Unearthed letter reveals Walz boasted about Minnesota hosting ‘numerous senior Chinese leaders’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, boasted about Minnesota hosting several top Chinese leaders in a letter unearthed by Fox News Digital. The Minnesota International Chinese School showcased a 2021 letter from Walz on its YouTube channel celebrating the 10th anniversary of the school’s Chinese New Year. “Minnesota has a longstanding relationship with the people of China,” Walz said in the letter. “The state has promoted Minnesota’s connections with China and has hosted numerous senior Chinese leaders for decades. Thousands of Minnesotans claim ancestral connections to China, which has helped foster numerous ties between Minnesota and China.” “These ties are rapidly expanding through the growth of education, trade, and investment opportunities between our two peoples,” he added before congratulating the school on a “very important milestone” and “teaching our language learners and future leaders the importance of speaking multiple languages and of being global citizens.” HARRIS VP PICK SPENT YEARS PROMOTING RESEARCH FACILITY THAT COLLABORATED WITH ‘CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY’ The letter came within 10 days of Zhao Jian, the Consul General of China in Chicago, recording a four-minute greeting in Chinese for the school, according to the school’s YouTube channel. Walz’s connection to Jian has been under scrutiny in recent weeks after the House Oversight Committee unearthed a meeting between Walz and Jian earlier this year discussing “China-U.S. relations and sub-national cooperation.” While the specifics of the meeting aren’t clear, a 2022 report from the Biden administration’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI) highlighted how U.S.-based Chinese consulates like the one Walz met with “play an active role” in “foreign influence operations” on behalf of the CCP. DHS EMPLOYEE WARNED COLLEAGUES THAT WALZ’S NOMINATION ‘FEEDS INTO’ CHINA’S EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE DC Walz’s decades-long ties to China have come back to haunt him since Vice President Harris picked him to join her Democratic ticket as the vice presidential nominee. He worked briefly in China as a teacher, traveling to Guangdong in 1989 for a teaching-abroad program to teach English and American history. Walz was initially believed to have made dozens of trips to China over his lifetime, but a campaign spokesperson would later try to walk that number back and say he made approximately 15 visits to China, which included his honeymoon in 1994. “I’ve lived in China and, as I’ve said, I’ve been there about 30 times. . . . I don’t fall into the category that China necessarily needs to be an adversarial relationship. I totally disagree, and I think we need to stand firm on what they’re doing in the South China Sea, but there’s many areas of cooperation we can work on,” Walz previously said in an interview with Agri-Pulse Communications. He also came to the defense of the Chinese Communist system, saying during a 1991 school lesson that it “means that everyone is the same, and everyone shares.” “The doctor and the construction worker make the same,” he continued, according to the Washington Free Beacon. “The Chinese government and the place they work for provide housing and 14 kg or about 30 pounds of rice per month. They get food and housing.” Walz was also quoted by a local outlet in 1990 reflecting on his visits to China, saying, “No matter how long I live, I will never be treated that well again. . . . They gave me more gifts than I could bring home. It was an excellent experience,” Walz said, adding that he had been “treated exceptionally well.” Fox News Digital recently reported that a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official sounded the alarm with colleagues about how Harris’ decision to pick Walz for the presidential ticket “feeds into” activities the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were conducting “with him and local government,” warning that Beijing could “target” him to exert influence on U.S. policy. “Walt’s [sic] got the Vp,” reads the message, with the identity of the sender redacted. “You all have no idea how this feeds into what prc has been doing here with him and local gov.” The official added, “It’s seriously a line of the intel. Target someone who is perceived they can get to DC.” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer wrote in a letter to Mayorkas on Tuesday that the Committee is “releasing the above message as an example of communications within DHS’s possession in which DHS officials express concern about the CCP targeting politicians and their influence operations at the state and local levels — and specifically, concerns about the CCP’s influence operations as they related to Governor Walz.” Walz has also faced scrutiny for his ties to a Minnesota-based medical research institute with a long track record of collaborating with a firm labeled by the Pentagon as a “Chinese military company” and with Chinese officials with controversial ties to the CCP. In 2014, Walz welcomed a delegation from China to the institute that included Wang Yanling, the vice governor of Henan Province and a Communist Party doctor. Yanling is listed as holding several positions in the Chinese Communist Party over the course of many decades. Several members of the Chinese Communist Party have sat on the board of directors at the Henan Cancer Institute, according to an archived version of the organization’s website. Fox News Digital reached out to Harris-Walz campaign. Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Dozens of female Trump staffers, surrogates blast Mark Cuban as ‘misogynistic’ in new campaign ad
