Page 115 – Texas Weekly Online

The ‘garbage’ campaign: Why mistakes and distractions could tilt the outcome

If there’s one image that captures the craziness of this campaign, it’s got to be Donald Trump driving around in a garbage truck. He put on the orange vest and talked to reporters after a Joe Biden blunder put Kamala Harris on the defensive. And this was after a Trump rally filled with profane insults, including a comic who mocked Puerto Rico as an island of floating garbage. And that, in turn, followed the spectacle of the former president cooking up some fries at McDonald’s, where he actually likes to eat. THE FATAL FLAW IN KAMALA HARRIS’ SPEECH, MARRED BY BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT But all this is unfolding against the backdrop of the ugliest and perhaps most divisive race in American history, with each side accusing the other of being a danger to democracy. And the tightness of the polls–assuming they’re not off again–has created an almost apocalyptic sense of drama, with many voters worried about post-election violence if Trump loses. Trump, after all, has survived two impeachments, the Jan. 6 riot, four criminal indictments, one conviction and two assassination attempts. He has spent the last four years insisting, despite numerous failed lawsuits, that the last election was stolen from him. Can there be more than 500 voters in the six or seven swing states who don’t have a rock-solid opinion of him, positive or negative? As for Harris, she was a relatively unpopular vice president thrust into a 100-day sprint when Democrats pressured Biden into stepping aside. She soared through the convention but hid from the media – that’s now changed – yet kept sticking to talking points and didn’t make much news. What’s more, Harris would be the first female president–and, of course, woman of color–to win the presidency in a country where some men, especially Black men, are reluctant to take that step. BACKLASH BUILDS AGAINST BEZOS AS NON-ENDORSEMENT SPARKS HUGE SURGE IN CANCELLATIONS I have never witnessed such a chasm in coverage as in 2024, not even when Barack Obama first ran for the White House. The Kamala coverage ranges from glowing to gushing, with minimal scrutiny even when she makes false claims. The Donald coverage is overwhelmingly negative, right down to the Hitler comparisons–which the press has pushed for years, even before John Kelly went on the record with his accusations. It’s not hard to sense the frustration in the press that the improving economy isn’t helping Harris, especially with the news that inflation has dropped to 2.1 percent. The New York Times says voters feel “relatively glum” about the economy, with the “lingering pessimism…The job market has been chugging along, although more slowly, overall growth has been healthy and even inflation is more or less back to normal.” A Wall Street Journal columnist said yesterday the next president will inherit a “remarkable economy,” but that 62 percent of those in its poll rated it “not so good” or “poor.” There is generally a lag in public perception, as when George H.W. Bush found when he talked up economic improvements in 1992 but lost to Bill Clinton. In this supercharged environment, every mistake counts. JAKE PAUL ENDORSES TRUMP IN FIERY VIDEO TORCHING BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION: ‘CAN’T SIT BACK AND WATCH THIS’ Trump, speaking about criminals who cross the border illegally, said “I told women I will be their protector. They [his advisers] said, ‘Sir, please don’t say that.’ Well, I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not.” That has an unfortunate ring to it, and Harris said yesterday it is “very offensive to women,” including on controlling “their own bodies.” All of which brings us back to the last few days. When every hour counts, every distraction is costly. If you’re explaining, you’re losing. If you’re playing defense, you can’t put points on the board. Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally was marred by racist and misogynist talk, the coverage of which totally overshadowed his speech. What drew the most attention was comedian Tony Hinchcliffe and his ridicule of Puerto Rico. Podcaster Joe Rogan said he heard the joke the day before and told the comic there would be a big backlash. But the Trump camp hadn’t vetted the speakers. When Harris naturally denounced the “garbage” language, Trump hopped on the sanitation truck emblazoned with his name. Biden has been hurting his VP’s candidacy with a series of screwups. First he said of Trump, “Lock him up.” Then the president blurted out that “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” He stumbled before adding that this was about the “demonization of Latinos.” Castigating the other side’s voters is about the worst thing you can do, as Hillary Clinton learned eight years ago. That choked off the favorable coverage of her speech on the Ellipse–itself designed to mirror Trump’s Jan. 6 speech–and was the focus of reporters’ questions the next morning. Harris distanced herself, saying Biden had clarified his remarks and she would never criticize voters who don’t support her. An NBC reporter asked her about it again yesterday. Trump’s brief stint at McDonald’s was meant to highlight his contention that Harris never worked at one during college, as she has insisted. It was a brilliant tactic and one her side should have conjured up first. National Review writer Noah Rothman says the candidates are just “trolling” each other, presenting voters with “a choice between two gratingly flip campaigns that are consumed with frivolities.” I would differ on the main point. The whole point of a campaign is for voters to size up how the candidates perform under pressure, since no one knows what crises may arise. How they react to attacks, stunts and interviews gives us a sense of their rapid-response abilities that go beyond policy positions–especially in such a razor-thin election.

