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Dem lawmaker reintroduces death row appeals bill allowing for introduction of newly discovered evidence

Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson re-introduced a death row appeals bill that would allow death row inmates the opportunity to introduce newly discovered evidence in their appeal.  H.R. 9868, also called the Effective Death Penalty Act, was initially introduced in 2009 and later in 2020. The bill would amend a provision in the U.S. Code that currently governs circumstances under which a state prisoner can file a habeas corpus petition.  “We’ve got innocent people on death row right now with no opportunity to show compelling new evidence of innocence,” Johnson said in a press statement released on Wednesday. “The status quo is inhumane and unconstitutional.”  TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE’S LAWYER SAYS ‘THERE WAS NO CRIME’ AS SHE MAKES LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE HIS LIFE Under current law, a federal court cannot grant a habeas corpus petition unless the petitioner has already exhausted all state court remedies. This requirement was explained by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999, with the Court stating that such a requirement “is designed to give the state courts a full and fair opportunity to resolve federal constitutional claims before those claims are presented to federal courts.”  The bill would allow a death row inmate to not only introduce newly discovered evidence that “demonstrates that the applicant is probably not guilty of the underlying offense,” but to also raise an ineffective counsel claim on direct appeal. Some states do not currently allow for such a claim on direct appeal.  The added provision comes as a result of the 2022 Supreme Court case, Shinn v. Ramirez, when the Court held that a habeas corpus court may not conduct an evidentiary hearing or consider evidence beyond the state-court record based on an ineffective counsel claim.  OKLAHOMA AG SUPPORTS NEW TRIAL FOR DEATH ROW INMATE WHO HAS HAD 3 ‘LAST MEALS’ “I believe we should completely abolish the death penalty, but while 25 states – half of which are in the South – still have some form of capital punishment on their books and some states like Alabama, Texas and Georgia continue to hold state executions – America needs the Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act to help wrongly convicted people on death row present newly discovered evidence that they are innocent,” Johnson said in the statement.  Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-ME, Democratic House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., are co-sponsoring the bill.  The Supreme Court, which kicked off its new term earlier this month, heard oral arguments Wednesday on an appeal from Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip, who has maintained his innocence in connection with a 1997 murder-for-hire of the owner of a motel he previously worked at. Glossip’s initial conviction was reversed by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals after the court found he had received “constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel in numerous respects,” according to the brief filed.  Glossip now argues before the Supreme Court that he did not receive a fair trial as a result of the prosecution suppressing evidence of a key prosecution witness’s testimony. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate in hearing the appeal due to his prior involvement in the appeals process while serving on a lower court. 

DHS Sec. Mayorkas says FEMA ‘will need additional funds’ after Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed on Thursday that FEMA “will need more funds” after responding to hurricanes Helene and Milton. Mayorkas made the statement while answering questions from reporters at the White House press briefing on Thursday. He said FEMA has enough funds to address the “immediate needs” of people affected by both hurricanes, but urged Congress to move quickly. “President Biden indicated that FEMA and the Department of Defense would have to get through their immediate needs in this recovery phase. I’m wondering, after your early assessments of damage from Hurricane Milton, coupled with the damage from Hurricane Helene, do you still believe that to be the case?” a reporter asked. “Yes, I do,” Mayorkas responded. “We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, and the associated – it’s very important to remember – the tornadoes associated with the hurricane.” VIDEO RESURFACES SHOWING FEMA PRIORITIZING EQUITY OVER HELPING GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN DISASTER RELIEF “That being said, we will need additional funds, and we implore Congress when it returns to, in fact, fund FEMA as is needed,” he added. FEMA HEAD DENIES AGENCY IS SHORT ON MONEY FOR DISASTER RELIEF BECAUSE FUNDS WENT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS   Mayorkas appeared at the briefing remotely from North Carolina, where he is helping coordinate response efforts. Earlier this week, FEMA revealed that it had less than 10% of front-line staff available for deployment amid preparations for Milton. FEMA released a daily briefing on Wednesday revealing the agency had only 8%, or 1,115, FEMA staff members currently available as preparations continued. This number represents a significant drop in availability from a year prior, after an operations briefing from late September 2023 showed the agency had 20% of the same staff available for deployment. SPEAKER JOHNSON ADDRESSES CLAIMS FEMA DIVERTED FUNDS TO IMMIGRATION EFFORTS: ‘AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE DISGUSTED’ A FEMA spokesperson indicated to Fox News Digital that the availability numbers released by the agency are only in reference to the cadre of staffers who are part of FEMA’s incident management core capacity. They are the first line of FEMA staffers to deploy in any disaster. Meanwhile, the FEMA spokesperson pointed out the agency has a total workforce of 22,000 staffers it can call on, as well as resources from other agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has deployed 10,000 National Guard members in the response to Milton. Roughly 3,000 of those have been sent from other states to aid the recovery effort. Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