FIRST ON FOX: Dozens of women on the Trump campaign and female surrogates for the former president are blasting billionaire Mark Cuban, calling his recent comments about pro-Trump women “misogynistic” and a “disgrace.” The Trump campaign put together a video featuring current and former female Trump staffers and surrogates, including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik; former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Brooke Rollins; former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick; lawyer Alina Habba; ex-ESPN anchor Sage Steele; former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi; former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler; Reps. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.; and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake. The video comes after Cuban, a top surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris, appeared on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday morning when he made the controversial comments. “Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Cuban said. “It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them.” TRUMP CAMPAIGN BLASTS TOP HARRIS SURROGATE MARK CUBAN FOR ‘INSULTING’ PRO-TRUMP WOMEN “’You never see Donald Trump around strong, intelligent women.’ That’s the quote, Mark Cuban?” Steele says in the Trump campaign video. “First off, that’s obviously wildly unintelligent,” Patrick says. “Not only are you arrogant, but you’re misogynistic, too,” says Trump campaign Black Media Director Janiyah Thomas. “It’s a disgrace, and Kamala Harris stays silent,” Stefanik says. “How insulting is that?” Moms for America CEO Kimberly Fletcher says. “You’re putting women down? President Trump doesn’t do that,” Habba says. “He surrounds himself with strong women like me.” “President Trump empowered me and every other woman in America,” Huckabee Sanders says. Rollins also appears and claims there were “more women on senior staff, working moms, than any other White House in the history of this country” under the Trump administration. The video runs for more than three minutes and features more than 60 female Trump supporters. “President Trump uplifted women and all Americans in his first term by putting more money in our pockets, expanding access to childcare and paid family leave, and making our communities safer,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “In Kamala Harris’ America, women are being raped and killed by illegal aliens, and working mothers are struggling to buy basic groceries for their families.” Leavitt added: “Smart, strong women across the country are supporting President Trump because they know Kamala Harris broke our country, but President Trump will fix it.” The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Cuban walked back his remarks in a statement, saying: “One, I know many strong, intelligent women voting for Trump. Including in my extended family. I’m certainly not saying female voters are not smart, strong and intelligent. Two, I know he has worked with strong, intelligent women, like Elaine Chao, Kelly Anne, Ivanka and many others.” BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY Cuban’s comments came just days after President Biden apparently referred to Trump supporters as “garbage.” Biden spoke during a Zoom call with Voto Latino, one of the largest Latino voter and civic outreach organizations in the U.S., on Tuesday. He was asked about a comment made Sunday during a Trump rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden replied, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” The White House has since denied that Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” and claimed the comment was taken out of context. And when asked about Biden’s comments, Harris said, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” ‘STRONG, CONSERVATIVE WOMEN’ STRIKE BACK AGAINST MARK CUBAN’S ‘INSULTS’ “I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not,” she said. “And as President of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not.” In Wisconsin on Wednesday, Trump drove around in a “Make America Great Again” garbage truck, wearing a garbage worker’s high-visibility vest to address supporters at his Green Bay rally. “He called them garbage — and they mean it, even though, without question, my supporters are far higher quality than Crooked Joe and Lyin’ Kamala,” Trump told supporters on Wednesday afternoon. But Trump said he had a response for the president and vice president. “My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans,” he declared. “And you can’t be president if you hate the American people, and there’s a lot of hatred there.” Fox News Digital reached out to Cuban for comment on the Trump campaign’s video.
