Fox News 2024-10-06 00:08:51


Johnson issues warning on Helene costs in scathing rebuke of Biden-Harris response

EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is criticizing the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene while warning the price tag for its recovery could be “one of the most expensive” the U.S. has seen.

“There were some pretty ominous projections, and so Congress acted appropriately,” Johnson told Fox News Digital Friday evening, noting lawmakers freed up roughly $20 billion in immediate funding for FEMA in last month’s short-term federal funding bill. “But, so far, [President Biden, Vice President Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas] have failed in that response.”

Johnson said he was “alarmed and disappointed” by Biden officials’ comments immediately after the storm suggesting FEMA was too low on funds to deal with Helene’s wrath. 

Mayorkas said “we are meeting the immediate needs” of the hurricane earlier this week but said “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

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Biden suggested earlier this week he may want Congress to return for an emergency session to pass a supplemental disaster aid bill.

“They are scrambling to cover their egregious errors and mistakes. And there’s an effort to blame others or blame circumstances when this is just purely a lack of leadership and response,” the speaker said. He noted Mayorkas said in July that FEMA was “tremendously prepared” for weather crises this year. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and DHS for comment.

Johnson also argued lawmakers could not act until an assessment by state and local authorities produced projections of how much needs to be allocated.

“I don’t think those estimates could conceivably be completed until at least 30 days — until after the election, and that’s when Congress will be back in session again,” he said.

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

The Republican leader is no stranger to hurricanes. He noted his native Louisiana is still dealing with the damage from Hurricane Katrina today, but his prediction was dire when asked about the cost of recovery after Helene ravaged the Southeast, killing more than 200 people.

He said it could be “one of the most expensive storms that the country has ever encountered.”

“It affects at least six states — a broad swath of destruction across many, many areas — and I think that’s why it’s going to take a while to assess,” Johnson said.

“As soon as those numbers are ready, Congress will be prepared to act,” Johnson vowed at another point.

“I certainly hope the administration is working overtime right now to … help get them prepared.”

As part of immediate response efforts, Johnson has toured areas in Georgia and Florida pummeled by the storm and is poised to visit hard-hit North Carolina in the coming days, he said.

Criticism over FEMA’s response has prompted some conservatives to accuse the Biden administration of diverting disaster aid funds toward supporting illegal immigrants at the border through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which was allocated roughly $650 million in the last fiscal year.

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Both the White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have vigorously denied any link between disaster aid and SSP beyond both being administered by FEMA and have said claims of any disaster relief dollars being used to support migrant housing services are false.

“No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants’ housing and services. None. At. All,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a memo on Friday. “In fact, the funding for communities to support migrants is directly appropriated by Congress to CBP, and is merely administered by FEMA. The funding is in no way related to FEMA’s response and recovery efforts.”

Johnson did not give a definitive answer when asked about the concerns echoed on the right, but he accused Mayorkas of mismanaging DHS.

“There is a lot of controversy about the nonsense that the Mayorkas Department of Homeland Security has engaged in. With their … dangerous open-borders policy and then the relocation efforts of taking illegal aliens and transporting them around the country,” Johnson said. “We have been working every day, House Republicans, to stop the madness.

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“And, so, what happened is that FEMA, because it’s a division of DHS, it’s very clear that they should be focused on helping Americans recover from disasters and not straining resources that go to other programs that are catering to illegals.”

When pressed on whether DHS was able to divert congressionally appropriated funding for disaster aid into SSP, Johnson said, “There are different programs that have different funding.”

He pointed out that House Republicans are seeking to defund the SSP program in the current federal funding discussions for fiscal year 2025.

“We are doing everything within our power to prevent these abuses of the law and abuses of taxpayer dollars from the White House and the Democratic Party,” Johnson said.

Texas diners’ response to Will Ferrell’s trans friend has comedian regretting the visit

Actor Will Ferrell said he regrets his visit to a Texas restaurant after his trans co-star, Harper Steele, received an awkward response from diners. 

It happened while Ferrell and Steele, a former “Saturday Night Live” head writer, were filming their new Netflix documentary, “Will & Harper,” which follows their 17-day road trip across the country “to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self” after Steele came out as transgender in 2022.

