Trump accuses ‘lightweight’ David Muir of violating pre-debate agreement
Former President Trump took aim at ABC News over its handling of the presidential debate, accusing the network of “violating” its agreement with his campaign about not having fact-checks during the political showdown.
Speaking from Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday, Trump renewed his attacks on the Disney-owned network while addressing crime at the campaign event.
“And during the debate, I mentioned that and David Muir, a real lightweight,” Trump said. “I had one against three, but I think we did great. But David Muir of ABC, fake news, when I said that crime is way up in our country, he corrected me, he corrected me and so much and it was right what I said. He didn’t correct [Vice President Kamala Harris] one time, and what she said was wrong, absolutely wrong. So many different— Charlottesville, she was wrong, all of the different things, almost everything she said, and she was never corrected.
“But he corrected me on crime. He said, ‘No, no, crime has not gone up.’ I said crime has gone up massively. He said, ‘I’d like to state for the record that crime has not gone up.'”
TRUMP SAYS HE REGRETS NOT ‘GOING AFTER’ ABC MODERATORS DURING DEBATE: ‘I WISH I DID’
Trump went on to allege that ABC News broke the “deal” they struck ahead of the debate.
“Now you don’t know this, but we had a deal with ABC that there will be no corrections of any kind, and they violated the deal. Why? Because they’re bad people, and they’re fake news,” Trump said. “So he did it many times to me during the debate. He violated the deal. That’s the deal, because you can take anything and try and make up stories with it. We had a deal where that wouldn’t happen. You could do whatever you wanted as soon as the debate was over, but he did it in total violation of what our agreement was. And a lot of people standing right over there [as he looked toward his staff] will tell you exactly what it was, will show you what it was. David Muir has lost all credibility.”
ABC DEBATE MODERATORS SPARK FURY FOR AGGRESSIVE FACT-CHECKING OF TRUMP, EASY TREATMENT OF HARRIS
The former president also took a swipe at co-moderator Linsey Davis, who provided the first fact-check of the debate against him.
“I never heard of her. I never want to hear of her. She was terrible. I don’t know how she ever got her job in the first place,” Trump said. “But we have a country to save, and we can’t have fake news like that. And his ratings deserve to go down.”
ABC News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
ABC News sparked fury among conservative critics who blasted Muir and Davis for their hostile treatment of Trump while going easy on Harris, fact-checking him five times while not challenging any of the vice president’s claims.
Trump expressed his regret for not going after the moderators during the debate during his appearance on “Gutfeld!” last week.
TRUMP APPEARS TO LEAVE DOOR OPEN FOR SECOND DEBATE WITH HARRIS: ‘MAYBE IF I GOT IN THE RIGHT MOOD’
“I think my only regret is that I wanted to be elegant, and I didn’t want to go after the anchors. I wish I did, in a way,” Trump said.
“I was very unfairly treated by the anchor. I’m not fans of those guys anymore – and his hair was better five years ago,” Trump quipped, referring to Muir, adding, “That happens with the clock.”
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Trump has yet to commit to another debate against Harris. The former president appeared to reject a proposed CNN debate set for Oct. 23 that Harris accepted, saying it was “too late” since early voting has started weeks ahead.
That said, Trump left the door open for another showdown, telling Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie, “Maybe if I got in the right mood.”
While Harris appears eager to debate Trump again, she previously did not accept proposed debates by Fox News and NBC News that Trump agreed to prior to the ABC News debate.
Federal judge deals major blow to New York AG James in abortion case: ‘Cannot censor’
A federal judge this week issued New York Attorney General Letitia James a preliminary injunction that bars her from taking action against pregnancy clinics that promote abortion pill reversal on the grounds it would restrict protected free speech.
The ruling came amid a lawsuit by the Thomas More Society on behalf of two pro-life ministries, Summit Life Outreach Center and the Evergreen Association. The lawsuit argues that James has targeted pregnancy centers with threats of prosecution for sharing information about abortion pill reversal, which she has said is unproven.
“These small nonprofits, which exist to compassionately serve women and offer them alternatives to abortion, deserve to have their speech elevated—not chilled,” Peter Breen, Thomas More Society’s executive vice president and head of litigation, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This court order makes clear Ms. James cannot censor pro-life speech purely because she dislikes it.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to James’ office.
In his order, Judge John Sinatra Jr., a Trump appointee, wrote that James is barred from preventing the clinics from promoting abortion pill reversal on their websites and social media platforms.
Medicinal abortion involves taking mifepristone and following it with treatment of misoprostol days later, but pregnancy clinics have advised that those who change their minds and want to continue the pregnancy can do so by abandoning the second drug and instead taking doses of progesterone.
