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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges allies to act before N Korean troops reach front

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges allies to act before N Korean troops reach front

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged its allies to stop “watching” and take steps before North Korean troops deployed in Russia reach the battlefield, and the country’s army chief warned that his troops are facing “one of the most powerful offensives” by Moscow since the all-out war started more than two years ago. Zelenskyy raised the prospect of a preemptive Ukrainian strike on camps where the North Korean troops are being trained and said Kyiv knows their location. But he said Ukraine cannot do it without permission from allies to use Western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia. “But instead … America is watching, Britain is watching, Germany is watching. Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians as well,” Zelenskyy said in a post late Friday on the Telegram messaging app. The Biden administration said on Thursday that some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia’s Kursk region near Ukraine’s border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days. On Saturday, Ukraine’s military intelligence said that more than 7,000 North Koreans equipped with Russian gear and weapons had been transported to areas near Ukraine. The agency, known by its acronym GUR, said that North Korean troops were being trained at five locations in Russia’s Far East. It did not specify its source of information. Western leaders have described the North Korean troop deployment as a significant escalation that could also jolt relations in the Asia Pacific region, and open the door to technology transfers from Moscow to Pyongyang that could advance the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile program. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui met with her Russian counterpart in Moscow on Friday. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly said they need permission to use Western weapons to strike arms depots, airfields and military bases far from the border to motivate Russia to seek peace. In response, US defence officials have argued that the missiles are limited in number, and that Ukraine is already using its own long-range drones to hit targets farther into Russia. Moscow has also consistently signalled that it would view any such strikes as a major escalation. President Vladimir Putin warned on September 12 that Russia would be “at war” with the US and NATO states if they approve them. Firefighters work at a site of an apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv [Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters] Ukraine facing ‘powerful’ Russian offensive Zelenskyy’s call came shortly before Ukraine’s top commander, General Oleksandr Syrskii, said on Saturday that his troops are struggling to stem “one of the most powerful offensives” by Russia since its all-out invasion of its southern neighbour in February 2022. Writing on Telegram following a call with a top Czech military official, Syrskii hinted that Ukrainian units are taking heavy losses in the fighting, which he said “require constant renewal of resources.” While Syrskii did not specify where the heavy fighting took place, Russia has for months been conducting a ferocious campaign along the eastern front in Ukraine, gradually compelling Kyiv to surrender ground. But Moscow has struggled to push Ukrainian forces out of its Kursk border region following an incursion almost three months ago. Dozens injured in Russian strikes on Ukraine Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv overnight into Saturday, killing a policeman and injuring dozens, local Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. According to Syniehubov and Ukraine’s national police force, one missile slammed into a spot where a large group of police were gathered, killing a 40-year-old serviceman and injuring 36 more. In Ukraine’s southern Kherson province, Russian shelling on Saturday killed a 40-year-old woman and wounded three others, including two children, local Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Another Kherson resident was wounded in a drone attack later that day, according to local Ukrainian authorities. Five more civilians, including two children, were injured after Russia struck Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lysak said. In Kyiv, air raid sirens wailed for more than five hours early Saturday morning as Russian drones rained on the capital, sparking a fire in an office block downtown and injuring two people, according to the city’s military administration. Overall, Russian forces overnight attacked Ukraine with more than 70 Iranian-made Shahed drones, the Ukrainian air force reported Saturday. It said most were shot down or sent off-course using GPS jamming. Falling debris damaged power networks and residential buildings in multiple provinces and injured an elderly woman near Kyiv, officials said. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry hinted that Russia’s drone campaign was slowing down, saying Moscow launched just more than half as many in October as the month before. Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry reported that its forces overnight shot down 24 Ukrainian drones over four Russian regions and occupied Crimea. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Adblock test (Why?)