House GOP demands ‘immediate action’ on alleged retaliation against IRS whistleblowers
House Republicans are demanding answers about potential retaliation against IRS whistleblowers who brought claims of political influence in the Hunter Biden investigation to Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., began investigating in June whether the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) contributed to alleged retaliation and a “smear campaign” against IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. HOUSE GOP PROBES WHETHER SPECIAL COUNSEL OFFICE HELPED RETALIATE AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN WHISTLEBLOWERS Fox News exclusively reported on that initial letter requesting a briefing to determine whether there had been improper influence surrounding the IRS whistleblowers’ claims pending before the OSC. But on Friday, Comer, Jordan and Smith sent another letter to the acting principal deputy special counsel, Karen Gorman, demanding answers. The lawmakers notified Gorman that Shapley’s attorney “recently revealed that approximately one hour after an investigative journalist released an interview with the whistleblowers in which they discussed damaging evidence of the IRS’s disparate treatment of U.S. taxpayers, the IRS issued [Supervisory Special Agent] Shapley a 15-day notice to either accept a demotion or resign.” Shapley and Ziegler sat down with a journalist on Tuesday to “discuss their disclosures to Congress and how their lives have been affected by making those disclosures.” During the interview, Shapley said the IRS “has a smothering blanket on me. [They’re] hoping that I quit, that they find some way to terminate me. Or they probably hope that I commit suicide or something,’” the lawmakers wrote. Less than an hour after the release of the interview, the IRS sent Shapley a memo informing him that he “could no longer keep his position,” the lawmakers wrote. “This reassignment appears to give SSA Shapley effectively two options: accept a demotion or resign,” they wrote. “The IRS is giving SSA Shapley 15 days to decide.” They added: “This is egregious, and OSC must take immediate steps to pause this action while it examines the IRS’s decision.” The lawmakers are now requesting a “prompt” update on the OSC’s investigation into the whistleblowers’ allegations and for OSC to “use its lawful authority to seek an immediate stay at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board pausing the IRS’s latest threatening action.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY “SSA Shapley’s and SA Ziegler’s whistleblowing took courage and bravery,” the lawmakers wrote. “Because of their important disclosures, Americans learned how the IRS treats individuals differently based upon their last names.” Comer, Jordan and Smith reminded that Shapley and Ziegler “made lawfully protected disclosures to Congress that resulted in unrelenting personal and professional attacks on them.” “But they have not wavered,” the lawmakers wrote. “As this case has rightfully garnered significant public attention, OSC must show the whistleblower community that OSC will take appropriate and immediate action to stand up for whistleblowers.” The OSC declined to comment but confirmed receipt of the letter. Fox News Digital has reached out to the IRS for comment.
