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12 Dems join GOP lawmakers to threaten UN funding over ‘ongoing hostility’ to Israel

12 Dems join GOP lawmakers to threaten UN funding over ‘ongoing hostility’ to Israel

FIRST ON FOX: More than 100 bipartisan House lawmakers are warning that the United Nations’ funding could be on the line if the international entity retaliates against Israel over its war with Hamas. “We write to express our deep concern about prospective efforts of the Palestinian Authority to downgrade Israel’s status at the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) and strip the State of Israel of its key privileges in the body,” a letter led by Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla, read. “Any downgrade in Israel’s status or standing at the UNGA will result in a corresponding downgrade of U.S. financial, material and political support to the U.N.” The message, sent to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, was signed by 105 of their Republican and Democrat colleagues. BLINKEN ARRIVES IN ISRAEL AS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION FACES SCRUTINY OVER COMPROMISING JERUSALEM’S SECURITY  Signatories include all the House Republican leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and 11 House Democrats, in addition to Moskowitz – a testament to the significant support Israel continues to receive from Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives. The lawmakers said they were “outraged” by the UNGA’s recent adoption of a resolution demanding Israel return all land and assets it settled in the Palestinian Territories since 1967. It also calls on nations to halt treaty and trade relations with Israel where Palestinian territories are involved. They warned the decision, particularly as it relates to forcing Israel out of the West Bank, is “undercutting Israel’s right to defend itself” from Hamas after the Oct. 7 terror attack by the Palestinian militant group “with no recognition or consideration of Israel’s legitimate security concerns.” ISRAELI WOMAN BRAVELY DESCRIBES HORROR AS HAMAS HOSTAGE: ‘THEY WERE TAKING PLEASURE IN HURTING ME’  “Congress has taken note of the numerous U.N. actions aimed to delegitimize Israel’s right to self-defense, raising serious questions over the future of U.S. funding to the U.N.,” the lawmakers wrote. “We remind you that the U.S. is the largest donor to the U.N. Our contributions account for one-third of the body’s collective budget.” The letter also accused the U.N. of having “definitively taken sides against Israel,” rather than remaining a “neutral body.” “We will not accept the U.N.’s ongoing hostility to our ally Israel,” they wrote. BIDEN-HARRIS ENVOY ACCUSED OF PRESSURING ISRAELI LAWMAKERS TO DROP BILL BANNING TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY It comes as cease-fire talks are expected to restart after Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attack. Israel has enjoyed a level of steady support in Congress throughout its war in Gaza, even as a growing number of Democrats are criticizing the Middle Eastern nation for the scores of Palestinian deaths caused as it works to eradicate Hamas. Roughly half of congressional Democrats skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of the House and Senate earlier this year. 

