Any Trump deal to end Gaza would likely be “tenuous”
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Akbar Shahid Ahmed talks about how Trump, if re-elected, might try for a quick deal to end Israel’s war on Gaza.
At least 12 killed in Gaza attacks as Israel bombards Kamal Adwan hospital
Hospital director says staff and patients were wounded in Israeli attacks on the last partially functioning hospital in northern Gaza. At least 12 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, medics said, as Israeli forces continue to press their siege and ground assault on the northern part of the Palestinian territory. Medics in Gaza told the Reuters news agency on Monday at least seven people were killed in an attack on the north Gaza city of Beit Lahiya. Five others were killed in attacks in central and southern Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last partially functioning hospital in the north of the enclave, was being attacked by Israeli forces. “At this moment, occupation forces are continuing to violently bombard and destroy Kamal Adwan Hospital, targeting all parts of the hospital,” the ministry said. Hospital director Hossam Abu Safieh said in a statement that the situation was “catastrophic”, and that “the army did not contact the hospital before directly targeting it”. “Several of our staff have been injured, and we are unable to leave the hospital,” he said. “We do not understand the purpose behind this bombing that is targeting the hospital.” Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said this is the second time in recent weeks that the hospital had been attacked. “The hospital does not operate as a health facility now. It’s more of accommodating injuries and the dead who are brought to the hospital,” Mahmoud said. “The entire northern part of the strip is left without any proper healthcare facility, the whole healthcare system is gone, is completely collapsing … and civilians are left without any proper access to that,” he added. Israel’s military began a siege and ground assault on northern Gaza on October 5 in what it said was an operation to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping there. Palestinians say the new offensives and orders for people to leave were aimed at emptying two northern Gaza towns and a refugee camp to create buffer zones. Israel denies this. Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 43,374 people have been killed in the enclave, and 102,261 others wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Israeli assault came in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, in which at least 1,139 people were killed, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics, and around 250 others were seized as hostages. ‘Unspeakable suffering’ Earlier on Monday, Israel announced that it had informed the United Nations it was ending its relations with the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), despite international calls for the importance of the UN agency in providing aid. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that along with banning the agency, Israel had also scaled back the entry of aid trucks into Gaza to an average of 30 trucks a day, which “cannot meet the needs of two million people.” “Restricting humanitarian access and at the same time dismantling UNRWA will add an additional layer of suffering to already unspeakable suffering,” Lazzarini said. An Israeli government spokesperson said no limit had been imposed on aid entering Gaza, with 47 aid trucks entering northern Gaza on Sunday. Adblock test (Why?)
Nigeria president orders release of minors charged over protests
At least 30 minors were charged with treason and inciting a military coup after they took part in August protests against the rising cost of living. Nigeria’s president has directed that all minors detained during protests against the rising cost of living in August be freed and treason charges against them dropped, Information Minister Mohammed Idris has said. “The president has directed that these children, these minors, be released immediately,” Idris said on Monday. At least 76 people, including 30 minors, were charged with treason and inciting a military coup after they took part in deadly August protests against economic hardship. The minors’ arraignment sparked public outrage and criticism of the government after they were paraded in court last Friday. Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has led to several protests in recent months that demand better opportunities and jobs for young people. In August, protesters rallied in Abuja, the commercial capital Lagos and several other cities to show discontent with economic reforms that have led to rampant inflation and the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation in Nigeria. Rights group Amnesty International said at least 22 people died during the demonstrations in clashes with security forces. President Bola Tinubu has since vowed to pursue the changes, which he says are needed to keep the economy afloat. In addition to the severe financial crisis, Nigerians are living with widespread insecurity that has damaged the farming sector, with armed gangs kidnapping residents and schoolchildren for ransom in the north. Adblock test (Why?)