They received what they described as an unexpected and uncomfortable response from diners at a Texas restaurant after Steele mentioned the state hadn’t done enough for trans rights, the New York Times reported

“I’m from Iowa, but I will raise a glass to your great state of Texas,” Steele said to a receptive audience of diners at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, where Ferrell and Steele planned to attempt the restaurant’s famous 72-ounce steak challenge. 

“I wish you guys would do more for trans rights in this state,” Steele added, which silenced the cheers and was met with a few groans from the audience, Chron reported

“Cheers to Texas and trans rights, right?” Ferrell added. The toast didn’t make it into the documentary, but Steele and Ferrell shared their responses to the moment afterward. 

“The room started to feel very wrong to me,” Steele said in the film. “I was feeling a little like my transness was on display, I guess, and suddenly that sort of made me feel not great.” 

“The saddest part for me is … I just feel … I feel like I let you down in that moment,” Ferrell said in response. 

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“I didn’t really have a grasp on how intense it was going to be and felt responsible for not properly vetting the situation we were putting ourselves in,” Ferrell told The New York Times. “That felt like it was going to be this benign place where you eat a big steak in the amount of time, and then you walk in and it’s a thousand people seated in this room and I was like, ‘Oh, why are we here?'”

Steele described the feeling of being “on display” in that moment. 

“We gave a little toast, and I said something about passing a trans bill, and the room did a kind of reversal and a little bit of a boo and a woman shouted out, ‘We still love you.’ I hate the phrase,” Steele said. “I could be misinterpreting this woman completely, but this is the feeling I had in the room: The ‘still’ is conditional. You still love me when I finally give up being trans and give my life over to Christ. They still love me even though I’m some kind of sinner or something. I felt that.”

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“​​I wished I’d walked in and said: ‘No. This is going to be terrible. Let’s just go,'” Ferrell said in response. “I was feeling that remorse and guilt of even going there.”

Steele had previously criticized the New York Times in an interview with The Independent as “generally left-leaning, but also sometimes very anti-trans. It’s odd…” 

“It’s why I first tend to ask reporters who interview me if they believe in me,” Steele added in that interview. “Do they believe that I exist? That I’m valid? Because that’s not always part of the conversation. I like to start there. Because there are many people in the liberal community who can’t seem to get their heads around it for one reason or another.”

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Ferrell also said that “transphobia” comes from people “not being confident” in themselves. 

“There is hatred out there,” Ferrell told The Independent. “It’s very real, and it’s very unsafe for trans people in certain situations.” 

“It’s so strange to me, because Harper is finally… her,” he added. “She’s finally who she was always meant to be. Whether or not you can ultimately wrap your head around that, why would you care if somebody’s happy? Why is that threatening to you? If the trans community is a threat to you, I think it stems from not being confident or safe with yourself.”

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Singer lists waterfront estate months after revealing cancer diagnosis: ‘Chemo is no joke’

The lead singer of Heart, Ann Wilson, has placed her Florida estate on the market for $2 million.

Set on 12.48 acres of land, the estate features both a 4,084 square-foot main house and a two-story guest house, both of which have panoramic views of the St. John’s River.

The sale comes three months after Wilson revealed her cancer diagnosis on social media, telling her fans she had started “a course of preventative chemotherapy” following doctor’s recommendations. The diagnosis led to the postponement of Heart’s North American tour.

In September, Wilson shared she was done with chemotherapy, noting, “I’m doing absolutely fine now but it’s been, to put it mildly, a lot. Chemo is no joke.” 

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“It takes a lot out of a person,” she said. “And then there’s that two weeks of waiting around for test results, a form of mental torture. For anyone who’s been through that, I empathize a big lot… Luckily, for me, when the results finally came, they were the good kind!”

Wilson will officially return to touring in 2025 for the remainder of Heart’s “Royal Flush” tour.

She first purchased the home in 2019 with her sister and bandmate, Nancy Wilson, for $885,000 and used it as a vacation home. The listing is held by Jennifer Martin Faulker and Kim Martin-Fisher of Douglas Elliman.

Not only does the home feature stunning views of the river, it also boasts a private dock and over 500 feet of waterfront footage. 

Guests are greeted at the main house with stained-glass double French doors, which open up into a spacious tiled living room, with large windows providing picturesque views of the greenery surrounding the front of the home.

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The home features three bedrooms, including the primary, which boasts a fireplace. Other highlights include a 980 square-foot RV port and a 1,159 square-foot workshop near the main house.

