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Ohio GOP Senate challenger flips script on Dem incumbent’s first campaign promises as poll numbers tighten

COLUMBUS – Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno took aim at his Democratic opponent during a recent campaign event by resurfacing a couple of Sen. Sherrod Brown’s campaign promises from over 30 years ago and highlighting how he has broken both promises.

“It’s time for a change,” Moreno told Fox News Digital outside the Franklin County Board of Elections, where Ohio Republicans encouraged voters to cast their votes early as part of former President Donald Trump’s “Swamp the Vote” platform.

“Give Republicans a chance to govern, and we’re going to make your lives better. Look, Sherrod Brown has seen 200,000 manufacturing jobs leave this state in his 30 years in D.C.,” Moreno said. “Go back to 1992. U.S. Sherrod Brown ran on two promises. He made two promises, think about this, guys, he made two promises to the American people, to the people of Ohio, term limits and restore manufacturing.”

“200,000 manufacturing jobs lost, and he said that anybody who’s in Washington, D.C., for more than 10 years is a crook. Take him for his word,” he added.

NRA TARGETS SEN SHERROD BROWN IN 7-FIGURE AD BUY IN OHIO: ‘VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT’

We started advertising, that’s number one,” Moreno said, highlighting why he believes that recent polls are showing him essentially in a dead heat within the margin of error with Brown after trailing him for months.

Sherrod Brown spent the fortune over the summer saying that he’d cure cancer. The other half said, I cause cancer. Of course. Neither one is true. We started advertising. We didn’t take personal shots because we won’t do that. Our campaign is simple. Look at his voting record.”

Moreno pointed to Brown supporting President Biden’s agenda nearly 100% of the time and said he “stabbed Trump in the back” multiple times when voting for amendments. 

Washington Post poll released this week conducted between Oct. 3-7 found that Brown leads Moreno 48-47, well within the margin of error of 3.5 points after Brown has led by a greater margin in most of the polls so far.

He’s somebody who’s completely different in Washington, D.C.,” Moreno said of Brown, who has been running ads promising to work with presidents of any party and touting his record on illegal immigration in a state where Trump won by eight points in 2020.

FLASHBACK: VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR ACCUSED VOTERS SUPPORTING TRUMP OF ‘RACISM’: ‘IT WORKS FOR THEM’

I have senators like Senator Hagerty,” Moreno said while standing next to Sen. Bill Hagerty in front of the Moreno campaign bus. “Who has been with me since the beginning of this campaign during the primary, who look and go, ‘who’s this guy on TV? He looks a lot like Sherrod Brown, but it can’t be Sherrod Brown because the guy I know in Washington, D.C., is a radical liberal. The guy on TV is something completely different.’ But that’s what we see. And I think as people see that exposure. We’re now tied in the polls. But he’s at 46%. Look, we’re going to win.”

Many experts believe the Ohio Senate race will play a critical role in determining which party controls the Senate next year and the Cook Political Report ranks the race as a “toss up.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment but did not receive a response.

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Top House committee launches probe into Biden admin ‘priorities’ on FEMA hurricane relief, migrant spending

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are investigating the Department of Homeland Security’s “priorities” for its request for funding from Congress, amid an ongoing controversy over spending on illegal migrants and disaster relief.

“The Committee on Homeland Security…is investigating [DHS’] prioritization of its ability to adequately respond to natural disasters,” lawmakers on the committee said in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The letter comes after Mayorkas, amid hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida, warned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not have stable funding for the hurricane season, although he stressed that they do have enough for immediate needs. The administration has urged Congress to pass a supplemental spending bill.

MAYORKAS DOUBLES DOWN, HAMMERS ‘PERNICIOUS’ MISINFORMATION AMID FEMA CRITICISM

“We have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will,” he said earlier this month. “This is a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery.

Amid those calls for more funding for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), conservatives have pointed to grants administered by FEMA for non-profits and local communities receiving illegal immigrants during the historic border crisis. The funding this year consists of $650 million, using funding moved over from Customs and Border Protection.

DHS has noted repeatedly that that funding is congressionally appropriated and is a separate funding channel from the Disaster Relief Fund, which has not been affected by the funding for migrants. It has pushed back against some claims by conservatives that disaster money has been taken and used on migrants.

