Texas Weekly Online

Here’s how Elon Musk’s $1 million a day give-away to battleground voters works

Here’s how Elon Musk’s  million a day give-away to battleground voters works

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is making waves on the Pennsylvania campaign trail in support for former President Donald Trump’s re-election, including offering $1 million a day to swing-state voters who sign his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution. “Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms! We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do,” Musk, the wealthiest individual in the U.S., posted to X early Sunday morning.  The night prior, Musk granted a $1 million sum to a Pennsylvania man named John Dreher during an event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  “The only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition, and that’s it, really,” Musk said at the rally, as Dreher explained he “had no idea” he was selected.  ELON GOES ON CAMPAIGN BLITZ AGAINST GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, VOWS TO REVEAL BIZARRE ALLEGED SCHEMES Fox News examined the legality surrounding the initiative and found that it’s a legal gray zone that appears to be open to interpretation, also finding similar Democratic initiatives in the Keystone State and nationally. Under federal law, it is a crime to pay someone to register to vote, however, Musk’s giveaway is not enticing voters to register, but instead sign a petition.  Musk’s rules surrounding the $1 million award include that voters sign his PAC’s petition, which backs the First and Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The initiative outlines that it only applies to registered voters in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, implying that non-registered voters do not qualify for the program.  “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments,” the petition reads.  FETTERMAN ISSUES WARNING TO DEMOCRATS AFTER ELON STUMPS FOR TRUMP IN PENNSYLVANIA The America PAC website details that a petition signer in the Pittsburgh area will be awarded the sum for Oct. 20, and another signer from Pennsylvania at-large will be awarded the sum for Oct. 21.  “Oct 22 – Nov 5: Each day, one petition signer from either PA, GA, NV, AZ, MI, WI, or NC will earn $1,000,000,” the website continues, detailing which states are considered battlegrounds.  The petition does not require a resident to register to vote to sign the petition, only prompting users to answer whether they are registered voters.  The Washington Post detailed in a piece earlier this month, titled “Massive influx of shadowy get-out-the-vote spending floods swing states,” that a nonprofit in Philadelphia was sending more than 100,000 comic books to voters under the age of 32 in the area to increase voter turnout in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. The outlet explained that the nonprofit also “has tried to juice voting” with $1,000 Target gift cards, $2,000 rent checks and $10,000 grants to community groups this cycle.  While a youth-focused nonprofit, The Civic Center, is running a promotion for high schoolers: $150 gift cards to students who help ready their schools for High School Voter Registration Week. The $1 million a day amid a close and highly-anticipated election has spurred some criticisms and legal concerns from Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who previously served as the state’s attorney general.  “I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians. That is deeply concerning,” Shapiro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He continued, “Look, Musk, obviously has a right to be able to express his views, and he’s made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump, and we have a difference of opinion. I don’t deny him that right, but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.” “You think it might not be legal, yes or no?” Welker followed. Shapiro responded, “I think it’s something that law enforcement can take a look at.” Musk brushed off the concern on X: “Concerning that he would say such a thing.”  FETTERMAN ADMITS ELON MUSK ‘ATTRACTIVE TO A DEMOGRAPHIC’ DEMOCRATS ‘NEED’ TO WIN PENNSYLVANIA Earlier this month, Musk’s PAC announced that individuals seeking to increase voter registration and turnout are offered starting wages of $30 an hour – far above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour – with the PAC also offering battleground state voters $47 for each registered voter they refer to sign the PAC’s petition. In Pennsylvania, Musk’s PAC is offering residents $100 to sign the petition and $100 for every referral.  ELON MUSK TO UPGRADE SECURITY AFTER LEFT-WING MAGAZINE LABELS HIM ‘PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 2’ The PAC, which bills itself as promoting “free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society,” was officially formed earlier in the summer, with Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from late last month showing the America PAC has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. Musk said in July he planned to commit about $45 million a month to the super PAC.  Musk officially endorsed Trump over the summer, when the 45th president survived the first assassination attempt on his life this election cycle, and has since joined the campaign trail, most notably in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania to rally support and encourage people to vote.  TRUMP SUPPORTER ELON MUSK OFFERS MASSIVE HOURLY PAY TO THOSE WORKING TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT He has made the First Amendment, Second Amendment, cutting government red tape and ending overregulation on businesses hallmarks of his campaign speeches. Trump has meanwhile lauded Musk for his support, and said that the tech billionaire behind SpaceX and X is willing

