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Montana Senate poll finds Democratic incumbent trailing GOP challenger, with control of Senate in balance

Montana Senate poll finds Democratic incumbent trailing GOP challenger, with control of Senate in balance

New polling shows Republicans are likely to take control of the Senate in the upcoming election, with the GOP challenger leading against a Democrat incumbent in Montana. Republican challenger Tim Sheehy leads the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Jon Tester, in a 52% to 44% matchup, according to a New York Times/Sienna poll released Thursday. Democrats currently hold a 51-seat majority in the Senate, and Sen. Joe Manchin’s, I-W.V., decision to retire virtually guarantees a seat flipping toward the GOP. While there are competitive races elsewhere in the Senate, Republicans appear to be holding strong, according to Marist polling. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is leading his race with 51% support, compared to the 46% of his challenger, Collin Allred. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., faces a closer race in Florida, where he holds a slim 50%-48% lead over challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. VULNERABLE DEM JON TESTER TURNS ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER DEI AFTER MONTANA UNIVERSITIES STRIPPED OF FEDERAL FUNDS That story is reversed in Ohio, however, where Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown holds a 50%-48% lead over Republican challenger Bernie Moreno. TRUMP, REPUBLICANS VENTURE TO BLUE AREAS IN WISCONSIN TO BOOST GOP TURNOUT The Cook Political Report also shifted the Wisconsin Senate race from “lean Democrat” to “toss-up” this week. The handicapper cited changes in polling in recent days, with Republican challenger Eric Hovde appearing to close the gap with Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin. 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.” Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report

Haitian migration into US becomes major political issue as election looms

Haitian migration into US becomes major political issue as election looms

The influx of Haitian migrants into the U.S. has become a major political issue in recent months, as both former President Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance repeated claims about the impact they are having on towns like Springfield, Ohio.  It has become a political issue in part due to the Biden administration’s parole processes for four nationalities — Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Under that program, migrants can arrive in the United States and be given a two-year parole term, along with temporary work permits. Some of those are eligible for protection from deportation by the redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status by the Biden administration this summer.  MAYORKAS MOVES TO SHIELD HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS FROM DEPORTATION BACK TO TROUBLED CARIBBEAN NATION The Biden administration announced on Friday that it will not be extending those parole periods for any of the four nationalities, meaning they will have to apply for a different immigration status or leave the country. The impact that the influx of migrants has had on some towns in the U.S. has become a 2024 election issue after it was put into the spotlight by former President Trump. Most notably, Trump repeated claims that migrants have been eating cats and dogs in Springfield Ohio, which officials have denied.  “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” But others have pointed to the impact it has had on social services. Vance recently said that he does not consider those who come through via the parole programs to be legal immigrants as he sees the programs as illegal. Here is what to know about Haitian migration into the U.S. VANCE SAYS HE WILL KEEP CALLING HAITIAN MIGRANTS ‘ILLEGAL ALIENS’ DESPITE PAROLE STATUS     There are approximately 1,152,604 Haitian immigrants residing in the US according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey (ACS). That is up from nearly 731,000 Haitian immigrants in 2022. Florida has the largest Haitian population in the U.S., at about 511,621 individuals, while New York’s population is a distant 2nd with 196,698 individuals. Massachusetts has 72,677 and New Jersey has 69,069. The top four counties for Haitian immigrants were Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties in Florida, and Kings County in New York. Together, these counties accounted for 41 percent of Haitian immigrants in the United States. Meanwhile, in Springfield, officials estimate that between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitians live in the city. More broadly on the CHNV program, during an eight-month period from January through August 2023, roughly 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via the program from all four nationalities. Of those, 80% of them, (161,562) arrived in the state of Florida in four cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained via a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News. The Biden administration expanded the CHNV program to include Haitians in January 2023 and since then, 214,000 Haitians have entered the U.S. under the program. Recipients are given a two-year parole and a work permit if they have a sponsor and pass certain background checks. However, the administration announced this month that it will not be extending those paroles beyond that period, meaning Haitians and others protected under the program will have to find another immigration status or potentially leave the country. The Biden administration, however, has also redesignated and extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which protects designated migrant groups from deportation and allows work permits, until February 2026.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS To be eligible, Haitians must have been in the U.S. as of June 3. DHS predicts that it will allow an estimated 309,000 additional nationals to file for TPS, on top of those already protected. TPS grants protection to nationals in countries found to be unsafe for them to be returned and is based on three grounds: armed ongoing conflict, environmental disasters or “extraordinary and temporary conditions.”  “Several regions in Haiti continue to face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water. Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and mudslides, and often experiences significant damage due to storms, flooding, and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges have resulted in ongoing urgent humanitarian needs,” DHS said in a release. It has led to concerns from conservatives that the revoking of parole status will not lead to significant numbers of Haitians leaving the U.S. after their status expires.