Video of Haitian migrants saying they plan to vote multiple times in Georgia is Russian-made: US intel
A video of Haitian migrants voting in Georgia’s elections is fake and the work of “Russian influence actors,” according to U.S. intelligence. In the clip, two people claiming to be Haitian migrants say they are planning to vote multiple times in two different Georgia counties for Vice President Kamala Harris. “We’re voting Kamala Harris. Yesterday, we voted in Gwinnett County, and today we’re voting in Fulton County,” one person says. “We have all our document – driver’s license. We invite all Haitians to come to America and bring families.” The video was amplified by right-wing accounts on social media. “The [U.S. Intelligence Community] assesses that Russian influence actors manufactured a recent video that falsely depicted individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in multiple counties in Georgia,” read a joint statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). “This judgment is based on information available to the IC and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities. The Georgia Secretary of State has already refuted the video’s claims as false.” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Thursday night that the video is “obviously fake,” and likely the product of Russian trolls “attempting to sow discord and chaos on the eve of the election.” RURAL GEORGIA COUNTIES OUTPACE DEM STRONGHOLDS AS PEACH STATE SHATTERS EARLY VOTING RECORDS The intelligence community’s statement said the video “is part of Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. election and stoke divisions among Americans.” “In the lead up to Election Day and in the weeks and months after, the IC expects Russia to create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.” Georgia is one of seven swing states that could decide the presidential election. More than half of the state’s fired-up electorate have already gone to the polls during the early voting period. Former President Donald Trump won Georgia in 2016 while President Joe Biden won the Peach State in 2020. Haitian migrants found themselves front and center of the U.S. news cycle after unfounded claims that they were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, were amplified by Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The 60,000-person town saw a rapid influx of some 20,000 migrants, largely of Haitian origin, over the past few years. A report by the ODNI last week said definitively that Russia prefers former President Donald Trump to win the election and Iran prefers Harris. Both U.S. adversaries are working to interfere in the election. “Moscow and Tehran may also see an opportunity to continue pushing content favoring their preferred outcome,” the report said. “For instance, Russian influence actors have pushed negative messaging about VP Harris and publicly alleged conspiracy theories about her elevation to the top of the ticket. Iranian cyber actors may try to publish content denigrating former President Trump.” The report also warned that China, Iran and Russia are “better prepared to exploit” elections this year due to “lessons drawn from the 2020 cycle.” China, the report said, is likely to focus its efforts on down-ballot congressional races. ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS The report found that foreign actors “will probably refrain from” trying to alter the vote count since vote casting machines are not connected to the internet and 97% of voters live in precincts with paper records and a paper audit trail — and doing so could prompt Washington to retaliate. But U.S. adversaries took lessons from the drawn-out vote counting process in 2020. “Many of these countries did not have a full appreciation for the various election processes that happen after polls close, and now that they have greater awareness of the significance, they have greater ability to attempt to disrupt them,” an ODNI official told reporters. Intelligence officials have routinely warned that Beijing, Moscow and Tehran would be working overtime to sow division and undermine confidence in the U.S. governing system in an election year, and especially in the days leading up to Election Day. The official noted that intelligence linked Moscow to a recent unfounded claim circulating on social media about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sexually assaulting a student while he was a high school teacher.
State oil regulator requests $100 million to tackle West Texas well blowouts
Abandoned wells in the Permian Basin are increasingly erupting with briney, polluted water. The Texas Railroad Commission says it needs emergency money to respond.
Ted Cruz knocks McConnell-aligned super PAC for ‘zero support’ in competitive race
