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Bank of Canada cuts interest rates, says fight against inflation ‘worked’

Bank of Canada cuts interest rates, says fight against inflation ‘worked’

The cut on Wednesday, the fourth in a row, was bigger than expected as September inflation sank below target. The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 3.75 percent, its first bigger-than-usual move in more than four years, and hailed signs that Canada has returned to an era of low inflation. The country’s central bank, which hiked rates to a 20-year high to fight soaring prices, has now cut benchmark rates four times in a row since June. Inflation in September sank to 1.6 percent, below the 2 percent target. “Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s a good news story,” Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem said during a press conference after the rate announcement. “It’s been a long fight against inflation, but it’s worked, and we’re coming out the other side.” Despite three previous cuts totaling 75 basis points, demand has been muted, sales at businesses are sluggish and consumer sentiment is tepid, hurting economic growth. “Today’s interest rate decision should contribute to a pickup in demand,” Macklem said, adding that the BoC would like to see growth strengthen. The United States Federal Reserve last month started its own rate reduction cycle with a similar-sized move. Economists and analysts now see a possibility of another jumbo cut building up in December. “Based on the logic offered to justify today’s decision, it would take a significant turn of events to stand in the way of another cut of that magnitude in December,” CIBC Chief Economist Avery Shenfeld wrote in a note. ‘Maintain low, stable inflation’ The last time the Bank of Canada cut rates by 50 basis points at a scheduled meeting was in March 2020. The headline September inflation rate of 1.6 percent underscored concerns that the high cost of borrowing might have suppressed the rise in prices more than the economy needed. “Now our focus is to maintain low, stable inflation. We need to stick the landing,” Macklem said. Money markets are fully pricing in a 25-basis-point cut in the final monetary policy decision announcement of the year on December 11. They are seeing an over 25 percent chance of another 50-basis-point cut. “Another 50 [basis points] in December is not a slam dunk. It will depend on where the BoC thinks neutral is,” said Kyle Chapman, forex markets analyst at Ballinger Group. The central bank said it sees the neutral rate – where the monetary policy is not considered to be restricting growth but also accelerating growth – between 2.25 percent and 3.25 percent. Macklem reiterated that if the economy continues to evolve broadly in line with forecasts, the bank would cut rates again, with the timing and pace depending on the latest data. Canada’s economic growth has sputtered under the impact of high rates. July gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 0.2 percent on a monthly basis and provisional data suggest August growth will likely stall. The bank revised its forecast for quarterly and annual growth in its latest monetary policy report (MPR) released along with the rates announcement on Wednesday. It now expects annualised GDP growth in the third quarter to be 1.5 percent, down from the 2.8 percent it predicted in July, but kept its full-year forecast unchanged at 1.2 percent. The overall annual inflation rate this year is seen at 2.5 percent, falling to 2.2 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026, the MPR showed. The bank, however, is still concerned about inflation coming in higher or lower than expected going forward. “The economy functions well when inflation is around 2 percent,” Macklem said. Adblock test (Why?)