Elsewhere in the home is the all-wood kitchen which features plenty of counter space, fitted with dark marble. The room also features a center island with room for extra storage, with a unique light fixture hanging over it.

In addition, the room boasts many windows with views of the greenery, as well as a breakfast nook, a fireplace, a marble counter with additional space to eat or work and a door leading to the backyard.

The stairwell leading to the second floor is lined with built-in bookshelves which can house books, as well as picture frames and other decorations. Once upstairs, guests will find a large library with built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, as well as an office nook.

Also, on the second floor, is the covered patio with a direct view of the river, a ceiling fan and plenty of room for additional outdoor seating.

Below the second story porch is the infinity pool and jacuzzi, which is covered from the sun by a screen above. The swimming pool is surrounded by stone tiles, and swimmers have a great view of the river.

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The property also features a two-story 2,406 square-foot newly remodeled guest house which has an additional four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The guest home was originally built in the 1920s and, despite undergoing renovations, has maintained its 20th century charm.

Upon entry, visitors will find themselves in the spacious living area with light-colored hardwood floors, and access to the yard and an archway which leads to the newly updated modern kitchen.

Unlike the kitchen in the main home, the one in the guest house features hardwood floors, gray cabinets and white countertops. It also boasts a small drinks fridge in addition to a larger refrigerator, a microwave and two sinks.

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Also, accessible on the first floor of the guest home is the sunroom, which features dark brown hardwood floors and big floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the home’s front yard. The sunroom acts as an indoor porch, allowing visitors to enjoy full access to the stunning view even in the colder months.

One of the main highlights of the guest house is the elevator, which is a second option apart from the stairs to access the upper level.

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Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as anticipated, easily won the vice-presidential debate Tuesday, October 1, on demeanor, facts, and analysis. But in fairness to a sometimes herky-jerky and nervous Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, he had the harder task of defending the temporary pseudo-conservative make-over of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. 

His additional burdens were her co-culpability for the last three-and-a-half-years of the Biden disaster, and her unwillingness to implement her supposedly “change” agenda in the last months of her vice-presidential tenure. 

The CBS News moderators, Nora O’Donnell, and, especially, Margaret Brennan, also as expected, ganged up on Vance. They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing from the last disastrous, and biased debate moderators.   

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The two moderators shamelessly broke their own rules by fact-checking (wrongly and solely) Vance. They ignored questions of the administration’s tardy responses to Hurricane Helene, the Ukraine war, the recent Trump assassination attempts, or crime, while only briefly touching on Iran and a Middle East on the brink of total war. Instead, they concentrated, as also expected, on climate change, abortion, healthcare and childcare. 

All were issues they thought might more easily embarrass Vance. And, of course, as also expected, the two ended the debate pressing Vance on January 6. And yet Vance again parried easily and won decisively. In doing so, he dispelled the smear that he was somehow “mean,” when, in fact, he proved calm and magnanimous as he methodically dissected Walz. 

The nation perhaps learned that a confident Trump selected him to articulate his MAGA positions, and perhaps in a manner superior to Trump’s own. 

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In contrast, an insecure Harris picked Walz. The vice president was assuming that he would not upstage her and perhaps, by his limitations, would make her look competent in comparison. 

The debate will give some momentum to Trump-Vance in the last month of the campaign. 

It follows the lethargic Biden-Harris reaction to Hurricane Helene, whose toll in human life and property had been initially and vastly ignored by the media. 

It follows the growing specter of a theater-wide Middle East war, as a solitary Israel faces off against Iran and its appendages (all empowered after 2020 by Biden-Harris). 

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It follows the chaos of a longshoremen’s strike intended to shut down the entire country. And it follows Harris’s continued inability to survive even serial soft-ball interviews without her memorized and banal answers. 

As a result, the slow, steady hemorrhaging of support for Harris-Walz will likely still continue in the last month of the election. 

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Trump counters Biden on if Israel should target Iran nuclear sites with bold message

Former President Trump on Friday said that Israel should attack Iran’s nuclear facilities while mocking President Biden’s answer earlier this week on the subject.  

While speaking at a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he said when Biden was asked about Israel attacking Iran, the president answered, “’As long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.’ That’s the thing you wanna hit, right? I said, ‘I think he’s got that one wrong. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to hit?’” 

Trump went on to say that nuclear proliferation is the “biggest risk we have.” 