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reiterated his criticism of a group linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., at a recent rally, saying it has not assisted him in his competitive Senate race this cycle. “We are getting absolutely zero support from the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF),” the Republican said. Cruz is taking on Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, in the tight race for Senate. Despite the legitimate challenge posed by Allred, Cruz is favored to win the contest. REPUBLICANS CALL ON MAYORKAS TO REINSTATE COVID-ERA BORDER POLICY AMID TUBERCULOSIS ‘SURGE’ SLF has notably spent most of its resources in states with key Republican Senate pick-up opportunities, such as Pennsylvania, Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan. But Cruz pointed out, “In Texas, we have the most expensive Senate race in the entire country.” As the senator noted, the Cruz and Allred campaigns have raised more money than the candidates in any other Senate race, with the two of them raking in a combined $165 million, according to the Houston Chronicle. HARRIS SLAMS ‘OFFENSIVE’ TRUMP REMARK ON PROTECTING WOMEN FROM MIGRANT CRIME While the race has attracted more campaign cash than others, including Cruz’s last re-election bid against Beto O’Rourke, it hasn’t seen quite as much outside involvement as certain other races this cycle. In fact, Ohio has reportedly seen the most spending in its Senate race, topping $400 million, according to USA Today. After Ohio, more than $200 million has been spent in both Pennsylvania and Montana. “Chuck Schumer is spending over $100 million with George Soros trying to beat me. And McConnell in the Senate Leadership Fund is spending zero,” Cruz said, referring to expenditures from the Schumer-tied Senate Majority PAC and other outside dark money groups with connections to Soros. HOW GOP, DEM SENATORS ARE USING 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO LOBBY FOR CONFERENCE INFLUENCE Allred’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. “Ted Cruz is one of the best fundraisers in the Republican Party, he ran a great campaign, and he will be reelected handily on Tuesday,” SLF spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair told Fox News Digital in a statement. Less attention has been paid to the Texas Republican’s race — or those of Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., who are in similarly competitive battles — because most conservative efforts have been focused on knocking off vulnerable Democrats in several more competitive battleground states. TOP REPUBLICANS PROBE BIDEN ADMIN ON AFGHAN NATIONALS’ ALLEGED ELECTION DAY TERRORIST PLOT “The way Washington operates, the swamp doesn’t like people that stand up and fight them,” Cruz told reporters. “And unfortunately, McConnell uses that super PAC to reward senators who obey him and to punish those who stand up to him.” In a recent book on McConnell, titled “The Price of Power,” Michael Tackett, the deputy Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press, detailed how the leader allowed conference members to publicly go against him, to an extent, if it was helpful to them electorally. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
McConnell issues smackdown of Kentucky Dem governor’s call to abolish the Electoral College
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Friday blasted his home state’s Democratic governor, who recently called for the Electoral College to be abolished. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday the country needs to “move to a place where seven states don’t decide the presidency.” “We’ll have better government. We’ll have better politics. We’ll have better elections when we get to that point,” the governor said at a gathering of Democrats in Lexington, according to the Kentucky Lantern. At a Thursday press conference, the governor clarified that he was calling for a national popular vote system, which would require changing the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College. “I think to do that, we would ultimately have to abolish the Electoral College,” Beshear said, per the Lantern. “I know that’s been with us a long time, but we see where things currently stand.” HOW HARRIS, TRUMP WIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE In a response released Friday, McConnell said Beshear showed “disregard” and even “borderline disdain” for the Constitution with his remarks. “I wish I could say I’m surprised by the latest calls to abolish the Electoral College – but I’m not. Democrats’ disregard – and borderline disdain – for the constitutional guardrails that safeguard our political system has lurked below the surface of their rhetoric for a long, long time,” said McConnell. WALZ SILENT ON SUPPORT FOR ELIMINATING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AFTER HARRIS CAMP SAYS IT DOESN’T BACK BAN Beshear joins a growing number of Democrats who are in favor of the national popular vote determining the outcome of presidential elections, as opposed to the Electoral College system, which grants each state a number of electors who cast ballots for the president. There are 538 electors in total, which matches the number of federal representatives from each state. A candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes to win the White House. In 48 states, those electors are awarded to the winner of the state’s popular vote. But in Maine and Nebraska, electoral votes are awarded by congressional district. CNN DATA GURU SAYS THERE IS A 60% CHANCE THE ELECTION ENDS WITH AN ‘ELECTORAL COLLEGE BLOWOUT’ Opposition to the Electoral College has dramatically increased since Republican George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000 but lost the popular vote to Democratic nominee Al Gore. Former President Trump likewise lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, even though he snagged the White House with an Electoral College win. Democrats argue these outcomes were unfair and did not reflect the will of the majority. Republicans argue that the Electoral College is a necessary restraint on majority rule that protects minority interests, particularly those of Americans who live in rural parts of the country. “No institution is too dear if it stands between a Democrat and their progressive ‘reforms’ to ‘preserve democracy’ – the standard euphemism for partisan power grabs on the Left. Those genuinely concerned about the future of our country should call for strengthening our constitutional guardrails, not obliterating them,” McConnell said Friday. “At its core, the Electoral College protects Americans from the whims of the majority, something I’m familiar with in the Senate. It’s what makes our democracy, and our sprawling nationwide elections, feasible. And it’s what compels presidents to govern nationally rather than pandering to the interests of New York and California. Without it, no presidential candidate would ever travel to a small state in Middle America, like Kentucky.” Representatives for Beshear did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harvard, Northwestern failed Jewish students during college campus protests: House report