SENATORS FEAR FEMA ‘ENTANGLEMENT’ WITH BORDER CRISIS COULD HURT DISASTER RESPONSE MISSION

“These claims are completely false,” a DHS spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital. “As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.”

The Republican lawmakers acknowledge that the funding streams are separate but note that Congress has met or exceeded budget requests for disaster relief with $61.2 billion for the DRF in FY 23 and FY 24.

“The Committee, however, is troubled that the Department and FEMA may not have properly apprised Congress of its need for additional disaster relief funds while simultaneously requesting large sums of monies to fund FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a grant program to fund nonfederal entities for shelter and services provided to migrants encountered by the Department, including illegal aliens,” they say.

The lawmakers say that FEMA has disbursed more than $1.4 billion through both the SSP and a previous Emergency Food and Shelter Program for humanitarian aid. (EFSP-H). 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“Meanwhile, $344 million, an only slightly greater amount, has been spent on federal assistance for the communities impacted by Hurricane Helene,” they say.

“While the Committee understands that there is no intermingling of funds between the DRF and SSP, the Department’s priorities for limited resources provided by taxpayers to the Department should first and foremost serve Americans,” they add.

The committee is seeking all documents and communications from FEMA and DHS on funding for SSP and EFSP-H, as well as the DRF, and anything identifying those entities that have received grants.

It is the latest Republican grilling on the matter. A group of GOP senators last week wrote to the administration asking if a “continued entanglement in DHS’s efforts to respond to the border crisis could impact its readiness and emergency response mission.”

They also say that budget requests to Congress asked it to continue funding FEMA’s border-related work. “FEMA’s efforts responding to the border crisis could have been much more limited if your Administration would have instead used your authorities to secure the border.”

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Union workers in crucial swing state reveal issues driving their support for VP Harris: ‘Very excited’

LAS VEGAS – Two members of the local Las Vegas culinary union, which endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, spoke to Fox News Digital about why they are supporting Harris and knocking on doors to get her elected in a battleground state where unions play a significant role in voter turnout. 

Lino Paredes, a banquet steward at Wynn Las Vegas and a culinary union member for six years, told Fox News Digital shortly before he and several hundred other union members went out to knock on doors for Harris and other Democrats, that he had his first child right before COVID lockdowns began and believes she will put him in the best position to buy his first home.

“I will be a first time home buyer, I want to keep my son in a house…I don’t want to be rent to rent, that’s one of the biggest issues right now here I would say in Nevada,” Paredes said, adding that he supports Harris’ proposed program to help with down payments for houses. 

“And then with these prices, you know, price gouging from these corporations. They’re not helping us at all, so we’re asking, and we’re looking for someone that is willing to help…she’s a very talented woman, and so I think that she will lead this country.”

HARRIS MAKES PITCH TO LATINO VOTERS AT UNIVISION TOWN HALL: TOP 5 MOMENTS

Paredes, one of roughly 60,000 culinary union workers, went on to say that there are “too many things” to list that he likes about Harris and said “there’s a lot of things she’s offering us.”

She knows the pain that we’re going through with talking to our family,” Paredes said. “There’s a lot of things that we want to give to our family that we can’t at this moment because of this price gouging from these companies and I think she will understand us better.

“I don’t think the other person ever standing at a grocery store counting how much money he had. I’m pretty sure he had other people go buy his groceries, right?”

Paredes also credited Nevada’s Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, currently in a tight race against Republican challenger Sam Brown, as someone who is “fighting toe to toe” for union workers, which has inspired him to canvass for Democrats.

Suldenil Alvarez, a guest room attendant at Caesar’s Palace and a culinary union member for seven years, also told Fox News Digital she hopes to be a first time homeowner and believes Harris can best help her do that. Additionally, she spoke about the importance of abortion access. 

‘SOMEBODY WITH A PLAN’: SWING STATE VOTERS SHARE THEIR TOP ISSUES IN PRESIDENTIAL SHOWDOWN

“It’s very, very important because I think any woman have the right about your body, not the doctor and not the government,” Alvarez said.

“I believe in Kamala Harris to fix the economy,” Alvarez added. “I’m very, very excited, and I see a lot of positive people. I’m very excited.”

