Blackface photo shakes up toss-up House district in NY
A close House race in New York was rocked by an October surprise when photos surfaced of the incumbent Republican congressman in blackface as part of a Halloween costume years ago. Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., who is white, is pictured dressed like pop sensation Michael Jackson, complete with bronzer to darken his face in an October 2006 photo reported by the New York Times. Lawler does not dispute the photo’s authenticity and has issued an apology to anyone who has taken offense, though he said it was not his intention to dress in blackface. “As has been well-documented – most recently by the Daily Beast – I was a so-called ‘Super Fan’ of Michael Jackson, so much so that I was mentioned by name in his biography for my outspoken support of him and the Jackson Family. I loved Michael’s music, was awed by him as a performer, and by his impact on pop culture,” Lawler said in a statement. “One of my greatest memories is attending his concert at Madison Square Garden before his untimely death. “When attempting to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at a college Halloween party eighteen years ago, the ugly practice of black face was the furthest thing from my mind. Let me be clear, this is not that. Rather, my costume was intended as the sincerest form of flattery, a genuine homage to one of my childhood idols since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk through my mom’s kitchen. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS TICKS UP AND SENATE REPUBLICANS TAKE CHARGE “I am a student of history and for anyone who takes offense to the photo, I am sorry. All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate everyone’s grace along the way,” he said. The 38-year-old Lawler, a moderate first-term lawmaker from the Hudson Valley, is seen as a rising star in the GOP conference who is running for re-election in a suburban swing district. His Democratic opponent in New York’s 17th Congressional District is former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a Black man. The Jones campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The race is one of 22 toss-up contests that may well determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year, according to Fox News’ Power Rankings. Lawler is not the first politician to be wrapped up in recent controversy over a costume that resembled blackface. Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, faced calls to resign after a photo from his medical school yearbook surfaced which pictured men in Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface. Northam denied he was in the photo but admitted he once used shoe polish to darken his face for a dance contest in the 1980s in which he too dressed like Jackson. NEW YORK REPUBLICAN WRANGLES WITH CNN HOST HITTING TRUMP’S ECONOMIC POLICIES Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also faced controversy in 2019 when photos surfaced of him wearing blackface in 2001. The prime minister said in an interview after the fact that he could not give a definitive number on how many times he had worn blackface. Lawler was photographed in his Jackson costume in New York City when he was a sophomore at Manhattan College, now Manhattan University, a Catholic school in the Bronx where only three percent of the student population is Black, according to the New York Times. Lawler, who was class valedictorian in 2009, was well-known for his love of Michael Jackson, the paper reported. When Lawler was a high school senior in 2005, he flew from New York to California to attend parts Jackson’s criminal trial. The musician had faced allegations of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch, though Jackson was eventually acquitted. FORMER DEMOCRATIC REP MONDAIRE JONES LAUNCHES COMEBACK BID FOR CRUCIAL SEAT THAT HELPED GOP TAKE HOUSE Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli recounted in his book how he helped get Lawler into the courtroom, according to the Daily Beast. Taraborrelli wrote in “Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story” that the teen had been “so disgusted” by testimony against Jackson “that he couldn’t help but mutter something derogatory under his breath.” In Taraborrelli’s account, Lawler was overheard by court officials and “tossed right out of the courtroom.” The photos in question were posted to Facebook and depict Lawler dressed in a jacket reminiscent of the one Jackson wore in the “Thriller” music video. The New York Times cited a person familiar with the costume who said that Lawler had used bronzer borrowed from female classmates to darken his skin. Lawler’s 2022 victory was one of several Republican victories in crucial New York districts, despite the state’s status as reliably blue overall. The 17th includes stretches through four suburban counties outside of New York City: Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Emily Robertson contributed to this report.