Harris makes pitch to Black churches after telling protesters praising Jesus, ‘You’re at the wrong rally’

Harris makes pitch to Black churches after telling protesters praising Jesus, ‘You’re at the wrong rally’

Vice President Harris made campaign stops at Black churches in Georgia over the weekend, days after sparking controversy among Christian Americans by telling protesters praising Jesus “you’re at the wrong rally.”  Harris celebrated her 60th birthday at two Black churches outside of Atlanta on Sunday as part of a nationwide push – known as “Souls to the Polls” – to encourage Black voters to participate in early voting.   After the congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, sang “Happy Birthday” to her, Harris made a veiled dig at her opponent, former President Trump, while speaking about her faith.  “In this moment, across our nation, what we do see are some who try to deepen division among us, spread hate, sow fear and cause chaos,” Harris told Black churchgoers. “There are those who suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know, which is the true measure of the strength of a leader, is based on who you lift up.”  TRUMP, HARRIS NECK AND NECK AS DEMS LOSE GROUND AMONG LATINO, BLACK VOTERS: POLL Harris was later serenaded by Stevie Wonder at Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro, Georgia, where the Democratic nominee referenced the parable of the good Samaritan a second time.  “There is so much at stake right now,” Harris said, attempting to contrast herself against Trump two weeks from Election Day. “We understand that for us to do good works, it means to do it in the spirit of understanding that our strength is not based on who we beat down as someone tries to suggest….” “Our strength is based on who we lift up, and that spirit is very much at stake in these next 16 days, which is are we a country that honors through our faith and our deeds the importance of kindness – of support, of understanding the dignity in each other and the respect that we should have for each other.”  The concept of “Souls to the Polls” dates back to the Civil Rights Movement. Black congregations hold a tradition of leading get-out-the-vote campaigns to counter voter suppression efforts of the Jim Crow era.  VANCE TAKES FAITH APPROACH AFTER HARRIS MOCKED PRO-LIFE PROTESTERS AT RALLY: ‘JESUS IS KING’ Harris’ appearances in the swing state of Georgia come days after she told two pro-life student protesters that they were “at the wrong rally” when they yelled, “Jesus is Lord,” and, “Christ is King,” during a campaign stop in Wisconsin last week. By contrast, Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, repeated, “Jesus is King” when someone shouted the phrase at his rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, telling the crowd how he believes “there is something really bizarre with Harris’ anti-Christian rhetoric and anti-Christian approach to public policy.”  Harris also skipped the Al Smith dinner, a Catholic charity event in New York City and a traditional campaign stop for presidential nominees, instead sending a poorly-received video message last week. Trump is campaigning in another battleground, North Carolina, on Monday, where he is expected to visit Hurricane Helene devastation in Asheville before convening an “11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting” with Eric Trump and Ben Carson outside of Charlotte. The Republican nominee’s “Believers for Trump” initiative includes outreach to Black voters, a traditionally Democratic constituency where Trump has made inroads. The engagement of faith voters in the 2024 election underscores an unprecedented blending of partisan politics with Christianity at a moment when many churches have seen attendance decline.   CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP On Friday, the Democratic National Committee hosted a call to launch its “Souls to the Polls” effort with civil rights activist Martin Luther King III, who endorsed Harris and called Trump “a disaster for Black America.” The campaign kicked off its own “Souls to the Polls” program and set up a faith advisory board of progressive faith leaders that includes a pastor, Amos C. Brown, of the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

GOP challenger ties Sen Baldwin’s remark about Trump voters to Clinton’s infamous ‘deplorables’ moment

GOP challenger ties Sen Baldwin’s remark about Trump voters to Clinton’s infamous ‘deplorables’ moment