NC lawmaker accuses Mayorkas of politicizing ‘tragedy for personal gain’ after FEMA funding alarms

NC lawmaker accuses Mayorkas of politicizing ‘tragedy for personal gain’ after FEMA funding alarms

A Republican congressman from hard-hit North Carolina is accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of playing politics with Hurricane Helene after the storm ravaged the Southeast and killed more than 230 people. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., implored his district’s residents to not believe “outrageous rumors” about the response to the storm in an open letter published Tuesday.  “[Federal Emergency Management Agency] FEMA officials have repeatedly affirmed that the agency has enough money for immediate response and recovery needs over the next few months,” Edwards wrote. “Secretary Mayorkas’ statement indicating otherwise was an irresponsible attempt to politicize a tragedy for personal gain.” He also defended FEMA from “outrageous rumors” that disaster funds were being diverted to help illegal immigrants, and that aid was being blocked from reaching its destination. TRUMP LAUNCHES GOFUNDME TO HELP HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, RAISES MORE THAN $1M “We have seen a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide; but amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains,” Edwards wrote. It comes after Mayorkas warned last week that FEMA did not have the funds to make it through the current hurricane season, spurring alarm across the country. Mayorkas was forced to clarify those comments during the same conversation with reporters, stating FEMA had funding to meet its “immediate needs.” The comments were met with skepticism by GOP leaders after Congress made $20 billion in FEMA funds available in federal funding legislation last month, and it exacerbated tensions as some North Carolina residents are already struggling with adequate supplies and aid. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested to Fox News Digital last week that the House would act on additional disaster aid as soon as possible but noted it likely will not be possible until November, when Congress returns after the election.  FOX CORPORATION LAUNCHES DONATION DRIVE FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS Edwards said in his letter that he was already helping prepare a supplemental funding bill for when the time comes. The funding woes also prompted some Republicans to point to a separate FEMA-run program that provides support to illegal immigrants at the border, questioning whether the roughly $1 billion allocated there over the last two fiscal years was taken from money for disaster relief. However, Edwards unequivocally denied that in his Tuesday letter, despite top Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., promoting the claim. HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE “Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts,” Edwards said. “FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues.” Edwards admitted FEMA had “shortfalls” in its response but denied the federal agency was seizing private property or providing only $750 to disaster survivors, claims that were spread on the internet by unverified sources. He also said FEMA was not conducting road closures or vehicle inspections, nor was it restricting airspace for rescue operations. “Nobody seeking to fly resources into Western North Carolina will be prohibited from doing so by the FAA or North Carolina Emergency Management so long as they coordinate their efforts with NC Aviation,” Edwards wrote. It comes after Elon Musk spread rumors that FEMA was blocking the distribution of supplies and that airspace was blocked amid his efforts to distribute Starlink internet connections. Edwards also assured that Hurricane Helene “was NOT geoengineered by the government,” noting, “Nobody can control the weather.” That came in response to online conspiracy theories that the federal government intentionally created the hurricane to take control of the area’s lithium mines. The DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Former law enforcement officers, military vets step up to save stranded hurricane survivors without FEMA

Former law enforcement officers, military vets step up to save stranded hurricane survivors without FEMA

Americans with backgrounds in the military and law enforcement have stepped up to help save hurricane survivors in North Carolina without the assistance of the federal government. “FEMA’s out of money. They just announced it. … We’ve got money to put everywhere else on the globe — this administration does — but we don’t have the money inside of FEMA, a federal emergency management, to help our citizens here in the United States,” Aaron Negherbon, founder and CEO of Cops Direct, told Fox News Digital. The comments come as relief efforts continue in North Carolina, a state with widespread devastation from Hurricane Helene. NORTH CAROLINA GOP FOCUSING ON ‘HAND-TO-HAND POLITICAL COMBAT’ TO RAMP UP GROUND GAME IN BATTLEGROUND STATE But those efforts have also become a political hot potato as the election nears, with critics widely panning the federal government’s response to the natural disaster. “They’re offering them $750 to people whose homes have been washed away,” former President Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend. “And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They’re offering them $750. They’ve been destroyed. These people have been destroyed.” The criticism came after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “does not have the funds to make it through” the hurricane season, prompting a stopgap measure by lawmakers to replenish the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) with $20 billion, according to a report from National Public Radio. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has argued critics of the administration’s response have been pushing “disinformation.” “There’s a lot of mis- and disinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, in particular to the survivors of Helene,” Harris said. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible: It’s about him, it’s not about you. And the reality is that FEMA has so many resources that are available to folks who desperately need them.” Negherbon said his and other organizations have opted to “step in and aid our fellow Americans when they need help.” RESIDENTS IN KEY NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT REVEAL HOW THEY THINK THEIR COUNTY WILL VOTE IN NOVEMBER “I can tell you that my phones are ringing, and my email is chiming all day long because of the requests from agencies that need our support,” he said. “One jurisdiction, one county, one community is hearing about what Cops Direct is doing, and, all of a sudden, they’re telling the next county over and, therefore, our phone is ringing.” One way Cops Direct and others have been helping is by flying much needed emergency supplies to residents who have been cut off by the storm with many roads and traditional paths to homes being washed away and inaccessible. Ross Johnson, owner of TacMed, a company that makes emergency medical supplies for use on the battlefield and for law enforcement, told Fox News Digital he used his skill as a pilot and a vast network of other pilots to help rush supplies to those affected by using helicopters. “There was no way to get anywhere. So I said, ‘Hey, let’s see what we can do,’” Johnson, a former Army Green Beret who served three tours in Afghanistan, said. Johnson said FEMA has not been operating in the same areas he has been helping, though he noted that the agency is likely helping in other places. “I’m not saying they’re not doing anything. I’m sure they have a role. And we know that they’re a big organization that has a response time. … It takes time to move that machine,” he said. Instead, Johnson said he has focused his efforts on areas where his skill as a pilot can be most beneficial. “We’re in the mountains,” Johnson said. “Places accessible by helicopter.” Johnson also noted the people undertaking the effort to assist those in North Carolina are volunteering their time and effort and their own resources in hopes of making a difference for those who have had their lives upended by the natural disaster. “It really is people that just want to do good. You know, we’re locals. We know the area. These are our neighbors, and we have a way to help them. And that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re not Uber Eats. … We aren’t making money on this. We’re just a couple of guys with access to some assets that are the right tool for this job, at least at this point in time.” The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Political storm: Back-to-back hurricanes rock Harris-Trump presidential campaign