Elon Musk: LA residents recoil at mention of Trump’s name
Billionaire business tycoon Elon Musk quipped in a post on X that when he mentions former President Donald Trump in Los Angeles, people recoil in response. “If I bring up Trump in LA, people react like they got shot with a dart containing rabies and crystal meth,” Musk wrote, adding the face with tears of joy emoji. The post has earned more than 25 million views so far, as well as scads of comments. ELON MUSK’S PRO-TRUMP SUPER PAC LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO INCREASE CANVASSERS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah replied, “Maybe that’s because they’re already rabid and high on meth.” “LOL,” Fox News contributor Sara Carter wrote when responding to Musk’s comments, “Californian’s [sic] often behave this way even when you don’t mention Trump – it’s in the water.” In another recent post, Musk joked that the planet “will literally explode if DJT loses!” adding in a followup tweet, “But, seriously, Trump must win or America is in deep trouble.” TRUMP SPEAKS WITH ELON MUSK ABOUT MAKING STARLINK AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE POST-HURRICANE HELENE Musk, a celebrity business magnate who has endorsed the Republican presidential hopeful during the 2024 election cycle, is slated to attend a Trump campaign rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the former president was nearly assassinated in July. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk tweeted in July on the heels of the shocking attempt on the prominent politician’s life. In a press release last week, the Trump campaign noted, “President Donald J. Trump will return to Butler, Pennsylvania to hold a rally on the very same ground where he came within a quarter of an inch of losing his life less than three months ago.” In addition to backing Trump, Musk has been a vociferous critic of the Democratic Party. In a post last month he asserted, “The reason the Democratic Party is so soft on criminals is that criminals vote overwhelmingly Democrat – they don’t want to offend their customers!” Musk continued, claiming that the “Democrat Party is literally the party of criminals.” ELON MUSK PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR SECOND AMENDMENT: ‘TYRANTS’ DISARM THE PEOPLE Musk suggested in a July tweet that, “the Democratic Party has moved so far left that the Republican Party is now closest to the center.”
Most New York City residents want indicted Mayor Eric Adams to resign: poll
With New York City Mayor Eric Adams under federal indictment for corruption, most residents of the Big Apple want to see him go, according to a new Marist poll. A majority of city residents, 69%, say the mayor should resign from office after prosecutors accused him of accepting bribes and soliciting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Adams, a former cop, could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all charges. There is no good news for the mayor in the survey findings. Though the Democratic mayor has resisted calls to resign, 71% of New York City Democrats think he should step down, according to the survey. Only 30% of city residents said he should serve out the remainder of his term, while 2% were unsure. The survey of New York City adults was conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. ERIC ADAMS LIKELY TO FACE MORE CHARGES AS EMBATTLED MAYOR ACCUSES BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION If Adams refuses to resign, 63% of survey respondents say Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul should take action to remove the mayor. A 65% majority of residents, including 68% Democrats, think Adams did something illegal. Another 24% think the mayor did something unethical but not illegal. “It’s hard to imagine how Mayor Adams could be faring any worse in the court of public opinion,” says Dr. Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “Not only do New York City residents think he has done something illegal, but they think he should resign or have Governor Hochul start the process of removing him from office.” The mayor’s job approval rating is underwater at 26%, with 74% saying they disapprove. The vast majority of New York City residents, 81%, say Adams should not run for re-election, according to the poll. Adams was in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday for a hearing in his corruption case. The mayor’s defense lawyers have asked the court to toss at least one charge and punish the government for leaks of confidential information. ERIC ADAMS CALLS OUT ALLEGED COLLUSION BETWEEN FEDS AND MAINSTREAM MEDIA, ASKS JUDGE FOR ‘CONSEQUENCES’ Prosecutors said it is “quite likely” that additional charges will be filed — against additional defendants and possibly in new cases. The investigation is ongoing, they said. But the defense scored a minor win, demanding the Justice Department file quick replies to motions filed earlier this week as the mayor is standing by his right to a speedy trial. The presiding judge gave prosecutors an Oct. 18 deadline to do so. Adams is accused of turning unlawful bribes and campaign contributions around to rack up taxpayer cash in the form of “matching” grants that pay out $8 to 1. ERIC ADAMS DEFENSE HINGES ON SUPREME COURT RULING IN HEARTLAND TRUCKING CASE The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is alleging that Adams used his position in government to obtain benefits like luxury travel and fine dining from wealthy business leaders, including at least one Turkish government official. In exchange, Adams allegedly provided favors, including helping Turkey get fire department approvals to open a new diplomatic high-rise in Manhattan despite concerns about fire safety. Adams’ defense has countered that he had no authority over the Manhattan building at the time, when he was Brooklyn’s borough president, and therefore could not and did not provide the alleged “official act” required to prove the case against him. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Adams has described the investigation as retaliation for his criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s border policy. The mayor previously blamed the White House for a migrant crisis in New York City that overwhelmed its shelter system. The influx of illegal immigrants coincided with a spike in robberies in the Big Apple, city police said earlier this year. Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Launch of the flagship ‘Always Care: Animal Care Centre’ at Manavta Mahotsav on Param Gurudev Namramuni Maharaj Saheb’s
Param Gurudev, who is a renowned sadhak of the very powerful Jain mantra Shree Uvasaggaharam Stotra, conducted a soul-stirring mantra sadhana on this occasion, one that takes place only once every year. Devotees were blessed with the auspicious Mantra Kalash charged with the vibrations of the sadhan
Taiwan official warns China, Russia, Iran forming ‘alliance’ after Blinken says ‘no axis’ exists
Taiwan’s de facto U.S. ambassador is warning that China, Iran and Russia are forming an “alliance” that the rest of the world should be ready for. It comes days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the three autocratic countries were working together but not an “axis,” as they have so often recently been called. “They’re working together, that’s for sure, whether that’s an axis or an alliance” Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s representative to the U.S., told Fox News this week. “And as you know, it’s up to anyone to define it. But there were certainly there are symptoms, signs that they’re working together.” BIDEN ADDRESSES UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR LAST TIME AS DICTATORS, DESPOTS COME TO NEW YORK During the interview, Yui also suggested that Taiwan’s government was in touch with both Vice President Harris and former President Trump’s circles to be prepared for whatever comes next in U.S. relations. “The whole world is watching, and I’m sure the diplomatic community here in Washington, D.C., is also watching closely and [trying] to reach out to both candidates or to the people around the candidates,” Yui said. Blinken penned an op-ed in Foreign Affairs Magazine on Oct. 1 that said world powers were in competition to set the stage for a “new age” of international relations. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF US RESEARCH DOLLARS MAY HAVE AIDED CHINESE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, GOP-LED REPORT SAYS “A small number of countries — principally Russia, with the partnership of Iran and North Korea, as well as China — are determined to alter the foundational principles of the international system. While their forms of governance, ideologies, interests, and capabilities differ, these revisionist powers all want to entrench autocratic rule at home and assert spheres of influence abroad,” the Biden administration official wrote. “While these countries are not an axis, and the administration has been clear that it does not seek bloc confrontation, choices these revisionist powers are making mean we need to act decisively to prevent that outcome.” Meanwhile, national security hawks on the right and left have warned that those four regimes were forging an unholy alliance not seen since WWII. Both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called them a new “axis of evil.” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., House Democrats’ former majority leader, said after President Biden’s address on Israel and Ukraine in October 2023, “We face a new axis of evil today. The dictators, despots, and dealers of destruction leading Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Iranian proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah stand together in their assault on democracy.”
Trump can win on these 3 key issues, Michigan voters tell Fox
Michigan voters attending former President Donald Trump’s Saginaw rally Thursday told Fox News Digital that the former president needs to focus on the economy to win the critical swing state, particularly job creation and curbing inflation. “Opening up the pipelines to get the jobs back,” one voter who attended Trump’s rally on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University said when asked which issue the former president needs to focus on to win Michigan. The comments come as Trump made yet another visit to the crucial swing state of Michigan, a state that could play a decisive role in determining who wins November’s election. It also marked the second time the former president visited mid-Michigan in just a few weeks, a blue collar area of the state where the campaign believes it can make inroads with voters in what promises to be a close race. TRUMP’S 2ND TERM FOREIGN POLICY LIKELY TO FOCUS ON ‘STRENGTH’ AND ‘DETERRENCE’: EXPERT Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit the same area of the state