Abortion supporters at Women’s March in Boston turn out in droves to support Harris presidency

Abortion supporters at Women’s March in Boston turn out in droves to support Harris presidency

Hundreds turned out to participate in the Woman’s March in Massachusetts ahead of Election Day, in a strong show of support for Vice President Kamala Harris and abortion access. People marched on Boston Common, holding signs that read, “We won’t go back” and “Abortion is health care.” Some men joined with them. The woman’s march happened in Boston, as well as in Washington, D.C., and in Kansas City, Missouri. Speakers urged people to vote in the election — highlighting that abortion is on the ballot in nine states. “How many of you are going to vote on Tuesday? How many of you can’t wait to wake up to a woman president?” Rev. Dr. Deborah Haffner, of First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, Massachusetts, asked. TRUMP SAYS HE WANTS TO PROTECT WOMEN, HARRIS SAYS TRUMP WANTS TO DECIDE ‘WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR BODY’ Tracy Murphy told NBC 10 Boston that she organized the women’s march because she wanted to give it her all no matter who wins. “Today’s message is that we want everybody to vote,” Murphy said. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortion access has returned to the state level. Abortion has remained a hot-button issue in the 2024 election – with abortion being a top issue for many female voters. DESANTIS CAMPAIGNS AGAINST HIGH-STAKES ABORTION MEASURE ON FLORIDA BALLOT: ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ LEGISLATION Nine states will consider constitutional amendments that would enshrine abortion rights — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. A record number of voters think abortion should be legal, with two-thirds favoring a nationwide law guaranteeing access, according to a Fox News national survey conducted on March 22-25, 2024. FOX NEWS POLL: RECORD NUMBER SAY ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL Fifty-nine percent think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from the previous high of 57% in September 2022 and a record low of 44% in April 2022.  Support for legalization has been up (mostly by double-digits) across the board since April 2022, two months before Roe was overturned. That includes increased support among voters ages 65 and older (+16 points should be legal), conservatives (+12), Republicans (+11), and White evangelical Christians (+10).  Overall, just 7% think abortion should never be permitted, while five times as many say it always should be (35%). Another one-third (32%) say abortion should be illegal except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.  Former President Trump has shifted his stance on abortion during the election cycle, with the Republican nominee hoping to attract independents and some disillusioned Democrats, but running the risk of alienating his pro-life base. Trump notably opposes a federal abortion ban, but has remained opposed to late-term abortions. In July, the Republican Party abandoned its long-standing position of advocating against abortion.  Throughout Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, she has argued that Trump — who nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who later voted to overturn Roe v. Wade — is responsible for worsening medical care for women and that he would seek further restrictions. Harris has cast her position on the topic as creating legislation to restore the national abortion right that was eliminated following Roe v. Wade.  She has also vowed to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, calling the drug “essential medication.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News’ Victoria Balara and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Shock poll has Harris leading Trump in Iowa with 3-point shift toward vice president in red state

Shock poll has Harris leading Trump in Iowa with 3-point shift toward vice president in red state

Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump by three points in the final Des Moines Register-sponsored poll of Iowa three days before the election.  The shock poll showed a seven-point shift from Trump to Harris from September when he had a four-point lead over the vice president (47% to 43%) in the same poll.  “It’s hard for anybody to say they saw this coming,” pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., who conducted the poll, told the newspaper on Saturday. “She has clearly leaped into a leading position.”  The poll was conducted between Oct. 28-31, and Harris’ lead is within the 3.4% margin of error.  Still, the poll appears to be an outlier. Another poll from Emerson College released Saturday showed Trump with a 10-point lead (53% to 43%) and he maintains a decent lead in other polls.  TRUMP POISED TO HIT HARRIS OVER DISASTROUS JOBS REPORT: ‘HURRICANE KAMALA’ The Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll, which measures support in the Hawkeye State, is nationally recognized, and its final results mirrored the state’s results of the 2016 and 2020 elections, according to the Des Moines Register.  The 2016 poll showed Trump with a seven-point lead over Hillary Clinton and the 2020 poll showed him with the same lead over President Biden.  HARRIS TEARS INTO TRUMP, PRAISES GEN Z IN CLOSING ARGUMENT TO GEORGIA VOTERS Iowa, which is not considered a swing state, is geographically near the Rust Belt swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, and it shares a border with Wisconsin.  The same poll taken in June showed Trump with a considerable 18-point lead over Biden before he dropped out of the race in July following a shaky debate performance. The Nov. 2 poll shows Harris increasing her support among women in a race with a historic gender gap as the vice president has made the issue of abortion front and center in her campaign, according to the newspaper.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The remaining 9% of the people polled said they would vote for another candidate, weren’t sure who the would vote for or didn’t plan to vote. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who dropped out of the race as an independent candidate and endorsed Trump, got 3% in the poll. 