Israeli strikes pound Lebanese southern coastal city of Tyre

Israeli strikes pound Lebanese southern coastal city of Tyre

Israeli warplanes have attacked multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre, sending up large clouds of black smoke, as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes. The Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported on Wednesday that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh had killed three people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired a new barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. The group also confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who had been widely expected to take over the leadership of Hezbollah following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah last month. Israel said on Tuesday that it had killed Safieddine in a strike earlier this month in Beirut’s southern suburbs. “We pledge to our great martyr and his martyred brothers to continue the path of resistance and jihad until achieving its goals of freedom and victory,” Hezbollah said in a statement. Safieddine, a powerful cleric within the party ranks, was the head of Hezbollah’s highest political decision-making body, the executive council. He was widely expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders and longtime leader, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month. Hezbollah began firing rockets towards Israel on October 8, 2023, after Israel launched its ongoing deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. The exchanges of fire continued on a near-daily basis for months, but Israel’s military drastically escalated the fighting last month, killing much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership and launching air raids across Lebanon. Earlier this month, it sent ground troops into areas in the south of the country. Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the war, but strikes in and around the city have intensified recently. The 2,500-year-old city, about 80km (50 miles) south of Beirut, is known for its pristine beaches, ancient harbour, Roman ruins and hippodrome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among Lebanon’s largest cities and a vibrant metropolis popular with tourists. The buildings struck on Wednesday were between several heritage sites, including the hippodrome and a cluster of seaside sites associated with the ancient Phoenicians and the Crusaders. The Israeli military told residents to move north of the Awali River, dozens of kilometres to the north, claiming there were Hezbollah assets in the evacuation warning area without elaborating or providing evidence. ‘You can’t bomb your way to safety’ Israel’s attack on Tyre is reminiscent of its attacks on Gaza,  Mohamad Bazzi, an Associate Professor from New York University, said. “We’ve seen Israel use the same playbook in Gaza, these two strategies of massive bombardment, displacing civilians and the so-called evacuation orders. Lebanon is a sovereign country, and Israel has no basis for issuing evacuation orders in a foreign, sovereign country,” Bazzi told Al Jazeera. “In the long-term, I’d argue it’s a failed strategy because you can’t bomb your way to safety and peace on the Israel-Lebanon border. You have to have a diplomatic settlement, and Israel’s leadership has shown no interest in this so far.” First responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and help older adults and others who had difficulty leaving. Ali Safieddine, the head of the Civil Defense, told The Associated Press (AP) news agency there were no casualties. Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon [Aziz Taher/Reuters] Wissam Ghazal, a health official in Tyre, said the strikes hit six buildings, flattening four approximately two hours after evacuation warnings were issued. People displaced by the strikes could be seen in parks and sitting on the sides of nearby roads. The head of Tyre’s disaster management unit, Mortada Mhanna, told AP that although many people had fled the city, thousands of residents and displaced individuals from other areas have chosen to stay. Many people, including hundreds of families, previously fled villages in south Lebanon to seek refuge in Tyre. An estimated 15,000 people remain in the city out of a pre-war population of about 100,000, Mhanna said. “It’s very difficult for many to leave. They’re worried about being subjected to further chaos and displacement,” he said, adding that he and his team had chosen to stay in the city, but “it’s a big risk. It’s not safe here anymore.” More than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since October last year, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, and more than a million people have fled their homes since September. Adblock test (Why?)

Sam Brown begins to close gap with incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen in battleground Nevada

Sam Brown begins to close gap with incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen in battleground Nevada

