TAX Garrett Watson is a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit aimed at helping Americans understand the tax code. He said under the new death tax threshold, only an additional 0.13% of heirs will be impacted. He added that under the $13 million threshold provided under the TCJA, about $206 billion in revenue would be lost from 2025 to 2034. However, Michael Kulzer, an estate planning attorney from New Jersey, argued the move will impact “a lot” of his clients. “You bought a shore house 30 years ago for $500,000, it’s probably worth $3 million today,” Kulzer said. He noted that when adding other assets, like pensions, “you don’t have to be really wealthy today” for an estate to reach a $3.5 million, or even $5 million, valuation. NUMBERS SHOW HARRIS TAX PROPOSALS WOULD GIVE TO SMALL BUSINESS WITH ONE HAND, TAKE WITH THE OTHER Meanwhile, Heritage Foundation economist Richard Stern pointed out that “it’s really the business part of this where it will affect a lot of people.”   Stern pointed to hopeful McDonald’s franchise owners as an example, who, on average, must have $1.5 million to $2.5 million in start-up costs to get going. “If the price to buy the franchise for one McDonald’s is a million and a half dollars, you don’t need to have a lot of restaurants under your belt to reach $3.5 or $5 million in value.” Family farms and family-owned construction companies, Stern added, are other examples of potentially vulnerable targets. Family-owned companies have gone public about being forced to sell, at least in part, due to estate taxes. Stern added that a small business does not need to be far over the threshold to face a big tax bill when the owner dies and tries to pass it on to one of his heirs. This, Stern argued, would force the heir to start selling off parts of their business, and, in turn, serves to “create monopolies.” “The people who are going to be affected the most are often those whose income is not held in cash. It’s often held in stocks. In a company. And in order to pay it, it means you have to sell it,” Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, added. “So, in a way, I don’t really care how many people it affects. It’s just a bad – it’s a bad policy.” Oprah Winfrey, who has endorsed Harris for president, blasted the federal estate tax in 1997 as a “double tax” and blamed it for “why you always hear about people where their aunts left them houses, or left them stuff, and they can’t keep the house because the taxes are so much.”  “In a way, it’s like the capital gains tax, where people are like, ‘Oh, it’s to [tax] privileged capital.’ No, it’s actually to reduce the double taxation of income,” echoed de Rugy in talks with Fox News Digital. The Harris campaign declined to provide an on-the-record response for this article.

Pressure grows on Georgia Secretary of State to release results of noncitizen voter roll audit

Pressure grows on Georgia Secretary of State to release results of noncitizen voter roll audit

A group in Georgia is applying pressure to the state’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to release the results of a voter roll audit he announced over the summer. “Millions of illegal immigrants have flooded our country since 2021, and it’s well-documented that thousands of them have successfully registered to vote in multiple states. But even with early voting now underway, Georgia voters are still waiting for confirmation that non-citizens are not casting ballots in our elections,” former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who now serves as the chairwoman for the group behind the effort, Greater Georgia, said in a release obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. The comments come more than three months after Raffensperger announced the state was conducting a “SAVE audit” of noncitizens who may have registered to vote, which he called a “vital step in maintaining election security and integrity in Georgia.” HARRIS INVOKES JIMMY CARTER IN BID TO GET SUPPORTERS TO VOTE EARLY “We are double-checking to make sure that if any non-citizens attempt to register to vote, they will not be able to vote unless they prove that they are U.S. citizens,” Raffensberger said in a release at the time, which also warned of prison sentences of up to 10 years and fines of up to $100,000 for noncitizens who register to vote in the state. Raffensperger told NewsNation just a few weeks later that the audit was complete, boasting that he could promise residents of the state that “only American citizens are voting.” GEORGIA SHATTERS EARLY VOTING RECORDS AS CAMPAIGNS ENTER HOME STRETCH IN BATTLEGROUND STATE However, noting that states such as Virginia, Ohio, and Texas have discovered noncitizens on their own voter rolls, Loeffler wrote a letter calling on Raffensperger to release the results of the Georgia audit. “If state officials want voters to trust in the process, they must stop delaying the transparency they have repeatedly promised,” Loeffler said. “We call on Secretary Raffensperger to immediately release the full results of his citizenship audit – and give voters the peace of mind that only American citizens are deciding American elections.”  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Early voting has already begun in Georgia and runs through Nov. 1. Raffensperger’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Does Musk’s daily $1m giveaway constitute election interference?