A pregnant teenager died after trying to get care in three visits to Texas emergency rooms

It took 20 hours and three ER visits before doctors admitted the pregnant 18-year-old to the hospital as her condition worsened. She’s one of at least two women who died under Texas’ abortion ban.

Early in-person voting ending Friday in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and 5 other states

Early in-person voting ends in eight states Friday, including three major battleground states, as the nation sits just four days away from Election Day. The states ending early voting include the battleground states Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, along with Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Texas and Utah. Here is everything you need to know to cast a last-minute ballot during early voting. President Biden scored a crucial victory in Arizona in the last presidential election, flipping the state to the Democrats for the first time since 1996. Four years later, the state remains highly competitive. In late September, a Fox News Poll put Republican former President Trump at 50% and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris at 47% among likely voters; an AARP survey around the same time had Trump two points ahead of Harris at 49% to 47%. Maricopa County remains the most important battleground in the state. It is the fourth-highest populated county in the United States, represents more than 60% of Arizona’s registered voters and has a large suburban population, particularly in Mesa. Arizona is also home to a higher proportion of Hispanic voters than the rest of the country, and while they favored Biden by 19 points in the last election, they have shown signs of shifting toward Trump. Republicans are strongest in sparsely populated rural areas, particularly Mohave County (Trump plus-51) and Graham County (Trump plus-45), but they run up the margin most in the outer suburbs and exurban areas in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties. Arizona is a Toss-Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. The Grand Canyon State will also vote for a new senator after independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided not to run for re-election this year. The Republican candidate is Kari Lake, a former TV news host who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. The Democrats have fielded Rep. Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District. The Senate race is ranked Lean D. ‘ADMIRES DICTATORS’: HARRIS CONTINUES COMPARING TRUMP TO HITLER DURING BATTLEGROUND STATE TOWN HALL Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Georgia has voted Republican in all but two elections in the last four decades. The first was former President Clinton’s landslide win in 1992, and the second was 2020, when Biden brought the state back to the Democrats by 11,779 votes. A win for either candidate here would make their path to victory easier. The Peach State has 16 electoral votes to offer, and with recent polls showing a tight race, it’s ranked a Toss-Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. TRUMP, HARRIS MAKE FINAL PITCHES TO VOTERS IN HIGH-STAKES BATTLEGROUND STATE IN FINAL DAYS OF CYCLE Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated to remove references to North Carolina, where early in-person voting ends Saturday.

Early in-person voting ending Friday in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and 5 other states