Ret. Army Capt. Sam Brown appears to be closing the polling gap with incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in battleground Nevada with less than two weeks until Election Day.  In a new survey, Rosen defeated Brown 49% to 44% among all voters, according to a new AARP poll.  Among the key demographic of voters 50 years or older, Brown beat the Democrat 49% to 46%.  TIM WALZ SLAMS ELON MUSK AS A ‘DIPS—‘ DURING RALLY WITH OBAMA IN WISCONSIN The new poll, which indicates a close race, comes after some expressed concerns over the Republican’s position behind Rosen in recent surveys. While many Republican candidates in crucial states had already improved their stature against incumbent Democrats, Brown was still losing to Rosen by significant margins.  In a late August poll from CNN, Rosen was leading Brown by a full 10 points, 50% to 40%. In a Fox News Poll during the same month, the Democrat beat her opponent by even more, 55% to his 41%.  Earlier in the month, a New York Times and Siena College Poll had Rosen besting Brown 49% to 40%.  In the same AARP survey that Brown has appeared to make gains in, former President Trump topped Vice President Kamala Harris in the swing state, 49%-47%, in a head-to-head contest. With other candidates, Trump still leads Harris 47% to 46%.  MCCONNELL, GOP DESCEND ON NEBRASKA TO SAVE DEB FISCHER’S ENDANGERED SENATE SEAT “The huge gaps between the Senate and presidential races in these states were never realistic,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “At the same time, Democratic Senate candidates have generally had better margins than Harris in almost every competitive state.” According to Kondik, there is an “upside possibility” for Republicans in the scenario that Trump performs particularly well.  “He could carry several GOP Senate candidates over the finish line,” he said.  TOP REPUBLICANS ACCUSE FTC CHAIR OF HATCH ACT VIOLATIONS OVER ‘CAMPAIGN-STYLE EVENTS’ WITH DEMS Nevada Republican strategist Jeremy Hughes said, “Sam Brown has the momentum at the end of this race and is benefiting from a strong early vote performance by Republicans.” Republicans have appeared to turn out in larger numbers than Democrats in Nevada’s early voting thus far, which is a departure from past elections, according to one veteran political journalist in the state.  PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE LABELED ‘TOSS UP’ IN LAST-MINUTE SHIFT BY TOP HANDICAPPER While noting that Republicans have an advantage in early voting “at a time when the Ds usually have one,” Jon Ralston, the CEO and editor of The Nevada Independent, wrote. “If that gets larger, big trouble for Dems.”  Ralston further told Fox News Digital, “It is a surprising, unprecedented turnout pattern in a presidential year.” “Democrats have usually used early voting to bank votes, and the election is all but over by Election Day. Not this year. Mail ballots sent to everyone changes everything, and it also makes predictions very difficult.” “Nevadans are surging to the polls because they know we can do better. There is incredible energy on the ground, and working Nevada families are rallying behind Sam Brown’s plan to lower prices, secure the border and make life affordable again. Nevadans have made it clear they are ready for a change, and the momentum is on our side,” Brown campaign spokesperson Raegan Lehman said in a statement.  A spokesperson for Rosen’s campaign told Fox News Digital, “Nevada Senate races are always close and competitive, and our campaign is taking nothing for granted. “We’re confident that voters will ultimately re-elect Jacky Rosen, a bipartisan and independent problem solver who delivers for working families, and reject MAGA extremist Sam Brown, who wants to take away abortion rights, repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut Social Security and Medicare.” Her campaign additionally pointed to a late June poll, also by the AARP, that showed Rosen and Brown similarly five points apart at 47% to 42%. Brown led Rosen with voters 50 and over by 49% to 44% at the time.  That poll interviewed 1,368 likely voters in Nevada between June 12 and 18. It also had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for the sample of voters overall and plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the over 50-year-old sample.  The new AARP poll that showed the gap closing interviewed 1,368 likely voters from Oct. 8 to 15. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for the sample of voters overall and  plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the over 50-year-old sample.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Lloyd Austin says he would recommend Israel strike military targets

Lloyd Austin says he would recommend Israel strike military targets

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to say whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a reliable ally, even as he reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s defense.  “There’s been growing frustration by you and others in the administration that during the past year, Israel has not been careful enough about civilian casualties in Gaza and now in Lebanon. The U.S. has been blindsided at times, with Israel not telling it in advance about striking certain targets. And that has threatened to spread the war as well as draw the U.S. into a direct conflict with Iran. Is Netanyahu a reliable ally?” Fox News asked Austin in an exclusive interview from Rome.  “I won’t comment on the prime minister,” Austin said. “We’re going to continue to support Israel in its right to defend itself. Protecting civilians in the battlespace and achieving military objectives are not mutually exclusive. “I continuously emphasize the need to make sure that they’re doing the right things, to prevent excessive casualties,” said the secretary. “Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah have made this a tough fight… putting their military command post in ammunition stores, underneath hospitals and in schools and mosques.” LLOYD AUSTIN WARNS AGAINST ISOLATIONISM AND INSISTS UKRAINE ABSOLUTELY CAN WIN WAR AGAINST RUSSIA The conversation, conducted ahead of Austin’s private audience with Pope Francis, came as the world awaits Israel’s response to Iran raining down some 200 missiles on Tel Aviv on Oct. 1.  The Biden administration has privately urged Israel to avoid hitting nuclear or energy sites – a move that would be viewed as too escalatory. Israel’s response is “their choice,” according to Austin, but “from my perspective, I think you know if you’re conducting a military strike, it ought to be against military targets.”  Some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive campaign since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza and the Oct. 7 mastermind, prompted U.S. officials to pressure Netanyahu to agree to a deal that secures the release of the hostages and ends the war in Gaza.  In September, Israel launched its assault in Lebanon, promising to continue until the group was no longer able to launch rockets and drones into northern Israel. Hezbollah has fired more than 10,000 weapons at Israel in support of Hamas, its fellow Iranian proxy, since Oct. 7.  The Houthis, meanwhile, have directly antagonized the U.S., launching at least 270 attacks on U.S. Navy ships, commercial shipping and coalition ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last November.  AUSTIN WARNS ‘NO SILVER BULLET’ TO DEFEAT PUTIN AS US AID HANGS IN BALANCE AHEAD OF ELECTIONS They’ve shot down eight MQ-9 Reaper drones, valued at up to $32 million each, and cost billions in international trade.  After criticism mounted that the U.S. was not doing enough to hit back at such attacks, U.S. bombers struck Yemen weapons facilities controlled by Houthi forces last week with B-2 strategic bombers flown from Missouri. That followed strikes on more than a dozen Houthi targets on Oct. 4.  “Do you regret not going on offense sooner?” Austin was asked.  He denied the assumption that up until this month, the U.S. had only conducted defensive strikes against incoming Houthi attacks.  “We have been striking the Houthis on a near-daily basis over the last many months. And our goal is to take away as much capability from the Houthis as possible.  “Most recently, you saw us conduct a strike using our global strike capabilities. And again, we were going after underground facilities, and it was a very effective strike. We will continue to do things to take away their capability on a daily basis.”

