A new requirement in New York that will take effect this weekend is set to grant Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James widespread power over the state’s election process, a New York election attorney said. 

“Nobody is really talking about it or what a big effect it’s going to have,” election attorney Joseph T. Burns, partner at the law firm Holtzman Vogel, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview this week. “But it’s interesting because, look, there’s a lot of bad stuff that happens in New York when it comes to the elections and everything else, but this strikes me as being particularly bad. And it’s certainly quite a power grab by the attorney general as well.”

Under the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, which Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law in 2022, a preclearance requirement in the law is set to take effect on Sept. 22. The new rule requires certain jurisdictions in the Empire State to request preclearance from the attorney general or a designated court to make election-related decisions, which range from changing the hours of early voting to culling deceased residents from a voter list, Burns said. 

Burns published an op-ed in the New York Post this week, warning that the new law hands James “unprecedented power over election processes in some of the most hotly contested congressional districts in the nation, including those on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley.” The upcoming requirement has flown under the radar, Burns said, telling Fox Digital, “Nobody’s talking about. It’s pretty remarkable.”

“The new rule upends the system of constitutionally mandated, bipartisan election administration that has served New York’s voters ably for generations,” Burns wrote in his op-ed, which was published on Sept. 15. “The law requires certain counties, cities, towns, villages and school districts to get the blessing of the AG or a designated court before making election-related or voting-related changes.”

The new rule covers massive jurisdictions such as New York City and nine counties on Long Island, including America’s largest township of Hempstead, as well as other areas known as “covered entities” under the requirement. 

The jurisdictions are determined by a handful of factors, including arrest rates for residents of “protected classes” and whether a jurisdiction committed civil rights or voting rights violations in the last 25 years, Burns said, citing documents from James’ office last year that detailed the rules. 

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Burns, who has a background in Republican politics and election legal issues, told Fox Digital there are “four triggers” that label a jurisdiction a “covered entity.”

“Any political subdivision which, within the previous 25 years, has become subject to a court order or government enforcement action based upon a finding of any violation of this title, the Federal Voting Rights Act, the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution or a voting-related violation of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Burns said, reading from the 2023 document published by James’ office.

Burns gave an example of Erie County, which is considered a “covered entity” under the new rules, when the jurisdiction was hit with a court order involving the 14th Amendment about a decade ago.

“You think, ‘Wow, this sounds really sinister,’” he said of the 2014 court order. “‘They’re probably doing something. They’re disenfranchising a minority.’”

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“No, not at all. What happened was the county executive and the county legislature couldn’t agree on a redistricting plan,” Burns said of the case. “… Something like that would put a local government under preclearance.”

“It isn’t just bad policy, because it undermines the bipartisan nature of the boards of elections. Which, again, they’re not perfect, there’s so many inefficiencies. But by and large, in this day and age where people are so concerned about election integrity, what’s better than having both sides have a stake in the outcome, both sides wanting to and needing to make sure that elections are run smoothly and fairly? And now you have a partisan elected official stepping in to essentially have a veto power over our boards of elections,” Burns said. 

Under New York’s Constitution, elections are run by bipartisan boards that equally represent the Republican and Democrat parties. 

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“One side watches the other, and both parties have a stake in ensuring that elections run smoothly – even in jurisdictions heavily dominated by one party or the other, like New York City. It’s not a perfect system, and it certainly has its inefficiencies. But it successfully preserves voter confidence,” Burns wrote in his op-ed. 

“The preclearance rules of the state VRA, however, undermine this constitutionally mandated system of bipartisan election administration,” he added. 

Burns said it’s possible the new rule, which will go into effect roughly 40 days before the presidential election, could cause some hiccups at the polls this year.

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“It’s certainly possible. I mean, what’s going to happen if, God forbid, an early voting site or an Election Day poll site … and a pipe breaks and it floods and it’s unusable, or there’s a fire in the facility and it burns down. They got to move it.”

Local commissioners would then choose a new poll site before filing an application with the AG’s office. Burns said he’s not arguing that the AG’s office wouldn’t swiftly approve the application but rather it adds additional layers of paperwork and clearance to run an election.

“New Yorkers of all political parties and persuasions want elections to be run fairly, honestly and efficiently – and the state’s system of bipartisan election administration already serves voters well,” Burns wrote in his op-ed. 

“Our elections – and the public’s faith in them – will not be improved by the AG’s meddling.”

Fox News Digital reached out to James’ office regarding the upcoming requirement and Burns’ concerns in the op-ed but did not receive a response prior to publication.