11 Dems join GOP lawmakers to threaten UN funding over ‘ongoing hostility’ to Israel

11 Dems join GOP lawmakers to threaten UN funding over ‘ongoing hostility’ to Israel

FIRST ON FOX: More than 100 bipartisan House lawmakers are warning that the United Nations’ funding could be on the line if the international entity retaliates against Israel over its war with Hamas. “We write to express our deep concern about prospective efforts of the Palestinian Authority to downgrade Israel’s status at the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) and strip the State of Israel of its key privileges in the body,” a letter led by Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla, read. “Any downgrade in Israel’s status or standing at the UNGA will result in a corresponding downgrade of U.S. financial, material and political support to the U.N.” The message, sent to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, was signed by 105 of their Republican and Democrat colleagues. BLINKEN ARRIVES IN ISRAEL AS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION FACES SCRUTINY OVER COMPROMISING JERUSALEM’S SECURITY  Signatories include all the House Republican leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and 10 House Democrats, in addition to Moskowitz – a testament to the significant support Israel continues to receive from Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives. The lawmakers said they were “outraged” by the UNGA’s recent adoption of a resolution demanding Israel return all land and assets it settled in the Palestinian Territories since 1967. It also calls on nations to halt treaty and trade relations with Israel where Palestinian territories are involved. They warned the decision, particularly as it relates to forcing Israel out of the West Bank, is “undercutting Israel’s right to defend itself” from Hamas after the Oct. 7 terror attack by the Palestinian militant group “with no recognition or consideration of Israel’s legitimate security concerns.” ISRAELI WOMAN BRAVELY DESCRIBES HORROR AS HAMAS HOSTAGE: ‘THEY WERE TAKING PLEASURE IN HURTING ME’  “Congress has taken note of the numerous U.N. actions aimed to delegitimize Israel’s right to self-defense, raising serious questions over the future of U.S. funding to the U.N.,” the lawmakers wrote. “We remind you that the U.S. is the largest donor to the U.N. Our contributions account for one-third of the body’s collective budget.” The letter also accused the U.N. of having “definitively taken sides against Israel,” rather than remaining a “neutral body.” “We will not accept the U.N.’s ongoing hostility to our ally Israel,” they wrote. BIDEN-HARRIS ENVOY ACCUSED OF PRESSURING ISRAELI LAWMAKERS TO DROP BILL BANNING TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY It comes as cease-fire talks are expected to restart after Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attack. Israel has enjoyed a level of steady support in Congress throughout its war in Gaza, even as a growing number of Democrats are criticizing the Middle Eastern nation for the scores of Palestinian deaths caused as it works to eradicate Hamas. Roughly half of congressional Democrats skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of the House and Senate earlier this year. 

‘Ill-fated effort’: McConnell was ‘furious’ at Rick Scott’s 2022 leader bid, book says

‘Ill-fated effort’: McConnell was ‘furious’ at Rick Scott’s 2022 leader bid, book says

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was privately infuriated at then-National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Rick Scott’s last-minute leaderhip challenge in 2022, calling it an attempt to shift attention from the Florida Republican’s “poor job” running the Senate GOP campaign arm, according to a forthcoming biography. “McConnell was furious with Scott,” wrote Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press in the book “The Price of Power.” “He’s angry about it because since he’s been leader he’s always had command and control of the conversation during a midterm, and this changed that,” former McConnell Chief of Staff Josh Holmes said in the biography. The leader said at the time, according to the book, “I don’t think Rick makes a very good victim.”  SCHUMER, DEMS PRE-ELECTION REPORT URGES VOTERS TO BE WARY OF ‘MISINFORMATION’ ABOUT RESULTS “I think he did a poor job of running the [Senate campaign] committee. His plan was used by the Democrats against our candidates as late as the last weekend [before the election.] He promoted the fiction that we were in the middle of a big sweep when there was no tangible evidence of it,” McConnell reportedly added.  He referenced an 11-point agenda “to Rescue America” that Scott released while chairing the NRSC, the book said. The plan was unveiled after McConnell, the longtime Republican leader, had dismissed efforts to put out such an agenda ahead of the midterms, considering it to be a mistake.  According to the biography, previewed by Fox News Digital, McConnell believed himself to have been right about this and thought Scott’s plan was “laughably bad.”  The leader specifically lamented parts of Scott’s plan stating that all Americans should pay some degree of income tax, and “All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.”  These were things McConnell expected Democrats to seize on, especially as the latter could be understood as endangering Social Security and Medicare.  SAM BROWN BEGINS TO CLOSE GAP WITH INCUMBENT SEN. JACKY ROSEN IN BATTLEGROUND NEVADA According to the forthcoming book, McConnell stated that Scott’s “campaign against me was some kind of ill-fated effort to turn the attention away from him and onto somebody else” when Republicans did not take back the Senate majority in the midterms.  At the time, the leader reportedly said, “We had a good opportunity to discuss the differences, people had an opportunity to listen to both candidates, and I’m pretty proud of 37 to 10,” in reference to the vote totals in the secret ballot.  The Kentucky Republican reportedly wasn’t offended by the challenge from Scott. In fact, he took great pleasure in the personal win, according to the book.  “McConnell relished the win like his childhood pummeling of Dicky McGrew,” wrote Tackett. Tackett said that McGrew was a “friend and foe” of young McConnell, who picked on him until his father demanded he confront his bully. The now-Republican leader fist-fought McGrew as a child, despite the latter being bigger and stronger, the book said. His deep private enjoyment of triumphing over Scott’s challenge exemplified a “competitive fire” noted in the biography that “could sometimes flare hotter when he was confronting Republicans who opposed him than when he was tangling with Democrats.”  TIM WALZ SLAMS ELON MUSK AS A ‘DIPS—‘ DURING RALLY WITH OBAMA IN WISCONSIN McConnell gave this greater credence in recent remarks in Kentucky during the congressional recess. Explaining that “I’m still a traditional Republican: pro-trade, low taxes, pro-business,” he told the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, “there are some on my side now who don’t sound that way.” “I’m going to be arguing more with them probably than the Democrats. Again, depending upon how the election comes out.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Scott responded to McConnell’s revealed comments about himself, saying, “While Leader McConnell and I have fundamental disagreements, I am shocked that he would attack a fellow Republican senator and the Republican nominee for president just two weeks out from an election.” Scott was referring to McConnell’s several past candid criticisms of former President Donald Trump outlined in the book. While Trump is competing for the presidency against Vice President Kamala Harris, Scott is also seeking re-election in Florida. TOP REPUBLICANS ACCUSE FTC CHAIR OF HATCH ACT VIOLATIONS OVER ‘CAMPAIGN-STYLE EVENTS’ WITH DEMS “I believe we should be talking about solutions, he doesn’t,” Scott continued. “I support Donald Trump and his work to fundamentally change the way Washington operates, he doesn’t. I believe we should support the candidates Republican voters choose, he doesn’t.” “With almost $36 trillion in debt, an open southern border, historic inflation, and a world on fire, I know we need dramatic change, and he doesn’t.” As for McConnell’s remarks about Trump detailed in the book, he said in a statement, “Whatever I may have said about President Trump pales in comparison to what JD Vance, Lindsey Graham, and others have said about him, but we are all on the same team now.”  The leader, who is the longest-serving party head in Senate history, notably announced in February that he would not be seeking to lead the GOP conference again, opening up the opportunity for the first time in years.  Earlier this year, Scott launched another leader bid. In 2022, he received 10 votes on the secret ballot after announcing a campaign against McConnell at the last minute.  Both Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, have also thrown their hats in the race. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Trump, Harris dead even in national poll, with just 1 in 4 saying country headed in right direction

