Iraqi Kurdistan’s ruling KDP wins delayed elections
Disputes between the major parties – KDP and PUK – could complicate the formation of a new government. The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has come first in parliamentary elections in the semiautonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq. The KDP won 39 seats in the 100-seat parliament, the election commission said on Wednesday, putting it at the helm of the next regional government. The KDP’s historical rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), came second in the October 20 elections with 23 seats, the commission said at a news conference. The largest Kurdish opposition party, New Generation, came a distant third with 15 seats. The commission said voter turnout was 72 percent, up from the 59 percent reported in the previous election in 2018. The elections were originally planned for 2022, but the polls were repeatedly delayed by disputes between the KDP and the PUK. Ongoing disputes between the rivals could complicate the formation of a new government. The KDP and PUK, which have been sharing power since 1992, are likely to continue governing together, but the results suggest that former Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani’s KDP will take a dominant position. The new parliament must elect a president and prime minister, posts that are now held by KDP figures Nechirvan Barzani and his cousin Masrour Barzani, respectively. Adblock test (Why?)
Biden says he wants to take pro-Trump comedian who made Puerto Rico joke ‘for a swim’
President Biden says he wants to take pro-Trump comedian Tony Hinchliffe ‘for a swim’ following the comic’s controversial remarks at Sunday’s Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden. Biden made the off-the-cuff comment at Baltimore’s harbor in Maryland on Tuesday while promoting the effects of large spending bills under his administration. “I’m proud to announce more than $3 billion in funding from my Inflation Reduction Act to help clean up and modernize ports in 27 different states and territories from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and beyond — including, yes, Puerto Rico,” Biden said to the applauding crowd before making the throwaway comment. KAMALA HARRIS CAMPAIGN SILENT AFTER BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ GAFFE REFERRING TO TRUMP SUPPORTERS “I’d like to take that guy for a swim out there, anyway,” Biden added, referring to Hinchliffe, as the audience chuckled. “Steny’s looking at me, ‘Don’t get going Joe, don’t get going Joe, slow up,’” Biden said, referring to Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md, before getting back to his speech. Biden did not elaborate about what he might do on the swim. After a wry smile and brief pause, Biden got back on script and continued his speech. Biden’s taunt at Hinchliffe mirrored the 46th president’s jabs at former President Trump in 2016 when Biden said, “I wish we were in high school — I could take him behind the gym.” Hinchiffe made jokes at Sunday’s massive rally mocking different ethnic groups, with one joke referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.” The controversy has swirled for days with Democrats pouncing on the joke targeting Puerto Rico voters to get out and vote for Vice President Harris. The Trump campaign quickly distanced itself from the joke after it was made. Biden’s remarks about Hinchliffe came hours before he appeared to disparage Trump supporters during a virtual Harris campaign call with Voto Latino, a non-profit group which encourages young Hispanic and Latino voters to register to vote and become more politically involved. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it is un-American.” The comment quickly went viral and sparked swift condemnation from critics. “This is disgusting,” Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance reacted. “Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country. There’s no excuse for this. I hope [Americans] reject it.” The White House tried to clean up the comment by sending out a transcript adding an apostrophe to indicate Biden was only speaking about one supporter, not all: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” Biden attempted to clarify his comments on social media as only directed at one supporter. “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden wrote on X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.” Trump himself reacted to the “terrible” comment while speaking at a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “Remember Hillary? She said ‘deplorable’ and then said ‘irredeemable,’ right? But she said ‘deplorable.’ That didn’t work out. ‘Garbage’ I think is worse,” Trump said to his supporters. “But he doesn’t know — you have to please forgive him. Please forgive him. For he not knoweth what he said.” “And I’m convinced he likes me more than he likes Kamala,” Trump quipped. Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Major pro-life group knocks on 4 million doors in 2024 swing states
FIRST ON FOX: Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, a group that seeks to “end abortion” in the United States, has knocked on 4 million doors in swing states to reach voters they say can be persuaded to oppose candidates and ballot initiatives that would expand abortion access. Earlier this year, the group set out an ambitious goal of raising and spending $92 million to boost candidates for office who advocate for laws restricting abortion. Now, Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America representatives say they have met that goal and have a strong ground game in key battleground states, where volunteers are making the case that Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is too extreme on abortion. Rachel Schroder, a Hillsdale College senior who volunteered as a canvasser and deployed to Milwaukee, Wisc., for three days, told Fox News Digital in an interview that voters were open to changing who they support when engaged conversationally, face-to-face. “We know that Kamala Harris and [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Tammy Baldwin both have refused to set any sort of limits on when abortions can be done in pregnancy, even when a baby is fully developed, can live outside the womb and can see and hear its mom’s voice,” said Schroder, adding that Baldwin voted against a GOP-backed bill to require medical care for babies who survive an attempted abortion. MAJOR