New legislation signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom regulating AI-generated “deepfake” election content and requiring the removal of “deceptive content” from social media is now being challenged in court.

The new laws build on legislation passed years earlier regulating campaign ads and communications, according to the governor’s office.

But two of the three new laws are being challenged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California by a conservative poster – @MrReaganUSA – Fox News Digital has learned. The account had posted an AI-generated parody of a Harris campaign ad that resurfaced and went viral after Newsom signed the bills. 

“This chills free speech, particularly for political commentators like Mr. Reagan, who use satire to critique public figures and rely on social media viewership for their livelihood,” said the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, the public interest firm filing the lawsuit on behalf of @MrReaganUSA, in a news release.

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The legislation, which Newsom’s office says will not ban memes or parodies, will instead require all satire or parody content to either remove their content or display a disclaimer label that the content is digitally altered. One of the laws also exempts “Materially deceptive content that constitutes satire or parody.”

But the attorney for the account holder suing California, Theodore Frank, told Fox News Digital in an interview that there’s a provision in one of the laws that would require social media platforms to have “a large censorship apparatus and respond to complaints within 36 hours.”

“And what’s going to happen is that social media is just going to ban us so that they don’t have to have a big infrastructure to deal with it. They’re not going to look to see whether something counts as parody,” Frank said.

“There’s a provision that allows lawsuits against the makers of the videos, if, unless there are these really burdensome disclosure requirements that basically require you to use the entire screen to have the disclosure and requires them to take down years of videos and spend hours on hours re-cutting them with the disclosure requirements and then having a disclosure that’s louder than the video itself, and that takes away the entire comedic event,” Frank added.

The law makes it illegal to create and publish deepfakes ahead of Election Day and 60 days thereafter. It also allows courts to stop distribution of the materials and impose civil penalties, per the Associated Press.

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X allows parody accounts so long as they distinguish themselves as such “in their account name and in their bio,” per the company’s website. The platform does not have rules around individual posts containing parody and has been known to label deepfakes if the poster does not do so.

There are similar laws already in place in Alabama, and Frank said they’re prepared to file suit against those, too.

“I don’t think Republicans are immune to over-legislating in this area, but there are certainly other states that are doing this. And you know, I think it depends on who’s in power and who’s getting made fun of,” he said.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said, “The person who created this misleading deepfake in the middle of an election already labeled the post as a parody on X. Requiring them to use the word ‘parody’ on the actual video avoids further misleading the public as the video is shared across the platform.”

“It’s unclear why this conservative activist is suing California. This new disclosure law for election misinformation isn’t any more onerous than laws already passed in other states, including Alabama,” Gardon said. “We’re proud California did expand the law to also include misinformation about election workers for two months after an election — so that malicious actors don’t attempt to disrupt the democratic process.”

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Newsom has previously condemned such satirical election content generated by AI. In response to the altered election ad of Harris, which Elon Musk reposted, Newsom said in July. “Manipulating a voice in an ‘ad’ like this one should be illegal. I’ll be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is.”

Fox Business’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

The election season is in full swing Friday as Virginia becomes the first state to allow in-person early voting in the 2024 cycle and six other states – Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming – make absentee ballots available, some with restrictions. 

Two competitive states begin voting today, beginning with Minnesota. 

The midwestern state has voted for Democrats in every election since 1972, but with a higher proportion of White working class voters and deep red rural pockets, the result has remained within competitive margins every cycle. Biden won by about 7 points in 2020.

The president’s weaknesses put this state a touch more in play through the middle of the year; the same time the Trump campaign announced they were opening more field offices there. But with Harris reenergizing Democrats and Minnesota’s Tim Walz as her running mate, this state is likely to stay in Democratic hands.

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It’s a similar story in Virginia, which is home to heavily populated blue areas in the northeast near DC, and ruby red vote in the southwest. That leaves places like Virginia Beach and Chesterfield as the battlegrounds. Biden won the Old Dominion by just over 10 points in the last election, so it would take a very good night for Republicans to pick this off. This state is Likely D on the Power Rankings. 

Across the seven states that will begin early voting in some form today, there are only three competitive U.S. Senate, House, or Governor races:

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Arkansas.

Friday is the deadline for Arkansas county clerks to send absentee ballots to U.S. service members and other citizens living abroad who have already applied. Absentee ballots must be mailed to voters with an excuse for not being able to vote in-person no later than Oct. 11.

Oct. 29 is the deadline for all absentee ballot applications to be received by county clerks. The ballot must be submitted to the state by Nov. 1 if in-person and by Nov. 5 if by mail.

Residents can vote early beginning Oct. 21 at the county clerk’s office. Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Nov. 1.