Liberty bellwethers: Five Pennsylvania counties to watch on election night
Pennsylvania is once again likely the closest-watched state on election night, as the commonwealth’s 19 electoral votes are poised to swing the election one way or another. Five counties — Bucks, Northampton, Erie, Centre and Luzerne — out of 67 are likely the ones that will tell the tale of whether former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris will win the 2024 presidential election. BUCKS COUNTY – COUNTY SEAT: DOYLESTOWN Bucks County made national headlines last week after the RNC and the Trump campaign took legal action against county officials after lines for “on-demand” voting were truncated prior to the stated closing time. A judge ultimately allowed Bucks voters involved in the process until Friday to cast their early ballots. Bucks is also known as one major county where voters typically split their votes. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and his late brother, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, both Republicans, enjoyed consistent-but-close wins in the county, while national and gubernatorial results are often a mixed bag. Brian was re-elected in 2020 just as Biden won the county. The county also flipped to a GOP voter registration advantage this cycle, with the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting the Republicans enjoy just under a 1,000-registrant majority. While Trump lost all of Philadelphia’s once-Republican collar counties — Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks — in 2016, only the latter appears in play this cycle. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY – COUNTY SEAT: EASTON Bordering Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties geopolitically unite to form the key, postindustrial Lehigh Valley region. The congressional seat currently held by Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat, is always a tight contest. While Lehigh typically remains in Democrat hands due to Pennsylvania’s third-largest city — Allentown — as its anchor, neighboring Northampton County surprised everyone when Trump took it in 2016. CRISSCROSSING PA TO REGISTER VOTERS, SCOTT PRESLER SEEKS TO FLIP KEY COUNTIES RED Northampton’s Republican Party leader, Andrew Azan III, said in a recent interview he is very optimistic again this year, and said there was recently a “waitlist” for Trump yard signs. ERIE COUNTY – COUNTY SEAT: ERIE Far to the west, Erie sticks up into the great lakes like a thumb, and its electorate could put their collective thumb on the scale for either candidate. Erie GOP chair Tom Eddy recently said that Erie is “unique… in the fact it’s able to pick the winners.” Trump won Erie County and the election in 2016, and Biden won in 2020. Eddy called the county “Little Pennsylvania” — as it has a bit of every piece of the state within its bounds: an urban area, agricultural lands and industry. LUZERNE COUNTY – COUNTY SEAT: WILKES-BARRE Meanwhile, in Luzerne County, anchored by Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton, Republicans recently shocked observers in September by becoming a majority there. The union-heavy county neighboring Biden’s Lackawanna went for Trump in 2016 and 2020 despite its then-Democratic bent. “We’d all like to thank the Democrats and the Democratic platform because they’re the ones that really inspired people to leave the party and become Republicans,” Luzerne County GOP 119th District Chairman T.J. Fitzgerald said. Early Vote Action leader Scott Presler, who has crisscrossed Pennsylvania to register Republican voters, previously said it was a major feat ahead of an expectedly-close election. PENNSYLVANIA LEADERS TALK ‘EXCITING’ GROUND GAME ON BOTH SIDES, AS GOP SEEKS TO UNDO DEM GAINS When Fox News Digital covered a weekend of Presler’s work in red counties like Lancaster and Dauphin, he also identified Bucks, Luzerne and Centre as those most ripe for Republicans’ picking. CENTRE COUNTY – COUNTY SEAT: BELLEFONTE Centre County is the rare blue dot in the middle of northwestern Pennsylvania’s forested expanse. Much of the county reflects the Republicanism of neighboring Clinton, Huntingdon and Blair — but the presence of Penn State University in State College skews it Democratic. Of the approximately 110,000 voters there, 41.2% are Democrats and 40.3% are Republicans. Prior to the Nittany Lions’ blowout of Kent State in September, however, Presler and volunteers registered tailgaters to vote and encountered students who were fervently pro-Trump. State Sen. Cris Dush, a Republican who represents Centre and six other neighboring counties, said the prospect of flipping the blue enclave is “actually getting very exciting.” Dush said one of them — rural Clinton County — was solidly Democratic until the Trump era and recently went “over 3-1 Republican.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Centre may have a shot at the red column this year in part because Gen Z is suddenly battling a rough economy for young hires. While Pennsylvania industry faces hurdles in regulation and more, Dush commented, the most regrettable outsourcing has been among those young voters. “The fact that they’re putting such restrictions on the development of businesses in the northern tier and western Pennsylvania: There’s not a state in the United States that doesn’t have a Steelers bar in it, and that’s because working-class kids have become our best export. I want them back,” he said.