Walz silent on support for eliminating Electoral College after Harris camp says it doesn’t back ban

Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, remained silent Thursday on whether he still supports eliminating the Electoral College, after the Harris campaign insisted his position did not reflect that of the campaign’s.  “I think all of us know, the Electoral College needs to go. We need a national popular vote,” Walz said during a campaign fundraiser Tuesday at the home of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Walz made similar comments at an earlier fundraiser in Seattle as well. While running for president in 2019, Harris said she was “open” to the idea of abolishing the Electoral College. However, according to campaign officials pressed on the issue following Walz’s remarks, eliminating the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote is not an official position of Harris’ current campaign. Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Walz repeatedly to inquire whether he still supports replacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote, particularly after his campaign came out against it. A response was never received, but the Harris-Walz campaign did release a statement to certain news outlets suggesting Walz’s remarks were intended to express support for the Electoral College process. IF 2024 POLLING ERRORS MIRROR THOSE IN 2020 ELECTION, TRUMP ‘WINS IN A BLOWOUT,’ CNN DATA GURU SAYS “Governor Walz believes that every vote matters in the Electoral College and he is honored to be traveling the country and battleground states working to earn support for the Harris-Walz ticket,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement sent to select media outlets like CNN and USA Today. “He was commenting to a crowd of strong supporters about how the campaign is built to win 270 electoral votes. And, he was thanking them for their support that is helping fund those efforts.”  Debate over whether a national popular vote should replace the Electoral College surged in 2016 when Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote, cementing his victory despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. “I think it needs to be eliminated,” Clinton told CNN after her 2016 loss to Trump. “I’d like to see us move beyond it, yes.” Clinton made similar calls earlier in her career as well. Just last month, Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin suggested there could be deadly consequences for Americans if the Electoral College was not done away with. Raskin said a national popular vote was a far better option than the current “convoluted, antique, obsolete system from the 18th century, which these days can get you killed as nearly it did on Jan. 6, 2021.” NEBRASKA GOP SENATOR OPPOSES ELECTORAL COLLEGE CHANGE THAT MAY HAVE HELPED TRUMP WIN RE-ELECTION The Electoral College has been something that both Republicans and Democrats have tried to do away with in the past, but contemporary calls for its abolition surged among Democrats after Clinton’s loss. The process was established by the nation’s Founding Fathers, seen as a compromise between the election of president by vote in Congress and election by a popular vote of qualified citizens. Electoral College votes, of which 270 are needed for any presidential candidate to win, are allocated based on the Census. The process effectively allows voters in states with lower populations to have a similar impact on the election as those voters living in higher population densities. The Electoral College is also thought to be a protective measure against super thin margins and excessive recounts. In May 2023, as governor, Walz signed a broad ranging election bill that included a provision to allocate the state’s electors based on who receives the most votes nationwide, even if it doesn’t match the outcome in their state. The measure, known as the “National Popular Vote Interstate Compact,” has been supported by 17 states and the District of Columbia, but will only take effect after all the states that have signed on have a total electoral vote count of 270. Right now, those supporting the reform only have 209, according to CBS News. Polling from the Pew Research Center released last month showed a majority of Americans favor moving away from the Electoral College. Since 2016, the sentiment has steadily increased, and, according to Pew, more than 6 in 10 Americans today prefer the national popular vote over the Electoral College.  Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project Action, a nonprofit that advocates in favor of retaining the Electoral College, argued Walz “said the quiet part out loud” when he insisted the Electoral College should be eliminated.  “Democrat leaders don’t think they should have to campaign in places like Michigan and North Carolina, they want California and New York to decide every election,” Snead argued. “There is a pattern here. Democrats claim to love democracy, then set their sights on any institution that stands between them and political power: the Supreme Court, the Senate filibuster, and the Electoral College.”