Early in-person voting ends in nine states Friday, including four major battleground states, as the nation sits just four days away from Election Day. The states ending early voting include the battleground states Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, along with Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Texas and Utah. Here is everything you need to know to cast a last-minute ballot during early voting. President Biden scored a crucial victory in Arizona in the last presidential election, flipping the state to the Democrats for the first time since 1996. Four years later, the state remains highly competitive. In late September, a Fox News Poll put Republican former President Trump at 50% and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris at 47% among likely voters; an AARP survey around the same time had Trump two points ahead of Harris at 49% to 47%. Maricopa County remains the most important battleground in the state. It is the fourth-highest populated county in the United States, represents more than 60% of Arizona’s registered voters and has a large suburban population, particularly in Mesa. Arizona is also home to a higher proportion of Hispanic voters than the rest of the country, and while they favored Biden by 19 points in the last election, they have shown signs of shifting toward Trump. Republicans are strongest in sparsely populated rural areas, particularly Mohave County (Trump plus-51) and Graham County (Trump plus-45), but they run up the margin most in the outer suburbs and exurban areas in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties. Arizona is a Toss-Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. The Grand Canyon State will also vote for a new senator after independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided not to run for re-election this year. The Republican candidate is Kari Lake, a former TV news host who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. The Democrats have fielded Rep. Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District. The Senate race is ranked Lean D. ‘ADMIRES DICTATORS’: HARRIS CONTINUES COMPARING TRUMP TO HITLER DURING BATTLEGROUND STATE TOWN HALL Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Georgia has voted Republican in all but two elections in the last four decades. The first was former President Clinton’s landslide win in 1992, and the second was 2020, when Biden brought the state back to the Democrats by 11,779 votes. A win for either candidate here would make their path to victory easier. The Peach State has 16 electoral votes to offer, and with recent polls showing a tight race, it’s ranked a Toss-Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. North Carolina last voted for a Democratic president in 2008, when Sen. Barack Obama won the state by 0.3 points, or 14,177 votes. Trump pulled out a convincing 3.7-point win in 2016, but that margin shrank to 1.3 points against Biden in 2020. ‘PULLING AN ALVIN BRAGG’: LEFT-WING DA’S ‘FLIMSY’ SUIT AGAINST ELON MUSK’S $1M GIVEAWAY SLAMMED BY EXPERT Late last month, the Fox News Poll had the two 2024 presidential candidates just a point apart, with Democratic nominee Vice President Harris at 49% and former President Trump at 50%. North Carolina is ranked a Toss-Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. The state has become more competitive as its population has grown. Over the last full decade, North Carolina added roughly 1.1 million people, the fourth-largest gain among all states. Much of that growth has been in urban and suburban areas like those in solidly blue Mecklenburg and Wake counties. The pandemic brought more wealthy, urban Americans from surrounding states, and there are pockets of college voters as well. Rural areas have experienced some population decline, but they remain a powerful part of the state’s overall vote, and they vote overwhelmingly Republican. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. TRUMP, HARRIS MAKE FINAL PITCHES TO VOTERS IN HIGH-STAKES BATTLEGROUND STATE IN FINAL DAYS OF CYCLE Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting. Voters who have received their mail-in ballots have until Nov. 5 to deliver them to state officials. Friday is the final day for early in-person voting.

Biden-Harris administration failed to recoup $200B in fraudulent COVID loans, House committee says

Biden-Harris administration failed to recoup 0B in fraudulent COVID loans, House committee says

FIRST ON FOX: A new report from the House of Representatives is accusing the Biden administration of failing to recover some $200 billion in fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic loans. The House Small Business Committee, led by Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, has been conducting a years-long investigation into how the Small Business Administration (SBA) has handled the emergency financial aid programs that sprung up when state governments shut down businesses across the country during the pandemic. “In creating the COVID Lending Programs, Congress understood that the relief funds needed to be issued quickly to help businesses cope with the economic strain of the pandemic,” a new report released by the committee said. “The rush to get pandemic relief funding out quickly resulted in shortcuts being taken to deliver aid quickly to small businesses in hopes of recouping improper disbursements on the back end.” BIDEN CALLS TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ DURING HARRIS CAMPAIGN EVENT AS VP PROMISES UNITY AT ELLIPSE RALLY The report also accused the SBA of making “numerous decisions that decreased the likelihood” the government would be able to recoup any money given under false pretenses. “In total, it is likely that $200 billion from the COVID Lending Programs were disbursed to fraudulent recipients,” the report said. Out of roughly $5.5 trillion Congress approved for aid during the pandemic, roughly $1.2 trillion went to the SBA. It was largely disbursed by two major pieces of legislation, the CARES Act, signed by former President Trump, and the American Rescue Plan, signed by President Biden. TRUMP CALLS FOR SUPPORTERS TO ‘FORGIVE’ BIDEN IN SHOW OF UNITY AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS SUPPORTERS ‘GARBAGE’ While making recommendations for reform across the entire COVID loan system, the report accused Democrats of devoting disproportionate attention to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which accounted for roughly $64 billion in fraudulent loans, rather than the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), which the report said saw $136 billion in fraud. Written by staff for the committee’s Republican majority, the report acknowledged that the additional responsibility given by the Trump administration in 2020 strained its comparatively smaller federal agency infrastructure. “In the days after Congress passed the initial COVID relief legislation, SBA employees worked night and day to craft the rules and policies for its new lending programs,” the report said. The SBA had already issued more money in the first 14 days of these programs than it had in the previous 14 years combined, the report said. WHITE HOUSE DENIES THAT BIDEN REFERRED TO TRUMP SUPPORTERS AS ‘GARBAGE’ It said SBA staff “did a remarkable job” setting them up, “but under the circumstances, these SBA employees did not have adequate support, staff, or time to design these programs to be fraud resistant.” The report accused the Biden administration of not doing enough to put in anti-fraud guardrails and failing to recover the funds lost after taking over the White House in January 2021. The report also knocked the previous Democratic majority Congress for focusing on PPP, while the “fraud rate” for EIDL “was approximately four times higher.” It accused Democrats of focusing on PPP because of the involvement of private sector partners. “It is likely that this misplaced focus by Congressional Democrats, and their surrogates in the media, obscured the realities of fraud in these programs, at least to some degree,” the report said. “While there should be investigations to ensure private companies are following the rules, Members of Congress and their staff should be careful to direct their efforts toward oversight that is beneficial to the American people, and not just part of a broader messaging push against an emerging industry.” Republicans noted that PPP needed “substantial changes” to be made more effective and less vulnerable to fraud. Fox News Digital reached out to the SBA and the House Small Business Committee’s Democratic minority for comment.