A new GOP-led antisemitism report revealed Harvard University refused to call Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel “violent,” and Northwestern University considered taking Sabra hummus off campus. The 365-page report summarized a yearlong investigation by the House Education and Workforce Committee, collected from more than 400,000 documents from 11 schools across the country into how they responded to a wave of pro-Palestinian protests in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. HARVARD FINISHES LAST IN NONPROFIT’S ‘FREE SPEECH’ RANKINGS OF 254 COLLEGES: ABYSMAL According to the report, while drafting a public statement to make after Oct. 7, Harvard University senior administrators edited out the word “violent” to describe the attack after a dean complained it “sounded like assigning blame.” They mulled whether to disavow a declaration put out by some student groups that Israel was responsible for the violence, but ultimately decided not to. Northwestern University President Michael Schill, who testified before the committee last spring, expressed an openness to removing Sabra hummus from campus to appease protesters. The report said Schill appointed anti-Israel faculty to negotiate with the students who camped outside in protest of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. One suggested removing the popular hummus brand. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FACES HATE CRIME, TERRORISM CHARGES IN SHOOTING OF JEWISH MAN IN CHICAGO “It’s a very sore spot for Palestinians because it’s an Israeli hummus brand that’s penetrated most college campuses,” he said in a text message. The provost responded, “I’m all for making a deal. Bargaining in action!” Another suggestion taken under consideration, according to the report, was hiring an anti-Zionist rabbi. However, Northwestern denied ever “seriously” considering boycotting any Israeli company. Schill also excluded Jewish members of his President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate, according to the report. The report also accused multiple schools of withholding support from Jewish students and found it to be intentional rather than negligent. “The Committee’s investigation found that in multiple cases, these failures came not from mere ignorance or lack of forethought, but rather from intentional decisions by university leaders not to provide their campuses’ Jewish communities the necessary support needed to ensure they felt safe to live on campus or attend classes,” the report read. ISRAEL’S STRIKE ON IRAN TOOK OUT MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC ‘IS ESSENTIALLY NAKED’ The report also discovered Harvard President Claudine Gay, who resigned after testifying on antisemitism before the committee and accusations of plagiarism, asked the university not to label the phrase “from the river to the sea” antisemitic, worried they would then have to discipline students who used it. At Columbia, the report revealed how administrators trying to bring an end to the pro-Gaza encampment considered making bigger concessions than they had previously let on, including proposals to divest from companies “complicit in violating international law” or that “manufacture certain categories of weapons” and partnering with a Palestinian university “where Hamas is active on campus.” The report also highlighted incidents when universities refused to punish students, including Columbia, which allowed some students to go without punishment after they took over Hamilton Hall. In a Dec. 10 board meeting, five days after Gay took the hot seat before the committee, she sharply criticized Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the House Republican conference chair whose sharp line of questioning led in part to Gay’s resignation. Gay told the board it was hard to have the university’s “moral core” called into question, “esp[ecially] by someone who is a purveyor of hate” and “supporter of Proudboys.” The GOP-led report concluded the universities likely violated Title VI and demanded universities enforce more accountability. “Our investigation has shown that these ‘leaders’ bear the responsibility for the chaos likely violating Title VI and threatening public safety. It is time for the executive branch to enforce the laws and ensure colleges and universities restore order and guarantee that all students have a safe learning environment,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. Northwestern, in a statement, objected to “unfair characterizations of our Provost and valued members of our faculty based on isolated and out-of-context communications” in the report. “The Republican Staff Report remains focused on events that were fully debated in the committee hearing last spring, and it ignores the hard work our community has put in since then to improve our policies and procedures.”