Contentious exchanges over illegal immigration front and center in Arizona Senate debate

Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faced off against Republican challenger Kari Lake on Wednesday night and wasted no time exchanging blows over the illegal immigration crisis plaguing the state’s southern border. Lake, trailing behind Gallego entering into the debate, appeared much more on the offensive. Meanwhile, Gallego – a five-term member in Congress – appeared more relaxed, given his comfortable lead in several recent polls.  The two candidates sparred over border security and abortion in the first half of the debate night. Lake touted H.R. 2 – the House GOP-led bill that would tighten border security – while Gallego pointed to his support for the failed bipartisan border bill that Democrats, Republicans and White House officials negotiated earlier this year. BATTLEGROUND SENATE CANDIDATE UNLOADS ON ‘RADICAL’ DEM OPPONENT FOR DISPARAGING TRUMP VOTERS Gallego also accused Lake of wanting to deport Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, while Lake accused Gallego of not wanting to deport any of the illegal immigrants who have crossed the border over the last three and a half years. “Dealing with the people who’ve poured in during the Bidenvasion, the 20 million people who have come in unvetted into our country, we must deal with them in order to save our homeland,” Lake said during the debate. “We must send them back to their homeland. I’m talking about the people came in unvetted in the past three and a half years. I’m not talking about the dreamers.” “Do you want to deport any of the people who’ve invaded our country in the last three and a half years? Ruben, do want to deport any of them?” Lake probed. “Yes, actually we should have a proper deport deportation proceedings,” Gallego replied. “But I also think that we shouldn’t deport Dreamers.”  ENIGMATIC VOTER GROUP COULD SPLIT TICKET FOR TRUMP, DEM SENATE CANDIDATE IN ARIZONA “She says she’s going to deport people. Will you deport those Dreamers? Just be honest, yes or no,” Gallego said. Lake responded that former President Donald Trump wanted to make a deal when it came to Dreamers, which Gallego did not support. “You said no. Unfortunately, the radical Democrats, like my opponent, would rather use people as political pawns. I want to secure the border,” Lake said. Though it was a debate for the Arizona Senate seat, the debate did not shy away from weighing into national waters. Other issues like reducing inflation and re-federalizing Roe v. Wade came up later in the debate.  At one point during the night, Gallego took a swipe at Lake, accusing her of spending more time at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago than visiting the border.  Lake also made sure to align herself as a strong Trump ally throughout the night who would restore a “strong Trump economy,” while painting Gallego as a supporter of “Kamala Harris, the border czar, and Joe Biden’s open border.” IN ARIZONA SPEECH, VANCE SAYS NEXT PRESIDENT MUST PUT AMERICANS FIRST, SLAMS FEMA MONEY FOR MIGRANTS When it came to abortion, which Democrats have selected as one of their winning platform issues this election cycle, Lake said she opposed a federal abortion ban, but Gallego pointed to her supporting the state’s 1864 near-total ban in 2022.  Gallegho said “it is absolutely abhorrent” that his 15-month-old daughter “has less rights in control of her body than her mother and then her grandma.” State law currently bans abortion at 15 weeks gestation. “And the reason we need to codify [Roe v. Wade] because people like Kari Lake are the ones that make this a dangerous situation,” he said. Lake responded that abortion rights should be “left to the states.” The debate came on the first day of early voting for Arizona, as the state’s Senate race is one of the highly contested seats this election cycle. 