Republicans call on Mayorkas to reinstate COVID-era border policy amid tuberculosis ‘surge’

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, led some of his Republican colleagues in calling for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to reinstate a COVID-19 era border policy due to rising tuberculosis cases in the U.S. “Due to your negligence and refusal to enforce our current laws, tuberculosis (TB) is rapidly spreading through the millions of unscreened illegal immigrants released into the interior of the United States, putting American lives and health at severe risk,” Lee wrote in a letter sent to Mayorkas Wednesday, which was also signed by senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan. HOW GOP, DEM SENATORS ARE USING 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO LOBBY FOR CONFERENCE INFLUENCE The senators requested that he close the border, detain and deport “inadmissable” immigrants, reinstate the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy and bring back Title 42, which gave authority to turn away illegal immigrants due to the risk of communicable diseases. The Biden administration lifted the policy last year despite bipartisan pleading against him doing so. “The Biden-Harris administration’s destruction of America’s southern border has resulted in violent crime, human trafficking, drug smuggling and now a surge in a disease that was declining for nearly three decades before they took power. Secretary Mayorkas must answer for his part in this failure,” Lee told Fox News Digital in a statement. TOP REPUBLICANS PROBE BIDEN ADMIN ON AFGHAN NATIONALS’ ALLEGED ELECTION DAY TERRORIST PLOT He noted that tuberculosis has risen steadily in recent years despite being on the decline for decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 9,615 cases of the disease in 2023, a 16% increase from 2022. “Despite this increasing human health risk, you have turned what was once border security into a rubber-stamp for any individual seeking access to the interior,” the Republicans told Mayorkas. HARRIS BREAKS SILENCE AFTER GOP LEADERS SAY ANTI-TRUMP RHETORIC ‘RISKS INVITING’ ANOTHER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT “Rather than requiring immigrants to apply for status prior to arriving at the border and undergo health screenings, your policies encourage immigrants to unlawfully enter the interior with no meaningful processing, screening, or security analysis.” The senators pointed out that some of the most frequently encountered nationalities by Border Patrol are from countries that have higher rates of tuberculosis than the U.S. But the rise in cases is not confined to immigrants entering illegally, the letter said. Lee emphasized that the CDC reported increases in tuberculosis “among all age groups and among both U.S.-born and non-U.S.-born persons.” SEN TAMMY BALDWIN HITS BACK AT GOP OPPONENT’S CLINTON COMPARISON: ‘ACTUALLY CALLED YOU DEPLORABLE’ “There can be no doubt that your administration’s failure to enforce the law is the cause for the dramatic and dangerous rise of TB in the U.S,” the senators continued. The lawmakers asked Mayorkas to respond to several questions, including whether the DHS recognizes a correlation between the influx of migrants from countries with higher rates of tuberculosis and the rising rate in the U.S. The letter further asked him if the department was taking steps to mitigate the spread of the disease and if it considers the rise in tuberculosis a public health crisis. DHS did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Harris-Trump showdown: Vice President keeps her distance from Biden in final stretch

