DHS identifies hundreds of migrants with possible ties to bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang
The Department of Homeland Security is recommending more than 100 migrants that it has identified as having possible ties to a bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang be put on an FBI watchlist, Fox News confirmed Wednesday, after the agency flagged more than 600 with possible ties overall. NBC News first reported that DHS has identified more than 600 individuals with possible ties to Tren de Aragua, and that 100 of those are deemed “subjects of interests.” Fox has confirmed that it recommended they be placed on the FBI’s Watchlist for Transnational Criminal Organizations. Officials do not believe that all of the 600 migrants will be confirmed gang members, and that many will be relatives, victims or witnesses to crimes by the notorious gang members. Officials are making the gang a priority so it does not grow. WHO IS TREN DE ARAGUA? VICIOUS VENEZUELAN GANG ‘FOLLOWING IN THE PATH OF MS-13’ IN AMERICA The gang is believed to have started in the Tocoron prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua and has since expanded into Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and the U.S. In a statement, DHS said that the identities emerged as part of an ongoing re-screening operation to tackle the gang. “As a part of our work to counter TdA, DHS has an ongoing operation to crack down on gang members through re-screening certain individuals previously encountered, in addition to the rigorous screening and vetting at the border,” a DHS spokesperson said. The agency said that those confirmed or suspected of being gang members will be either referred for prosecution or placed into expedited removal — a deportation process that allows for the quick removal of illegal immigrants. The statement stressed that those identified in the re-screening “include those already in custody, potential victims or witnesses who are not themselves suspected of being TdA members, and others who may not have any involvement in TdA at all.” There have been numerous crimes in the last year that have been linked to TdA, in states including Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Colorado and New York. NEW REPORT WARNS BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG’S FOOTPRINT WILL REMAIN IN US ‘FOR DECADES’ The gang is believed to have taken over apartment blocks in Aurora, Colorado, and authorities in New York City have warned that the gang is recruiting children and is linked to dozens of robberies in the sanctuary city. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also sounded the alarm about the growth of the gang in his state. Federal immigration authorities announced last week that a confirmed TdA member was arrested in Houston for allegedly recruiting middle school students to become new gang members. But the gang’s presence has increased at the same time as a massive migration surge to the southern border, which included a significant number of Venezuelans. While border numbers have dropped sharply since June, the impact of that crisis is still being felt in communities across the U.S. Experts noted to NBC that the number of identified members is low and could represent a gap in intelligence. Venezuela does not share its databases with the U.S., and relations are frosty. Earlier this year, Venezuela stopped accepting deportation flights from the U.S. While authorities have put out warnings to Border Patrol agents about possible markers of the gang, they can be hard to identify, while others get past agents as gotaways. TdA has become an issue in the presidential election as well. Former President Donald Trump announced recently that he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle “every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American soil.” Trump said, if elected, the federal government would “send elite squads of ICE, Border Patrol and federal law enforcement officers to hunt down, arrest and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country.” Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has stressed her support for a bipartisan border security bill to provide additional funding to the border and has also highlighted her history targeting transnational criminal organizations as a federal prosecutor.