Georgia judge says voters can hand in mail ballots in rejection of GOP lawsuit

Georgia judge says voters can hand in mail ballots in rejection of GOP lawsuit

A judge in Georgia on Saturday dismissed a Republican lawsuit that sought to block voters from hand-returning mail-in ballots in the state over the weekend.  The lawsuit centered around officials in Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, opening normally closed country offices on Saturday and Sunday to allow voters to hand in their ballots.  Five other Democratic-leaning counties in the state also announced that county offices would be open over the weekend.  Early voting in Georgia ended on Friday and the lawsuit, filed Friday night, cited a section of state law that says ballot drop boxes cannot be open past the end of advance voting.  HARRIS TEARS INTO TRUMP, PRAISES GEN Z IN CLOSING ARGUMENT TO GEORGIA VOTERS But state law also states that voters can hand in mail ballots until the polls close on Tuesday night.  GEORGIA’S NEARLY 4 MILLION EARLY VOTES BODES WELL FOR TRUMP, TOP STATE REPUBLICAN SAYS GOP lawyer Alex Kaufman argued in a Saturday emergency hearing that while it’s OK to mail absentee ballots, they shouldn’t be hand-delivered after early voting ends, but Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer rejected all of his arguments.  “I find that it is not a violation of those two code sections for a voter to hand-return their absentee ballots,” Farmer said. A Fulton County spokesperson said on Saturday afternoon that only a couple dozen ballots had been returned to the four open county offices.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Former President Trump narrowly lost Georgia, a usually reliably Republican state, to President Biden by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020, and afterward Trump made unsubstantiated accusations of fraud in Fulton County. Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have been actively campaigning in the state, now considered a battleground.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

GOP candidate in New Hampshire points out Dem opponent is a millionaire after being accused of favoring rich

GOP candidate in New Hampshire points out Dem opponent is a millionaire after being accused of favoring rich

A Republican congressional candidate in New Hampshire blasted her Democratic opponent Thursday evening, reminding her she is a multimillionaire after the Democrat accused her of favoring the rich.  “She believes that we should give a break to the wealthiest and the biggest corporations and hope for the best, hope that the results will trickle down to hardworking people,” Democratic congressional candidate Maggie Goodlander, who is married to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, said of Republican Lily Tang Williams during a debate. “I take a very different approach. I believe that the middle class deserves a tax cut, and I believe that we will do a lot for this country by ensuring that we don’t continue this disastrous tax policy.”  Raising her hand to respond, Republican Lily Tang Williams hit back at Goodlander, saying, “You are wealthy. You’re worth $20 million to $30 million. How do you know about regular people’s suffering? Do you go shopping? Go to Walmart? Buy food? I talk to those people. And you pretend to be a renter in Nashua a few months ago, move back to run for this open seat with millions of dollars from Washington, D.C., insiders. … I don’t have money to run a TV ad, and you pretend you are poor, complain rent is so high. HARRIS PICKS UP ENDORSEMENTS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUBLICANS 6 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION “You do not understand regular people’s concerns.” Goodlander has an apartment in Nashua, New Hampshire, in the 2nd District and said during the debate that she would own property in the district if elected, the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism reported. Both candidates are millionaires, but Goodlander appears to be worth far more than Tang Williams.  Tang Williams is worth between $3.8 million and $8.6 million, while Goodlander is worth between $9.9 million and $39 million, with most of her wealth in a trust fund, according to WMUR-TV, citing financial disclosures.  When Tang Williams came to the U.S. from China, she only had $100 in her pocket, according to the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism. BIDEN CALLS FOR TRUMP TO BE ‘POLITICALLY’ LOCKED UP AT NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENT The two women are running for the open seat in New Hampshire’s 2nd District vacated by Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster. The latest poll shows Goodlander with an eight-point lead ahead of Tuesday.  Tang Williams is a Chinese immigrant who became a U.S. citizen in 1994. She has also previously run as a Libertarian in Colorado.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Goodlander is a native of New Hampshire and part of a well-connected political family in the state.  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has called Tang Williams a “phenomenal success story,” according to the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism. 