Does Musk’s daily m giveaway constitute election interference?

Billionaire Elon Musk has pledged to award $1m every day until election day in the United States on November 5 to randomly selected registered voters who sign a petition to “support the constitution” launched by his pro-Donald Trump America Political Action Committee (PAC). Musk announced the giveaway on Saturday at an America PAC-hosted rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The scheme has come under scrutiny by legal experts as well as Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, who on Sunday asked law enforcement to launch an investigation into potential election interference. Here is more about Musk’s giveaway: Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk, who supports Donald Trump, appears on stage during an America PAC town hall in Folsom, Pennsylvania, on October 17, 2024 [Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters] Why is Elon Musk giving away money? From October 17 to November 5, Musk said he will give $1m to a randomly selected winner each day if: He or she is a registered voter. He or she is from one of the following swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin or North Carolina. He or she has signed an online petition created by America PAC. Musk, 53 – who is a founder and the CEO of the electric car company Tesla and rocket producer SpaceX and owns the social media network X – has a net worth of $274.4bn, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list. What is in the America PAC petition? Musk has repeatedly called the petition one that “upholds the US Constitution”. More precisely, the petition on a webpage belonging to the America PAC website, says: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments.” The webpage states, “EARN 1,000,000” in big, bold letters, flanked by two money bag emojis. Individuals who sign are supposed to enter their first name, last name, email address and cellphone number. Next to the cellphone number field in the form, a note says the number is required only to confirm that the petition signee is a legitimate voter and “no other purpose”. “Our goal is to get 1 million registered voters in swing states to sign in support of the constitution,” the website added. On Friday, the day before the giveaway announcement, the Reuters news agency reported that Alysia McMillan, who canvassed for America PAC in Wisconsin, said field organisers had reported they were missing their daily goals in terms of enlisting voters and were expecting to fall short of their ultimate goal of contacting 450,000 voters by election day. In Pennsylvania, each registered voter who signs the petition will automatically receive $100 as compensation, and an additional $100 is paid for each person who signs upon their referral. In other swing states, individuals will get $47 per successful referral. The date the petition was created and the number of signatures amassed so far were not visible on the America PAC webpage. What is America PAC? PACs raise and spend money to advocate for or against a candidate in an election. Musk formed America PAC in May to support former President Trump’s election bid this year. On October 16, it was reported that Musk had poured $75m over three months into America PAC. Originally from South Africa, Musk obtained US citizenship in 2002. For years, he voted for Democratic Party candidates. However, the relationship between Musk and the Democrats has soured during President Joe Biden’s time in office. Musk did not immediately become a Trump supporter. Instead, he threw his weight behind one of Trump’s competitors for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron DeSantis, in 2022. Trump has a vacillating history with X, formerly known as Twitter. His tweets made the news regularly leading up to his first campaign for president in 2016, which he won. He was banned from X on January 8, 2021, two days after the US Capitol was attacked by Trump supporters over the results of the 2020 election, which Biden won. However, Musk bought Twitter in October 2022. The next month, Trump’s account was reinstated. Musk posted a supportive message of Trump on X, stating: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” after an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Musk attended a Trump rally on October 5, wearing a black cap saying, “Make America Great Again” (MAGA), which is Trump’s campaign slogan. Why has Musk rolled out this prize scheme? Musk said the reason he is giving away the money is to generate more awareness about the America PAC petition. “The legacy media won’t report on it. Not everyone’s on X,” he said in a video of the Harrisburg rally posted on the X account of America PAC. “I think this news is going to really fly.” “You don’t even have to vote, you just have to sign a petition,” Musk said in another video posted on the same account. Is Musk’s $1m plan legal? Making a payment to someone “for registering to vote or for voting” is a federal crime, according to a document published by the US Department of Justice in December 2017. It adds that this payment does not have to be money but can also be other valuables like liquor or lottery tickets. Brendan Fischer, a campaign finance lawyer, told The Associated Press that Musk’s giveaway approaches a legal boundary. That’s because the PAC is requiring registration as a prerequisite to become eligible for the $1m prize. “There would be few doubts about the legality if every Pennsylvania-based petition signer were eligible, but conditioning the payments on registration arguably violates the law,” Fischer told the news agency. “It’s not quite the same as paying someone to vote, but you’re getting close enough that we worry about its legality,” Michael Kang, an election law professor at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, told AP. “Though maybe some of the other things Musk was doing were of murky legality, this