Conservative beer company expands product line with ‘perfect drink’ in border-themed parody video

Conservative beer company expands product line with ‘perfect drink’ in border-themed parody video

FIRST ON FOX: The anti-woke beer company Ultra Right officially announced they are expanding their product line into the tequila market with a parody commercial introducing “Border Wall Tee-Kee-Laaa.” “Bottled and ready to ship, this 100% agave, additive-free Blanco Tee-Kee-Laaa is the perfect drink for patriots who enjoy a premium tequila,” the company said in a press release on Wednesday. In the introductory commercial, owner Seth Weathers plays his Conservative Dad character meeting his “Mexican counterpart Conservador Papa” in a border-themed parody commercial in the Nevada desert. “Only bringing the best across the border!” Weathers says in the commercial. CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST LAUNCHES ‘ULTRA RIGHT’ BEER AS RIVAL TO BUD LIGHT AFTER DYLAN MULVANEY CONTROVERSY “This is a premium agave spirit,” Weathers said in the press release.  “I want conservatives to have an alternative to the woke corporations when deciding on their next purchase. Imagine pulling out a bottle of Conservative Dad’s™ Border Wall Tee-Kee-Laaa to celebrate election night with friends and family!” ‘WOKE-FREE’ BEER COMPANY RAKES IN $500K IN 12 HOURS FROM TRUMP MUGSHOT CANS: ‘PEOPLE ARE AT A TIPPING POINT’ The press release states that 10 tons of tequila are bottled and ready to ship and that proceeds will support conservative causes, according to Ultra Right’s website. “The company has already donated over $150,000 to fight the woke mob and help re-elect President Donald J. Trump,” the press release says. Ultra Right Beer was started in April 2023 during the conservative boycott of Bud Light following its partnership with a transgender influencer and immediately became an internet sensation. This summer, the company introduced a beer can showcasing former President Trump’s fist pump after nearly being assassinated, which the company says surpassed $1 million in sales. “The last year was a pretty wild ride by anyone’s definition for Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right Beer. We launched on April 12 of 2023, and it went just incredibly wild and went very viral online,” Weathers told Fox News Digital earlier this year.