President Biden returns to the campaign trail this weekend with stops in the biggest of the battleground states, his native Pennsylvania. The White House confirmed the president will campaign on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris and down-ballot Democrats when he makes stops Friday in Philadelphia and Saturday in Scranton, where the 81-year-old Biden was born and spent his early childhood years. But Harris, who with four days until Election Day remains locked in a tight showdown with former President Trump in the race to succeed Biden in the White House, won’t be joining her boss on the campaign trail. HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS UPDATES FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TRAIL The vice president has kept her distance from Biden, who, according to polls, remains deeply unpopular with Americans, and her campaign quietly views him as a liability. And that was before the president made two glaring remarks the past two weeks that quickly went viral. While Harris has noted the policy successes of the Biden/Harris administration the past four years while campaigning, she’s emphasized that she’ll be an agent of change in the White House. HARRIS TAKES AIM AT TRUMP, SPELLS OUT AGENDA, IN CLOSING ARGUMENT IN FRONT OF A MASSIVE CROWD Giving her closing address Tuesday night at the Ellipse, just yards from the White House, where the president was huddled, Harris emphasized, “I have been honored to serve as Joe Biden’s vice president, but I will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office.” It’s been nearly two months since the one-time running mates teamed up on the campaign trail. You have to go back to Labor Day, when they joined forces at a union event in Pittsburgh. The 81-year-old Biden was replaced by Harris atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in July after ending his own bid amid a rising chorus of calls for him to drop out following a disastrous debate performance against Trump. Biden told reporters two months ago he would be “on the road from there on” campaigning on behalf of his vice president. It hasn’t happened. And while former Democratic presidents Obama and Clinton have crisscrossed the campaign trail in recent weeks on behalf of Harris, Biden’s efforts have been more limited and less publicized. WHAT THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN While Biden hasn’t done many campaign events, he has made official trips with political overtones into some of the seven key battleground states whose razor-thin margins decided his victory over Trump in 2020 and will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the 2024 election. The president has showcased the administration’s accomplishments at those events. “I think they are using him in a targeted way that makes sense,” a political adviser in the president’s orbit told Fox News. Last week, Biden teamed up with progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at a policy event in swing state New Hampshire to spotlight their efforts to lower health care costs. The two octogenarians trumpeted a new report by the Department of Health and Human Services that found nearly 1.5 million Medicare enrollees saved almost $1 billion on prescription drugs during the first half of the year. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION But at a political event minutes later, Biden stirred controversy. Speaking to supporters at the New Hampshire Democratic Party headquarters in Concord, N.H., Biden said of Trump, “We got to lock him up.” While the president instantly corrected himself, adding “politically lock him up,” the damage was done. The initial comment gave Trump instant ammunition for his argument that the four indictments against him — and one conviction — are part of an elaborate Democratic Party witch hunt. That’s despite no evidence the president or his administration has played any role in Trump’s prosecutions and despite Trump’s repeated calls over the years to lock up his own political opponents. Biden dug an even deeper hole Tuesday night, stepping all over the vice president’s closing address with more controversial comments during a video call with Latino supporters. Denouncing racist comments made by a comedian at Sunday’s Trump rally in New York City that had dominated news coverage for a couple of days, Biden appeared to call supporters of the former president “garbage.” Biden tried to clean up the mess, saying he was referring to the “hateful rhetoric” from the Trump rally comedian and not to the former president’s supporters in general. But the Trump campaign and allies immediately pounced, and Biden’s comments dominated the news cycle two straight days. Harris on Wednesday morning disavowed any idea of disparaging Trump supporters. She noted that Biden had “clarified his comments,” adding, “Let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” Even before the Biden remarks, Harris was walking the tight rope that previous vice presidents running for the top job have faced, trying to balance support for the boss and advertising the administration’s achievements while also spotlighting a forward-looking message and showing how they’d be different. “This election is about Kamala Harris, so people need to see the vision that she has for America. … It’s important that the focus stay on her,” veteran New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist and Harris convention delegate Jim Demers told Fox News. But Demers, who has also been a longtime Biden supporter and surrogate, noted that “you’re not going to hold Joe Biden back from being on the campaign, and, in the final days, it’s good to see him out there urging people to vote for Kamala Harris.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

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