In an August statement by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 endorsing Harris, the union said, “Kamala has consistently championed our union and hospitality workers. She stood by us as we negotiated and won the best union contract ever, and we trust her to continue the progress of the Biden/Harris administration by delivering real results that will prioritize and protect working families.”

“As the first woman poised to become the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris will continue to be a fierce advocate for working people. She understands our challenges and has engaged directly with hundreds of Culinary Union members and Shop Stewards over the past six years. Kamala has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to tackle issues that are important to guest room attendants who clean hotel rooms, cooks who make gourmet food, and the tip-earning servers who deliver cocktails and unparalleled hospitality.”

While Harris is enjoying the benefit of tens of thousands of union workers on paid leave from their jobs leading up to Election Day to focus on campaigning, some experts and recent polling suggest that Trump, who has gained popularity with union workers nationwide with his plan to eliminate taxes on tips, could still end up being the first Republican to win Nevada since George W. Bush in 2004.

“We think if the election was today we would lose Nevada,” a Culinary official recently told Politico.

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Trump and Harris poll in dead heat in NBC News survey as Election Day approaches

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are locked in an extremely tight contest for the White House, with voters virtually split evenly between the two candidates, an NBC News survey of registered voters indicates.

When the poll, conducted Oct. 4-8, asked respondents who they would choose, Trump and Harris each earned 48% in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup.

When third-party figures were included in the mix, the overall result was 47% support for Trump versus 46% for Harris. 

TRUMP TAKES LEAD IN 6 OUT OF 7 BATTLEGROUND STATES IN RECENT POLLING

Specifically, 42% indicated that they would definitely support the Republican presidential ticket, while another 42% said they would definitely pick the Democratic ticket. Additionally, 4% indicated that they would probably vote for the GOP ticket while 3% noted they would probably vote for the Democratic ticket. And 1% leaned toward the Democratic ticket while another 1% leaned toward the Republican ticket. 

“As summer has turned to fall, any signs of momentum for Kamala Harris have stopped,” Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, who performed the survey with GOP pollster Bill McInturff, noted, according to NBC News. “The race is a dead heat.”

The contest is very close even as Election Day, which is on Nov. 5, 2024, draws near.

IF 2024 POLLING ERRORS MIRROR THOSE IN 2020 ELECTION, TRUMP ‘WINS IN A BLOWOUT’, WARNS CNN DATA GURU

“The challenge for Kamala Harris: Can she meet the moment and fill in the blanks that voters have about her?” Horwitt noted, according to NBC News. “The challenge for Donald Trump: Can he make the case that the chaos and personal behavior that bothered so many about his first term will not get in the way of governing and representing America?” he said. “The next month will tell whether the candidates can meet these challenges.”

The poll results also reflect a deep divide regarding people’s preferred outcome for the upcoming congressional elections, with 47% preferring a Republican-controlled Congress and 47% preferring a Democrat-controlled Congress.

SAME POLL TAKEN ONE MONTH APART SHOWS WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS MOMENTUM IN KEY STATES

The survey notes that, “[t]he margin of error for 1,000 interviews among registered voters is ±3.10%.”

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Harris campaign deploys Bill Clinton to key states 22 days from Election Day

Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has deployed Bill Clinton to key states 22 days from Election Day. 

The former president campaigned on behalf of Harris in Albany, Georgia, on Sunday, speaking to congregants at Mount Zion Baptist Church. The Harris campaign announced on Thursday that Clinton is scheduled to headline a bus tour this week through eastern North Carolina. 

Both Harris and former President Trump have visited the Tar Heel state in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath. 

Clinton’s bus tour comes after Harris on Sunday rallied at Eastern Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

“Uniting people and building, being repairers of the breach, as Isaiah says, those are the things that work,” Clinton said at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Sunday. “Blaming, dividing, demeaning — they get you a bunch of votes at election time, but they don’t work.”

TRUMP CAMP RIPS HARRIS OVER UNEARTHED COMMENTS ON RENAMING COLUMBUS DAY: ‘STEREOTYPICAL LEFTIST’

“This whole election and the future of the country is turning out to be what people who were sort of on the fence about voting are going to do in the next three and a half weeks,” Clinton added, addressing the congregation. “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

While the Black church was not quite full, a hefty crowd welcomed Clinton with a standing ovation, according to the Associated Press. Many attendees were older, but some younger people were dispersed throughout the pews.