Republicans score victory in Georgia fight over election observers, RNC chairman says

Republicans score victory in Georgia fight over election observers, RNC chairman says

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is celebrating after GOP poll watchers were allowed into four blue-leaning counties’ election offices for extended absentee ballot hours this weekend, according to party Chair Michael Whatley. Federal and state GOP groups had threatened to sue Fulton County late Friday after it and the counties of Cobb, DeKalb and Gwinnett announced several election offices would be open this weekend for people to turn in absentee ballots in person.  Republicans also accused Fulton County of not allowing any public observers into those locations open on the weekends, which Whatley and Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon argued was against the Peach State’s election observer laws. “Following our efforts, our poll watchers have now been let into the building in all four Georgia counties. Our lawsuit over the offices remaining open is still pending, but we have eyes in the room as votes are being counted,” Whatley wrote on X. “We will continue our aggressive efforts to enforce Georgia law and protect the vote.” GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE Fox News Digital reached out to the four relevant county governments for comment. RNC co-chair Lara Trump, former President Trump’s daughter-in-law, posted on X, “Update on Georgia — working with the [Georgia Secretary of State] and [state Attorney General], we have been able to confirm that our observers WILL be allowed in the room while these ballots are being processed.” The alleged exclusion of poll watchers from the weekend absentee ballot submission hours was not limited to just the GOP. It included all observers, Republicans said. An RNC spokesperson told Fox News Digital having public poll observers through the weekend benefited both Republicans and Democrats but argued their absence would hurt the GOP more in left-leaning areas. The spokesperson said the RNC worked with Georgia election officials to secure access for poll observers. Fulton County includes the city of Atlanta, while DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb counties make up the Georgia capital’s suburbs. All four were critical to President Biden flipping Georgia blue by less than 1% in 2020. ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS The Friday night lawsuit threat came after the state GOP learned that election officials planned to open four election offices this weekend “to accommodate voters seeking to hand-return their absentee ballots.” “This is a blatant violation of Georgia law … which states ‘all drop boxes shall be closed when the advance voting period ends,’” the Georgia GOP said in a statement late Friday. “To make matters worse, the four election office locations are situated in areas of the county that will clearly favor Democrat candidates.” HOUSE GOP LEADERS RIP ACTBLUE AFTER DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT HIT WITH SUBPOENA Drop boxes are a way for voters to turn in their absentee ballots at election offices without human contact, which is different from submitting them in person at the office itself. Drop boxes were available through Georgia’s early voting period, from Oct. 15 through Nov. 1. But Republicans are arguing that the extended hours for turning in absentee ballots over the weekend run afoul of the state’s rules. Meanwhile, Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to sow chaos and uncertainty in Georgia’s election processes, particularly in blue-leaning counties like Cobb and Fulton. NPR reporter Stephen Fowler wrote on X of the lawsuit threat, “Multiple counties are doing it, and there’s nothing illegal about it – these aren’t drop boxes.” It comes after a Fulton County Superior Court judge rejected Republicans’ bid to force the county to hire more Republican poll workers for Election Day on Tuesday. State, federal and local Republican parties accused the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections of not hiring enough GOP poll workers. They alleged that nine out of 45 qualified applicants were hired to help with early voting, while just six of 62 were hired for Election Day, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Judge Kevin Farmer said the case would be looked at further but declined to order emergency measures to force more Republican poll workers in by Tuesday. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