In May, James filed lawsuits against 11 pregnancy centers that promoted the abortion pill reversal procedure, accusing them of engaging in fraud, deceptive business practices and false advertising. She claimed the groups were “spreading dangerous misinformation by advertising … without any medical and scientific proof.”
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Despite not being named in James’ lawsuit, Summit Life Outreach Center and the Evergreen Association said her targeting of other pregnancy centers had put them at risk.
Barbara Bidak, the executive director of Summit Life Outreach Center, said her staff works “tirelessly to provide life-affirming options for women in need.”
“We’re incredibly pleased a federal judge has now made clear that Attorney General Letitia James’ legal attacks on our state’s pro-life ministries unconstitutionally chills our First Amendment right to share the lifesaving message of Abortion Pill Reversal—which gives pregnant moms in the middle of a chemical abortion a second chance to choose life.”
Breen said the pro-life ministries have a constitutional right to share information about abortion pill reversal, and that “their message is saving thousands of lives.”
The Thomas More Society is representing the 11 clinics in a separate case. Last month, a federal judge in that case ruled the clinics were protected by the First Amendment.
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“Based on a careful application of the preliminary injunction factors, especially as they relate to Plaintiffs’ First Amendment Free Speech claim, motion for a preliminary injunction is granted,” the judge wrote.
Former President Trump is narrowly ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest in Arizona, as the Democratic nominee loses ground among women, Hispanics and young voters.
A new Fox News survey of Arizona voters finds Harris trails Trump by 3 percentage points among likely voters in both the two-way matchup (48%-51%) and the expanded ballot that includes third-party candidates (47%-50%, with 3% backing other candidates). While 9 in 10 say their vote choice is locked in, both Harris and Trump have a handful of supporters saying they may change their mind.
In August, Harris was up by 1 point in the horse race among registered voters (50%-49%), while she’s down by 2 points today (48%-50%). All of these matchups are within the margin of error.
The 3-point shift among registered voters is mainly due to movement among young voters, women and Hispanics.
Since August, Harris’ 18-point lead among Hispanics has narrowed to 11 points and her 14-point edge among women is down to 8 points. What was a 13-point advantage for Harris among voters under age 30 is now a 12-point deficit, a 25-point shift. These changes are notable, even given that estimates among subgroups are more volatile.
HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE EDGE IS CLEAR ON THIS KEY ISSUE
Trump tops Harris among Whites without a college degree, rural voters and independents. He has a narrow edge among suburbanites because more suburban men back him than suburban women favor Harris. And, by just a touch, more of his 2020 voters stick with him than Biden’s 2020 voters back Harris.
Harris has strong support among those ages 65 and over, voters with a college degree and urban voters, and still receives majority backing among women and Hispanics. Plus, 1 in 4 non-MAGA Republicans favors Harris over Trump.
By a 51%-46% margin, Trump leads among new voters, defined as those who haven’t voted in the four most recent elections.
“Arizona is looking tougher for Harris than a month ago,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts Fox News surveys with Republican Daron Shaw. “If young voters and Hispanics don’t make a U-turn, it’s hard to see how she walks away with a win.”
More Arizona voters trust Trump than Harris to handle immigration (by 15 points) and the economy (+8). Those are significant leads, and they match where things stood last month — but compared to his June leads over President Biden, Trump’s advantage is down 5 points on immigration and down 7 points on the economy.
Trump is also seen as being better at making the country safe by 7 points.
There’s little difference between the candidates on who will better protect democracy (Harris +3), help the middle class (Harris +2), fight for people like you (Harris +2), and bring needed change (Trump +1).
Harris leads Trump by 15 points on handling abortion, down from her 22-point lead last month.
More than 7 in 10 Arizona voters favor the state’s proposed constitutional amendment establishing the right to an abortion, including more than two-thirds of independents and half of Republicans.
The two candidates are about equal in personal favorable ratings. Harris gets net negative marks by 3 points (48% favorable, 51% unfavorable), while Trump’s are negative by 5 points (47%-52%). For the vice-presidential candidates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s ratings are negative by just 1 point (42%-43%) with 15% unable to rate him. Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s favorable rating is underwater by 7 points (40%-47%) and 12% have no opinion.
Trump won Arizona in 2016 by about 3.5 percentage points, while Biden’s 2020 victory was by less than half a percentage point.
In the Senate race, Democrat Ruben Gallego tops Republican Kari Lake by more than 10 percentage points: 55%-42% among likely voters and 56%-42% among registered voters. Gallego is preferred across most demographic groups, but women voters are a big part of what gives him the advantage as they back him over Lake by a 23-point margin. He also receives the support of 6 in 10 independents and nearly 2 in 10 Republicans.
FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS CITE HIGH PRICES AS BIGGEST MOTIVATOR TO VOTE
Some 15% of Gallego supporters split their ticket and back Trump in the presidential race. Some of the biggest ticket splitting is among independents, who are 16 points more likely to back Gallego than Harris, and Republicans (10 points more for Gallego). Among those voters favoring Lake, only 3% go for Harris.
Poll-pourri
Early voters are more likely to back Harris by 11 points, while Trump is favored by 30 points among the smaller group of Election Day voters.
Biden’s personal favorability is negative by 21 points, 39% favorable vs. 60% unfavorable. That’s a big decline from four years ago when his ratings were positive by 2 points (June 2020).
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Thirty percent rate the U.S. economy positively, up from 25% who said the same four years ago.
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Conducted Sept. 20-24, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,021 Arizona registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (147) and cellphones (616) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). Results based on the registered voter sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points ,and for the subsample of 764 likely voters it is ±3.5 percentage points. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Likely voters are based on a probabilistic statistical model that relies on past voting history, interest in the current election, age, education, race, ethnicity, church attendance and marital status.
Battleground state DA launches investigation after mayor removes voting drop box
A Wisconsin district attorney is set to investigate a mayor for removing an official voting drop box.
Mayor Doug Diny of Wausau recently made a spectacle of removing a voter drop box from outside City Hall.
He posted a photo of himself on social media on Sunday, showing him carting away the metal ballot receptacle while dressed in a hard hat and gloves.
WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN DEMANDS PROBE AFTER MADISON SENDS OUT OVER 2,000 DUPLICATE ABSENTEE BALLOTS
County Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde reported Diny to Marathon County District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon, who is now pursuing an investigation via the state’s Department of Justice.
The voting drop box was empty and not in use when it was removed, according to local reports.
“This is no different than the maintenance guy moving it out there,” Diny said Wednesday. “I’m a member of [the] staff. There’s nothing nefarious going on here. I’m hoping for a good result.”
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT NEW LIBERAL MAJORITY REVERSES RULING THAT BANNED MOST BALLOT DROP BOXES IN SWING STATE
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called the drop box removal wrong and insisted that it be reinstated outside City Hall.
“Drop box voting is safe, secure, and legal,” Evers said on social media. “As elected officials, we should be working to make it easier—not harder—for every eligible Wisconsinite to cast their ballot. That’s democracy.”
The state’s Supreme Court ruled in July 2022 that absentee drop boxes — such as those used in the 2020 presidential election — are not authorized under state statutes.
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The court ruled that the Wisconsin Elections Commission guidance encouraging their use was unlawful, but the ruling was overturned by the court’s new liberal majority in July 2024.
The move, which sparked a protest in the city Tuesday night and anger among drop box advocates, is the latest example in swing state Wisconsin of the fight over whether communities will allow absentee ballot drop boxes.
More than 60 towns, villages and cities in nine counties have opted out of using absentee ballot drop boxes for the presidential election in November, according to a tally by the group All Voting is Local. Drop boxes are being embraced in heavily Democratic cities, including Milwaukee and Madison. Wisconsin has a total of 72 counties.
Chinese officials try to cover up embarrassing mishap with newest nuclear-powered sub
The Chinese government reportedly covered up the sinking of its newest nuclear-powered submarine as it sat tied to a pier, and U.S. officials say it is no surprise.
“It’s not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pierside,” a senior U.S. Defense official said. “In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA’s internal accountability and oversight of China’s defense industry, which has long been plagued by corruption.”
China’s first Zhou-class submarine likely sank between May and June, The Associated Press reported based on information from an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Satellite images showed cranes in the area that would have been necessary to salvage the vessel from the bottom of the river.
The incident reportedly forced Chinese authorities to rush to cover up the matter, which had not been previously disclosed.
CHINA’S NEW ROLE FOR ITS NUCLEAR SUBMARINES HAS THE PENTAGON’S ATTENTION
China has previously said it is building a world-class military so it can deter aggression and protect its overseas interests.
Last year, the Pentagon announced it had discovered in a little-known report that China’s military adopted a policy of keeping at least one nuclear-capable submarine at sea at all times.
China maintains a fleet of six nuclear-capable submarines, carrying missiles that could hit the continental U.S. from the South China Sea.
AUSTRALIA COMMITTED TO BUILDING SUB FLEET POWERED BY US NUCLEAR TECH DESPITE CRITICISM FROM FRANCE
The report on China’s new submarine activity came just as the U.S., U.K. and Australia entered an agreement for the production and sale of nuclear-powered attack submarines. Australia was also expected to purchase the vessels to modernize its fleet.