Trump, Harris dead even in national poll, with just 1 in 4 saying country headed in right direction

A new poll has found former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in a dead heat among voters with only one in four saying that the country is heading in the right direction.  Both candidates are tied with 48% of the popular vote in the New York Times/Siena College survey of 2,516 likely voters nationwide between Oct. 20 to Oct. 23, which has a 2.5% margin of error.  Harris led Trump nationally 49-46% the last time this poll was conducted in early October.  Just 28% of those who responded feel the U.S. is heading in the right direction with President Biden and Harris in the White House, compared to 61% who believe it’s heading in the wrong direction.  CNN DATA GURU SAYS THERE IS A 60% CHANCE THE ELECTION ENDS WITH AN ‘ELECTORAL COLLEGE BLOWOUT’  Twenty-seven percent of voters said the economy – including jobs and the stock market – is their most important issue in deciding their vote in November, followed by abortion and immigration, each at 15%.  When the likely voters were asked who would do a better job handling the economy, voters preferred Trump by 6%.   That is down from the 13-point advantage Trump had over Harris the last time this poll was conducted, the New York Times reported.  VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT PHOTO ID REQUIREMENT TO VOTE, NEW POLL SAYS  Harris maintains a 16% lead over Trump when it comes to protecting abortion access, while Trump holds an 11% advantage on the topic of immigration, the poll also found.  As for President Biden, only 40% of respondents said they either strongly or somewhat approve of the job he is doing in the Oval Office as his administration is winding down.  Biden’s age of 81 was a concern among Americans earlier this year while he was still planning his re-election bid, but with just weeks to go until Election Day, the poll results show that 41% of likely voters feel that the 78-year-old Trump is just too old to be an effective president, compared to 58% who don’t. 