TRUMP SLAMS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HELENE

The former president said he rebuilt the “entire military, jets everything, I built it, including nuclear” while he was president. “I hated to build the nuclear, but I got to know firsthand the power of that stuff, and I’ll tell you what: we have to be totally prepared. We have to be absolutely prepared.”

He said when Biden was asked about Israel and Iran: “His answer should have been “‘Hit the nuclear first, worry about the rest later.'”

Trump made similar comments in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, telling correspondent Bill Melugin Biden’s response on Israel attacking Iran was the “craziest thing I’ve ever heard. That’s the biggest risk we have. The biggest risk we have is nuclear.” 

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He continued, “I mean, to make the statement, ‘Please leave their nuclear alone.’ I would tell you that that’s not the right answer. That was the craziest answer because, you know what? Soon, they’re going to have nuclear weapons. And then you’re going to have problems.” 

Former deputy director of national intelligence Kash Patel, who served under Trump, said this week: “Iran launched a war into Israel, so to say that the Israelis who are defending themselves and our hostages shouldn’t attack sites in Iran that could kill them – especially when you’re the one who gave Iran $7 billion as a commander in chief and then allowed them to acquire nuclear materials – is wildly political.”

Following Tuesday’s attack by Iran on Israel, Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, “the answer is no,” of Israel potentially targeting the country’s nuclear program. 

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He added that he and the other members of the G-7 all “agree that [Israel has] a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally,”

Blind ex-governor, stepson attacked, beaten while walking dog in deep blue US city

Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were walking their dog in Manhattan on Friday night when a gang of young people allegedly attacked them.

Paterson, 70, and his stepson, 20, came across five unidentified suspects, who were possibly teenagers, climbing a fire escape on Second Avenue near East 96th Street shortly before 9 p.m., police sources told the New York Post.

The victims told the suspects to stop and began to walk away before they were attacked, according to the outlet.

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NYPD said that Paterson and his stepson were “engaged in a verbal altercation with 5 unidentified individuals.” 

“Following the verbal altercation, the individuals struck both victims in the face and about the body” before fleeing down 2nd Avenue, police said. 

The ex-Democratic governor’s spokesperson, Sean Darcy, said in a statement that the suspects “had a previous interaction with [Paterson’s] stepson.”

“They both suffered some injuries but were able to fight off their attackers,” Darcy said.

Paterson suffered an injury to his head, and his stepson suffered a face injury, police said, noting that the former governor’s stepson’s injury was more severe.

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Both victims were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. 

Darcy told Fox News Digital that Paterson and his stepson, Anthony, were sent home early Saturday morning.

“The Governor’s only request is that people refrain from attempting to use an unfortunate act of violence for their own personal or political gain,” said Darcy. “He and his wife, Mary, are thankful for the quick response time from the police and the outpouring of support they have received from people across all spectrums.” 

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No arrests were made in connection with the attack as of Friday night. Police have released descriptions of the suspects and requested the public’s aid in identifying them.

The first individual is described as a female with dark complexion and purple braids. She was last seen wearing light-colored pants, a dark-colored sweater and purple and black sneakers, according to police. 

The second individual is described as a male with dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, a black hoodie, a hat with “New York Yankees” logo, light colored jeans and light colored sneakers.

The third individual police are searching for is described as a male with light complexion. He was last seen wearing a red t-shirt, light colored pants, light colored slippers and a black sweater tied around his waist.

The fourth suspect is described as a male with medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt with a graphic on it, black pants and light colored shoes.

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The fifth and final individual is described as a male with dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a t-shirt with a graphic on it, a black sweatshirt, black pants and light colored sneakers, according to NYPD. 

Paterson served as governor of New York from 2008 to 2010. His wife is Mary Sliwa, the ex-wife of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa.

Local residents said they were surprised to hear the governor was attacked and wished him well.

“It’s pretty crazy it happened here, but it kind of makes sense. There’s a decent amount of crime in this neighborhood,” said Nate Cutler. 

A woman named Beth who lives nearby the crime scene said she normally feels “relatively safe” in the area. 

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“I don’t know what he [Paterson] was telling them to do and what unsafe way they were behaving in, but yeah, that’s just unfortunate,” she said of the incident. 

Asked for her thoughts on a prominent former politician assaulted in New York in her neighborhood, Beth said, “I think I’m just going to mind my own business. Maybe he should have too.” 