Oct. 7 is the deadline for Arkansans to register to vote. 

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This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Idaho.

Idaho began absentee voting Friday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 25, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Early in-person voting begins October 21. Absentee ballots can also be submitted in-person through Election Day. See your Idaho’s voting website for more information. 

Idaho allows residents to register to vote in person at early voting or on Election Day. Online voter registration ends 24 days before Election Day.

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Minnesota.

Minnesota began absentee voting Friday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Nov. 4, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day. Early voting policies vary by location. See your Minnesota’s voting website for more information. 

Minnesota residents may register to vote online, in-person during early voting or in-person on Election Day.

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This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for South Dakota.

South Dakota began absentee voting Friday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The county must receive a ballot application by Nov. 4, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5.

Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day.

South Dakota residents need to register to vote by Oct. 21.

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Virginia.

Virginia began absentee voting Friday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The voter’s county must receive a ballot application by Oct. 25, and that ballot must be submitted by Nov. 5. An emergency absentee ballot may be requested until Nov. 4, but some restrictions apply.

Early in-person voting also began Friday, and will continue through Nov. 2. Absentee ballots can be submitted in-person through Election Day.

Virginia residents who desire to vote must register by Oct. 15, though they may register until Election Day and vote using a provisional ballot.

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for West Virginia.

West Virginia began absentee voting Friday. Applicants will need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The county must receive a ballot application by Oct. 30, and that ballot must be submitted by Nov. 5.

Early in-person voting begins Oct. 23 and will continue through Nov. 2. Absentee ballots can be submitted in-person through Nov. 4. 

West Virginians wishing to vote in the general election must register online, by mail or in-person by Oct. 15. 

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Wyoming. 

Wyoming began absentee voting Friday for U.S. service members or citizens abroad. Absentee voting for others begins Oct. 8, and ballots must be submitted by Nov. 5. 

In-person absentee voting begins on Oct. 8 and runs through Nov. 4.

Voter registration closes Oct. 21. 

By the end of September, 26 states and Washington, D.C., are expected to have begun some form of voting.

Since the 1970s, the state of New Jersey has regulated sunblock as an over-the-counter medication, which means it can be prohibited in schools, according to state lawmakers.

State Assemb. Nancy Munoz, R-Union, put forward a bill Wednesday directing schools to allow students to use sunscreen and for faculty to assist in certain situations.

Munoz is a former nurse, who said visiting the Jersey Shore isn’t the only place people are susceptible to the repercussions of sun exposure.

“Children need protection during the entire day, including recess, sports, and outside activities. Sunscreen, along with protective clothing and shade, are the most effective ways to protect children from the risk of getting skin cancer,” she said. 

“However, it is not readily accessible at schools without a doctor’s note because the [FDA] classifies it as an over-the-counter drug.”

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Munoz noted that sunblock is indeed subject to federal regulation and testing as it prevents or treats disease, but that students need access to it.

Dr. Seth Matarasso, president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that 90% of skin cancer is preventable.

“Helping to reduce our children’s UV ray exposure, while instilling in them lifelong sun-safe habits, is one of the best things we can do to protect them,” he said.

“I’m pleased New Jersey is taking the initiative to protect children from overexposure to the sun.”

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Unprotected ultraviolet light exposure is the most preventable skin cancer risk factor, as Munoz said the disease is the most common form of cancer in the U.S.

Last September, “Margaritaville” scribe and longtime performer Jimmy Buffett passed away after battling an aggressive form of skin cancer called Merkel-cell carcinoma. Nearly 8,000 other Americans died last year from more-common melanoma skin cancer.

“It is up to us as adults to protect the health and wellbeing of New Jersey’s children through reasonable and commonsense legislation,” Munoz said, adding scholastic sports and recess should not come with such risks.

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The bill has also received its first co-sponsor, Assemb. Michele Matsikoudis, R-New Providence, as of Thursday morning.

In Congress, another Garden State lawmaker sounded the alarm on skin cancer risks, launching a “Sunscreen Safety Plan” to streamline the FDA approval process among other goals.

“One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, and more than two people die of skin cancer in our country every hour,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said in a recent statement.

“It’s critical that more Americans wear sunscreen and that we all have access to the absolute best and latest sun-protecting products on the market.”

Gottheimer also said only 35% of U.S.-marketed sunblocks pass what are reportedly more stringent European Union standards.

Supporters of former President Trump in New York pleaded for his return to office, telling Fox News Digital outside his Uniondale, New York, rally that immigration and crime were at the top of their minds before November.  