PRO-LIFE GROUP LAYS OUT AGRESSIVE PLANS FOR 2024 ELECTIONS: LARGEST GROUND GAME YET’ “This is way too extreme for Wisconsin. This is way too extreme for America. And we’re just here to inform voters so that they can make the commonsense choice when they go to the ballots in November.” Reached for comment, Baldwin spokesman Andrew Mamo said the Wisconsin senator is “proud to champion the Women’s Health Protection Act which would restore the protections afforded by Roe v Wade ensuring women, not politicians like Eric Hovde, can make their own decisions about their health care.” More than one million students like Schroder participated in Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s voter contact program, the group’s largest ever. National Field Team Director Patricia Miles said the group has reached more than 10 million low-turnout and persuadable voters in eight battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the aforementioned Wisconsin. Similar to that of other advocacy groups throughout the United States, SBA Pro-Life America has reached voters through a variety of means like digital, messaging, mail and phones. Abortion was tied with immigration for second-place as the most important issue for voters in the 2024 cycle, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College survey. Twenty-seven percent of voters said the economy ranked as their chief concern, and immigration and abortion followed at 15 percent each. 2024 SHOWDOWN: HARRIS, TRUMP HOLD DUELING TEXAS RALLIES TO HAMMER HOME THESE KEY ISSUES The stakes are high this November since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, permitting states to enact their own laws governing abortion. Republican lawmakers have sought to restrict the procedure, calling it immoral to kill an unborn baby. Several Democratic states have expanded abortion access, arguing that the government should not exert control over women’s bodies and that the decision to terminate a pregnancy rests solely with women and their doctors. Ten states have abortion-related ballot measures this year, including Arizona and Florida, where voters will decide if the right to terminate a pregnancy should be constitutionally protected. Support for expanding abortion rights has crossed party lines. Voters in red states including Kansas and Ohio have previously given majority approval to ballot measures that enshrined abortion rights, dealing stinging blows to the pro-life movement. TRUMP, HARRIS DEAD EVEN IN NATIONAL POLL, WITH JUST ONE IN FOUR SAYING COUNTRY HEADED IN RIGHT DIRECTION “When we see states like Kansas who are supporting abortion in their state constitutions, it’s deeply troubling because we know that every baby cradled in their mother’s womb deserves to be cradled in their parent’s arms,” said Schroder. But she remains hopeful that when women in crisis pregnancies are shown the resources available to them through groups like SBA Pro Life America, they will choose not to abort. “I see a pro-life future because I see so many other students like myself who are willing to sacrifice their school breaks to defend life. I see my community. I see my friends. I see my family saying this is important to us and it’s not just important to us, but this is an issue the American people are paying attention to. And I think the American people is a deeply compassionate people.” The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Six in 10 Democrats say Israel bears ‘a lot’ of responsibility for Gaza war: AP poll
American voters worry that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas will escalate into a larger regional conflict in the Middle East, a new poll finds. While Democrats and Republicans both agree that the ongoing war is a problem and both are wary of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, there’s a stark partisan divide over who is to blame for escalating the conflict, according to the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. The poll was conducted before Israel launched airstrikes on military bases in Iran on Friday. About 6 in 10 voters overall say the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, the Iranian government and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah share “a lot” of responsibility for escalating the war. Roughly 4 in 10 assign blame to the Israeli government and only about 2 in 10 say the U.S. government has “a lot” of responsibility, the Associated Press reported. But breaking the numbers down by party affiliation reveals a big gap between the left and right. About 6 in 10 Democrats say the Israeli government bears “a lot” of responsibility for escalating the conflict in Gaza – a similar number of Democrats say Hamas bears “a lot” of responsibility – while only about 1 in 4 Republicans assign “a lot” of blame to Israel. ISRAEL’S STRIKE ON IRAN TOOK OUT MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC ‘IS ESSENTIALLY NAKED’ The conflict in the Middle East has become a major campaign issue as former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris attempt to win over Muslim and Jewish voters in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. About half of voters are “extremely” or “very” worried about a wider war in the Middle East. Though fewer voters – 4 in 10 – are concerned that the U.S. will be drawn into the conflict. The poll finds that a majority of voters (55%) support economic sanctions on Iran, which U.S. officials recognize as the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East. However, Americans are evenly divided on whether the U.S. should supply Israel’s military with weapons and voters are more likely to oppose sending U.S. aid to Israel’s military, according to the AP. ISRAEL BEGINS RETALIATORY STRIKES AGAINST IRAN FOLLOWING MISSILE BARRAGE TARGETING ISRAELIS There is bipartisan opposition to deploying U.S. troops in the Middle East to assist Israel. Nearly half of voters oppose putting American boots on the ground in Gaza, while just 2 in 10 voters favor sending soldiers to fight with Israel. About another 2 in 10 had a neutral view, the AP reported. The Biden-Harris administration has continued to apply pressure on Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire for more than a year now, with little success. IT WAS ‘WISE’ FOR ISRAEL TO NOT STRIKE IRANIAN OIL, NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SAYS FORMER USS COLE COMMANDER About half of American voters think the U.S. is “doing as much as it can” to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. Three in 10 say the U.S. could be doing more, while roughly 2 in 10 voters say the U.S. should be doing less. Again, there is a partisan split on how the U.S. should approach the conflict. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the U.S. should be less involved in cease-fire negotiations. About 3 in 10 GOP voters say the U.S. should do less, but just 1 in 10 Democrats say the same. About 6 in 10 Democrats say the U.S. is doing what it can, compared to about 4 in 10 Republicans. Democrats, Republicans and independents are about equally likely to say the U.S. could be doing more. The AP-NORC poll of 1,072 adults was conducted Oct. 11-14, 2024 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump, Harris dead even in battleground Michigan 6 days from Election Day, poll finds