Harris tears into Trump, praises Gen Z in closing argument to Georgia voters

Harris tears into Trump, praises Gen Z in closing argument to Georgia voters

Democratic 2024 presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris blasted former President Trump and praised young voters in what was likely her final campaign speech in Georgia. Harris spoke to supporters in downtown Atlanta on Saturday, three days before voters across the country who haven’t already cast ballots head to the polls on Election Day. “We have three days left – three days in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime – and we still have work to do,” the vice president said. She pivoted to attacking Trump just a few minutes into her roughly 22-minute speech. ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS “We have an opportunity in this election to finally turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who spends full time trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. We’re done. We’re done with that,” Harris said.  “This is not someone who is thinking about how to make your life better, this is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance. And the man is out for unchecked power.” She later asked “young leaders” to raise their hands and lavished praise on members of Generation Z – a voting bloc that both Republicans and Democrats have fought to win over. “I love Gen Z. I love it,” Harris said. “Because, see, this generation, you are rightly impatient for change. You are rightly impatient for change. You are determined to live free from gun violence, and tackle the climate crisis, and shape the world you inherit.” “I see your power. And I am so proud of you.” ‘NO SUCH PROMISE’: JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ The speech mined familiar territory, with Harris repeating slogans and promises that she has already uttered on the campaign trail – as is typical of presidential candidates this close to Election Day. She vowed to crack down on grocery price gouging, which critics have panned as attempts at price-controlling goods, and pledged to cut taxes for small businesses. Harris also pledged to lower health care costs and accused Trump of wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), despite his campaign already insisting that is not his policy position. The rally also featured appearances from famed director Spike Lee, rapper 2 Chainz, and both of Georgia’s Democratic U.S. senators. Georgia has smashed turnout records already, with more than four million people casting early in-person or absentee ballots during the early voting period from Oct. 15 through Nov. 1. More than 50% of active voters cast ballots early, including over 700,000 people who did not vote at all in 2020. HOUSE GOP LEADERS RIP ACTBLUE AFTER DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT HIT WITH SUBPOENA The counties leading in terms of turnout percentage have been largely rural, Republican-leaning areas. Bluer counties like DeKalb and Fulton, however, have significantly larger populations and have outpaced the redder areas in terms of sheer numbers. Both Harris and Trump have poured enormous resources into Georgia, a state that President Biden won by less than 1% during the previous election cycle. Trump’s campaign criticized Harris’ visit to the Peach State in a statement on Saturday morning. “Kamala Harris’ last-ditch attempt to gaslight Georgians and distract them with out of touch liberal Hollywood elites and flashy celebrities shows how desperate she is to distract Georgians from the last four years of her failed policy agenda,” said Morgan Ackley, a spokeswoman for Trump’s campaign in Georgia. “That’s why Georgians are ready to elect President Trump on Tuesday to fix our problems and fire Kamala Harris.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

Republicans outpacing Democrats in North Carolina early voting, data shows

Republicans outpacing Democrats in North Carolina early voting, data shows

Republicans in North Carolina are outpacing Democrats in the state in early voting going into Saturday, according to new data from the state. North Carolina Board of Elections data of ballots cast through Friday shows over 1.4 million (59.95%) registered Republicans have cast their early vote compared to 1.35 million (55.19%) registered Democrats in the battleground state. In-person early voting in North Carolina ends on Saturday. The data shows a massive shift in early voting in the state, where four years earlier Democrats outpaced Republicans in early voting by more than a million votes, according to the state election board. Republicans have put an emphasis on encouraging voters to vote early this election year after seeing lower early turnout for the party compared to Democrats last cycle. REPUBLICANS ARE RUNNING A ‘SUCCESSFUL’ EARLY VOTING CAMPAIGN IN BATTLEGROUND NORTH CAROLINA: NRCC CHAIR North Carolina saw record turnout on the first day of early voting in the state, Oct. 17, when 353,000 registered voters cast their ballots. EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING ENDING SATURDAY IN NORTH CAROLINA, NEW MEXICO, SOUTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA The North Carolina Elections Board passed a bipartisan emergency resolution that reformed the state’s early voting process in 13 counties, including changing or adding voting sites and maintaining their availability, extending the hours and adding or reducing when any site is open within the early voting period, according to the election board. As of Friday, about 53.33% of ballots were already cast in North Carolina for the 2024 election.  Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.