Former President Trump returned to the deep blue state he long called home Wednesday for a rally on Long Island just days after a second assassination attempt on his life. 

“The main issue for me is illegal immigration. I believe in immigration, but just not illegally,” Mary Beth O’Hare told Fox News Digital outside the Nassau Coliseum. “And I think our city in particular is being overrun with illegals, and we are eventually going to pay the price for that if we’re not already, and we see it in our own communities. 

“And I also think it’s not fair to the migrants as well. I think they’re being told that they’re going to get something fantastic when they get here. And when you actually speak to them, you realize that they’re not happy either. So, all around, it’s just an unfair situation.

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“I do think New York is in need of a revival. And, as a matter of fact, I just sold my home, and we’re thinking about leaving New York as well. And it’s because you just don’t feel safe and secure here,” O’Hare added. “And it’s just gotten so expensive that you can’t see your own family being able to create a family here and continue the legacy that you started.

“I think it’s time that we figure out why it is so expensive to live here and make it more affordable for younger people.”

“First and foremost is the open border. I’ve seen Manhattan especially overcome by the illegal immigrants that have been traveling through the night on large jets and landing in our cities. I really see it in New York. And it’s not good,” Amy Hesse told Fox News Digital. “Trump is a New Yorker. That is his home. And he will turn that city around and turn the state of New York around. Go Trump 2024.” 

Another Trump supporter, Tom, said immigration was one of the major issues facing New York state, where he predicted Trump was rallying not to win for himself but to generate support for GOP congressmen. 

“It’s important for the sake of Republicans maintaining the House that these moderate districts remain in Republican hands, like the ones on Long Island, the ones in the Hudson River Valley,” he told Fox News Digital. “I think this is an opportunity to get good publicity that even within the heavy blue area of the state of New York, he can still bring out crowds like this peacefully, patriotically and joyfully celebrating the day.

“I am the son of immigrants. I am proud to be the son of immigrants. And I believe that if you come into this country lawfully and want to be a part of the American dream, you are welcome,” Tom added. 

“But that is not what is transpiring right now. And our cities, much less to be said in New York about this. We have had so many illegal immigrants come into this country that the infrastructure is bending. We don’t have the money to school these people properly. We don’t have the money to house these people properly. Right now, 25% of all the hotel rooms occupied in the city of New York are occupied by migrants. 

“We are paying for this instead of using this money to educate our own children. Even in the inner cities, where they’re dying for additional funding for education. Instead, we’re welcoming these people in, and we don’t have any place to put them.” 

A man wearing a “Jews For Trump” shirt outside the rally said he wanted to dispel the misconception that most Jews would vote for Kamala Harris, especially after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. 

“If you look at everyone around you, the crime has gone up. Our cars are being broken into,” the man said. “The homes are being broken into. People are afraid to buy houses right now just because they’re afraid it’s going to be broken into. It’s not the way it was under Trump. The crime was less. The economy was better. Everything was better. There was no complaints. All the complaints we have is the crime is through the roof. The economy. We’re paying through the roof for everything right now. Vote Trump.” 

He said the government has been housing a lot of migrants in his neighborhood in Queens. 

“I get worried about my wife and kids a lot because of that,” he said. “Because there is crime going on. We don’t know who these migrants are. Yes, some of them could be good, but we don’t know. No one’s vetted them. And they just came into the country. We don’t know anything about them.”

“New York needs to change. You know, New York used to be so prosperous. Like, New York was the hub of the entire world in regards to finance. And now it’s just like everybody’s leaving New York. The policies are horrendous,” Nick Passino, part of a group of Trump supporters who call themselves the MAGA Boyz, told Fox News Digital.

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Passino said he and his friend, Devin Dashnaw, were in the front row of Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when the July 13 assassination attempt unfolded. 

He said their group stood behind Trump at his subsequent rally in Michigan to show support. Trump is keeping up his public rally schedule after another assassination attempt while the former president was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, over the weekend. Passino said Trump is making a statement “that he’s willing to do whatever it takes for the American people.” 

“Even though they tried to take him out like — what, a couple of days ago? — now he’s doing a rally here in New York. He’s just, you know, it’s business as usual,” Passino told Fox News Digital. “He’s not scared. He’s going to continue doing it. And, you know, MAGA. MAGA will live on no matter what.” 

As for Kamala Harris, Passino said “she has no policies, and she has nothing to speak on. That’s why she always reflects back to the way she used to grow up.”

“Nobody cares how you grew up, Kamala. What are you going to do now?” he said. “I mean, we’ve already seen what you’re doing now because you’re in office, which is, you know, trash the economy, open borders. Like, it’s not going to change. It’s only going to get worse.” 