Video of Dem-aligned individual at Montana ballot box sparks ‘tampering’ concern from election administrator

Video of Dem-aligned individual at Montana ballot box sparks ‘tampering’ concern from election administrator

An individual aligned with the Democratic Party was flagged by an election official for “tampering” concerns after surveillance footage caught him making contact with a ballot box, the Montana Secretary of State’s office tells Fox News Digital. Crystal Cole, the Glacier County election administrator, reported her concerns to the Montana secretary of state’s election unit about what she viewed as potential “tampering” with a ballot box on Sunday, according to an email shared with Fox News Digital.  Cole told the secretary of state’s office that she called the individual shown in the video footage, who told her he had been sent “to see how secure the box was.”  But Cole complained to the state that the “MT Dem Party did not notify the Elections office . . . they would be sending someone to the Ballot Box to check how secure it was, so on camera it looks like he was tamering [sic] with the box.” The secretary’s office identified the individual in the footage as Laszlo Gendler, who has been employed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) this cycle, according to a review of disbursements from the Federal Election Commission. DOJ SUES VIRGINIA FOR ALLEGEDLY PURGING NONCITIZENS FROM VOTING ROLLS TOO CLOSE TO ELECTION “Poll observers are instructed not to touch ballot boxes. This individual was attempting to ensure a new ballot box was secured to the wall, neither the ballot box nor ballots were affected,” David Bergstein, DSCC spokesperson, told Fox News Digital. “Their actions were not in accordance with our procedures and out of an abundance of caution they will no longer be doing this work moving forward.”   The Secretary of State’s office told Fox News Digital it has reported the incident to the Glacier County Sheriff. Gendler could not immediately be reached for comment. GEORGIA JUDGE RULES ELECTION OFFICIALS MUST CERTIFY VOTE COUNTS, EVEN IF THEY SUSPECT FRAUD Video obtained by Fox News Digital, shows the individual identified as Gendler approaching the ballot box in Glacier County, Montana. Gendler then puts both hands on the ballot box, steps away for a couple of seconds before making contact with the box a second time. The incident occurred in the state that is seeing one of the most crucial Senate races of the 2024 cycle, pitting Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., against Republican former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. The Glacier County ballot box is located in Montana’s First Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke is seeking re-election against Democratic opponent Monica Tranel. The Montana Democratic Party told Fox News Digital they had “no comment” on the pending matter.

Harris accuses Trump of seeking ‘unchecked power,’ being ‘unhinged and unstable’

Harris accuses Trump of seeking ‘unchecked power,’ being ‘unhinged and unstable’

Vice President Harris accused former President Trump of seeking “unchecked power” and being “unhinged and unstable” during brief remarks on Wednesday.  Harris spoke from the White House complex in response to remarks made by Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff John Kelly in interviews published Tuesday in The New York Times and The Atlantic.  “It is clear from John Kelly’s words that Donald Trump is someone who, I quote, ‘certainly falls into the general definition of fascists,’ who in fact vowed to be a dictator on day one and vowed to use the military as his personal militia to carry out his personal and political vendettas,” Harris said. “Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged and unstable, and in a second term, people like John Kelly would not be there to be the guardrails against his propensities and his actions.”  FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLS THE ‘ENEMY FROM WITHIN’ MORE DANGEROUS THAN ANY FOREIGN ENTITY THERE ARE ‘TREMENDOUS ENEMIES WITHIN’ THE US, ITS POLITICAL SYSTEM: ERIC TRUMP Kelly, the retired Marine general who worked for Trump in the White House from 2017 to 2019, told the Times and The Atlantic that the Republican presidential nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office, Trump suggested that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “did some good things.” “Donald Trump said that because he does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution,” Harris said Wednesday. “He wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally, one that will obey his orders, even when he tells them to break the law or abandon their oath to the Constitution of the United States.”  Harris also targeted Trump’s remarks describing an “enemy from within.” The Democratic nominee said it was “deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous” that Trump “would invoke Adolf Hitler, the man who is responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Americans.”  “Those who once tried to stop him from pursuing his worst impulses would no longer be there, and no longer be there to rein him in,” Harris said of Trump possibly being re-elected on Nov. 5. “The bottom line is this: We know what Donald Trump wants. He wants unchecked power. The question in 13 days will be, what do the American people want?”  Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment, but they did not immediately respond. Kash Patel, who served several roles in the Trump administration, reacted to Harris’ remarks, defending the 45th president’s record as commander-in-chief after Kelly’s disparaging interviews.  “They want to call him Hitler and print out more disinformation,” Patel said. “I guess that’s all they got because Kamala Harris could have brought the hostages home right now in Israel from a war she started with $7 billion she gave to Iran, and she hasn’t brought home any of them. She started two more world wars.”  GET THE FOX NEWS APP BY CLICKING HERE Patel said he observed Trump “withdraw out of multiple theatres of conflict,” “a commander-in-chief who brought home over 50 hostages and detainees from around the world, more than any president before him combined,” and how Trump attended almost every dignified transfer and “spent countless hours with the families of the fallen” and give them the needed financial assistance.  The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Whitmer defends ‘this beautiful city’ of Detroit after Trump blasts Michigan’s urban ‘mess’