College hockey team forced to run for cover after shots ring out during game

Last Friday, a women’s field hockey game ended abruptly due to a nearby shooting.

Saint Louis and La Salle were facing off at Howarth Field at Temple University in Philadelphia. La Salle, another Philly school, is playing its home games at the field this year.

With 10:45 left in the game, gunshots rang out across the block, leading to just about everyone at the complex being forced to take cover.

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The situation prompted La Salle to break its silence on the “senseless gun violence” incident.

In its statement released Friday, the team said that bullets “began entering the complex,” leaving the players in serious danger.

“Everyone on the field was exposed, forced to run for their lives as they heard bullets whizzing overhead, and witness shots crossing the field, some striking the turf. Fans supporting the Explorers and Billikens had to take cover as bullets hit the bleachers where they had been seated. The players who made it to the locker room safety had no idea if their families, friends, and missing teammates were injured,” the team wrote and sent in a post on X.

“This is not normal. We cannot accept this as our reality. We are committed to sharing our story – the real story. The public must understand the severity of this ongoing issue, and we cannot achieve that if experiences like ours continue to be deflected.

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“We raise our voices to advocate for change, and we will not let this incident stop us from playing the game we love. We are grateful that nobody was hurt, but it should not take a tragedy for change to occur. Thank you for your support. Together, we can make a difference.”

Philadelphia Police said the shooting occurred at a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot – no arrest was initially made, and no weapon was recovered, but thankfully, nobody was hurt.

La Salle was losing, 1-0, at the time of the shooting. They have since been credited with a loss by that score. They played in their first game since the shooting on Friday, losing 4-0 to the University of Richmond.

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Saint Louis had a game earlier this week against Sacred Heart canceled. They, too, returned to action on Friday, losing 5-1 to UMass.

Voters in big southern city reveal which candidate they trust to boost the economy

Fox News Digital spoke with residents just south of Houston, Texas this week about the economy and who they trust more between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to boost the economy as president.

After shopping at Costco, local residents expressed frustration with current overall costs and the economy as a whole, both on and off camera. 

“All the prices have gone up,” Melissa told Fox News Digital

“No, it’s not doing well at all,” said another resident, originally from Egypt.

Ralph said the economy has resulted in increased costs for his family, stating, “I think inflation is out of control. Housing and interest rates are out of control. Grocery trips have doubled. And a good grocery trip used to be like 150-125. Now an average grocery trip is now 250-300.”

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Locals also shared who they feel will best handle the economy as president. 

“When Trump was in office, you know, things were doing well,” said Mark.

Ralph said he “definitely” trusts Trump more to tackle the economy. 

I don’t think Kamala even knows what’s going on. I think she’s a puppet,” he said. “He’s got a proven track record, hoping he gets back in and rescuing this Harris economy.”

Another resident also said she trusts the former president more: “Trump, because he’s the only businessman that’s capable of running our country.” 

Mark cited Trump’s time in office compared to the current Biden-Harris administration as a reason for trusting the former president.

“Trump because of what he did the last time, who was in office and what the current administration, what’s happened with the current administration over the past four years,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. You know, they tried to fix it. So here we are today.”

No Republican presidential candidate has lost Texas since 1976, but the state has become increasingly competitive in recent elections. Trump won it by less than six points in 2020, a sharp contrast from just 12 years ago when Mitt Romney carried the state by nearly 16.

The economy remains the top issue on the minds of American voters as they prepare to cast their ballot in the presidential election.

A September Fox News national poll also in the field entirely post-debate spotlighted that 39% of voters surveyed said the economy was their most pressing issue, far ahead of immigration (16%) and abortion (15%). All other issues tested were in single digits. 

While the nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic continues, inflation remains a leading concern among Americans.

The former president’s up 13 points over the vice president in a post-debate survey from the New York Times and Siena College, and favored by 7 points in an ABC News Ipsos survey also conducted after the showdown.

But Trump’s advantage over Harris on the economy stands at only 5 points in the Fox News poll, and just 2 points in the AP/NORC survey.

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Harris has touted what she calls the “opportunity economy” and said her administration will crack down on price gouging and also lower taxes for middle-class Americans. Trump has pointed to economic performance under his administration as successful and that a return to office would bring back those days.

The Harris ticket was buoyed on Friday by a strong September jobs report. Also, striking U.S. dockworkers returned to work Friday after reaching a tentative agreement with employers on an improved wage offer.