Another Trump supporter, Matt, told Fox News Digital immigration was the most important issue influencing his vote given he personally knows someone who died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. 

“Not even as a New Yorker, but an American as a whole,” Matt said, specifying that he’s against illegal immigration. “They’re illegal for a reason. I mean, they’re able to take jobs, but are they paying the taxes that everyone else is paying? And there’s even some reports that they’ve been able to vote in some places. So, it’s just America first.” 

As for Trump still rallying, Matt said, “He’s a billionaire. He doesn’t have to be here. He could be out on a yacht wherever he wants, a cruise ship. But he’s here fighting for us. So, it means the world to everyone here.”

Esther Rivera, who waved a “Latinos For Trump” sign outside the rally, told Fox News Digital “migrants is not a problem. Illegal immigrants is the problem.” 

“Having a wall doesn’t mean don’t come in. It means knock the door first. Enter legally,” she said. 

A group of Democratic lawmakers is calling for the U.S. to restore funding to a controversial United Nations agency that supports much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees but faced accusations that some of its employees participated in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

Speaking at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday afternoon, Democratic Reps. André Carson of Indiana, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, among others, said passing H.R. 9649, or the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, was crucial for helping Gazans.

Carson, who sponsored the bill, portrayed a dire situation in Gaza, calling current conditions “absolutely deplorable” and “inhumane.” 

“One million. That’s the number of estimated Gazans who will not have enough food this month. 700,000. That’s the number of women and girls in Gaza who do not have access to menstrual products or even running water and toilet paper. 100,000. That is the number of Palestinians who have been seriously injured without access to functioning hospitals. 41,000. That’s the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since Oct. 7th,” Carson said. 

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Jayapal said the UNRWA has, for decades, “played an integral role in supporting the welfare of Palestinian refugees to ensure that they can live with dignity.” 

“Unfortunately, UNWRA has been under constant attack by those who want to put a stop to this lifesaving work. The stoppage of funding was an unnecessary and dangerous interruption to continue to provide the humanitarian assistant that is so necessary,” she said. 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, has been one of the central agencies distributing aid to Palestinians in Gaza over the course of Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. It has around 30,000 employees. 

In January, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres tasked the U.N.’s investigative arm, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, to investigate allegations by Israel that UNRWA staff took part in the Oct. 7 massacre.

Nearly 20 UNRWA staff members were investigated, but the U.N. only found enough evidence to dismiss nine people.  

Still, Israel’s allegations initially led top donor countries — most notably, the U.S. — to suspend funding for UNRWA, causing a cash crunch of $450 million. Since then, all donor countries — except for the U.S. — have resumed funding. 

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Schakowsky said it was “shameful” that the U.S. decided to cut funding to UNRWA because only a “tiny number” of the agency’s roughly 30,000 employees were alleged to have been involved in terrorist activities. 

“Every other country, among those of our allies that had decided to stop funding UNRWA, have changed their mind. So now it is the United States alone,” Schakowsky said. “And the fact that the United States has decided that it’s not going to be there means a danger to the people who are dying, in danger of dying every single day, including children and women and families and everyone for basic needs that they have. And that is shameful. We cannot allow that.”

H.R. 9649 has 65 co-sponsors and support from more than 100 human rights organizations. But not everyone is supportive of restoring funding. 

Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, said lawmakers’ support of H.R. 9649 whitewashes the UNRWA’s alleged “connections to terrorism” and sends “the wrong message to Israel and America’s enemies at the wrong time.” 

“Let’s get the facts straight: UNRWA employees directly participated in October 7 atrocities; 10% of UNRWA employees are reported to have ties to multiple Palestinian terror organizations; a significant percentage of UNRWA’s senior education leadership are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” Bayefsky said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Bayefsky also noted that “UNRWA facilities — including schools — have been used as Hamas command and control centers and weapons depots [and] UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters powered a Hamas data center directly beneath it.” 

Bayefsky slammed the UNRWA for not having taken, in her view, “serious steps towards accountability or prevention… while at the same time demanding more funding.” 

“This is not a small drop in a fictional ocean of humanitarianism,” Bayefsky said. “UNRWA’s ties to Palestinian terrorism emanate from raising a generation of Palestinian Arabs on the hatred of Jews in its schools, upending the meaning of a ‘refugee’ to serve as a vehicle to eviscerate the Jewish state. And spreading slanderous lies guaranteed to undermine peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis to the detriment of all.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the UNRWA for comment on H.R. 9649. The U.N., meanwhile, told Fox News Digital it does “not comment on legislations in countries. But we’ve been clear that UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian support for Palestinian people and should be supported.” 