FIRST ON FOX: Republican businessman Eric Hovde is using Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s previous comments on Trump supporters against her as he looks to unseat her in the critical swing state of Wisconsin.  In a new ad by the Hovde campaign, Baldwin says, “Donald Trump might be one of the most offensive, hateful and unacceptable presidential candidates we’ve ever had. So what does that say about the people who support him?” The remark, which is from a 2016 speech, is cut next to former Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment, which was credited by some with costing her the election to then-Republican nominee Donald Trump.  SENATE SHAKE-UP: HOW A SECRET BALLOT COULD UNDERMINE A POTENTIAL TRUMP ENDORSEMENT IN RACE TO THE TOP The ad will run on television across Wisconsin starting Tuesday and is part of an ongoing multimillion dollar statewide ad campaign.  “Tammy Baldwin hates Trump and Trump voters, just listen to her own words when it comes to what she thinks about them. Much like Hillary Clinton, the disdain Baldwin has for Wisconsin’s Trump voters will haunt her on Election Day,” Hovde spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement.  HOVDE SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON TAMMY BALDWIN’S WALL STREET PARTNER DURING WISCONSIN DEBATE In response, a Baldwin spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Tammy Baldwin fights for all Wisconsinites no matter who they are, who they vote for or where they live. That stands in stark contrast to her opponent Eric Hovde who has literally called Wisconsinites deplorable, Democrats a ‘curse to society’ and insulted our farmers, seniors, young people, women, Black men, Native American communities and more.” The Democrat senator’s campaign also pointed to an interview on “The Jerry Bader Show” in 2016, in which Hovde used the word “deplorable” to describe the level of civic knowledge among average Americans, with many not knowing the year of the country’s founding or who the vice president is.  JUDGE ORDERS MORE JACK SMITH TRUMP INVESTIGATION DOCS TO BE MADE PUBLIC AHEAD OF ELECTION In a recent Quinnipiac University poll of the Senate race, Baldwin beat Hovde 50% to 46%. The small, single-digit lead marks a significant closure of the initial polling gap between the incumbent Democrat and her GOP challenger.  The survey was conducted between Oct. 3 and 7 and included 1,073 likely voters. It had a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. A top political handicapper, the Cook Political Report, recently shifted its Wisconsin Senate rating from “Lean Democrat” to a “Toss Up.”  HARD-LINE GOP EFFORT TO DECENTRALIZE SENATE LEADER AUTHORITY DASHED BY MCCONNELL ALLY In the latest Fox News Power Rankings, Wisconsin’s Senate race was considered “Leans Democrat,” with Baldwin still having an advantage.  Split-ticket voting across parties has become increasingly rare, and with the Senate race coinciding with a presidential election, the winner could very well rely on which party takes the White House.  With roughly two weeks until Election Day, many have already cast their ballots early and by mail.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Nathan Wade admitted to multiple White House meetings during Trump Georgia probe, transcript suggests

Nathan Wade admitted to multiple White House meetings during Trump Georgia probe, transcript suggests

Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade met with Biden administration staff on at least two occasions during District Attorney Fani Willis’ probe into former President Donald Trump, a newly released transcript suggests. Wade was interviewed by House Judiciary Committee staff last week as part of Chairman Jim Jordan’s probe into the prosecutions of the former president. A grand jury indicted Trump and allies last year on charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Wade did not disclose the details of his supposed meetings with White House representatives, including if they were in-person or remote, but he acknowledged the existence of invoices and other records that indicated discussions occurred. At one point, the transcript shows Wade was asked about an invoice line indicating “travel to Athens; conf with White House counsel, May 23rd, 2022.” “So if it says conf with White House counsel, that would mean there was a conf with White House counsel?” investigators asked, according to the transcript. Wade responded that the semicolon written after “travel to Athens” represented a separate thought. The investigator asked, “So if you billed for a conf with White House counsel, would that have occurred?” Wade challenged, “If I billed for a conf with White House counsel, this document doesn’t say that that cong with White House counsel happened in Athens. That’s not what that says.” Pressed again on whether the reference to White House counsel meant he billed for a conference with such an official, Wade said, “Yes.” Wade later said he did not recall details of the meeting denoted by a record reading, “Interview with D.C./White House, November 18th, 2022. Eight hours at $250. Cost $2,000,” according to the transcript. Details he did not recall included participants in the meeting, any possible travel, or who was involved in scheduling it. But when asked, “And if you billed for it, if you billed 8 hours for interview with D.C./White House, it’s safe to assume that you would have taken part in the interview?,” Wade replied, “Yes ma’am.” This story is breaking and will be updated.