US veteran Daniel Penny on trial in New York for fatal subway chokehold

US veteran Daniel Penny on trial in New York for fatal subway chokehold

Penny faces up to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in the racially-charged trial.  A former United States Marine is set to go on trial for putting a man in a deadly chokehold while riding a New York subway in 2023. The veteran, 25-year-old Daniel Penny, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter and four years if found guilty of the lesser offence of criminally negligent homicide. Jury selection for the high-profile trial begins Monday and could last up to a week. The trial itself could last six weeks, legal experts say. The court proceedings are putting a spotlight back on a case that sparked a national debate about race and criminal justice. Protesters gather outside the Manhattan Criminal Court on the first day of former US Marine Daniel Penny’s trial for the death of Jordan Neely in New York City, US, October 21, 2024 [Caitlin Ochs/Reuters] Homeless man Penny, who is white, is accused of “recklessly causing the death” of Neely, a black homeless street performer who witnesses say was acting erratically on a subway train on May 1, 2023, when Penny tried to restrain him. Witnesses to the incident said Neely – who relatives say had struggled with drug addiction and mental illness – was shouting and demanding money when Penny approached him. Penny pinned Neely to the ground with the help of two other passengers and placed him in a chokehold for more than three minutes until Neely’s body went limp. The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide caused by compression of the neck. Penny’s lawyers argued that he didn’t intend to kill Neely, just to hold him down long enough for police to arrive. Penny, who is from Long Island to the east of the city, has claimed Neely shouted, “I’m gonna’ kill you” and that he was “ready to die” or go to jail for life. Penny’s attorney, Steven Raiser, said the defence plans to offer up other potential causes for Neely’s death, including high levels of the synthetic cannabinoid known as K2 found in his body. They’ll also argue that footage shared widely on social media proves Penny was not applying pressure consistently enough to render Neely unconscious, let alone kill him. Prosecutors, in their court filings, have argued that Penny’s actions were reckless and negligent, even if he didn’t intend to kill Neely. After Neely’s death in 2023, protesters took to the streets demanding that authorities arrest Penny, while others gathered outside the courthouse to show their support once he was charged. Police officers operate as people protest the death of Jordan Neely in New York City, US, May 8, 2023 [Andrew Kelly/Reuters] Numerous right-wing US politicians took up Penny’s cause, with Florida governor and failed Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis saying: “We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny. Let’s show this Marine … America’s got his back.” The New York City subway system is one of the world’s largest public transit systems, with 472 stations and 399km (248 miles) of routes, and a daily ridership of approximately 3.6 million people. Penny, who served four years in the Marines, has been free pending his trial on a $100,000 bond. Neely’s uncle, Christopher Neely, said he and his other family members are hopeful about the outcome of the trial. “Justice for Jordan is all we think about,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)

Seoul demands ‘immediate withdrawal’ of North Korean troops in Russia

Seoul demands ‘immediate withdrawal’ of North Korean troops in Russia

South Korea summons Russian ambassador over Pyongyang’s alleged dispatch of soldiers to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to criticise Pyongyang’s decision to send hundreds of soldiers to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says as it calls for their immediate withdrawal. In Pyongyang’s first such deployment overseas, about 1,500 special forces soldiers have arrived in Russia and are likely to head to the front lines after acclimatising, Seoul’s spy agency said Friday, adding that additional forces are set to depart soon. South Korea has long accused the nuclear-armed North of supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, signed a military deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June. Seoul expressed its “grave concerns regarding North Korea’s recent dispatch of troops to Russia and strongly urged the immediate withdrawal of North Korean forces”, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun told Russian Ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev on Monday. Seoul’s spy agency released detailed satellite images showing what it said was the first batch of 1,500 North Korean special forces from the elite “Storm Corps” to arrive in Vladivostok on Russian military vessels. Any military cooperation between the two countries violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, Vice Foreign Minister Kim said. “We condemn North Korea’s illegal military cooperation, including its dispatch of troops to Russia, in the strongest terms,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry quoted him as saying. “We will respond jointly with the international community by mobilising all available means against acts that threaten our core security interests.” Zinoviev “stressed that cooperation between Russia and North Korea … is not directed against the interests of South Korea’s security”, the Russian embassy said in a statement. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said on Monday that Moscow will “continue developing this cooperation further”. “North Korea is our close neighbour and partner, and we develop relations in all areas, and it’s our sovereign right,” he told journalists in Moscow while declining to comment on whether Russia is using North Korean troops. Later on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke to NATO chief Mark Rutte, urging the alliance to take “concrete countermeasures” against growing Russian-North Korean cooperation. NATO has not yet confirmed the North Korean troop deployment, but Rutte said in a post on X that it “would mark a significant escalation” in the conflict. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who was in Seoul on Monday, called Russia’s actions “reckless and illegal” and added that London would work with Seoul to respond, according to Yoon’s office. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Pyongyang of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to Russia and on Sunday called for a strong international reaction. The United States said on Friday it could not confirm reports that North Korean troops were fighting but said, if true, it would be a “dangerous development” in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)

