Harris campaign celebrates after judge blocks swing state’s new ballot rule
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is celebrating after a Georgia judge temporarily blocked a rule that would have forced election officials to hand count ballots after they have been machine-tabulated.
“From the beginning, this rule was an effort to delay election results to sow doubt in the outcome, and our democracy is stronger thanks to this decision to block it,” a joint statement to several media outlets read.
“We will continue fighting to ensure that voters can cast their ballot knowing it will count.”
The brief comments were released by Georgia Democratic Party Chair Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., DNC acting Co-Executive Director Monica Guardiola, and Harris-Walz Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks.
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The joint statement lauding the ruling is a reflection of how lockstep state and national Democrats have been in opposing the new measure.
Slated to go into effect Oct. 22, the rule would have required three county elections officials at each polling place to manually count the ballots cast – not tally the votes themselves – after ballots were tabulated by a machine.
It was passed in a 3-2 vote by the State Elections Board (SEB), which is now facing several lawsuits against the measure and other changes by the GOP-majority board.
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Democrats have argued that the rule was created to purposefully sow division and uncertainty in the presidential election in Georgia – which was decided by less than 12,000 votes in 2020.
In Tuesday night’s ruling, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney did not take issue with the intent of the rule itself but criticized the SEB’s decision to make changes so close to Election Day.
He noted that no training had been implemented or developed to prepare election workers for the new procedure, nor had funds been allocated for that purpose.
“The administrative chaos that will – not may – ensue is entirely inconsistent with the obligations of our boards of elections (and the SEB) to ensure that our elections are fair, legal, and orderly,” McBurney wrote.
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Georgia Republican Party officials and allies of former President Trump held up the rule as a fair guardrail to increase voter confidence in the election process.
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McBurney wrote that the rule “on paper” appeared consistent with the SEB’s goal to ensure fair and legal elections but added any new measure “that allows for our paper ballots – the only tangible proof of who voted for whom – to be handled multiple times by multiple people following an exhausting Election Day all before they are securely transported to the official tabulation center does not contribute to lessening the tension or boosting the confidence of the public for this election.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on the ruling.
Volleyball team refusing to compete against trans player gets big nod of approval
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo expressed his support for the Nevada Wolf Pack women’s volleyball players who refuse to compete against San Jose State, which has a transgender woman on their roster.
Lombardo backed players in a statement on X, adding that “No student athlete should ever be pressured to play a game where they don’t feel safe — period.”
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“As I’ve said previously, I believe there are competition and safety concerns with this issue, and it’s irresponsible for the NCAA to put student athletes in a position of balancing their personal safety against the schools, competition and sports they love,” Lombardo’s statement read.
“The student athletes at the University of Nevada, Reno have determined that they do not want to play against San Jose State, and I wholeheartedly respect the decision of the players.
“No student athlete should ever be pressured to play a game where they don’t feel safe – period.
“The NCAA has a responsibility to address this issue in a consistency way that protects the integrity of women’s sports and the student athletes who participate.”
The NCAA issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America and the NCAA members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships,” the organization said.
NEVADA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS CHOOSE TO FORFEIT MATCH VS. SAN JOSE STATE DESPITE SCHOOL’S INTENTIONS
The issue for Nevada and several other schools is about going up against Blaire Fleming; the transgender female player who has been seen spiking balls into the face of opponents during matches.
Nevada players initially said in a statement to OutKick on Monday they planned on forfeiting their match against the Spartans to “stand in solidarity” with Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State, who have all pulled out of their matches against the Spartans.
“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld,” the statement continued. “We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”
However, the school said in a statement on Monday night the team would not forfeit the match.
“The players’ decision and statement were made independently, and without consultation with the University or the athletic department. The players’ decision also does not represent the position of the University,” the statement read.
“The University and its athletic programs are governed by the Nevada Constitution and Nevada law, which strictly protect equality of rights under the law, and that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin. The University is also governed by federal law as well as the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, which include providing competition in an inclusive and supportive environment.
“The University intends to move forward with the match as scheduled, and the players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest. No players will be subject to any team disciplinary action for their decision not to participate in the match.”
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Several schools opted to forfeit matches against San Jose State instead of playing against the Spartans.
Secret Service used Hollywood star’s mock White House in Atlanta for training
Secret Service agents used Hollywood producer Tyler Perry’s mock White House in Atlanta for a training scenario in 2023 due to the agency’s lack of funding for sufficient facilities.