Trump threatens a 25% tariff on Mexico if illegal border crossings don’t stop
Former President Donald Trump, at his last North Carolina campaign stop, announced he would impose a substantial tariff on goods from Mexico if the country does not stop the flow of migrants coming into the U.S. The event in Raleigh marked Trump’s last pitch to voters in North Carolina before Election Day – one of three scheduled battleground state stops on Monday. “This is really the end of a journey. But a new one will be starting. And that’s the one we’ve wanted to partake in, which is basically to Make America Great Again,” Trump told attendees. Trump announced for the first time that, if elected, he would impose an immediate 25% tariff on everything imported from Mexico if the country did not stop the influx of migrants and drugs pouring into the country. REPUBLICANS OUTPACING DEMOCRATS IN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY VOTING, DATA SHOWS “I’m going to inform her [Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum] on day one, or sooner, that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send in to the United States of America,” Trump said during the rally. REPUBLICANS ARE RUNNING A ‘SUCCESSFUL’ EARLY VOTING CAMPAIGN IN BATTLEGROUND NORTH CAROLINA: NRCC CHAIR “You’re the first ones I’ve told that to. Congratulations, North Carolina,” he added. “And it’s only got a 100% chance of working, because if that doesn’t work I’ll make it 50, and if that does work I’ll make it 75 for the tough guys, then I’ll make it 100.” Trump said that Mexico is “ripping us off left and right” as one of the U.S.’ biggest trading partners. Trump further discussed his plan for immigration and the southern border, saying “we want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally.” “I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil. And if they come back into our country, it’s an automatic 10 years in jail with no possibility of parole,” he said. “And I’m hereby calling for the death penalty for any migrant that kills an American citizen or a law enforcement officer. And I will immediately ban all sanctuary cities.” The former president also highlighted record early voting in the state, after about 4.2 million North Carolinians cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. Data from the North Carolina Board of Elections reveals that ballots cast through Friday show more than 1.4 million registered Republicans voted early compared to 1.35 million registered Democrats in the battleground state. Trump was joined at Monday’s event by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Harris leads Trump by 4 nationally as both candidates narrow gender gap, poll finds
A new poll released Monday with just hours to go until Election Day shows Vice President Kamala Harris with a four-point lead over former President Trump nationally, while the gender gap between both candidates is narrowing. The NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll of 1,297 likely voters, which was conducted from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2., shows Harris capturing 51% of the vote, compared to Trump with 47%. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. The survey shows that as Election Day nears, more men are gravitating to Harris while increasing numbers of women are supporting Trump. In the same poll taken in late September, Trump led Harris among men by 57% to 41%. Now that lead has shrunk to 51-47%. TRUMP LEADS HARRIS BY 2% IN NORTH CAROLINA HEADING INTO ELECTION DAY, POLL FINDS For Harris, a month ago she led Trump among women voters 58% to 40%, but now that gap has narrowed to 55-44%, according to PBS News. Trump is leading Harris among independent voters 51% to 46%, and of those likely voters who say they already have cast their ballots, Harris received 56% support, while Trump has captured 53% among those who have yet to vote, Marist reported. Thirty-one percent of those surveyed listed preserving democracy as their “top of mind” issue when they think about voting this November, followed by inflation with 25%, immigration with 19%, abortion with 10% and health care with 7%. IOWA POLL SHOWS DEMOCRATS IN POSITION TO FLIP TWO REPUBLICAN HOUSE SEATS When asked if Harris is mainly making proposals that she intends to carry out or is making proposals that are just intended to get people to vote for her, voters were divided at 49% for each choice. When the same was asked about Trump, 55% said they believed he was making proposals he intends to follow through on, compared to 44% who believe he is just trying to secure votes, the poll shows. Despite Harris holding a national lead in the poll, when the voters were asked who they think will actually win the election, 49% said Trump, while 46% said Harris.