Texas AG sues Biden-Harris admin for not verifying citizenship of 450K ‘potentially ineligible’ voters
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden-Harris administration for not providing information that the Republican says he needs to verify the citizenship of 450,000 “potentially ineligible voters.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and its director, Ur Jaddou, are named as defendants. DHS says states wishing to verify citizenship can use the USCIS SAVE program and that it will not provide an “alternative process to any state.” The federal lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Texas, claims that the Biden-Harris administration has refused to comply with federal law and answer “valid requests” for information from Paxton and Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson “for the citizenship status of the over 450,000 people on Texas’s voter rolls for whom the State cannot verify their citizenship status using existing sources.” Paxton says those over 450,000 people did not use a Texas-issued driver’s license or ID card to register to vote in the state, so “those voters never had their citizenship verified.” TEXAS AG OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO ‘SUSPICIOUS DONATIONS’ MADE TO HARRIS CAMPAIGN THROUGH DEMOCRATIC GROUP Nelson wrote to Jaddou on Sept. 18 saying the Texas Secretary of State’s office compiled a list of individuals on Texas’ voter rolls whose citizenship could not be verified and asked for assistance in doing so. Paxton penned a similar letter to the USCIS director on Oct. 7, stating, “Although I have no doubt the vast majority of the voters on the list are citizens who are eligible to vote, I am equally certain that Texans have no way of knowing whether or not any of the voters on the list are noncitizens who are ineligible to vote.” In a letter to Nelson on Oct. 10, Jaddou responded, saying that the “Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program is the most secure and efficient way to reliably verify an individual’s citizenship or immigration status, including for verification regarding voter registration and/or voter list maintenance,” and maintained that USCIS “currently cannot offer an alternative process to any state.” “Since 2009, SAVE has been used by elections authorities in states for voter registration and/or voter list maintenance. Currently, ten states are registered to use SAVE for these purposes,” Jaddou wrote. “The process has been the same since the program’s inception.” “By inputting an individual’s name, unique DHS-issued immigration identifier, and birthdate, registered agencies can determine whether that person obtained U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process or, for certain other individuals born abroad, whether USCIS has information confirming their U.S. citizenship. Each registered agency determines the best process to obtain the required identifiers,” Jaddou explained. “The state elections authority must provide any individual who is not verified as a U.S. citizen through SAVE the opportunity to show documentation of their U.S. citizenship.” BIDEN ADMIN SLAPPED WITH MAJOR LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGED REFUSAL TO HELP STATE PURGE NONCITIZENS FROM VOTER ROLLS Paxton’s lawsuit states that “pointing to the SAVE system” does not fulfill the Texas secretary of state’s request and Jaddou’s response does not satisfy USCIS’s “unambiguous obligations under federal law.” It also says that Jaddou has not responded to Paxton’s letter. According to Paxton, the SAVE program, designed to confirm a person’s lawful presence in the United States, “is not an adequate tool, on its own, for a state seeking to verify the citizenship status of an individual on the voter rolls.” That’s because it requires the use of a “unique DHS-issued immigration identifier,” which the lawsuit says is “information that is not maintained by, or readily available to, the Secretary of State of Texas or Texas’s voter registrars.” Texas’s statewide voter registration system “does not contain any “DHS-issued immigration identifier[s],” the lawsuit says, so even if the Texas Secretary of State “could obtain this data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, that effort would be limited to individuals who provided such information to obtain a driver license or personal identification card – and thus would not encompass individuals for whom there is no Texas-issued driver license or ID card number in Texas’s voter registration system.” The filing also noted that USCIS charges users a fee for each verification submitted to the SAVE system – fees that the state is willing to pay but “will more than double over the next three years.” “Although federal and state law prohibit non-citizens from voting, federal law paradoxically creates opportunities for non-citizens to illegally register to vote while prohibiting States from requiring voters to have proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections – a common sense measure to identify illegal registration,” the suit says. “Under any circumstances, this federal prohibition against citizenship verification makes little sense, but it is especially troubling given the current scale of the illegal immigration crisis.” The filing also cited how the Senate has not passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (“SAVE Act”), “which would allow states to ensure that votes are being cast legally by eligible voters.” Asked about Paxton’s lawsuit, a DHS spokesperson again pointed to the SAVE program. Scores of election-related lawsuits happen in every cycle, and Florida filed a similar lawsuit citing how the SAVE program’s DHS identifier requirement is a roadblock in verifying citizenship of those on the voter roll. While Texas could see Republican Sen. Ted Cruz locked in a close race against Democratic challenger, Rep. Colin Allred, the Lone Star State is unlikely to go blue in the presidential contest.
