Page 274 – Texas Weekly Online

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fox News Power Rankings: The biggest surprises come after October

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trump announces rally in ‘war zone’ Colorado city

Former President Trump announced a campaign rally in Aurora, Colorado, for Oct. 11 on Tuesday, vowing to highlight the “flood” of migrants in the city. The rally comes after weeks of Trump blasting the migrant situation in Colorado, saying some 43,000 illegal immigrants have made their way into nearby Denver and Aurora. His campaign also highlighted the Tren De Aragua gang’s takeover of multiple apartment buildings. “Aurora, Colorado has become a ‘war zone’ due to the influx of violent Venezuelan prison gang members from Tren de Aragua. With approximately 43,000 migrants flooding the neighboring city of Denver since December 2022, many of these migrants have made their way to Aurora, bringing chaos and fear with them,” the campaign said in a statement. “Local families have been forced to flee their homes as Tren de Aragua members terrorize apartment complexes with guns, theft, and rampant drug activity. Kamala Harris’ open-border policies are turning once-safe communities into nightmares for law-abiding citizens,” the statement continued. AURORA POLICE REACT TO ALLEGED VENEZUELAN GANG PRESENCE AT APARTMENTS: ‘HAVE NOT TAKEN OVER’ “Kamala’s border bloodbath has made every state a border state, leaving Colorado families at the mercy of criminals. The only solution to stop the border crisis is to elect President Trump, who will secure the border, deport dangerous criminals, and Make America Safe Again,” the campaign added. TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED IN AURORA, COLORADO IN CONNECTION TO APARTMENT BUILDING TAKEOVER: POLICE Tren de Aragua gang members first took over an apartment complex in Aurora in 2023. The Whispering Pines Apartments suffered violent assaults, murder threats, extortion, child prostitution and strongarm tactics, Denver law firm Perkins Coie wrote to city leaders in a nine-page report obtained by CBS News Colorado. The firm was hired to investigate the alleged gang takeover of the apartment building, the outlet said, and interviewed witnesses and reviewed video footage from the complex prior to issuing its report. TRUMP LAUNCHES GOFUNDME TO HELP HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, RAISES MORE THAN $1M “The evidence we have reviewed indicates that gang members are engaging in flagrant trespass violations, assaults and battery, human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors, unlawful firearms possession, extortion, and other criminal activities, often targeting vulnerable Venezuelan and other immigrant populations,” T. Markus Funk, a former U.S. Attorney, wrote in the letter. The firm interviewed the apartment complex’s property manager, who said “he had never seen anything remotely like the Tren De Aragua takeover of Whispering Pines in his entire career.” Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Former India cricket captain questioned by ED in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned former Indian cricket team captain and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association, official sources said.

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