Political storm: Back-to-back hurricanes rock Harris-Trump presidential campaign

President Biden, making calls with elected officials in Florida on Wednesday evening, as powerful and extremely dangerous Hurricane Milton crashed into the state. And the president also speaking with Democratic and Republican senators from the states hard hit by Hurricane Helene, which tore a path of destruction through the southeast nearly two weeks ago. “I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit,” Biden said at the end of a long day overseeing the federal response to the storms. And the president stressed that “my most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety…instructions and evacuation orders. This is serious, very serious.” BIDEN CANCELS OVERSEAS TRIP AS MILTON BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA With less than four weeks to go until Election Day in November and Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump locked in a narrow margin-of-error showdown in the race to succeed Biden in the White House, and with two of the hardest-hit states from Helene — North Carolina and Georgia — among the seven key battlegrounds that will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 election, the politics of federal disaster relief are again front and center on the campaign trail. Trump for nearly two weeks has repeatedly attacked Biden and Harris and accused them of being incompetent in steering the federal efforts in responding to the back-to-back deadly hurricanes. EYE OF THE STORM: BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES IMPACT HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE “The worst hurricane response since Katrina,” the former president charged on Wednesday as he pointed to the much-maligned initial federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which was heavily criticized for being slow and ineffective. Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in battleground Pennsylvania, lobbed another political bomb at Harris, arguing that “She just led the worst rescue operation in history in North Carolina…the worst ever, they say.” And the former president once again made false claims that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) diverted money intended for disaster relief and spent it on undocumented migrants in the U.S. as he turned up the volume on his inflammatory rhetoric over the combustible issue of illegal immigration. “You know where they gave the money to: illegal immigrants coming,” Trump said as the crowd of MAGA supporters loudly booed. CLICK HERE FOR UP-TO-DATE FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE STORMS A couple of hours earlier, as the president and vice president received their latest briefing from FEMA and other federal agencies on storm preparations in Florida and relief efforts across the Southeast, Biden said that “we have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis, and we’re going to continue to do so until the job is done.” Biden also took aim at Trump, accusing him of leading an “onslaught of lies.” The president charged that the rhetoric from Trump and other Republicans was “beyond ridiculous” and that “it’s got to stop.” Harris, who in July replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, had a similar message during an interview Wednesday on the Weather Channel. “This is not a time for us to just point fingers at each other as Americans,” Harris said. “Anybody who considers themselves to be a leader should really be in the business right now of giving people a sense of confidence that we’re all working together and that we have the resources and the ability to work together on their behalf.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS WEATHER UPDATES ON HURRICANE MILTON But earlier this week, Harris and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida traded verbal fire over whether he ignored hurricane-related calls from her. The vice president called DeSantis “selfish,” and the governor accused Harris of playing “political games.” “Natural disasters present perils and promise for presidential hopefuls,” longtime Republican strategist Colin Reed, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, told Fox News. Reed noted that “for the incumbent, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate competence and steady leadership and prove that their government is able to function at a core level during a time of peril.” But it doesn’t always play according to the script for an incumbent president. Then-President George H.W. Bush took a political hit over FEMA’s disorganized efforts to provide relief in Florida from Hurricane Andrew, which pounded the then-key battleground state weeks before the 1992 election. Fast-forward a decade and his son – then-President George W. Bush – enjoyed a political bounce in Florida during his 2004 re-election thanks to his aggressive response to Hurricane Charley, which hit in August of that year. Bush was narrowly re-elected, thanks in large part to carrying the Sunshine State, but his administration’s image in handling storms took a major hit the next year, over the botched response in Louisiana to Hurricane Katrina. As he ran for re-election in 2012, then-President Barack Obama’s aggressive response in dealing with Superstorm Sandy -which slammed into the Eastern Seaboard days before the election – likely boosted him to victory. Reed argued that “without a real role to play in the response to Helene and now Milton, Vice President Harris is betwixt and between, wary about being seen as too close to a deeply unpopular administration but also well aware that its failures will be seen as her failures and political baggage to carry the next three weeks.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.