Key House projection spells trouble for two Republican lawmakers
Two House Republican lawmakers are in political trouble with Election Day just four days away, according to a new analysis. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report issued a ratings update late Friday morning projecting races for Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to “lean Democrat.” They were both previously classified as “toss-up” races, meaning it was anyone’s game ahead of Nov. 5. Democrats and Republicans are battling for control of the House of Representatives, which is currently held by the GOP with a slim four-vote margin. MIKE JOHNSON KICKS OFF SWING-STATE TOUR AS GOP CLINGS TO HOUSE CONTROL Bacon and D’Esposito were widely considered two of the most vulnerable Republicans on the congressional map. They’re two of 16 House GOP lawmakers in seats that President Biden won in the 2020 race. Both also won their seats by defeating Democrats – Bacon winning against a Democratic incumbent in 2016 and D’Esposito scoring an open seat previously held by a liberal in 2022. D’Esposito’s district sits on the New York City suburb of Long Island. His victory was part of a wider backlash against the city’s progressive crime policies that was credited with delivering Republicans the House majority that year. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ But with the presidential race at stake this time, Democrats have worked to tie D’Esposito to former President Donald Trump, who D’Esposito endorsed for re-election but is still a divisive figure among suburban swing voters. House Democrats and aligned groups have also poured significant resources into Laura Gillen, who D’Esposito defeated in 2022. Democrats also see opportunity in Bacon’s Omaha-anchored district, considered by Cook to be the least Republican of ruby-red Nebraska’s congressional seats. HOUSE GOP LEADERS RIP ACTBLUE AFTER DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT HIT WITH SUBPOENA Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, has won every re-election battle since his 2016 race by less than 3%. But he’s facing what could be his toughest race yet in Nebraska state legislator Tony Vargas – to whom House Democrats have also given enormous time, money and resources. Fox News Digital reached out to both GOP campaigns for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Michigan Dem Slotkin leads as GOP aims to win 1st US Senate race in state since 1994: poll
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin holds a 5% edge over former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s 2024 U.S. Senate contest, a poll indicates, according to the Detroit Free Press. The outlet, which reported that Slotkin leads Rogers 47%-42%, noted that the poll performed by EPIC-MRA has a plus or minus four percentage point margin of error, and that EPIC-MRA had contacted “600 randomly selected voters from” around Michigan for the survey. While 6% leaned in the direction of backing a third-party candidate, 4% remained undecided, declined to answer, or indicated they would not vote in the contest, according to the Free Press. HARRIS HOLDS NARROW LEAD OVER TRUMP IN ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES MICHIGAN, PENNSYLVANIA, WISCONSIN: POLL When former President Donald Trump endorsed Rogers in March prior to the August GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., fired off scathing criticism of Rogers. “Donald Trump just endorsed the worst Deep State candidate this cycle. @MikeRogersForMI is a never Trumper, and a card carrying member of the spy state that seeks to destroy Trump. You have to ask yourself who gives Trump this awful advice? Who’s next, John Bolton?” Paul posted. “If he’s good with Mike Rogers (R-Deep State), maybe he should pick Liz Cheney for VP?” Paul added in another post. SLOTKIN SLAMS FELLOW DEM BIDEN FOR ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE AMID HEATED SENATE BATTLE Paul backed former Rep. Justin Amash prior to the primary contest, but Rogers ultimately scored a decisive victory. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2001, announced last year that she would not seek another term. Michigan’s other senator, Gary Peters, is also a Democrat. I’M MIKE ROGERS: THIS IS WHY I WANT MICHIGAN’S VOTE FOR SENATE There has not been a Republican U.S. senator from the Wolverine State since Spencer Abraham, whose term ended in early 2001 after he lost to Stabenow in 2000.