The admission came on The New York Times’ podcast, “The Daily,” where investigative reporter Eric Lipton discussed the poor conditions of the agency’s training equipment and spaces in light of a July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“The Secret Service is so short on proper training facilities that they actually sent, on several occasions, their personnel down to the Atlanta area to train at a mock White House that Tyler Perry, the Hollywood producer, had built as a stage there in Georgia,” Lipton said in an Oct. 14 episode of the podcast. “It’s hard to believe, but that’s what the Secret Service has been left with as its options for training its people.”
Lipton also noted that the agency has used the front half of a retired, 1960s-style airplane for Air Force One protection training.
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Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the U.S. Secret Service, told Fox News Digital that in 2014, following security issues at the White House, “an independent protective mission panel recommended that the U.S. Secret Service construct a replica White House to facilitate scenario-based training under real-world conditions.”
“Since the actual White House serves as a secure office complex, a national museum, and a family residence, the agency is limited in how and when personnel can train on-site,” Guglielmi said. “In 2023, former Director Kimberly Cheatle collaborated with Mr. Tyler Perry and his staff to study the White House replica used for filming in Atlanta. We also conducted a scenario-based training exercise at that facility to assess how a similar model could be utilized in Maryland for training future special agents, officers and partner agencies from D.C., Maryland and Virginia who would respond to a potential emergency or critical incident.”
WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS SECRET SERVICE ‘PAINTING A FALSE PICTURE’ OF PROTECTION FOR TRUMP: HAWLEY
Perry’s replica White House sits on a 330-acre lot on the former Fort McPherson Army base with numerous other set and stage designs.
“Over the past year, we have worked closely with Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to advance the construction planning of the White House Defense Training Facility,” Guglielmi said. “We are grateful for Congress’s initial investments, which were crucial in getting this important project off the ground.”
Last year, Congress allocated more than $3 billion to the Secret Service, according to a report last month from the Congressional Research Service.
Meanwhile, staffing has fallen slightly from a high of 7,811 Secret Service employees in 2021 to 7,689 employees in 2023, according to the report, while the number of protectees the agency is required to provide service to has nearly doubled since 2015.
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Around the time Trump was shot, the Secret Service was also providing protection to the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C.; the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“Back in 2014, after an assailant got over the fence and into the White House, that began a conversation that they needed a proper training facility,” Lipton said. “It’s been over a decade, and still the money has not been appropriated to build this training facility at their site in Maryland.”
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The July 13 assassination attempt, in particular, has highlighted the Secret Service’s need for better training and preparedness after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks was able to climb onto a rooftop about 130 yards away from where Trump was standing on stage and fire eight rounds, grazing the former president’s ear just before he turned his head.
Crooks also fatally shot rally attendee Corey Comperatore, a retired volunteer fire chief, and critically wounded two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.
“There are few jobs anywhere where you have to be perfect, and any imperfection, when it comes to protecting the president means, potentially, the life of the president,” Lipton said on the podcast. “On any given day, there can’t be even the slightest errors in that work, and so it attracts a certain type of person.”
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Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after the initial assassination attempt against Trump. Acting Director Ronald Rowe was appointed to the job on July 23, 10 days after the shooting in Butler.
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On Sept. 20, the House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at bolstering Secret Service needs for protection assignments.
“We thank Congress for addressing some of the U.S. Secret Service’s most immediate needs in this heightened threat environment,” Rowe said in a statement at the time. “This short-term funding will better equip the U.S. Secret Service to enhance security measures in the months ahead. We look forward to working with Congress on full-year funding to deliver the additional personnel, technology, and equipment our workforce needs to do their jobs.”
AOC fires back at Fetterman, accuses him of ‘bleak dunk attempt’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., accused Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., of a “bleak dunk attempt” after he highlighted a headline about her calling out the Biden administration regarding Israel.
“The tragedy in Gaza is 100% on Hamas. Stop using civilians and hospitals as shields, surrender, and release all remaining hostages—and this ends,” Fetterman tweeted when sharing the Ocasio-Cortez-related headline.
Fetterman has been outspoken in supporting Israel and condemning Hamas in the wake of the terror group’s heinous Oct. 7, 2023, attack that included rape, murder, and kidnapping.
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“I dunno man. I care about little kids dying. I care about human rights. I care that billions of US tax dollars’ worth of weapons are carrying out unspeakable atrocities. I care enough for us to do better. Hope this bleak dunk attempt gets you whatever it is you’re going for,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in response to Fetterman’s post.