Whitmer defends ‘this beautiful city’ of Detroit after Trump blasts Michigan’s urban ‘mess’

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer didn’t hold back at a Tuesday rally for Kamala Harris as she rebuked former President Trump’s comments from earlier this month, in which he claimed that if the vice president assumes office, “the whole country will be like… Detroit.”  Trump’s comments are even more poignant considetring Detroit’s reputation as one of the most dangerous cities for violent crime in the nation. “I know you all saw what he said about this beautiful city. He called Detroit a failure and a mess, proving he ain’t firing on all cylinders,” Whitmer said before Eminem and former President Barack Obama took the stage to court votes for Harris. “He doesn’t have a clue what the hell he was talking about. And you know what I think? He ought to keep Detroit out of his mouth.” INTERVIEWING DONALD TRUMP: A LAST-MINUTE BLITZ AND NEW CLOSING MESSAGE Last month, during his speech at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump said: “The whole country will be like – you want to know the truth? It’ll be like Detroit.” “Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president,” he said. “A mess.” In 2018, Detroit had the highest violent crime rate of 2,007.8 incidents per 100,000 people, according to the data from the FBI’s 2018 Uniform Crime Report, making it the only midsize or large city in the U.S. with such a high number.  That year, the city reported 261 homicides and around 13,500 violent crimes, even though its population is less than 700,000. Meanwhile, local officials claim violent crime is down 8% in 2024, and shootings and carjackings have also decreased.  HARRIS CLAIMS TRUMP WIN WOULD BE ‘CATASTROPHIC’ FOR SOCIAL SECURITY, BUT FIRST TERM TELLS DIFFERENT TALE Detroit still faces big problems, like a high unemployment rate and many residents living below the poverty line.  In 2023, the number of homicides fell to 252, the lowest since 1966, but the city has had a changing population. Detroit had nearly 1.7 million residents in the 1960s, but that number dropped to about 620,376 in 2022.  But the data can be hard to verify since the Federal Bureau of Investigation quietly updated its 2022 crime data to show an increase in violent crimes, despite previous data showing violent crimes had fallen that year, which was touted as a victory for the Biden-Harris administration.  Detroit police are currently investigating a double shooting that killed an 18-year-old early Monday afternoon. And just a day after the rally, two men are in critical condition after being shot Wednesday morning near Detroit’s New Center district. CBS NEWS STATEMENT ON CONTROVERSIAL ’60 MINUTES’ EDIT FALLS FLAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘PUBLISH. THE. TRANSCRIPT.’ Both candidates are vying to win the battleground state’s vote with the election just two weeks away. On Friday, Trump also made a Detroit rally stop, promising to put “Detroit first,” “Michigan first,” and “America first.” Trump told supporters, “Your beautiful place, your beautiful city” was “decimated as if by a foreign army.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Team Trump Michigan communications director Victoria LaCivita said: “Like many Americans, President Trump remembers when Detroit was lauded as the gold standard for auto manufacturing success and revolutionized the industry. Detroit has suffered from globalist policies championed by Kamala Harris that have shipped manufacturing overseas. Detroit’s population has dropped over 60 percent since 1960, maintains the third highest homicide rate in the nation, and a poverty rate for full-time workers three times as high as the rest of Michigan. As President Trump emphasized in his speech, his policies will usher in a new era of economic success and stability for Detroit, helping the city reach its fullest potential.”  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.