DeSantis fires back at Harris over hurricane response: ‘She has no role in this process’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bashed Vice President Kamala Harris for attempting to insert herself into the response to hurricanes Helene and Milton on Thursday. DeSantis and Harris have clashed in recent days after the governor declined to take a call from Harris regarding the hurricane response. He said Thursday that Harris has “no role” in the process and added that she had never attempted to call him during previous storms in Florida. “I am working with the president of the United States. I’m working with the director of FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency]. We’ve been doing this now nonstop for over two weeks,” DeSantis said Thursday.  “Although I’ve worked well with the president, she has never called Florida. She has never offered any support,” he said of Harris. “I don’t have time for those games. I don’t care about her campaign. Obviously, I’m not a supporter of hers, but she’s not, she has no role in this process. And so I’m working with the people I need to be working with.” RON DESANTIS: 51 COUNTIES ARE UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY The spat between DeSantis and Harris made its way to the White House press office on Wednesday, with a reporter asking President Biden whether it was the governor’s responsibility to take the vice president’s calls. ROOF OF TROPICANA FIELD RIPPED OPEN BY HURRICANE MILTON “All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Governor DeSantis,” Biden answered. “He’s been very gracious. He thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing, and I think that’s important.” Biden has had multiple phone calls with DeSantis since Hurricane Helene began barreling down on the Southeast two weeks ago, followed by Hurricane Milton making landfall late Wednesday, and told both DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to “call him directly” if any further support is needed.  HURRICANE MILTON FORCES ST. PETERSBURG CRANE COLLAPSE DeSantis, meanwhile, noted Tuesday morning that all his federal requests for more support have been answered. Harris has accused DeSantis of “playing political games” amid the hurricanes. “People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games with this moment, in these crisis situations, these are the height of emergency situations, it’s just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish,” Harris told reporters Monday. Biden, by contrast, had instead referred to the Florida governor as “cooperative.”

Pro-defund police Dem in key race once threatened to ‘kill’ and ‘bury’ man over the phone: police records

FIRST ON FOX: An incumbent House Democrat, who is involved in one of the tightest House races in the country in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, threatened to “kill” and “bury” a fellow student during a dispute while attending college, according to police records obtained and verified by Fox News Digital. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, while enrolled as a college student at New Mexico State University, was the subject of a police report filed by another student that claimed Vasquez used the “telephone to terrify, intimidate, threat, harass” him and threatened to “kill” and “bury” him. In the February 2005 police report, obtained by Fox News Digital, Vasquez admitted to making a call that was construed as threatening but apologized and said, according to police, he was “very upset” over the condition of a friend of his who was suffering from alcohol poisoning on his birthday after being pressured to drink and later died. The victim claimed in the police report that in addition to threatening the lives of the people involved, Vasquez used “several bad words in Spanish.” Vasquez got off with a warning after promising not to contact the individual again and the matter was closed. ANDREW CUOMO SLAMS ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ MOVEMENT IN FIERY CHURCH SPEECH: ‘DUMBEST WORDS EVER UTTERED’ Fox News Digital reached out to the individual who filed the complaint against Vasquez, but he refused to speak about the complaint and said they “conciliated” and “went on with our lives.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Vasquez’s campaign manager Dylan McArthur said, “It’s sad to see Yvette Herrell stoop as low as using a close college friend’s death from nearly 20 years ago to lie about the Congressman’s character because she is trying to distract people from her horrible history of wanting to ban all abortion in the state.” Vasquez’s interaction with the police was not the only time that he has had issues with law enforcement.  The year before, Vasquez reportedly had a controversial interaction in New Mexico when he was accused in a police report of using the “n word” while calling a former employer of his, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Vasquez denied being the individual who placed that call in a statement to the Daily Mail saying, “I have not and would never use language like this, this attack is categorically false.” BALANCE OF POWER: FIVE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER Police records, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, also show that in 2005, Vasquez was arrested by the Las Cruces Police Department after neighbors called in a noise complaint. Vasquez is alleged to have attempted to flush marijuana down the toilet before his arrest. Vasquez was also involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend in Las Cruces after an argument over her drinking too much, which led police to his home “in reference to a possible domestic.” Vasquez was not arrested in that incident, which did not include physical violence. It has also been reported that Vasquez failed to appear in court in El Paso, Texas, in 2002 for driving without insurance and that a warrant for his arrest was issued in April 2008. That warrant was finally carried out in March of this year, resulting in Vasquez posting a roughly $900 cash bond and pleading no contest, the Washington Free Beacon reported.  Vasquez is running against former New Mexico Congresswoman Yvette Herrell in a race the Cook Political Report ranks as a “Democrat toss up.” “Threats to kill and bury someone should not be glossed over,” Herrell told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This is extremely dangerous and unhinged behavior from Gabe Vasquez, and he owes New Mexico’s Second District an immediate explanation and apology.” Under the backdrop of Vasquez’s run-ins with police departments in New Mexico and Texas, the congressman has advocated for policies that defund police departments. Vasquez appeared on a local news station seemingly dressed in disguise during the 2020 George Floyd unrest and said, “It’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges White people over everyone else.”  Vasquez previously vowed he would “fully support” cutting in half the police budget of Las Cruces, where he served on the city council, Fox News Digital previously reported. “I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50% reduction of the Las Cruces police department budget. In a statement to Fox News Digital in 2022, Vasquez said, “I oppose defunding the police. As a Las Cruces Councilmember, I repeatedly voted to increase funding for the police and partnered with them, while supporting common sense reforms.”  “Gabe Vasquez has a long track record of extreme verbal abuse,” NRCC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News Digital. “Between calling a former colleague the n-word and now this, it’s very clear that Gabe is not fit to serve in public office, and he does not represent New Mexico values.” Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report