Earlier this week, the congresswoman had tweeted, “The horrors unfolding in northern Gaza are the result of a completely unrestrained Netanyahu gov, fully armed by the Biden admin while food aid is blocked and patients are bombed in hospitals. This is a genocide of Palestinians. The US must stop enabling it. Arms embargo now.”
SEN. FETTERMAN HITS BACK AT AOC’S SUGGESTION HE’S A BULLY AFTER HOUSE CLASH: ‘THAT’S ABSURD’
Marking the grim anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack earlier this month, Fetterman noted in a tweet, “On this traumatic One-Year Anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, I share in the collective sorrow for all innocent lives lost. I will continue to be a voice for our ally, for the release of all remaining hostages, and for peace to return.”
Israel launched a war effort in response to the Oct. 7 atrocities last year and Fetterman has been an unflinching supporter of the U.S. ally.
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“Immediately after 10/7, I strongly affirmed supporting any assistance—financial, military or intelligence—without conditions, in Israel’s war against terrorists,” the senator tweeted last month.
Top takeaways from Harris’ high-profile interview with Charlamagne tha God
Vice President Kamala Harris covered topics from reparations to the border in her high-profile interview with Charlamagne Tha God, whose program is popular with Black listeners, Tuesday.
The audio town hall in Detroit aired on iHeartRadio with the “Breakfast Club” radio show co-host for a full hour, with questions from listeners.
Recent polls have shown Harris losing support from Black men and her appearance was part of an attempt at reversing that trend.
Scripted Talking Points
Off the bat, Charlamagne remarked on people criticizing Harris for sounding “very scripted” in interviews and rallies, which Harris called “discipline.”
“Some people say you have an inability to fearlessly say who you are and what you believe,” Charlamagne said. “What do you say to people who say you stay on talking points?”
“I would say, ‘You’re welcome,'” Harris answered. “I mean, listen, here’s the thing. I love having conversations, which is why I’m so happy to be with you this afternoon. And the reality is that there are certain things that must be repeated to ensure that I have everyone know what I stand for and the issues that I think are at stake in this election. And so, it requires repetition.”
KAMALA HARRIS DISMISSES CONCERNS SHE’S LOSING SUPPORT FROM BLACK MEN: ‘NOT MY EXPERIENCE’
“You know, some people say that until someone has heard the same thing at least three times, it just doesn’t stay with you,” Harris continued. “So repetition is important. And for that reason, yes, at my rallies I say the same thing when I go to Detroit as I do in Philly, as I do wherever I am, to make sure that people hear and receive what I think are some of the most critical issues that are at stake in this election.”
Marijuana Charges
Later on, Charlamagne brought up Harris’ record as the San Francisco District Attorney, calling reports of her imprisoning thousands of Black men on drug charges “misinformation.”
“One of the biggest pieces of misinformation, one of the biggest allegations against you is that you targeted and locked up thousands of Black men in San Francisco,” Charlamagne said. “Some say you did it to boost your career. Some say you did it out of pure hate for Black men. Please tell us the facts.”
“It’s just simply not true,” Harris said. “And public defenders who’re around those days will tell you I was the most progressive prosecutor in California on marijuana cases and would not send people to jail for simple possession of weed and as vice president have been a champion for bringing marijuana down on the schedule.”
Though Harris has since supported decriminalizing marijuana use, as district attorney, she oversaw nearly 2000 convictions on marijuana-related charges.
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Reparations
As the show continued, Harris took questions from callers, including one who asked about her stance on reparations for slavery.
“I am running to be a president for all Americans. That being said, I do have clear eyes about the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist, meaning history, to your point. So my agenda, well, first of all, on the point of reparations, it has to be studied. There’s no question about that. And I’ve been very clear about that position in terms of my immediate plan,” Harris answered.
The Border
Charlemagne later pressed Harris about her record on the border, an issue he’s brought up multiple times.
“Doesn’t the Biden administration have to take some blame for the border? A lot of the blame, because, I mean, the first three years, you did get a lot of things wrong with the border,” Charlamagne said.
Harris answered, “No, Charlamagne. Within hours of being inaugurated, the first bill we passed before we did the Inflation Reduction Act, before we did the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, before we did the Safer Communities Act to deal with gun violence. The first thing we dropped was a bill to fix the broken immigration system, which, by the way, Trump did not fix when he was president.”