Lindsey Graham demands ICC reveal details of probe into prosecutor Khan’s misconduct allegations
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Lindsey Graham is demanding answers on reporting that British International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan was accused of misconduct at the same time he was pursuing criminal charges against Israeli officials. “Public reports indicate that allegations of harassment surfaced in early May – just a few days before Prosecutor Khan applied for arrest warrants against the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Israel for alleged violations of law during the defensive Israeli-Hamas War,” Graham, R-S.C., wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. “The timing of the allegations is troubling, and only compounds the other strong legal, jurisdictional, and prudential objections I have expressed regarding the Prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants.” On May 20, Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif. All three Hamas leaders have been killed in the past year. Khan’s application was unprecedented – the first time the criminal court had sought arrests for Western-allied officials. Graham said that prior to Khan’s warrants, he along with a group of senators was working to urge Khan to “adhere to the Rome Statute” and have a dialogue with Israeli officials before moving forward with their prosecution. On May 20, Khan was set to travel to Israel to meet with officials before deciding whether to move forward with the warrant requests. But he never showed up. He publicly announced his warrant requests without any warning to the Israelis who had planned to make their case against them, according to Graham. GRAHAM SAYS ISRAEL HAS WINDOW TO ‘REPLACE HAMAS FOREVER’ AFTER SINWAR KILLING: ‘DOOR IS NOW OPEN “It has now come to my attention through media reports that Prosecutor Khan was facing allegations of misconduct around the same time, and the resolution of this matter remains a mystery,” the senator wrote in the letter. “The abrupt decision to cancel this visit to Israel, along with these contemporaneous allegations needs to be explained, and I request full transparency on the matter to ensure there is no conflict of interest.” Graham said he was “shocked” to learn Khan never showed up for his trip to Israel. “It was a complete change of what we were told that was going to happen, and we never really understood what happened – never made sense to me.” But last week, the Mail on Sunday reported that around the same time, a female employee with the court informed senior managers about harassment claims made by another female employee against Khan. The woman “was so upset she was in tears.” The Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM), which probes misconduct allegations by ICC employees, reportedly questioned the alleged victim, but she decided not to make a formal complaint. The IOM did not launch a formal investigation and recommended measures intended to “safeguard everyone’s rights.” “I’ve never understood what led to such a change in position. So my concern is, did these two events have anything to do with each other?” Graham questioned. BIDEN-HARRIS ENVOY ACCUSED OF PRESSURING ISRAELI LAWMAKERS TO DROP BILL BANNING TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY “We need transparency here. You know, is it a coincidence the guy is being accused of inappropriate conduct, and again, I have no idea if it’s legitimate or not, but just weeks later, there’s a change of course here.” An annual report released by the IOM on Friday said that on May 3, the watchdog had been told about allegations that an elected official engaged in behavior that would breach the court’s harassment rules. It confirmed the woman “declined to pursue a formal complaint.” She refused to explicitly confirm or deny to the IOM the allegations that had been reported by a third party. When asked for comment on the letter, the ICC prosecutor’s office referred Fox News Digital to comments Khan made to the Mail on Sunday: “I absolutely can confirm there is no truth to suggestions of misconduct.” “This is a moment in which myself and the International Criminal Court are subject to a wide range of attacks and threats. In recent months my family including my wife and child have also been targeted,” Khan added. He said he would cooperate with the IOM if asked to do so. “I underline that I stand with any victim of sexual harassment or abuse and would encourage all survivors to raise their voice and come forward with such accounts wherever they may occur. I have always been supportive of a proactive approach in this regard.” The court’s panel of judges has not yet issued the warrants. It took them only three weeks to issue the warrant for President Vladimir Putin’s arrest after Khan requested it following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute that founded the ICC 22 years ago and do not recognize its jurisdiction. Palestinians were granted membership in 2015. Since the court’s establishment in 2002, it has issued 55 arrest warrants in 32 cases. Twenty-one people have been detained and tried at The Hague while 26 remain at-large. Israel is also facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice in a case brought forth by South Africa. Despite the ICC prosecutor’s arrest warrant requests, Graham insisted that the international law body does hold an important role. “There’s a place for the ICC. I mean, like Putin’s collapsed every legal system in Russia, truly is a despot.” Graham added: “But bringing charges against the defense minister and the prime minister of Israel in the middle of a war for the survival of the Jewish people without even talking to them, canceling a meeting, just doesn’t pass the smell test. I want to know what the hell happened.” This file has been updated to include the ICC prosecutor’s office’s comments.