Pentagon lacks counter-drone procedure leading to incursions like at Langley, experts say

Pentagon lacks counter-drone procedure leading to incursions like at Langley, experts say

New reporting about over a dozen unidentified drones that were allowed to fly over Langley Air Force Base has prompted fresh calls for change to a threat that experts say will only become more prevalent.  For more than two weeks in December 2023, the mystery drones traipsed into restricted airspace over the installation, home to key national security facilities and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.  Experts say the incident is likely one of many that U.S. authorities are underprepared to tackle in an evolving threat environment.  Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do – other than allow the 20-foot-long drones to hover near their classified facilities.  The Pentagon has said little about the incidents other than to confirm they occurred after a Wall Street Journal report this month. Whether it knows where the drones came from or what they were doing is unclear. “I think they don’t know,” one congressional source familiar with defense operations told Fox News Digital.  UNKNOWN DRONE FLEET BREACHED US MILITARY BASE AIRSPACE IN VIRGINIA FOR 17 STRAIGHT DAYS: REPORT As defense-minded lawmakers sought more answers, Langley officials referred them to the FBI, who referred them to Northern Command, who referred them to local law enforcement, the source said.  “They should easily be able to know exactly what they are,” said Brett Velicovich, an advisor to drone tech company Red Cat Holdings and a Fox News contributor. “There are all kinds of radar systems out there. Each drone has its own fingerprint.” “Saying we don’t know what it is, and if we’re taking them for their word that they don’t know what it is, that speaks to a larger issue that the administration really just got caught with its pants down, and they’ve failed.”  If the drones were a foreign adversary testing the limits of U.S. defenses, the message they took home is that encroaching on restricted airspace is easy enough, according to Velicovich.  U.S. capabilities offer many different ways to take down a drone, including shooting them, zapping them with heat lasers and jamming the frequencies. Whether Congress needs to change the laws is a point of contention, but one thing that is clear is incursions like the one at Langley prompt confusion over legal authority.  When drones encroach near bases overseas, the rules of engagement give service members more leeway to engage with them.  However, U.S. law does not allow the military to shoot down drones near its bases unless they pose an imminent threat. While Langley has the authority to protect its coastal base, the Coast Guard has the authority to protect the waters, the Federal Aviation Administration has authority over U.S. airspace – some of the most congested with commercial airliners in the world.  “After 9/11, we invested all this money in homeland security to deal with exactly the kind of things that we’re seeing today,” said James Carafano, defense expert at the Heritage Foundation. “We built this whole infrastructure to deal with that. And it just seems, where is it today? We’ve been very lackadaisical about this.”  “We’re going to have a terrorist attack here at some point. It’s just going to happen.” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chair of the House Armed Services Committee, argued that the Defense Department needs to use the authority it has been given.  “Drone incursions at DOD facilities are alarming. The Department needs to focus on deploying real, effective capabilities across critical installations using existing authorities given to them by Congress. I will continue to conduct oversight of the department’s response to these drone incursions,” he said in a statement.  Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, promised to introduce legislation to give the Pentagon greater authority to shoot down drones.  “Military leaders currently lack the authority to engage until there is an imminent threat posed to our men and women in uniform. I am working on legislation to provide the Department of Defense with the necessary authorities to engage drones or unidentified aircrafts that breach our military airspace before it is too late to respond.”  Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for Congress to pass laws laying out counter-drone procedures. “Adversaries like China, Russia and Iran are improving their drone capabilities every month. Our defenses are not catching up,” he said.  “Congress needs to develop and execute a comprehensive set of plans to strengthen our counter-drone protocol and technological development right away. There is no time to waste. The lives of service members and all Americans are at risk.” This month, Chinese national Fengyun Shi was sentenced to six months in prison for capturing drone footage over Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, 10 miles from Langley Air Force Base. Two months prior to Langley, in October 2023, five drones flew over the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, used for nuclear weapons experiments. U.S. authorities were not sure who was behind those drones either.  A Chinese surveillance balloon traversed over the U.S. for a week last year before the Air Force shot it down off the coast.  US INVESTIGATING RELEASE OF CLASSIFIED DOCS ON ISRAEL’S PLANNED STRIKE ON IRAN U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 in California, home to highly classified aerospace development, has also seen a slew of unidentified drone incursions in 2024, prompting flight restrictions around the facility.  “There are a lot of regulations on terms of what the DoD is allowed to do in the U.S. homeland that make this a really difficult problem,” said Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security.  Even jamming the GPS systems, so drones freeze up and fall out of the sky, risks collateral damage. It could interfere with nearby air traffic. “Unlike when you’re in Iraq or somewhere and there are drones flying overhead, you can fire off a missile and intercept them without as much worry, because you’re in the middle of the desert,” he continuted. “We’re going to see more of this in the