Friday, signifying the importance of Michigan as the clock nears the end of a dramatic election season. Polls show Michigan as a toss up as of Wednesday, with the Real Clear Politics Polling average giving Harris a thin lead of just 0.7 points in the state. However, polls also showed Trump trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Biden in Michigan by 5.3 and 5.7 points respectively, numbers that turned out much more favorable to Trump on election day. Trump narrowly won Michigan in 2016 before dropping it to Biden in another close race in 2020, but voters in mid-Michigan believe Trump’s focus on the economy should help put him over the top in 2024. VOTERS IN CRITICAL MICHIGAN COUNTY FOCUSED ON ECONOMY, CANDIDATE CHARACTER AS 2024 RACE TIGHTENS “Bring inflation down and safety and security in the state of Michigan,” one voter told Fox News Digital. “Illegal border crossings and the economy,” another voter said. “Keeping jobs in America, lowering inflation.” However, other voters signaled that Trump could win on a range of issues, including national security and reducing crime in inner cities. “Our national security does come first. But if the people at home, if they can’t make ends meet, they’re living in misery, that’s just as important,” a voter told Fox News Digital. “Being truthful to the American people, which he has been.” “Focusing on the inner cities. Putting together ways to decrease the violence,” another voter said. Meanwhile, one voter who said she was at the rally to support Trump said that the former president could lead the charge in helping Michigan residents see the issue of abortion differently. “I think one of the bigger things to look at has been abortion… Michigan has been one of the stronger states in supporting that,” the voter told Fox News Digital. “He can do a very good job in getting us to just see the value of life.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Melania Trump’s pro-choice stand isn’t that different from other Republican first ladies
Melania Trump is not the only first lady to express pro-choice views. She joins several former Republican first ladies who have shared similar perspectives, often in their memoirs, despite this stance historically contrasting with the GOP platform. Other spouses of Republican presidents, such as Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush, have been recorded either during or after their husbands’ tenure in office expressing pro-choice views. “I feel very strongly that it was the best thing in the world when the Supreme Court voted to legalize abortion and, in my words, bring it out of the backwoods and put it in the hospital where it belongs,” Betty Ford said in a CBS News’ “60 Minutes” interview in 1975, two years after Roe v. Wade was handed down. MELANIA TRUMP’S ABORTION VIEWS IN NEW MEMOIR SPUR OUTRAGE FROM PRO-LIFERS: ‘SHE IS WRONG’ Following Ford’s comments on premarital sex, marijuana and abortion during the CBS interview, then-President Gerald Ford reportedly joked that she had cost him votes. As a more conservative first lady, Nancy Reagan avoided taking a public stance against abortion that would put her at odds with former President Ronald Reagan. However, she later revealed her personal position on the issue. “I’m against abortion, I don’t believe in abortion,” Reagan said at George Washington University in 1994, five years after her husband left the Oval Office. “On the other hand, I believe in a woman’s choice. So, it puts me somewhere in the middle, but I don’t know what you’d call that.” Barbara Bush, former President George H. W. Bush’s wife, was more reserved in her public statements about abortion and was at odds with her husband’s anti-abortion stance. While she was not as outspoken as Betty Ford, she wrote in her 1994 memoir, “I hate abortions, but I just could not make that choice for someone else.” Former first lady Laura Bush, wife of former President George W. Bush and daughter-in-law to Barbara Bush, also differed with the former Presidents Bush on abortion. PRO-LIFERS BLAST TRUMP ‘BETRAYAL’ WITH SHIFTING ABORTION STANCE, ANSWER ON FLORIDA AMENDMENT 4 “I think it’s important that it remain legal, because I think it’s important for people for medical reasons and other reasons,” she said in an interview with Larry King Live in 2010. Pat Nixon, then-President Richard Nixon’s wife, told reporters during a 1972 press conference – as Roe v. Wade arguments were being considered by the Supreme Court – that she supported the right to choose an abortion, but opposed “wholesale abortion on demand.” Trump, wife of Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, wrote the memoir entitled “Melania” that is scheduled to come out on Oct. 8, per the Amazon release date. In the book, according to a preview by The Guardian, she expresses a viewpoint closely aligned with that of former first ladies before her. “It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” Trump reportedly wrote. VANCE, WALZ SPAR OVER ABORTION AND IMMIGRATION IN FIRST AND ONLY VP DEBATE “Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes. “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.” The former first lady drew criticism from pro-life advocates on social media after the excerpts were published just a month away from Election Day. This year, the Republican Party’s official platform also softened its language on abortion, as former President Trump also said he would not support a federal abortion ban.