Biden seeks to cement legacy on climate change in remaining months as president
President Joe Biden is seeking to cement his climate legacy by allocating billions of dollars for energy and environment-related projects in the remaining months of his presidency. Biden ramped up his administration’s energy-related spending in October, announcing several new initiatives after former President Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that if elected, he would “rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act,” which could directly impact Biden’s climate projects. On Thursday, the Department of the Interior approved the Fervo Cape Geothermal Power Project in Beaver County, Utah, which seeks to expand geothermal energy on public lands. The Energy Department also announced nearly $2 billion in funding for 38 power grid projects for clean energy, and on Tuesday, the administration allocated $428 million for 14 clean energy manufacturing projects in former coal communities. HARRIS TOUTS GROWING UP IN MIDDLE CLASS WHILE PUSHING MANDATE MOST ‘WON’T BE ABLE TO AFFORD’: ECONOMIST In early October, the Biden-Harris administration issued a final rule to replace every lead pipe in the U.S. within 10 years as part of Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). In addition to the rule, the EPA also announced $2.6 billion in new funding for drinking water infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. September also saw several new projects launched as part of the final push for the administration’s climate agenda. LEFT-WING CLIMATE GROUPS SILENT AFTER HARRIS CAMPAIGN DROPS MILLIONS ON PRIVATE JET FLIGHTS SINCE JULY The Department of Energy announced $3 billion for electric vehicle battery production, while the Department of the Interior will distribute $24 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for land and water restoration through an investment in “climate resilience.” The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved an offshore wind turbine in Maryland — the 10th approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind project. Trump has stated that if elected, he would end offshore wind projects “on day one” through an executive order, suggesting the energy source causes harm to the environment. “They destroy everything. They’re horrible, the most expensive energy there is,” Trump said of wind turbines during a campaign event in New Jersey. “They ruin the environment. They kill the birds. They kill the whales.” White House’s Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian told listeners on a press call in October that Biden is “sprinting to the finish” to deliver “on his historic Investing in America agenda.”
Cuba extends workplace, school shutdowns in wake of power blackouts
The energy-saving measures come as government struggles to restore grid and surveys hurricane that killed seven. Cuba will keep all non-essential workplaces and schools closed through Sunday as it battles a crippling island-wide electricity shortage and recovers from a deadly hurricane. Cuba’s National Defence Council announced the prolonged shutdowns on Wednesday, saying only vital services such as hospitals will stay open. The energy-saving measures come as the government scrambles to restore power across the nation, which went dark Friday after its largest power plant collapsed and fuel failed to reach other plants, causing the entire energy grid to collapse. The crisis was compounded by the passage of Hurricane Oscar over the weekend, which flooded rivers and tore down power lines across eastern Cuba, killing at least seven people, including one child. Originally, the government said workplaces and schools would reopen on Thursday. By Tuesday, Cuba announced its grid was back online and power had been restored to 70 percent of the country, although many outside the capital Havana were still cut off. The power grid still had a 30-percent energy deficit during evening peak hours, state media reported on Wednesday morning, citing data from the state electric company, Union Electrica (UNE). Visiting the southeastern town of San Antonio del Sur, which was clobbered by a flash flood caused by the hurricane, President Miguel Diaz-Canel told residents Wednesday, “You are not alone or abandoned.” Cuba’s electricity is generated by eight ageing, oil-fired thermoelectric plants, some of which are broken down or under maintenance, seven floating plants leased from Turkish companies that have faced fuel shortages, and many diesel-powered generators. People watch the Turkey-flagged power ship arrive in Havana Bay in Cuba, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 [Ismael Francisco/AP] “Bands-aids” The large thermoelectric plants were built in the 1970s and have a lifespan of between 25 and 30 years, according to Jorge Pinon, a Cuban-born energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin. “They’re breaking down all the time,” he told Al Jazeera, comparing them to the classic old US cars that are a popular tourist attraction in the capital, Havana. “They have a structural problem and they need to recapitalise the whole system,” he added. The country’s waning energy resources are a symptom of its worst economic crisis in decades, also marked by soaring inflation and shortages of medicine, food and water. “Turn on the lights” Concerned about social unrest and sporadic street protests, Díaz-Canel has warned that his government will not tolerate attempts to “disturb public order”. In July 2021, blackouts sparked an unprecedented outpouring of public anger, with thousands of Cubans taking to the street and chanting slogans including “Freedom!” and “We are hungry.” Dozens of people took to the streets over the weekend in one neighbourhood, banging pots and pans and shouting “Turn on the lights.” Cuban police and military stand next to debris used to block a street during a protest against a blackout, October 19 [Norlys Perez/Reuters] The Cuban government and its allies blame the United States’s 62-year-old trade embargo on the island for its economic and energy problems, including the sanctioning of oil tankers that deliver fuel from Venezuela. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that the Cuban government’s “long-term mismanagement of its economic policy and resources has certainly increased the hardship of people in Cuba”. Adblock test (Why?)