Albany was an early battleground in the fight for civil rights. The city garnered national attention as hundreds of protesters, including Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested and jailed in 1961 and 1962.

Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas before he became president, also spoke at the Harris campaign’s Albany office, saying he asked the campaign to send him to rural areas, where he feels most at home.

HARRIS UNVEILS AGENDA TO HELP BLACK MEN ‘GET AHEAD’ AS POLLS SHOW TRUMP GAINS

The 42nd president’s visit to the two battleground states serves as a new attempt by the Harris-Walz campaign to appeal to rural voters, who have traditionally voted Republican in recent presidential elections.

Trump’s campaign launched a three-day bus tour last week across North Carolina, with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and several former Trump administration officials campaigning on behalf of the Republican presidential nominee. 

Democrats see Clinton as someone who can mobilize both rural voters and Black voters. But while Clinton was recognized for his popularity in southern Black communities, it remains to be seen whether he can still inspire Black voters as the population familiar with his presidency grows older, according to the AP.

Georgia is one of seven states seen as pivotal in this year’s presidential race, and turnout among Black voters could hold the key for Democrats to winning the state’s 16 electoral votes.

President Biden won Georgia in 2020 by 11,779 votes out of more than 5 million cast, according to the AP. That was the first time a Democrat carried the state since Clinton in 1992. Four years later, Clinton lost the state to Republican Bob Dole but won reelection.

In 1992, Clinton and then-Sen. Al Gore rode a campaign bus through southwest Georgia to court rural voters. Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz revived the approach earlier in the campaign by visiting Savannah and Liberty County in the southeastern part of the state, but they did not travel west.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Trends are good in the swing county GOP chair calls ‘Little Pennsylvania’: It’ll ‘be a repeat of ‘16’

The Republican chairman of a Pennsylvania county that has voted for the ultimate presidential victor in the past four cycles says it is both the enthusiasm of the electorate and the makeup of the area that proves why it is key for both candidates this year.

“In 2016, Erie voted for Trump and in 2020, Erie voted for Biden. And obviously, Pennsylvania went the same direction in ‘16 and ‘20, and the nation did too,” Erie County Republican Party Chair Tom Eddy said in a Thursday interview.

“I look at Erie as being just kind of like this small ‘Little Pennsylvania’,” he said.

“Pennsylvania is a pretty big state and if you look down in the southeastern and the southwest corners, they are pretty industrialized: Pittsburgh; Philadelphia. And then, if you go to the middle of the state: pretty agricultural. And if you look at that Erie, it’s this little stamp up in this northwest corner.”

PA TOWN ROILED BY TALK OF MIGRANT HOUSING IN CIVIL-WAR-ERA ORPHANAGE BUILDING

Eddy noted Erie’s southern half is predominantly agricultural and leans heavily Republican, while the city of Erie in the north, including Pennsylvania’s only beachfront, is heavily Democratic, with purple suburbs in between.

“The city has some major industry. It’s pretty big in plastic industries and tool-and-die, but it also has a pretty large immigrant population: very ethnic, diverse, racially diverse. I mean, everything you see around the entire state is here in this little corner.”

Eddy said he tells candidates who visit his area that if their message can resonate there, it will resonate statewide largely for that reason.

“Erie is unique … in the fact it is able to pick the winners.”

Other than choosing former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and former Vice President Al Gore, the county has voted for the eventual president in races going back to the 1960s.

Eddy said the county went for former President Donald Trump in 2016 despite a 10,000-vote registration advantage for Democrats. Therefore, it is the independent voters who often make the difference for GOP candidates.

In that regard, Eddy said yard signs for other topline candidates, like state Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, have been flying out the door of his office, a few blocks outside the city proper.

PENNSYLVANIA LEADERS IN BOTH PARTIES TALK GROUND GAME AS GOP SEEKS TO UNDO MASSIVE GAINS

Laughlin’s seat is one of at least three that Democrats hope to flip this November, according to the Pennsylvania Independent.

Democrats are hoping for such a turn of events, which would give the party its first full operational control of state government in decades, according to state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, the state party chair. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis would be the tie-breaking vote in a 25-25 Senate, and winning four seats would give Democrats full control of the upper chamber.