Vulnerable NY Republican blasts Dem challenger’s progressive endorsement after moderate showing at debate

Vulnerable NY Republican blasts Dem challenger’s progressive endorsement after moderate showing at debate

Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., is blasting Democratic challenger John Mannion over his progressive endorsement despite the opponent painting himself as a moderate during Tuesday night’s debate.  The two are battling for control of New York’s 22nd congressional district, which Democrats write off as an easy pick-up in their fight to reclaim control of the House. Williams won by one percentage point two years ago, and since then, the state legislature’s redistricting removed rural areas strongly favored by former President Trump and added the college town of Cortland. The result is a changed central New York district where voters favored President Biden by 11 points in the 2020 presidential election. “John Mannion painted a rosy picture of his views in last night’s debate, oddly attempting to run to the political right of Congressman Williams,” Williams’ spokesperson Taylor Weyeneth told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “However, he neglected to explain why he’s running on the anti-cop, pro-Hamas ballot line for the ‘Working Families Party’ and its grotesque policies. A note for John, it’s time to put actions behind your words—denounce the WFP or admit you are an extremist willing to do anything to get elected.” The two faced off during their third and final debate on Tuesday night.  Mannion, though considered a moderate in Albany, was endorsed by the New York Working Families Party earlier this year and remains on their website’s list of backed candidates. The progressive minority party’s website says it’s committed to “defeat fascism and build progressive power,” and is reportedly linked to the larger Democratic Socialists of America, which endorses Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York.  2 SWING DISTRICTS IN NEW YORK SPLIT AS GOP INCUMBENTS FIGHT TO HOLD SEATS In December 2023, the New York Post reported that the New York’s Working Families Party asked candidates seeking their endorsement for state offices to support $40 billion in tax increases, permitting migrants and non-citizens to vote and establishing more legalized drug-injection centers.  Their questionnaire reportedly asked candidates, “Will you stand up for the right of all non-citizens, including undocumented New Yorkers, to vote in local and state elections, so they have a voice in the communities they live in and the schools their children go to?”  “The WFP also asks if a candidate would back legislation or support using federal funds to provide health insurance coverage to more than 250,000 residents who are non-citizens or undocumented,” another question posed to the state candidate read, according to the Post.  It’s not clear if Mannion faced the same questions. Fox News Digital reached out to the Mannion campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.  The Working Families Party, which also had advocated for defunding the police, has been vocal in demanding a cease-fire in Gaza and has accused Israel of carrying out “war crimes.”  “We have to stop the global authoritarian right-wing. Trump wants to criminalize protesters for Palestine,” its account wrote in August. “He is Netanyahu’s preferred candidate, who is behind the ethnic cleansing campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced and starved millions.”  NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE SAYS REPUBLICANS ‘FEARFUL’ OF MIGRANTS ARE IGNORANT While national attention has been focused on districts closer to New York City as holding the key to the balance of power in Congress, the Democratic Party has dedicated significant resources to the central New York race between Williams and Mannion, sensing one of its best chances this fall. In Mannion, a former school teacher and two-term state senator, Democrats have a candidate they’re betting can appeal to swing voters. He has substantial support from labor unions, opposes abortion restrictions and has staked out a centrist position on changes to the state’s bail laws. Williams, meanwhile, has sought to frame Mannion as a liberal masquerading as a centrist. “He has all of the credentials of the far left, but he’s going to pretend to be a Republican here for a couple of weeks, and with a wink and a nod and hoping that the Democrat base either forgives him or doesn’t notice,” Williams said, according to the Associated Press.  Williams, who grew up in Texas, served as a U.S. Navy submarine officer, then was a tech entrepreneur before starting a truffle farm in central New York, has spent much of the campaign trying to recapture the dynamic that helped him win a close race in 2022. That year, Republican candidates in New York outperformed their national colleagues by capitalizing on a public backlash against changes in the state’s bail laws. The changes restricted the practice of requiring many people accused of nonviolent crimes to pay money in order to get released from jail while they await trial. Mannion was not in office when those bail changes passed, but he did back legislation that subsequently gave judges more discretion on whether to jail a person before trial, a change many progressives resisted but that moderates argued was necessary, according to the AP.  The race started off mostly cordial but became increasingly caustic in the final stretch. The Associated Press contributed to this report.