Bank of Canada cuts interest rates, says fight against inflation ‘worked’
The cut on Wednesday, the fourth in a row, was bigger than expected as September inflation sank below target. The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 3.75 percent, its first bigger-than-usual move in more than four years, and hailed signs that Canada has returned to an era of low inflation. The country’s central bank, which hiked rates to a 20-year high to fight soaring prices, has now cut benchmark rates four times in a row since June. Inflation in September sank to 1.6 percent, below the 2 percent target. “Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s a good news story,” Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem said during a press conference after the rate announcement. “It’s been a long fight against inflation, but it’s worked, and we’re coming out the other side.” Despite three previous cuts totaling 75 basis points, demand has been muted, sales at businesses are sluggish and consumer sentiment is tepid, hurting economic growth. “Today’s interest rate decision should contribute to a pickup in demand,” Macklem said, adding that the BoC would like to see growth strengthen. The United States Federal Reserve last month started its own rate reduction cycle with a similar-sized move. Economists and analysts now see a possibility of another jumbo cut building up in December. “Based on the logic offered to justify today’s decision, it would take a significant turn of events to stand in the way of another cut of that magnitude in December,” CIBC Chief Economist Avery Shenfeld wrote in a note. ‘Maintain low, stable inflation’ The last time the Bank of Canada cut rates by 50 basis points at a scheduled meeting was in March 2020. The headline September inflation rate of 1.6 percent underscored concerns that the high cost of borrowing might have suppressed the rise in prices more than the economy needed. “Now our focus is to maintain low, stable inflation. We need to stick the landing,” Macklem said. Money markets are fully pricing in a 25-basis-point cut in the final monetary policy decision announcement of the year on December 11. They are seeing an over 25 percent chance of another 50-basis-point cut. “Another 50 [basis points] in December is not a slam dunk. It will depend on where the BoC thinks neutral is,” said Kyle Chapman, forex markets analyst at Ballinger Group. The central bank said it sees the neutral rate – where the monetary policy is not considered to be restricting growth but also accelerating growth – between 2.25 percent and 3.25 percent. Macklem reiterated that if the economy continues to evolve broadly in line with forecasts, the bank would cut rates again, with the timing and pace depending on the latest data. Canada’s economic growth has sputtered under the impact of high rates. July gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 0.2 percent on a monthly basis and provisional data suggest August growth will likely stall. The bank revised its forecast for quarterly and annual growth in its latest monetary policy report (MPR) released along with the rates announcement on Wednesday. It now expects annualised GDP growth in the third quarter to be 1.5 percent, down from the 2.8 percent it predicted in July, but kept its full-year forecast unchanged at 1.2 percent. The overall annual inflation rate this year is seen at 2.5 percent, falling to 2.2 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026, the MPR showed. The bank, however, is still concerned about inflation coming in higher or lower than expected going forward. “The economy functions well when inflation is around 2 percent,” Macklem said. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli strikes pound Lebanese southern coastal city of Tyre
Israeli warplanes have attacked multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre, sending up large clouds of black smoke, as the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes. The Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported on Wednesday that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh had killed three people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired a new barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. The group also confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who had been widely expected to take over the leadership of Hezbollah following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah last month. Israel said on Tuesday that it had killed Safieddine in a strike earlier this month in Beirut’s southern suburbs. “We pledge to our great martyr and his martyred brothers to continue the path of resistance and jihad until achieving its goals of freedom and victory,” Hezbollah said in a statement. Safieddine, a powerful cleric within the party ranks, was the head of Hezbollah’s highest political decision-making body, the executive council. He was widely expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders and longtime leader, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month. Hezbollah began firing rockets towards Israel on October 8, 2023, after Israel launched its ongoing deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. The exchanges of fire continued on a near-daily basis for months, but Israel’s military drastically escalated the fighting last month, killing much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership and launching air raids across Lebanon. Earlier this month, it sent ground troops into areas in the south of the country. Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the war, but strikes in and around the city have intensified recently. The 2,500-year-old city, about 80km (50 miles) south of Beirut, is known for its pristine beaches, ancient harbour, Roman ruins and hippodrome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among Lebanon’s largest cities and a vibrant metropolis popular with tourists. The buildings struck on Wednesday were between several heritage sites, including the hippodrome and a cluster of seaside sites associated with the ancient Phoenicians and the Crusaders. The Israeli military told residents to move north of the Awali River, dozens of kilometres to the north, claiming there were Hezbollah assets in the evacuation warning area without elaborating or providing evidence. ‘You can’t bomb your way to safety’ Israel’s attack on Tyre is reminiscent of its attacks on Gaza, Mohamad Bazzi, an Associate Professor from New York University, said. “We’ve seen Israel use the same playbook in Gaza, these two strategies of massive bombardment, displacing civilians and the so-called evacuation orders. Lebanon is a sovereign country, and Israel has no basis for issuing evacuation orders in a foreign, sovereign country,” Bazzi told Al Jazeera. “In the long-term, I’d argue it’s a failed strategy because you can’t bomb your way to safety and peace on the Israel-Lebanon border. You have to have a diplomatic settlement, and Israel’s leadership has shown no interest in this so far.” First responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and help older adults and others who had difficulty leaving. Ali Safieddine, the head of the Civil Defense, told The Associated Press (AP) news agency there were no casualties. Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon [Aziz Taher/Reuters] Wissam Ghazal, a health official in Tyre, said the strikes hit six buildings, flattening four approximately two hours after evacuation warnings were issued. People displaced by the strikes could be seen in parks and sitting on the sides of nearby roads. The head of Tyre’s disaster management unit, Mortada Mhanna, told AP that although many people had fled the city, thousands of residents and displaced individuals from other areas have chosen to stay. Many people, including hundreds of families, previously fled villages in south Lebanon to seek refuge in Tyre. An estimated 15,000 people remain in the city out of a pre-war population of about 100,000, Mhanna said. “It’s very difficult for many to leave. They’re worried about being subjected to further chaos and displacement,” he said, adding that he and his team had chosen to stay in the city, but “it’s a big risk. It’s not safe here anymore.” More than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since October last year, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, and more than a million people have fled their homes since September. Adblock test (Why?)
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Sam Brown begins to close gap with incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen in battleground Nevada
Ret. Army Capt. Sam Brown appears to be closing the polling gap with incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in battleground Nevada with less than two weeks until Election Day. In a new survey, Rosen defeated Brown 49% to 44% among all voters, according to a new AARP poll. Among the key demographic of voters 50 years or older, Brown beat the Democrat 49% to 46%. TIM WALZ SLAMS ELON MUSK AS A ‘DIPS—‘ DURING RALLY WITH OBAMA IN WISCONSIN The new poll, which indicates a close race, comes after some expressed concerns over the Republican’s position behind Rosen in recent surveys. While many Republican candidates in crucial states had already improved their stature against incumbent Democrats, Brown was still losing to Rosen by significant margins. In a late August poll from CNN, Rosen was leading Brown by a full 10 points, 50% to 40%. In a Fox News Poll during the same month, the Democrat beat her opponent by even more, 55% to his 41%. Earlier in the month, a New York Times and Siena College Poll had Rosen besting Brown 49% to 40%. In the same AARP survey that Brown has appeared to make gains in, former President Trump topped Vice President Kamala Harris in the swing state, 49%-47%, in a head-to-head contest. With other candidates, Trump still leads Harris 47% to 46%. MCCONNELL, GOP DESCEND ON NEBRASKA TO SAVE DEB FISCHER’S ENDANGERED SENATE SEAT “The huge gaps between the Senate and presidential races in these states were never realistic,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “At the same time, Democratic Senate candidates have generally had better margins than Harris in almost every competitive state.” According to Kondik, there is an “upside possibility” for Republicans in the scenario that Trump performs particularly well. “He could carry several GOP Senate candidates over the finish line,” he said. TOP REPUBLICANS ACCUSE FTC CHAIR OF HATCH ACT VIOLATIONS OVER ‘CAMPAIGN-STYLE EVENTS’ WITH DEMS Nevada Republican strategist Jeremy Hughes said, “Sam Brown has the momentum at the end of this race and is benefiting from a strong early vote performance by Republicans.” Republicans have appeared to turn out in larger numbers than Democrats in Nevada’s early voting thus far, which is a departure from past elections, according to one veteran political journalist in the state. PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE LABELED ‘TOSS UP’ IN LAST-MINUTE SHIFT BY TOP HANDICAPPER While noting that Republicans have an advantage in early voting “at a time when the Ds usually have one,” Jon Ralston, the CEO and editor of The Nevada Independent, wrote. “If that gets larger, big trouble for Dems.” Ralston further told Fox News Digital, “It is a surprising, unprecedented turnout pattern in