Head of US Central Command being investigated for getting physical with an airman on plane to Israel
One of the Pentagon’s top generals is under investigation for allegedly getting physical with an airman on a flight in early September. Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command [CENTCOM], allegedly shoved the airman on a C-17 flight to Israel after getting frustrated with access to logistical and communications issues aboard the flight. The four-star Army general is now under probe by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID). After an airman asked the general to sit down and buckle his seat belt, he allegedly lashed out and shoved the airman aside. “The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is aware of an alleged incident and is currently looking into it. No additional information is available at this time,” CID spokesperson Mark Lundardi said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Central Command oversees troop operations in the Middle East and Asia, including much of the U.S. military’s role in Israel and in Iraq and Syria. GOP LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM ON MILITARY VOTING ‘DEFICIENCIES’ AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY Kurilla has been critical of the Biden administration’s longtime defensive approach to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. He allegedly wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claiming U.S. defensive policies “failed” to have the desired impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. Kurilla called for a “whole of government” approach to the issue, which would include economic and diplomatic pressure in addition to stronger military pressure to dissuade the terrorist group from its campaign against shipping vessels in the region. U.S. DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL MILITARY FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AMID INTENSIFYING REGIONAL TENSIONS: PENTAGON The tone of the letter shocked some members of the defense department, one official told the Journal, particularly Kurilla’s insistence that “U.S. service members will die if we continue going this way.” Kurilla has been in charge of CENTCOM since April 2022. The job typically operates on a three-year term, meaning Kurilla is expected to relinquish command in April 2025. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Before leading CENTCOM, Kurilla commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 82nd Airborne Division and the XVIII Airborne Corps. He was also assistant commanding general of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). He was shot multiple times in a battle in Mosul, Iraq, in 2005, but continued fighting, an act that earned him a Bronze Star.
Behind-the-scenes battles: Legal challenges that could impact the vote before Election Day begins
Battleground states have already seen their share of fights before Election Day as legal challenges centered on voting issues, and while some have already been decided, others remain up in the air just hours before polls open Tuesday morning. From issues including mail-in ballots, drop boxes and concerns about ineligible voters, here are some of the high-profile swing state cases and where they currently stand. Arizona Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes acknowledged in September that 218,000 people in the state were allowed to register to vote without proof of citizenship despite state law that requires it. A state court set a deadline of Monday for production of a full list of affected people so that the recorders of each county can verify the citizenship of voters who had not previously provided proof of citizenship. The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday before receiving any list that approximately 2,000 people had tried to submit voter registration updates and subsequently received notices that they had to prove their citizenship. ARIZONA HIGH COURT RULES SECRETARY OF STATE MUST TURN OVER LIST OF NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLL “These voters were contacted individually to let them know their registration was incomplete. However, after further consideration, the decision was made to fully restore those voters from the not-registered status, only if they were previously an existing, registered voter,” the statement said. Georgia Georgia has seen multiple lawsuits involving mail-in ballots. In Cobb County, the ACLU sued, claiming that at least 3,000 voters did not receive their ballots on time. In a victory for them, a court ordered new ballots to be sent overnight to the affected voters. Their votes will be counted as long as they are received by Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. Also in Cobb County, as well as in Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett Counties, the Republican National Committee sued, claiming that election offices improperly opened over the weekend to allow voters to drop off their mail-in ballots in person. The RNC cited state law that says drop boxes should be closed after the end of the early voting period, which was Friday. A state court said the county elections offices had the discretion to open for additional hours. Another Georgia case involved Fulton County’s offices being open over the weekend for dropping off mail-in ballots. At first, poll observers were barred from entering, with Fulton County elections director Nadine Williams stating that they were not allowed because it was a county office and not a polling site. Just hours later, it was announced that observers would be permitted