In a recent interview, Street said Pennsylvania Democrats have seen 40,000 volunteers sign up since Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s nominee.

“The vice president has sort of set the world on fire,” he said.

However, Eddy remained confident Erie would help return Trump to the White House and maintain at least a divided state government — with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro not up for re-election, and a current four-seat GOP Senate majority and a one-seat Democratic House majority.

“Every week, Dan [Laughlin] brings in yard signs, and within two days they’re gone,” he said.

The same holds true for Trump-Vance and other races, he added.

He also credited his group of independent volunteers, including a local named Pat who has reportedly knocked on 2,500 doors in the county.

Eddy added that another strategy he and other Republicans are embracing this fall is mail-in and early voting.

On his regular visits to the courthouse to obtain more registration applications and the like, Eddy said he has seen lines of people waiting to vote early, something new to him and many others in the area.

When he would hand out such forms at GOP rallies during the 2020 cycle, many attendees did not want them because the practice was criticized on the right, Eddy said, adding that now, the party and Trump embrace early voting, and people are listening to the nominee’s advice.

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Along with getting people to vote early, targeting low-propensity voters has been important in Erie. These voters, who are not likely to go to the polls for one reason or another, are the prime electors to utilize an absentee or early ballot.

“You have this right that has been given to us from people generations before who did a lot of sacrificing to ensure that we have this right to control our government and not the other way around,” Eddy said. 

“If we don’t take advantage of that, we’re going to wind up like a lot of other third-world countries … So we’ve got this unique right to be able to pick the people to represent us. You should go out and vote for that person. It may not always be who I like. But as long as it’s who you want. That’s the important thing.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Laughlin, the Erie County Democratic Party as well as local Democrats, including the campaign of state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, who represents Erie. 

In comments to NPR, Erie County Democratic Chairman Sam Talarico said enthusiasm on his side has been “crazy” as well.

“[W]e had 60 people on our volunteer list the day before [Biden] dropped out. And right now, we have 310 people on our volunteer list,” he told the outlet.

Talarico added that it appears to be younger voters who are more energized now that Harris is the nominee.

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AAPI voters lean toward Harris over Trump on key issues in poll

Most Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) believe Vice President Kamala Harris will be more effective than former President Donald Trump on issues across the board, a new poll found.

The Monday poll from AAPI Data and the Associated Press found Harris leading Trump even on issues where other demographics favor the former president, such as economics and immigration. Harris leads on those issues 41%-34% and 42%-35% respectively.

Harris also holds a slim 39%-33% lead on crime. She is crushing Trump on her most popular issues, however. AAPI adults favor Harris 65%-16% on abortion; 64%-15% on race and inequality, and 59%-19% on healthcare.

The AP conducted the poll from Sept. 3-9, surveying 1,123 AAPI adults online and via telephone in a variety of languages. The poll advertises a margin of error of 4.7%.

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The Monday poll comes as other polls indicate Trump is making gains with Black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters.

OBAMA, STUMPING FOR HARRIS, REPEATEDLY TAKES AIM AT TRUMP

The progress is getting a reaction from Democrats, with former President Barack Obama admonishing Black men for their lack of enthusiasm for Harris last week. Harris’ campaign also announced an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” on Monday aimed at boosting financial and career prospects for Black men.

Obama, speaking Thursday at a Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh, referenced the surge in support among Black voters that boosted him toward victory in 2008 to become the nation’s first Black president. He bluntly said he couldn’t understand why Harris wasn’t enjoying the same level of enthusiasm, noting that the hesitation was “more pronounced with the brothers.”

PRO-TRUMP BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA

“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said. “I’ve got a problem with that.”

Speaking directly to Black males, the former president said that “part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”

Black supporters of Trump were quick to rebuke the former president.

“President Obama’s recent call for Black men to support Kamala Harris based solely on her skin color, rather than her policies, is deeply insulting,” the Black Men for Trump advisory board argued this weekend.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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Massachusetts town issues cease and desist to resident projecting political signs on town water tower

A resident of Hanson, Massachusetts has been asked to stop projecting political signs onto the town’s municipal water tower or face fines, according to a statement released by Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green.

Green issued the statement after she became aware the resident was projecting the image from his residence.