Here’s how Elon Musk’s $1 million a day give-away to battleground voters works

Here’s how Elon Musk’s  million a day give-away to battleground voters works

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is making waves on the Pennsylvania campaign trail in support for former President Donald Trump’s re-election, including offering $1 million a day to swing-state voters who sign his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution. “Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms! We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do,” Musk, the wealthiest individual in the U.S., posted to X early Sunday morning.  The night prior, Musk granted a $1 million sum to a Pennsylvania man named John Dreher during an event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  “The only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition, and that’s it, really,” Musk said at the rally, as Dreher explained he “had no idea” he was selected.  ELON GOES ON CAMPAIGN BLITZ AGAINST GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, VOWS TO REVEAL BIZARRE ALLEGED SCHEMES Fox News examined the legality surrounding the initiative and found that it’s a legal gray zone that appears to be open to interpretation, also finding similar Democratic initiatives in the Keystone State and nationally. Under federal law, it is a crime to pay someone to register to vote, however, Musk’s giveaway is not enticing voters to register, but instead sign a petition.  Musk’s rules surrounding the $1 million award include that voters sign his PAC’s petition, which backs the First and Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The initiative outlines that it only applies to registered voters in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, implying that non-registered voters do not qualify for the program.  “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments,” the petition reads.  FETTERMAN ISSUES WARNING TO DEMOCRATS AFTER ELON STUMPS FOR TRUMP IN PENNSYLVANIA The America PAC website details that a petition signer in the Pittsburgh area will be awarded the sum for Oct. 20, and another signer from Pennsylvania at-large will be awarded the sum for Oct. 21.  “Oct 22 – Nov 5: Each day, one petition signer from either PA, GA, NV, AZ, MI, WI, or NC will earn $1,000,000,” the website continues, detailing which states are considered battlegrounds.  The petition does not require a resident to register to vote to sign the petition, only prompting users to answer whether they are registered voters.  The Washington Post detailed in a piece earlier this month, titled “Massive influx of shadowy get-out-the-vote spending floods swing states,” that a nonprofit in Philadelphia was sending more than 100,000 comic books to voters under the age of 32 in the area to increase voter turnout in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. The outlet explained that the nonprofit also “has tried to juice voting” with $1,000 Target gift cards, $2,000 rent checks and $10,000 grants to community groups this cycle.  While a youth-focused nonprofit, The Civic Center, is running a promotion for high schoolers: $150 gift cards to students who help ready their schools for High School Voter Registration Week. The $1 million a day amid a close and highly-anticipated election has spurred some criticisms and legal concerns from Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who previously served as the state’s attorney general.  “I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians. That is deeply concerning,” Shapiro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He continued, “Look, Musk, obviously has a right to be able to express his views, and he’s made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump, and we have a difference of opinion. I don’t deny him that right, but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.” “You think it might not be legal, yes or no?” Welker followed. Shapiro responded, “I think it’s something that law enforcement can take a look at.” Musk brushed off the concern on X: “Concerning that he would say such a thing.”  FETTERMAN ADMITS ELON MUSK ‘ATTRACTIVE TO A DEMOGRAPHIC’ DEMOCRATS ‘NEED’ TO WIN PENNSYLVANIA Earlier this month, Musk’s PAC announced that individuals seeking to increase voter registration and turnout are offered starting wages of $30 an hour – far above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour – with the PAC also offering battleground state voters $47 for each registered voter they refer to sign the PAC’s petition. In Pennsylvania, Musk’s PAC is offering residents $100 to sign the petition and $100 for every referral.  ELON MUSK TO UPGRADE SECURITY AFTER LEFT-WING MAGAZINE LABELS HIM ‘PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 2’ The PAC, which bills itself as promoting “free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society,” was officially formed earlier in the summer, with Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from late last month showing the America PAC has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. Musk said in July he planned to commit about $45 million a month to the super PAC.  Musk officially endorsed Trump over the summer, when the 45th president survived the first assassination attempt on his life this election cycle, and has since joined the campaign trail, most notably in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania to rally support and encourage people to vote.  TRUMP SUPPORTER ELON MUSK OFFERS MASSIVE HOURLY PAY TO THOSE WORKING TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT He has made the First Amendment, Second Amendment, cutting government red tape and ending overregulation on businesses hallmarks of his campaign speeches. Trump has meanwhile lauded Musk for his support, and said that the tech billionaire behind SpaceX and X is willing