after all. REPUBLICANS SCORE VICTORY IN GEORGIA FIGHT OVER ELECTION OBSERVERS, RNC CHAIRMAN SAYS Nevada A lawsuit from the Trump campaign, RNC and Nevada Republican Party opposing the potential counting of mail-in ballots that the state receives after Election Day that do not bear a postmark. The state Supreme Court ruled that such ballots can still be counted up to three days after Election Day. There is a similar case in federal court where challengers also lost but are appealing to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The same issue was also brought before the Fifth Circuit after a case was brought in Mississippi, and while the court said such ballots cannot be counted after Election Day, the ruling does not apply to this year’s election. North Carolina The RNC also has a lawsuit in North Carolina, involving 225,000 people it alleges are improperly registered because they had used an old form that did not ask for their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. The RNC claims that this violates the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). “Because of these errors, the North Carolina voter rolls, which both HAVA and state law mandates that Defendants regularly maintain, are potentially replete with ineligible voters – including possible non-citizens – all of whom are now registered to vote,” the RNC and North Carolina GOP said in a court filing. Pennsylvania The Keystone State remains a key battleground, not just on the ballot but in courtrooms, with several lawsuits having been filed over a variety of voting issues, many involving mail-in ballots. Republicans scored a win when they appealed a court ruling that said mail-in ballots without a required handwritten date could still be counted. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overruled, saying that handwritten dates must be on the ballots. The GOP was not so fortunate in a separate case in which it sought an emergency appeal from the U.S. Supreme Court after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that provisional ballots should be counted if voters’ mail-in ballots were disqualified for technical errors, such as not being in mandatory secrecy envelopes. Republicans cited a state law that they argued prohibited voters from casting provisional ballots if they had already submitted mail-in ballots on time. The U.S. Supreme Court turned away the RNC’s appeal, with Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issuing a statement that made clear that because the case only involved two votes in a small county, it would not have impacted the results of the election either way. Both parties won legal challenges when voters in multiple counties did not receive mail-in ballots on time. Democrats in Erie County sued when as many as 20,000 voters did not receive their ballots from a third-party vendor on time. A judge ruled that the Erie County Board of Elections had to remain open last Friday and Saturday so voters could fill out ballots. In Bucks County, Republicans sued over voters waiting in line for mail-in ballots being turned away at 5 p.m., even though they had been there waiting. A judge swiftly ruled that voters should get an additional three days to apply for a mail-in ballot. Another Pennsylvania case involves six Republican members of Congress who sued Pennsylvania’s State Department with allegations that overseas voters’ ballots were vulnerable to fraud because those voters were not made to adhere to the same identification
‘Painstaking process’: Pa. county gives update on probe of suspicious batch of voter forms
The chair of a Pennsylvania county election board updated voters Monday on the status of 2,500 voter registration and mail-in ballot applications that had been flagged last month as potentially fraudulent and prompted a county and statewide investigation in the crucial swing state. Speaking at a press conference, Lancaster County Commissioner Ray D’Agostino said that of the 2,500 registration and mail-in ballot applications that had been flagged as suspicious, a 57% majority had been confirmed as valid, and 17% were confirmed to be fraudulent, he said. The remaining 26% of voter registration applications and mail-in ballot applications are either incomplete or unverified, he said, and remain under investigation. “Those other two buckets are going to change, quite frankly, based on the continuing investigation,” D’Agostino said of the remaining applications, noting that the process of vetting the applications is a “painstaking process.” Officials said the applications were marked as suspicious “during the staff’s normal process to review and enter applications into [a Pennsylvania database]” and law enforcement was alerted. They noted that the forms in question either had false names, duplicative handwriting or unverifiable or incorrect identifying information. SUPREME COURT TEMPORARILY HALTS LOWER COURT RULING ORDERING 1,600 VOTERS BACK ON VIRGINIA VOTER ROLLS Both the local District Attorney’s Office and the Lancaster County Board of Elections have since been working to review and vet the applications. County election officials also immediately notified the Pennsylvania Department of State and the state attorney general’s office last month for further investigation. D’Agostino declined to comment further on the status of those investigations Monday, though he told reporters that any individuals whose applications were potentially impacted as a result of the probe have been notified by the county. The applications in question are not limited to a single party, and were collected across various spots across Lancaster