NEWFIELDS, N.H. — A new poll in New Hampshire, home to the only competitive gubernatorial election this year, indicates a close race in the battle to succeed popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

And the results of the survey and another poll released in the Granite State earlier in the week suggest former President Trump’s standing in New Hampshire in the White House race may be a drag on down-ballot Republicans.

According to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig holds a razor-thin 47%-46% edge over former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican nominee.

A poll released earlier this week from the Saint Anselm College Survey Center also indicated a coin-flip race, with Ayotte holding a slight edge.

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Ayotte, thanks to her six years in the Senate and her tenure as a state attorney general before her service on Capitol Hill, has far greater name identification than Craig and has a sizable campaign cash advantage over her rival.

But the new polls suggest Trump may be doing Ayotte no favors.

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“Kelly’s very popular, but I do think Trump’s a burden,” longtime Granite State-based GOP consultant and former state attorney general Tom Rath told Fox News.

Trump came within roughly 3,000 votes of carrying New Hampshire in his 2016 presidential election victory. But four years ago, President Biden topped Trump by over seven points in New Hampshire.

The UNH poll indicates Trump is down by 11 points to Vice President Kamala Harris. And the Saint Anselm College survey points to an upper single-digit lead for Harris in New Hampshire.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION POLLING 

“If this were a straight-up election without the presidential race on it, I think Kelly would have a lead outside the margin of error,” argued Rath, who stayed unaffiliated in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race and served as a top adviser to Trump rival and then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 GOP nomination battle.

A New Hampshire-based Republican strategist told Fox News “Trump is definitely an anchor on Kelly and her campaign right now, and she’s the flagship.”

The strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, noted that Ayotte’s “status as a flagship means everybody’s taking shots at her. There’s not a lot of evidence of activity in New Hampshire by the Trump campaign, so it’s really Kelly versus the world right now.”

And another Granite State-based Republican consultant also pointed to meager involvement and resources in New Hampshire coming from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

“Kelly’s out fighting this thing all by herself. That’s not a good place to be. You need other people drawing fire,” said the consultant, who also asked for anonymity. “[Trump’s] not focusing on New Hampshire. His bad poll numbers and lack of enthusiasm is dragging the whole ticket down.”

Craig, who served three two-year terms steering the Granite State’s largest city, narrowly topped Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat on the state’s five-member Executive Council, to capture their party’s nomination in last week’s state primary.

Ayotte, a former state attorney general before winning election to the Senate in 2010, soundly defeated former New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination. 

Sununu, who decided against running for re-election this year after winning four straight two-year terms as New Hampshire governor (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the nation that elect governors every two years) endorsed Ayotte this summer in her primary race.

And Ayotte pledges to continue the Sununu agenda if elected to succeed the popular GOP governor.

Ayotte was a rising star in the Republican Party in 2016 with a burgeoning profile on national security as she was running for re-election.

But just ahead of the 2016 election, she withdrew her support for Trump over the “Access Hollywood” controversy, when Trump made crude comments about grabbing women without their consent.

“I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” Ayotte said at the time. 

Ayotte lost re-election by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes to then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

Ayotte stayed neutral in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary, but she endorsed Trump in early March, right after he clinched the GOP nomination.

Rath, pointing to Ayotte’s backing of Trump, said “her position, which was to embrace him and not create space, I understand why she’s made it, and you take the consequences of it … if that’s the top of the ticket, and you’re the next level down, it’s really hard to get around that problem in a race.”

Also working against Ayotte is an avalanche of negative ads that have been running against her all summer, courtesy of national Democratic groups.

The attacks have helped to raise Ayotte’s negative ratings in both the UNH Survey Center and Saint Anselm College polls.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., placed blame on former President Trump and Republicans for a potential partial government shutdown after the House failed to pass a stopgap spending measure on Wednesday. 

He filed cloture on Thursday in a procedural move in order to act as quickly as possible once the House passes a continuing resolution (CR), which is a short-term measure that would keep spending levels steady. 

“By filing today, I am giving the Senate maximum flexibility for preventing a shutdown,” Schumer explained in remarks on the Senate floor. Because he filed the vehicle sooner, a vote on a forthcoming CR could also take place sooner. 

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

“Democrats and Americans don’t want a Trump shutdown,” he said, dubbing a potential partial shutdown with the moniker of Trump’s name. “I dare say most Republicans — at least in this chamber — don’t want to see a Trump shutdown. And the American people certainly don’t want their elected representatives in Washington creating a shutdown for the sake of Donald Trump’s claims, when it’s clear he doesn’t even know how the legislative process works.”