“On Friday, Oct. 11, the Town of Hanson became aware that a resident was projecting the image of a political sign from their property onto the Town of Hanson municipal water tower at 228 High St. This misleads the public into believing that this activity is sanctioned by or condoned by the Town,” the statement from Green read.

COURT RULES PENNSYLVANIA BOROUGH ORDINANCE CRACKING DOWN ON LAWN SIGNS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Green went on to say the Town “does not endorse candidates for any office from any political party.”

Town officials are combating the visibility of the “Trump 2024” campaign logo being projected onto the water tower with a floodlight; however, it was still visible as of Friday evening. And the Cease and Desist order being prepared for the violator will impose a $100 per day fine until the activity stops.

“Highway Department employees have positioned a spotlight to shine on the water tower to dim the projection. Further measures are being considered at this time,” the statement said. “This individual’s actions have the potential to cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars, including attorney fees, overtime to pay Highway Department workers to turn the spotlight on and off each day, and the potential for having to rent or purchase stronger lighting equipment. The $100 per day fine will likely not cover these expenses.”

Hanson officials wanted to be clear that they respect everyone’s rights and expression of political views as long as they do not insinuate that they are views of the town as a whole.

NEW YORK COMPANY UNVEILS 100-FOOT ‘VOTE FOR TRUMP’ SIGN, GETS SUED BY DEMOCRATIC MAYOR

“The Town of Hanson respects the free speech rights of all residents, and the right of all residents to express their political views, but not on Town property or in a manner that makes it appear that the Town of Hanson is endorsing any political candidate,” said the statement.

No further information is available at this time.

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AI sector frustrated by Congress’ slow pace keeping up with the advanced tech

People close to the growing artificial intelligence (AI) sector say the industry is frustrated with the pace at which Congress is handling the issue.

AI experts and those who work with the industry are particularly concerned with Election Day being less than a month away. With sophisticated AI technology becoming more accessible, instances of “deepfakes” and other misinformation are growing prevalent on social media, particularly as it relates to politics.

“Congress has struggled to pass national technology laws,” said Craig Albright, senior vice president for U.S. government relations at The Software Alliance.

He noted there was an appetite among lawmakers for more action but added “it’s also the case that Congress has really been almost entirely focused on things that are must-do. Like, keep the government open, increase the debt limit, reauthorize a program that helps keep the country safe from terrorists. And the tech policy has been in the ‘nice to do,’ category. … I think that’s really been one of the main impediments.”

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Tatiana Rice, deputy director for U.S. legislation at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), said, “In terms of the conversations I’ve had with the kind of companies that we work with, there certainly is a frustration there.”

FPF works with figures in big tech, business, academia and civil service to help those sectors better understand and craft policy around AI. 

“In the absence of federal actions, we’re seeing more states enacting their own laws, and, therefore, you see businesses are concerned about a forthcoming ‘patchwork of regulation,’ which makes compliance really difficult,” Rice explained.

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I think especially in an election year and as we get closer to the election, it becomes much more difficult, of course, for Congress to push things through.

“Congress has been trying to advance data privacy regulation for the past two decades. … The U.S. is one of the only G-20 nations that doesn’t have a federal privacy law,” she said. “So, there is reason to be pessimistic in how the lack of federal action really does have kind of consequences for businesses and consumers alike.”

Leaders in both the House and Senate have emphasized that getting lawmakers up to speed on AI is a priority for the 118th Congress, though they’ve diverged somewhat on what that means.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has favored a more narrow, targeted approach focused on educating members on AI but has shown little appetite for the kind of large-scale regulatory framework desired by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Now, with less than three months before the end of this congressional term, it’s unclear whether the two sides can compromise on some kind of action.

Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths, who has advised both the White House and the Senate on AI, noted there was progress being made with AI, particularly in the health and national security spheres, but noted that issues persist with misinformation, particularly as it relates to the election.

EXPERT WARNS UN’S ROLE IN AI REGULATION COULD LEAD TO SAFETY OVERREACH

“I do think that it’s been perhaps a little bit frustrating for the media and for the public that we haven’t seen as much quite as quickly,” Griffiths said. “There have been a number of efforts to bring things forward.

“In fairness, I have to say, artificial intelligence – it’s not a single technology. It is actually very complex and has many different parts to the technology, and then enabling technologies as well. It’s moving very, very quickly. … It really cuts across every part of society.”