County last month. “I can’t give any more information” at this point, D’Agostino said Monday of the investigation, adding that county and state officials are “continuing to investigate” and take the matter “very seriously.” The Pennsylvania Department of State confirmed its involvement in the probe late last month to Fox News Digital. It also applauded Lancaster County “for their diligent work in spotting this potential fraud and bringing it to the attention of law enforcement.” “As the county’s efforts show, multiple safeguards exist to ensure the integrity of our elections, and Pennsylvanians can have confidence that this November’s election will be safe, secure, free, and fair,” the office told Fox News. The update in Lancaster Monday comes just days after officials in Pennsylvania’s Monroe County said they are also investigating a much smaller pool of voter registration and mail-in ballot applications that had been set aside as potentially fraudulent. These applications, believed to total around 30, were spotted by county board of election officials and referred to the district attorney’s office for further investigation. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS PENNSYLVANIA PROVISIONAL BALLOT RULING, IN A MAJOR LOSS FOR GOP Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry also sought to reassure voters in the Keystone State last week, noting in a press release Thursday that her office has been working with respective counties on the apparent attempts to submit fraudulent ballots and investigate any organizations that may be responsible. “While we will not be divulging sensitive information about these investigations, we want to clarify that the investigations regard voter registration forms, not ballots,” Henry said. “These attempts have been thwarted by the safeguards in place in Pennsylvania.” She added: “The investigations are ongoing, and offenders who perpetrated acts of fraud will be held accountable under the law.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
VP Harris ripped by sheriff for refusing to reveal her vote on anti-crime measure in home state
Vice President Kamala Harris is facing scrutiny from a California sheriff after refusing to say whether she voted for a proposition in her home state aimed at curbing the surging crime and theft in the state. “California’s Democrat leaders have long taken the side of criminals instead of standing up for crime victims and ordinary residents,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Fox News Digital. “Proposition 36 will roll back some of the most harmful soft-on-crime policies California Democrats have enacted. It is the single most important thing on California’s ballot this year, and will help clean up our streets and keep our neighborhoods safe. “The Vice President’s reluctance to vocally support this critical public safety measure is yet another failure in a long career of failures when it comes to keeping our citizens safe.” Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator before she was elected vice president in 2020, declined over the weekend to answer about how she voted on Proposition 36. The California ballot measure would reverse criminal justice reforms made in her home state in recent years. CALIFORNIA’S BATTLE OVER CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS IS A WARNING TO THE NATION “I’m not going to talk about the vote on that because honestly it’s the Sunday before the election, and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it,” Harris said. “But I did vote.” The initiative, if passed, would make the crime of shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It also would give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment. VOTER FRUSTRATION WITH CRIME, LIBERAL DAS MOUNTING IN CALIFORNIA WHILE HARRIS MUM ON CONTROVERSIAL PROP 47 The ballot measure is an effort to roll back Prop 47, labeled by supporters as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, passed by Californians in 2014. Prop. 47 reclassified felonies down to misdemeanors “unless the defendant had prior convictions of murder, rape, certain sex offenses, or certain gun crimes.” But in the last several years, retail chains and mom-and-pop shops have been hit hard by theft, smash-and-grab robberies and organized retail crime gangs. Prop. 36 — titled the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act — seeks to undo portions of Prop. 47 by boosting penalties for some crimes and could increase depending on each category. Harris was California’s attorney general at the time of Prop. 47’s passage, and while she did not take a public position on it, her office was in charge of writing the title and summary of the measure on the actual ballot, which some residents felt was misleading. “Quite frankly, we were lied to and misled by our state, in that the name and the description on the ballot was not something that we were getting,” Bianco, a prominent Prop 36 supporter, told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “We voted for a proposition that was named the Safe Schools and the Safe Streets Initiative and it contained absolutely nothing to do with safe streets or safe schools, and it was everything that is bad about public safety right now, directly contributing to the increase in homelessness, mental health and drug addiction. Directly resulted in what we see now in our serial theft cases, in our retail theft cases and issues in crime of residential burglaries and those types of things.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign but did not receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report