Obama-era DACA program heads back to federal appeals court

The legal battle surrounding the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program continues to play out in court. The current clash involves arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday as multiple states, including New Jersey, face off with the federal government and other parties. The DACA program pertains to permitting undocumented individuals who arrived in the U.S. as young people to remain in America. OBAMA MARKS 12 YEARS SINCE ‘DREAMERS’ EXECUTIVE ACTION, SEEKS ‘PERMANENT’ SOLUTION FOR DACA RECIPIENTS “DACA temporarily delays the deportation of people without documentation who came to the U.S. as children,” according to USA.gov.  But the policy has previously been deemed unlawful amid legal wranglings. A 2021 order signed by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen instructed the Department of Homeland Security “to post a public notice, within 3 calendar days of this Injunction, to be displayed prominently on its website and on the websites of all other relevant agencies, that a United States District Court has found the DACA program to be illegal[.]” REPUBLICAN STATES ASK FEDERAL JUDGE TO END ‘UNLAWFUL’ DACA PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY BIDEN, OBAMA, OPPOSED BY TRUMP But Hanen indicated that the government was not being instructed to nix the DACA status of any recipients in good standing at the time. Similarly, a Biden-era rule pertaining to DACA has also been slapped down.  In 2023, Hanen wrote that “the Court finds that the Final Rule, like the 2012 DACA Memorandum before it, is subject to this Court’s (and the Fifth Circuit’s) prior rulings. There are no material differences between the two programs. As such, the Final Rule suffers from the same legal impediments.” TEXAS JUDGE WHO PREVIOUSLY DEEMED DACA ILLEGAL REAFFIRMS RULING “We are deeply disappointed in today’s DACA ruling from the District Court in Southern Texas,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement in September 2023. “On day one of his Administration, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the federal government to take all appropriate actions to ‘preserve and fortify the DACA policy. Consistent with that directive, the Administration has defended the DACA policy from legal challenges, and issued a final rule codifying this longstanding policy,” Jean-Pierre noted.

Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, dead at 96

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 96, her family announced Thursday. Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman, announced Ethel’s passing in a post on social media. “It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” Kennedy wrote. She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie,” he added. “Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.” Ethel’s death comes at a time of division within the Kennedy family, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Trump to the anger of his siblings and other family members, who support Vice President Harris. ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. LAMBASTS ‘DNC-ALIGNED MAINSTREAM MEDIA,’ ACCUSES THEM OF ENGINEERING HARRIS’ RISE Kennedy faced has faced questions about the family drama in recent weeks following a letter from Kennedy’s siblings condemning his endorsement of Trump. “You know, my family is at the center of the Democratic Party. I have mbers of my family that are working for the Biden administration. Biden has a bust of my father behind him at the Oval Office, and he’s been a family friend for many years,” Kennedy told Fox News in August. KENNEDY FAMILY CHOOSES POLITICS OVER FAMILY WITH ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE “My family is – I understand that they’re troubled by my decisions. I love my family. I feel like we were raised in a milieu where we were encouraged to debate each other and debate ferociously and passionately about things and still love each other,” he added. “They’re free to take their positions on these issues. There are many, many members of my family working at my campaign and who are supporting me.” “I think we all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other,” he concluded. Kennedy had previously noted that his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has not been totally on board. Hines posted on social media about the decision to withdraw, and Kennedy acknowledged that she was “very uncomfortable” with his decision. Kennedy has not yet publicly acknowledged Ethel’s death.

Battleground Dem warns traditional voting bloc being ‘split’ in 2024

Kamala Harris’ most likely path to the presidency hinges on her winning the swing state of Michigan – but with just weeks left until Election Day, she is facing an unexpected groundswell of opposition from the state’s Jewish population, which has increasingly soured on the Biden administration’s response to the Middle East conflict.  The drop-off in support among Jewish voters could spell trouble for Harris in Michigan, considered to be a must-win state, and where the state’s Muslim and Arab American populations have been increasingly vocal about their disapproval of the U.S. response to Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Now, discontent now appears to be spreading to the state’s Jewish voters as well, threatening a key bedrock of support in the state. IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., whose suburban Detroit district is home to a large Jewish American population, told the New York Times this week that she has seen a drop-off in support for Harris among younger Jewish voters who are disenfranchised by the Biden administration’s handling of the Middle East crisis and failure to take stronger action on a policy reset in the region. Stevens told the Times that the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that Hamas launched on Israel have indeed rallied some Jewish constituents together to combat what they see as rising hatred and antisemitism. But she noted that other, younger voters in the community are turned off by the administration’s unwavering support for Israel in the face of the intensifying conflict – policies enacted under the Biden administration, but which Harris must now confront as the party’s presidential nominee. GEORGIA’S MUSLIM VOTERS OPPOSING HARRIS, TRUMP IN ELECTION OVER BOTH CANDIDATES’ SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL Nearly two-thirds of Michigan’s Jewish electorate identifies as Democratic or Democratic-leaning, according to data collected by Brandeis University’s Steinhardt Social Research Institute. In previous elections, this majority has been a fairly reliable bedrock of support for Democratic presidential nominees. But that support is anything but guaranteed this year. “I do know some more independent-type voters, and I have heard from friends with young families, of friends of theirs who have traditionally voted Democrat, that they feel a little split,” Stevens told the Times.   This loss of support among Jewish voters in the state could be particularly damaging to Harris’ chances of victory in Michigan and her broader path to the presidency, which hinges on victory in the key battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Still, it’s Michigan where Harris could find herself in particularly hot water.  As the violence in the Middle East escalates, Harris has struggled to earn the support of Michigan’s Muslim and Arab American populations, including some who have organized local voters to withhold support for the vice president in order to protest the Biden administration’s response to the war.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The state is home to roughly 300,000 voters of Middle Eastern descent, according to the most recent census data. In recent months, some groups have urged communities to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein, while others said they are weighing the idea of backing Republican candidate Donald Trump – an almost unthinkable position just four years ago, when the former president’s so-called “Muslim ban” and other policies prompted Muslim voters to support Joe Biden by a strong 64% to 84% majority in 2020, according to exit polls.

Delhi: Police seize 200 kg of cocaine worth Rs 2000 crore in national capital, second biggest haul in a week

The seizure is suspected to be linked with the earlier recovery of 562 kilograms of drugs worth over Rs 5,000 crore.