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The town hall came just days after former President Barack Obama, in comments that went viral, admonished Black male voters for a lack of enthusiasm in support of Harris. Polls indicate Trump is making gains with Black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters.
Community leaders in swing state warn Black men ‘are not into’ Harris campaign
A group of Michigan community leaders told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe that Black men do not want to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, citing frustrations about how Harris’ candidacy would make a difference in their lives.
“Vice President Harris used that radio interview to defend herself against accusations she’s doing this outreach now just because of political timing. And community leaders we spoke to here in Detroit say the Harris campaign still has a lot of work to do,” O’Keefe said, noting Harris’ interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God.
The vice president told Charlamagne that what she was talking about was “not new,” and it was “not for the sake of winning this election.”
“A lot of Black men are not into the Harris campaign, and I think this should have been done awhile ago,” one Black community leader said.
KAMALA HARRIS DISMISSES CONCERNS SHE’S LOSING SUPPORT FROM BLACK MEN: ‘NOT MY EXPERIENCE’
“We have tens of thousands of people that do not intend to vote and don’t give a damn about Kamala, Trump, or anyone else because they don’t see how this campaign, this candidacy makes one bit of difference in their lives,” another said.
O’Keefe also asked the group if they believed Harris would win in November.
Most of the group said that Harris would pull it off, but that it would be close.
“I think it’s touch and go right now. I see shades of the Hillary Clinton campaign with the arrogance of a Democratic Party out of touch with the electorate,” one of the leaders said.
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Harris suggested she was open to reparations during her interview with Charlamagne.
“I am running to be a president for all Americans. That being said, I do have clear eyes about the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist, meaning history, to your point. So my agenda, well, first of all, on the point of reparations, it has to be studied. There’s no question about that. And I’ve been very clear about that position in terms of my immediate plan,” Harris answered.
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Her town hall with Charlamagne came just days after former President Barack Obama, in comments that went viral, admonished Black male voters for a lack of enthusiasm in support of Harris. Polls indicate Trump is making gains with Black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters.
A look at America’s most fiscally responsible governors — and the worst
The rankings are in for which U.S. governors have the best – and worst – records when it comes to fiscal responsibility.
The Cato Institute released its biennial Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors for 2024 this week, scoring each state leader according to how much they raised or lowered taxes, and whether they slashed spending or ramped it up.
Here are the most fiscally responsible governors in the nation, according to the libertarian-leaning think tank:
1. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) – Iowa
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds topped the list for the second time in a row with a high score of 81, making her one of six governors to earn an “A” grade in the study.
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The report, authored by Cato’s Kilts Family Chair in Fiscal Studies Chris Edwards, hailed Reynolds’ track record as “a lean budgeter and dedicated tax reformer since entering office in 2017.”
Reynolds also beat her own scoring record this year, after ranking No. 1 in Cato’s 2022 report with a score of 78.
2. Gov. Jim Pillen (R) – Nebraska
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a veterinarian by trade and an entrepreneur, came in second on the list with a score of 77.
The report hailed Pillen for cutting “the corporate tax rate and top individual income tax rate from a planned 5.84 percent to 3.99 percent, to be phased in by 2027.”
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It added that Pillen “also ended taxes on Social Security benefits, allowed businesses to expense their equipment purchases, and achieved major property tax reductions.”
3. Gov. Jim Justice (R) – West Virginia
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice ranked as third-most fiscally responsible state leader with a score of 71. The entrepreneur became governor as a Democrat in 2016 and switched parties to the GOP a year later.
Cato’s study praised Justice for pushing for income tax reductions, and joining forces with the legislature to pass the “largest tax cut in West Virginia history” last year.
4. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) – Arkansas
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders landed No. 4 in the rankings with a score of 69.
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The report touted the series of tax reforms the state has implemented since her election in 2022, slashing individual and corporate income tax rates while building one of the largest rainy day funds in the country.
5. Gov. Kristi Noem (R) – South Dakota
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem rounded out the top five, tying Arkansas’ governor with a score of 69.
The report praised Noem for maintaining the low-tax policies of one of the freest states in the U.S., and her record of consistently proposing flat budgets.
Which governors have the worst fiscal records?
Cato’s report highlighted which governors have the worst tax-and-spend records, too.
Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz came in dead last with a score of 19, earning an “F” grade along with five of his fellow Democrats.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also received a failing grade for his score of 34, followed by Delaware Gov. John Carney, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, all of whom received scores of 31.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York scored a 29, which was the second-lowest behind Walz.