All three experts who spoke with Fox News Digital brought the struggle back to Congress’ difficulties with privacy regulations, particularly since the rise of the internet.

“Privacy went out of the window at that point in time for young people, totally unaware of the longer-term implications of their interactions on social media. I think in some respects we are somewhat in that stage with AI,” Griffiths said.

Rice specifically brought up the issue of children’s online privacy.

“We’re seeing some movement,” Rice said. “But even things that have broad consensus, even that is having difficulty moving forward. So, it is not surprising that a little bit more nascent technology like AI or generative AI is moving at a slower pace.”

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Kamala Harris claims she’s got a gun, but Second Amendment supporters say good luck getting yours

Vice President Kamala Harris recently drew the ire of Second Amendment advocates after claiming she owned a “Glock” handgun, which contrasts with her previous support for bans and restrictions on these types of guns.

“I have a Glock, and I’ve had it for quite some time,” Harris said during a recent interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” citing her “background in law enforcement” as the reason she has it. 

The remark came after Harris and her campaign repeatedly highlighted that she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners, noting during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that anyone breaking into her home is “getting shot.”

However, throughout Harris’ long career, including stints as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, she repeatedly voiced support for banning or restricting citizens from legally possessing handguns. She also argued at the federal level that banning handguns does not violate the Constitution’s Second Amendment rights.

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Fox News Digital questioned the Harris campaign about what model Glock handgun the vice president owns but did not receive a response.

“Throughout her political career, Harris has been rabidly anti-gun and supported measures that prohibit the possession of handguns by law-abiding, peaceable Americans,” Randy Kozuch, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), told Fox News Digital.

“That position is not only radical in modern American politics but goes further than most gun control activists are willing to admit.”

As San Francisco’s district attorney, Harris sponsored a 2005 ballot measure known as Proposition H that sought to ban the manufacture, sale or possession of pistols by San Franciscans unless they are a member of law enforcement, in the military or work in private security. While the ballot measure was passed by voters, it was ultimately struck down by the courts in 2008 before it could ever take effect.

Despite the challenges to Proposition H, Harris intensified her campaign to restrict handguns in 2008. Harris, alongside a handful of other district attorneys, penned an amicus brief to the Supreme Court arguing a ban on handguns does not violate the Constitution. The court was considering the matter of handgun restrictions in D.C. v. Heller, a case that is widely considered the nation’s most prominent Second Amendment case. The court ultimately ruled the Constitution does protect a person’s right to own a handgun for self-defense and other lawful purposes. 

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Additionally, in 2013, as California’s attorney general, Harris took steps that one Second Amendment expert in California said severely restricted the types of handguns residents could own. 

In California, under the Unsafe Handgun Act passed in 2001, only certain approved pistols can be bought, sold or owned in the state. Harris, for her part, made that list even more restrictive when she acted to certify “microstamping” for all handguns in the state. 

“The manufacturer has to put this little raised number on the inside of the chamber and on the firing pin so that … if police find the cartridge case at a crime scene, they can try and trace it back to a gun,” said Chuck Michel, a California attorney who litigated against Proposition H on behalf of the NRA. 

He pointed out that the move “resulted in the number of models of handguns that are available for people to buy in California going from tens of thousands to just hundreds.”

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Michel also noted that Harris, as California attorney general, sought to block efforts to eliminate the state’s requirement that gun owners show “good cause” to obtain a concealed carry permit.            

“Kamala Harris never met a gun control law that she didn’t like,” Michel said. “She supported everything that the extreme progressive San Francisco City Council ever proposed. She tried to limit concealed carry by intervening in a court case to block a Ninth Circuit win. She obviously supported Prop H. And she supported the D.C. handgun ban with an amicus brief in the Heller case that she took the lead on. And she certified microstamping.”

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However, while critics like Michel say Harris is a hypocrite for being a gun owner, Clark Neily, one of the co-counsels who successfully argued the Heller case, said he didn’t think there was anything “hypocritical or duplicitous” about Harris owning a handgun while also taking the stance that the Constitution does not protect one’s right to own one.

“For example, many thoughtful people think women should be able to have an abortion — and have had or would have an abortion themselves — but nevertheless don’t believe there’s a constitutional right to an abortion.”