Soros-backed dark money network paid New York Dem candidate’s salary: ‘Incredibly problematic’
FIRST ON FOX: A top Democratic House recruit drew a salary worth tens of thousands of dollars from a left-wing dark money network heavily bankrolled by George Soros’ political empire, Fox News Digital has learned. New York congressional candidate Laura Gillen, a town supervisor in the Long Island town of Hempstead, drew a $40,000 “fellow” salary with the group Our American Future Foundation (OAFF) in 2023, according to her financial disclosures. The group and a sister nonprofit, Our American Future Action, help pay expenses for individuals—overwhelmingly Democrats—who plan to run for office in the future. According to the Open Society Foundations, the umbrella of groups founded by Soros, its Open Society Action Fund has donated more than $18 million to Our American Future Action “to support non-partisan policy advocacy and civic engagement.” Tax filings show Our American Future Action is Our American Future Foundation’s “direct controlling entity.” HOUSE OVERSIGHT PROBES FCC’S EXPEDITED APPROVAL OF SOROS PURCHASE OF 200+ RADIO STATIONS AHEAD OF ELECTION Our American Future Foundation also received direct support from the Soros empire. It got an undisclosed level of funding last year from the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation, a charitable group run by one of the left-wing billionaire’s sons, tax filings show. Jonathan and Jennifer Soros have also donated to Gillen’s campaign directly, each contributing $3,300 this year. Another Soros son, Robert Soros, donated $2,900 to Gillen’s unsuccessful 2022 campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. “It is incredibly problematic that George Soros is paying candidates to run for office through a program disguised as a ‘fellowship,’” said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, in a statement to Fox News Digital. WALZ BLASTED FOR HUDDLING WITH GEORGE SOROS’ SON AT NYC LUXURY APARTMENT: ‘BILLIONAIRE NEPO BABY’ “Voters should be seriously alarmed that Laura Gillen, who is claiming to run on ethics and transparency, is being personally propped up by a Soros group that is advocating for open borders, anti-police measures, and radical energy policies,” Sutherland continued. “This raises crucial questions about who Gillen will answer to if elected to Congress: the voters…or George Soros?” Gillen has claimed that pointing out Soros funding for her campaign is responsible for “antisemitic violence.” Rep. Dan Goldman, a fellow New York Democrat, has also accused D’Esposito, whom Gillen is challenging again this cycle, of “using a disgusting antisemitic trope” by pointing out Soros’ backing. Soros’ groups have heavily funded organizations behind antisemitic protests since last year aimed at delegitimizing Israel and stopping U.S. support for its military campaign against the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. The Open Society Action Fund’s $18,055,000 in funding for Our American Future Action began in 2023 and was slated to finance activities stretching for 19 months, according to a grants database on the Open Society Foundations website. Tax filings indicate the Jonathan and Jennifer Alan Soros Foundation’s donation also came in 2023, the same year Gillen drew her fellowship salary. The fellowship program is designed to provide aspiring political candidates, overwhelmingly Democrats, with money to cover basic living expenses while they focus on future political campaigns. Several Democratic candidates in competitive 2024 contests have received funding from the group, including California’s Will Rollins, Nebraska’s Tony Vargas, Arizona’s Kirsten Engel and New York’s Josh Riley, according to the Washington Examiner. In March, the Examiner first reported that the nonprofit watchdog group Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) was filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging OAFF’s payments to future House candidates violated federal law. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, OAFF is prohibited from spending money on political activity. However, FACT alleged its payments to eventual candidates for office were explicitly designed to advance their political prospects. “The fellowship’s true purpose was explicitly described by its founder as a way to give money to failed candidates (or prospective candidates) for personal expenses in the brief downtime before they are able to file again to run for another office,” FACT wrote in its complaint. “Thus, the fellowship is directly tied to a federal candidacy and not for bona fide independent employment. Any claim otherwise would strain credulity.” Soros has also poured millions into several other groups and committees backing Democrats throughout the 2024 cycle. His two super PACs – Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II – have so far combined to shower left-wing groups with $53 million, Federal Election Commission records show. Gillen recently benefited from one of the groups financed by the left-wing billionaire. On Aug. 2, Soros’ Democracy PAC sent $500,000 to the League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund, which weeks later spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on independent expenditures backing her candidacy in the form of digital production, ad buys, and other items. During that time, the group also backed Kamala Harris and a handful of other Democrats. Gillen’s campaign, Our American Future Foundation, and the Open Society Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Trump teams up with former GOP nemesis to survey storm damage in key battleground state