Harris makes pitch to Black churches after telling protesters praising Jesus, ‘You’re at the wrong rally’

Harris makes pitch to Black churches after telling protesters praising Jesus, ‘You’re at the wrong rally’

Vice President Harris made campaign stops at Black churches in Georgia over the weekend, days after sparking controversy among Christian Americans by telling protesters praising Jesus “you’re at the wrong rally.”  Harris celebrated her 60th birthday at two Black churches outside of Atlanta on Sunday as part of a nationwide push – known as “Souls to the Polls” – to encourage Black voters to participate in early voting.   After the congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, sang “Happy Birthday” to her, Harris made a veiled dig at her opponent, former President Trump, while speaking about her faith.  “In this moment, across our nation, what we do see are some who try to deepen division among us, spread hate, sow fear and cause chaos,” Harris told Black churchgoers. “There are those who suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know, which is the true measure of the strength of a leader, is based on who you lift up.”  TRUMP, HARRIS NECK AND NECK AS DEMS LOSE GROUND AMONG LATINO, BLACK VOTERS: POLL Harris was later serenaded by Stevie Wonder at Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro, Georgia, where the Democratic nominee referenced the parable of the good Samaritan a second time.  “There is so much at stake right now,” Harris said, attempting to contrast herself against Trump two weeks from Election Day. “We understand that for us to do good works, it means to do it in the spirit of understanding that our strength is not based on who we beat down as someone tries to suggest….” “Our strength is based on who we lift up, and that spirit is very much at stake in these next 16 days, which is are we a country that honors through our faith and our deeds the importance of kindness – of support, of understanding the dignity in each other and the respect that we should have for each other.”  The concept of “Souls to the Polls” dates back to the Civil Rights Movement. Black congregations hold a tradition of leading get-out-the-vote campaigns to counter voter suppression efforts of the Jim Crow era.  VANCE TAKES FAITH APPROACH AFTER HARRIS MOCKED PRO-LIFE PROTESTERS AT RALLY: ‘JESUS IS KING’ Harris’ appearances in the swing state of Georgia come days after she told two pro-life student protesters that they were “at the wrong rally” when they yelled, “Jesus is Lord,” and, “Christ is King,” during a campaign stop in Wisconsin last week. By contrast, Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, repeated, “Jesus is King” when someone shouted the phrase at his rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, telling the crowd how he believes “there is something really bizarre with Harris’ anti-Christian rhetoric and anti-Christian approach to public policy.”  Harris also skipped the Al Smith dinner, a Catholic charity event in New York City and a traditional campaign stop for presidential nominees, instead sending a poorly-received video message last week. Trump is campaigning in another battleground, North Carolina, on Monday, where he is expected to visit Hurricane Helene devastation in Asheville before convening an “11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting” with Eric Trump and Ben Carson outside of Charlotte. The Republican nominee’s “Believers for Trump” initiative includes outreach to Black voters, a traditionally Democratic constituency where Trump has made inroads. The engagement of faith voters in the 2024 election underscores an unprecedented blending of partisan politics with Christianity at a moment when many churches have seen attendance decline.   CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP On Friday, the Democratic National Committee hosted a call to launch its “Souls to the Polls” effort with civil rights activist Martin Luther King III, who endorsed Harris and called Trump “a disaster for Black America.” The campaign kicked off its own “Souls to the Polls” program and set up a faith advisory board of progressive faith leaders that includes a pastor, Amos C. Brown, of the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco. The Associated Press contributed to this report.