The New York Democrat made the decision to file the legislative vehicle after the Republican-backed CR brought to the floor by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., failed, 202 to 220, with two members of his party voting “present.” Nine Republicans also voted against the six-month stopgap spending bill, which included a measure to require proof of citizenship in order to vote. Three Democrats voted in favor of it. 

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

Lawmakers must pass a CR before the beginning of October to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

While Republicans in both the House and Senate have called for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to be included in a spending bill, Schumer and Democrats have made it clear that they aren’t willing to get on board with a package that includes what they consider a “poison pill.” 

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

Trump has sounded off on the spending fight, writing on Truth Social, “If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form.”

Schumer slammed the former president in his floor remarks, asking, “How does anyone expect Donald Trump to be a president when he has such little understanding of the legislative process? He’s daring the Congress to shut down.”

He further urged that “our Republican colleagues should not blindly follow Donald Trump.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday responded to Trump’s post, telling reporters, “the one thing I will tell you is I don’t think it’s to anybody’s political benefit, you know, this far out from an election to have a government shutdown.” 

In Schumer’s statement following the House’s failed vote and several times during his floor speech, he labeled a potential partial government shutdown as a “Trump shutdown,” foreshadowing how Democrats plan to cast blame on the presidential candidate and Republicans if a shutdown does ultimately take place. 

GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE

Republicans have privately expressed concerns that any potential partial shutdown would reflect poorly on the GOP, more so than the Democrats. 

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., recently told reporters that he didn’t believe Republicans had much leverage in the CR discussion. He also claimed, “I don’t think Chuck Schumer cares one bit if the government gets shut down, so long as Republicans can be blamed for it.”

“And if the government gets shut down, Republicans will be blamed for it,” he predicted. 

FIRST ON FOX: The head of immigration enforcement under former President Trump is seeking to sound the alarm about Vice President Kamala Harris’ “open borders” policies and the truth about the crisis at the southern border — just as Harris is claiming she is the right candidate to tackle the border.

Tom Homan, a Fox News contributor who previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Trump, is preparing to engage in a series of virtual town halls with his nonprofit, Border911 Inc.

He intends for the town halls to bring awareness to the facts about the consequences of the ongoing crisis at the southern border, including sex trafficking and the smuggling of fentanyl into the U.S.

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE

As part of that, Homan is challenging the narrative by Harris that she is tough on border security. A recent ad by Harris said that “fixing the border is tough, so is Kamala Harris.”

Border911 Inc., which is led by experts on border and national security from both Republican and Democratic administrations, is releasing a video that instead points to past comments by Harris that it says conflict with that narrative. 

They include her saying she was open to “starting from scratch” with ICE, decriminalizing illegal crossings, saying she supported “sanctuary” city laws and comparing ICE to the Ku Klux Klan as a senator.

“Kamala Harris wants everyone to believe she’s some border hawk now. But going all the way back to her days as DA in San Francisco, her statements and policies make it clear where she stands,” Homan, who served under multiple administrations, told Fox News Digital. “The fact is, she’s an open borders radical and, along with Joe Biden, she’s personally responsible for the current crisis.”

HARRIS SHIFTS POSITIONS ON BORDER, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AS CAMPAIGN PROMISES ‘PRAGMATIC’ APPROACH

Republicans and the Trump campaign have zeroed in on the border, including Harris’ role in tackling root causes of migration. They have linked the historic highs seen during the border crisis to the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies they see as having successfully brought the border under control.

Conservatives have sought to paint Harris as a radical on illegal immigration, pointing to many of the same remarks featured in the video, just as the Harris campaign has sought to present her as the right candidate for border security.

A Harris campaign adviser told Fox News last month that Harris’ positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Her campaign said she believes illegal border crossings are illegal and supports “continuing to ensure sufficient resources to enforce our laws and prioritize detention and removal for individuals who pose threats to public safety and national security, as well as ensure compliance with immigration proceedings and decisions, including removal.”

More broadly, it has pointed to her backing of the bipartisan Senate package that emerged from negotiations in the chamber earlier this year, which increases funding for the border, including ICE bed space and a mechanism to limit asylum entries into the U.S. Conservatives said that bill would only serve to codify high levels of illegal immigration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“The only ‘plan’ Donald Trump has to secure our border is ripping mothers from their children and a few xenophobic placards at the Republican National Convention. He tanked the bipartisan border security deal because, for Donald Trump, this has never been about solutions, just running on a problem,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. 