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The attack submarines are prime candidates for tracking missile submarines like those China has deployed, and increasing Australia’s capabilities will take some pressure off U.S. and U.K. forces in the region.
Fans leave their mark during A’s final Oakland game — in the worst way possible
Some fans in Oakland wanted to have a lasting memory in the Bay Area.
The Athletics played their final game in Oakland Thursday with the team planning to call Sacramento home for three years while waiting on their big move to Las Vegas.
And fans got a little rowdy.
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During the seventh inning, there were two separate delays in the same at-bat, one for a beer bottle thrown onto the field and another for a smoke bomb.
In the top of the ninth inning, a fan stormed the field, and other objects were thrown on the field.
The era ended on a high note, though, as the Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers, 3-2, in front of nearly 47,000 fans.
On Tuesday night, a pair of fans ripped seats right from the concrete at the ballpark but got caught trying to leave with them.
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The A’s are heading to Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas in 2028, but the stadium in Oakland will remain for the Oakland Roots of the USL Championship soccer league.
Athletics owner John Fisher wrote in a recent letter to fans it was his hope to keep the team in the Bay Area, but efforts were unsuccessful.
“The A’s are part of the fabric of Oakland, the East Bay, and the entire Bay Area. When Lew Wolff and I bought the team in 2005, our dream was to win world championships and build a new ballpark in Oakland. Over the next 18 years, we did our very best to make that happen. We proposed and pursued five different locations in the Bay Area. And despite mutual and ongoing efforts to get a deal done for the Howard Terminal project, we came up short,” the letter states.
“Only in 2021, after 16 years of working exclusively on developing a home in the Bay Area and faced with a binding MLB agreement to find a new home by 2024, did we begin to explore taking the team to Las Vegas.”
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The A’s began play in Philadelphia in 1901 before moving to Kansas City before the 1955 season. The organization had called Oakland home since 1968.
The Warriors, Raiders and A’s will all have left Oakland since 2020.
Actress thinks she may have been invited to a ‘freak off’ years after declining offer
A Hollywood actress says she dodged an invitation to one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ infamous parties.
Jenny Mollen, star of “Amateur Night” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” and wife of actor Jason Biggs, shared her story of running into the mogul in her early days in entertainment.
“I just wanted to tell you guys that one time, when I was 19, I was in San Diego, and this guy came over and he’s like, ‘My boss wants to meet you,’” she said.
Mollen recalled that her outfit was “not giving sex vibes,” consisting of a “brick-colored red button-up cotton shirt, hideous jeans and, like, a loafer.”
WATCH ON FOX NATION: WHAT DIDDY DO?
However, she said “this big bouncer-looking guy” introduced her to Combs, who was “very small” and wearing “like a very fur coat kind of vibe-looking outfit.”
“He puts out his hand and he shakes my hand. He had the littlest hands I’ve ever felt, like, not like Lazlo little,” she said, referring to her son with Biggs. “Not like a 7-year-old, like a 12-year-old. And he’s like, ‘We’re having a party up in my room. Do you guys want to come?’”
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Mollen declined the invitation but was surprised by the thought.
“Guys, would I have been in a freak off? That’s what I’m reading! It’s called a freak off. Would I have been captured in his room in my hideous maroon shirt, and would there be footage to this day of me in some sort of crazy exploitative freak off?
WATCH ‘TMZ: THE DOWNFALL OF DIDDY’ FREE ON TUBI
“So glad I didn’t go,” she added.
Representatives for Mollen did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“He had the littlest hands I’ve ever felt.”
Combs was arrested earlier this month and charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
In the indictment, Combs is alleged to have recorded “freak offs,” described by authorities as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.
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“Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims,” according to the indictment.
Hollywood has been largely silent since Combs’ arrest, but a few stars have spoken out in one form or another.
Earlier this week, rapper Ice Cube made it clear he had never been to a Diddy party, telling the crowd at his recent show, “Almost 40 years rocking the mic, and I’m gonna tell you right now, me and [rapper] W.C. ain’t never been to a Diddy party.
“You ain’t gotta worry about us on them mother—-ing tapes.”
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Former Playboy Playmate Kendra Wilkinson recently spoke about a few of the Diddy parties she attended during an episode of “The Kyle and Jackie O Show.”
“I remember just going to like one or two. But, again, I had a great time in my youth. I don’t really see anything … like, I never saw anything really bad happening around me. Sex is sex, in my opinion.
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“So, I’m not saying that something bad didn’t happen. I’m saying that nothing bad ever happened to me.”