Former President Trump and Vice President Harris are in a deadlock tie in the battleground state of Michigan as the nation sits less than one week from Election Day. A Wednesday poll from USA Today found that Trump and Harris are both tied at 47% among likely voters in Michigan. The poll surveyed 500 likely voters from Oct. 24 to Oct. 27, advertising a margin of error of 4.4%. The poll also found Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receiving roughly 1% of the vote, despite him dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump. Kennedy’s efforts to get his name removed from ballots in Michigan have been unsuccessful, with the Michigan Supreme Court ruling against the move this fall. The poll comes as Harris’ lead in a Reuters national poll has shrunk to just one point, with the vice president sitting at 44% to Trump’s 43%. MILLIONS OF VOTERS HAVE ALREADY CAST BALLOTS FOR NOV. 5 ELECTION The Tuesday poll found Harris’s lead had shrunk compared to a poll conducted earlier in October that showed her with a two-point lead. The Reuters poll surveyed 1,150 U.S. adults across the country, including 975 registered voters. The poll also found Harris slipping on some of her key issues, such as voters’ concerns about extremism and threats to democracy. A Reuters poll earlier in October found that she had a 7-point lead over Trump on the issue, but the Tuesday poll found that lead shrank to just 2%. Wednesday’s poll comes after another USA Today poll found Harris and Trump locked in another dead heat in Wisconsin on Monday. That state poll of 500 likely voters had Trump at 48% compared to Harris’ 47%. BATTLEGROUND STATE OFFICIALS SAY FOREIGN ENEMIES USING MISINFORMATION TO ‘UNDERMINE’ DEMOCRATIC PROCESS Wisconsin is one of three Rust Belt states that voted for Trump in 2016, then flipped back to the Democrats in 2020. President Biden won the state by just 20,682 votes, or 0.7 points. As of Monday morning, early voters in Wisconsin cast 850,163 ballots, whereas nationwide more than 41 million votes have already been cast in the election. Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report
Harris indicates she’s open to a cognitive test, commits to ousting unlawful migrants and prosecuting cartels
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has indicated that she would be willing to undergo a cognitive test, has also suggested that under a Harris administration, the U.S. would swiftly remove individuals who illegally enter the country, “prosecute the cartels,” and provide Border Patrol with needed support. “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell confronted Harris about former President Donald Trump’s claim that the vice president is “a very low-IQ person” who should undergo a test. “Would you take a cognitive test?” O’Donnell asked. “Sure,” Harris responded, adding, “I would challenge him to take the same one.” She claimed that Trump “is increasingly unstable and unhinged.” HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE VICE PRESIDENT GIVES CLOSING ARGUMENT WITH WHITE HOUSE AS BACKDROP During a lengthy interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Trump suggested that everyone who seeks the presidency should undergo testing. “I think you should take cognitive tests,” he said. “I think Kamala should have a test because there’s something missing, there’s something wrong with her.” Earlier this month in a post on Truth Social, Trump declared, “I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility. Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her.” FULL INTERVIEW: VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS SITS DOWN WITH BRET BAIER IN ‘SPECIAL REPORT’ EXCLUSIVE Republicans have been hammering Democrats over the border crisis throughout President Joe Biden’s White House tenure, and earlier this month the National Border Patrol Council, a union, endorsed Trump. But Harris is suggesting that as president, she would tackle the problem. “When I was attorney general of a border state, I saw the chaos and violence caused by transnational criminal organizations that I took on. And when I am president, we will quickly remove those who arrive here unlawfully, prosecute the cartels, and give Border Patrol the support they so desperately need,” Harris said during a speech at the Ellipse in Washington D.C. on Monday. GEORGE W BUSH’S DAUGHTER JOINS HARRIS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: ‘IT WAS INSPIRING’ “At the same time, we must acknowledge we are a nation of immigrants. And I will work with Congress to pass immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for hard-working immigrants, like farmworkers and our dreamers,” she added.
India, China troops disengagement in eastern Ladakh taking place in ‘orderly’ manner, claims Chinese Foreign Ministry
Following the key agreement firmed up between India and China, the two countries began troop disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh on October 2
Takeaways from our reporting on Texas’ housing affordability crisis
The Texas Tribune examined the state’s housing affordability crisis and why the state has struggled to build enough homes to meet demand.
A community college could transform the Lockhart area. Will voters approve it?
Residents of a rural Texas school district decide in November whether to expand Austin Community College’s reach.
Colin Allred courts Black voters in the final days of his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz
With stops in Houston and the Rio Grande Valley, Allred hopes to make the race competitive by running up the tally with the core of the Democratic base.