Trump plans to tour the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in latest battleground state stop

Trump plans to tour the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in latest battleground state stop

Former President Trump will visit the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina as part of a series of campaign stops across the battleground state on Monday. The former president will travel to “see the devastation of Hurricane Helene first-hand” and deliver remarks to the press in Asheville at noon, according to a press release from the campaign. Trump is also scheduled to make another stop in Greenville, North Carolina, before attending an “11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting” with Eric Trump and Ben Carson in Concord, North Carolina, on Monday evening. The visit marks one of several campaign stops by Trump to the Old North State since the deadly hurricane swept across the southeast, which had the greatest impact on mostly red counties won by Trump last cycle. The state is expected to play a crucial role in determining the results of the 2024 presidential election – where 16 electoral votes are on the line come Nov. 5. BALANCE OF POWER: HELENE COULD SHIFT POLITICAL WINDS TOWARD TRUMP, NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS SAY While Trump visits North Carolina, Vice President Kamala Harris will make campaign stops in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Monday. Harris visited North Carolina following the deadly storm, attending a barbecue in Raleigh before packing aid supplies, such as diapers, for victims of the hurricane in October.  ‘CAN’T WAIT TIL THE LAST MINUTE’: NC CONGRESSMAN RAISES ALARM ON VOTER ACCESS IN AREAS HARD HIT BY HELENE Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, was joined by former President Bill Clinton at a recent campaign stop in the battleground state, which was narrowly won by Trump in 2020. President Biden has been working across the aisle to deliver diaster relief to states impacted by the storm, visiting North Carolina and ordering an additional 500 active-duty troops to the western counties in the state. The North Carolina Elections Board passed a bipartisan emergency resolution that reformed the state’s early voting process in 13 counties. The adjustments include changing or adding voting sites and maintaining their availability, extending the hours when a voting site is open, and adding or reducing days that any site is open within the early voting period, according to the election board. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Supreme Court rejects lawyer Michael Cohen lawsuit against Trump over alleged retaliation

Supreme Court rejects lawyer Michael Cohen lawsuit against Trump over alleged retaliation

The Supreme Court dismissed ex-lawyer Michael Cohen’s appeal to revive a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump on Monday, shutting down Cohen’s accusations for the last time. Cohen had claimed his 2020 imprisonment was retaliation by Trump’s administration for publishing a book critical of the former president. Cohen had served three years behind bars for several federal crimes relating to his work for Trump, including lying to Congress. He was released on home confinement during the pandemic, but was sent back to prison after refusing to sign an agreement limiting his postings on social media and contacts with the press. This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

Georgia casts over 1.4M ballots as critical battleground shatters early voting records

Georgia casts over 1.4M ballots as critical battleground shatters early voting records

One of the most pivotal battleground states in the 2024 election has now seen more than 1.4 million residents cast their ballots early. Georgia has been shattering turnout records since early voting began on Tuesday. As of Monday morning, the Georgia state elections website showed 1,347,843 ballots were cast in person so far, while just over 80,000 absentee ballots have been returned and accepted. GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE “Today there is Sunday voting in several counties. And AGAIN the voters have set another record,” Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer in the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, wrote on X yesterday. “As of 2:30 over 25,000 Georgians had cast ballots today. The previous Sunday record was 24k back in 2022. Keep up the great work counties and voters.” The Sunday total wound up being just over 42,400 votes cast – nearly double the 2022 tally. On the first day of early voting alone, Georgians cast more than 313,000 in-person ballots. That was 123% higher than the previous Day 1 record, according to Sterling. FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’ Total turnout so far accounts for nearly 20% of Georgia’s population of active voters. White voters made up the largest share of that total so far, followed by Black voters. Georgia women also slightly outnumbered men in the pre-Election Day tally by 55.4% to 45.4%. Georgia has been a key focal point in the high-stakes White House battle between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Both sides have poured enormous amounts of time and resources into the state, which President Biden won by less than 1% in 2020. GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE Harris spent her 60th birthday in Atlanta on Sunday, when she visited two churches alongside celebrity guest Stevie Wonder. Meanwhile, Trump will participate in a religious event himself in rural Georgia this week, according to WRBL. The former president will be in Pike County on Wednesday in support of congressional candidate Brian Jack, who worked in the first Trump administration.