Former President Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will appear together on Friday for the first time in four years as they receive a briefing on recovery and relief efforts one week after Hurricane Helene tore a path of destruction after slamming into the southeast United States. The former president and the popular two-term conservative Georgia governor are scheduled to be briefed on storm damage and to “deliver remarks to the press” as they team up during a visit to Evans, a town in the northeast portion of the state. The event is not being described as a campaign stop. For Trump, it’s his second trip this week to Georgia, following a visit on Monday in Valdosta. The state, along with North and South Carolina, and Tennessee, took direct hits from the powerful storm. The death toll from Hurricane Helene now stands at over 220, with hundreds still missing, more than 800,000 people in seven states still without power or running water, and damage estimated in the billions. TRUMP CLAIMS BIDEN, HARRIS, STORM RESPONSE IS INCOMPETENT With Trump locked in a margin-of-error presidential race with Vice President Kamala Harris, and Georgia and North Carolina crucial battleground states, Trump has repeatedly slammed President Biden and Harris over their handing of the federal response to the storm. “It is going down as the WORST & MOST INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED ‘STORM,’ AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, EVER SEEN BEFORE,” Trump claimed in a social media post on Thursday, as Biden spent a second straight day in the southeast surveying storm damage. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH And Harris stopped in Georgia on Wednesday for storm briefings and to meet with local officials and victims of the storm, as she canceled a campaign swing in another key electoral state, Pennsylvania. The vice president heads to North Carolina on Saturday to survey damage and get briefed on federal, state and local efforts. When Trump visited Valdosta on Monday, he wasn’t joined by Kemp, who was surveying storm damage in other parts of Georgia. For two years after his 2020 election defeat to President Biden, which included a razor-thin loss in Georgia, Trump attacked Kemp for failing to overturn the election results in his state. Trump urged, and then supported, a 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary challenge against Kemp by former Sen. David Perdue. The former president toned down his criticism of the governor after Kemp crushed Perdue to easily win renomination on his way to re-election. KEMP SAYS THERE’S NO PATH TO 270 FOR TRUMP WITHOUT GEORGIA But in August, Trump went on a 10-minute tirade against Kemp at a rally in Atlanta just blocks from the Georgia State Capitol. He blamed the governor not only for failing to overturn the 2020 vote count but also for not stopping a county prosecutor from indicting the former president for his attempts to reverse the results. “He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor,” Trump said. “Little Brian. Little Brian Kemp. Bad guy.” But just a couple of weeks later, in a major about face for Trump, the former president praised Kemp in a social media post “for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.” “I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the Republican presidential nominee added. Trump’s change of heart came amid a margin-of-error presidential race in Georgia. The Peach State is one of seven key battlegrounds whose razor-thin margins decided Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump and are likely to determine whether Harris or Trump succeeds the president in the White House. Republican strategists agree that to recapture Georgia, Trump will need assistance from Kemp’s well-oiled and funded political machine to turn out GOP voters. Kemp emphasized in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital in August that “there’s no path for former President Trump to win or any Republican . . . to get to 270 [electoral votes] without Georgia.” The governor said his state “should be one that we win if we have all the mechanics that we need. And I’m working hard to help provide those in a lot of ways and turn the Republican vote out.” “It’s my belief that we cannot afford four more years of [President] Joe Biden and Kamala Harris or Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz, which I think would probably be worse than even Biden and Harris were,” Kemp said. Kemp also told Fox News at the time that Trump’s tirade from early August “was a small distraction that’s in the past” and emphasized that Republicans “need to stay focused on the future. . . . We need to be telling people why they should vote for us, what we’re going to do to make things better than they are right now. And there’s a host of issues that I think you could contrast Kamala Harris and her record.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
CBI arrests NIA officer for demanding Rs 2.5 crore bribe, here’s what happened
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at Yadav’s premises on September 19 and asked him to appear for questioning on September 26 before Singh who was the investigation officer of the case, officials said.