a presidential year.” “Democrats have usually used early voting to bank votes, and the election is all but over by Election Day. Not this year. Mail ballots sent to everyone changes everything, and it also makes predictions very difficult.” “Nevadans are surging to the polls because they know we can do better. There is incredible energy on the ground, and working Nevada families are rallying behind Sam Brown’s plan to lower prices, secure the border and make life affordable again. Nevadans have made it clear they are ready for a change, and the momentum is on our side,” Brown campaign spokesperson Raegan Lehman said in a statement. A spokesperson for Rosen’s campaign told Fox News Digital, “Nevada Senate races are always close and competitive, and our campaign is taking nothing for granted. “We’re confident that voters will ultimately re-elect Jacky Rosen, a bipartisan and independent problem solver who delivers for working families, and reject MAGA extremist Sam Brown, who wants to take away abortion rights, repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut Social Security and Medicare.” Her campaign additionally pointed to a late June poll, also by the AARP, that showed Rosen and Brown similarly five points apart at 47% to 42%. Brown led Rosen with voters 50 and over by 49% to 44% at the time. That poll interviewed 1,368 likely voters in Nevada between June 12 and 18. It also had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for the sample of voters overall and plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the over 50-year-old sample. The new AARP poll that showed the gap closing interviewed 1,368 likely voters from Oct. 8 to 15. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for the sample of voters overall and plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the over 50-year-old sample. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Lloyd Austin says he would recommend Israel strike military targets
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to say whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a reliable ally, even as he reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s defense. “There’s been growing frustration by you and others in the administration that during the past year, Israel has not been careful enough about civilian casualties in Gaza and now in Lebanon. The U.S. has been blindsided at times, with Israel not telling it in advance about striking certain targets. And that has threatened to spread the war as well as draw the U.S. into a direct conflict with Iran. Is Netanyahu a reliable ally?” Fox News asked Austin in an exclusive interview from Rome. “I won’t comment on the prime minister,” Austin said. “We’re going to continue to support Israel in its right to defend itself. Protecting civilians in the battlespace and achieving military objectives are not mutually exclusive. “I continuously emphasize the need to make sure that they’re doing the right things, to prevent excessive casualties,” said the secretary. “Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah have made this a tough fight… putting their military command post in ammunition stores, underneath hospitals and in schools and mosques.” LLOYD AUSTIN WARNS AGAINST ISOLATIONISM AND INSISTS UKRAINE ABSOLUTELY CAN WIN WAR AGAINST RUSSIA The conversation, conducted ahead of Austin’s private audience with Pope Francis, came as the world awaits Israel’s response to Iran raining down some 200 missiles on Tel Aviv on Oct. 1. The Biden administration has privately urged Israel to avoid hitting nuclear or energy sites – a move that would be viewed as too escalatory. Israel’s response is “their choice,” according to Austin, but “from my perspective, I think you know if you’re conducting a military strike, it ought to be against military targets.” Some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive campaign since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza and the Oct. 7 mastermind, prompted U.S. officials to pressure Netanyahu to agree to a deal that secures the release of the hostages and ends the war in Gaza. In September, Israel launched its assault in Lebanon, promising to continue until the group was no longer able to launch rockets and drones into northern Israel. Hezbollah has fired more than 10,000 weapons at Israel in support of Hamas, its fellow Iranian proxy, since Oct. 7. The Houthis, meanwhile, have directly antagonized the U.S., launching at least 270 attacks on U.S. Navy ships, commercial shipping and coalition ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last November. AUSTIN WARNS ‘NO SILVER BULLET’ TO DEFEAT PUTIN AS US AID HANGS IN BALANCE AHEAD OF ELECTIONS They’ve shot down eight MQ-9 Reaper drones, valued at up to $32 million each, and cost billions in international trade. After criticism mounted that the U.S. was not doing enough to hit back at such attacks, U.S. bombers struck Yemen weapons facilities controlled by Houthi forces last week with B-2 strategic bombers flown from Missouri. That followed strikes on more than a dozen Houthi targets on Oct. 4. “Do you regret not going on offense sooner?” Austin was asked. He denied the assumption that up until this month, the U.S. had only conducted defensive strikes against incoming Houthi attacks. “We have been striking the Houthis on a near-daily basis over the last many months. And our goal is to take away as much capability from the Houthis as possible. “Most recently, you saw us conduct a strike using our global strike capabilities. And again, we were going after underground facilities, and it was a very effective strike. We will continue to do things to take away their capability on a daily basis.”