“Like everything with Donald Trump, it’s never been about helping the country, it’s only about helping himself. There’s only one candidate in this race who will fight for bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security, and that’s Vice President Harris,” he said.

Homan, however, says he isn’t trying to tell voters who they should pick in November, just to present the facts.

“We want to show the American people the truth so they can make their own decisions,” he told Fox News Digital.

Warning: Graphic Materials

Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson denied involvement in an alleged pornography scandal that surfaced Thursday, vowing to remain in the race to become the Old North State’s next governor. 

CNN published a report Thursday afternoon alleging Robinson’s previous use of a pornography site, called “Nude Africa,” where he allegedly messaged with fellow users regarding peeping on women in locker rooms as a teenager, describing himself as a “black NAZI” and declaring a fondness for transgender pornography. 

Just before the report was published, Robinson posted a video to his X account vowing to stay in the race while calling the then-anticipated report “tabloid trash.” 

“Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with to salacious trap, tabloid trash,” he said in the X video. 

NC GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MARK ROBINSON FACING CALLS TO DROP OUT AMID RUMORS OF LOOMING BOMBSHELL

CNN’s report alleged that Robinson used a pseudonym on the porn site, “minisoldr,” to discuss how he enjoys watching transgender pornography, as well as recounting how he allegedly peeped on women in a locker room as a 14-year-old.

“I came to a spot that was a dead end but had two big vent covers over it! It just so happened it overlooked the showers! I sat there for about an hour and watched as several girls came in and showered,” Robinson allegedly wrote on Nude Africa of peeping on women as a teenager.

In another post in 2010, CNN reported Robinson allegedly stated, “I’m a Black Nazi!” while discussing Black Republicans. 

The alleged use of the chat forums played out between 2008 and 2012, according to CNN, well before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019, when he announced his run for lieutenant governor. 

REPUBLICAN MARK ROBINSON ON HISTORIC LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WIN: ‘THIS PARTY IS OPEN TO EVERYBODY’

Robinson pinned blame on his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, for leaking the allegations to the media. 

“North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be Governor. Josh remains focused on winning this campaign so that together we can build a safer, stronger North Carolina for everyone,” Stein’s campaign told Fox News Digital. 

In comments to CNN, Robinson again denied the report. 

“This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to get into the minutia of how somebody manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies.”

Reports mounted early Thursday that Robinson was allegedly facing pressure from Republican allies to drop out of the race after word spread that he was facing a damning news article related to his alleged use of adult websites in the 2000s.

Before the CNN report was published, Robinson’s campaign communications director patently said the reports were false. 

“Whomever your sources are here, it is complete fiction,” comms director Michael Lonergan told the Carolina Journal earlier Thursday. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Robinson on Thursday, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

NRA SUPPORTS GOP CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR WHO WENT VIRAL FOR PRO-GUN SPEECH: ‘I’M THE MAJORITY’

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) released a statement following CNN’s report, arguing it is the “latest proof that Mark Robinson is unhinged, dangerous, and completely unfit to be governor.”

“Now, as many Republicans warn against the damage Robinson would do as governor, it’s clear that the stakes have never been higher and we must keep our foot on the gas to defeat him in November,” DGA deputy communications director Izzi Levy said. 

North Carolina Republican Rep. Richard Hudson told Fox News that the “the allegations are very concerning,” but that he is not calling on Robinson to drop out of the race, as he needs to “have the opportunity to explain to the people in North Carolina exactly how these allegations aren’t true.”

“My hope is that the governor can reassure the people of North Carolina that the allegations aren’t true,” Hudson said. 

North Carolina outlet The Assembly published a separate and lengthy report on Sept. 3 alleging Robinson routinely visited porn shops, viewing materials in a private booth, according to former employees and customers. Robinson’s alleged visits to adult stores unfolded in the 1990s and 2000s, before his transition into the political sphere, according to the report. 

Lonergan denied the findings in The Assembly’s report, calling it “complete and total fiction.”

“This false and personal attack on my boss is complete fiction,” Lonergan told the outlet. 

Robinson assumed office as North Carolina lieutenant governor in 2021, becoming the first African American to hold the office. He announced last April he would run for governor. 

NORTH CAROLINA’S REPUBLICAN LT GOV MARK ROBINSON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE DEMOCRAT GOV ROY COOPER

Robinson went viral in 2018 when he delivered an impassioned speech regarding gun laws during a city council meeting in Greensboro, before he was elected to political office. His speech came in response to local leaders debating whether to cancel a gun show following the Parkland school shooting in Florida that same year. 

“I’m a law-abiding citizen who’s never shot anybody,” Robinson said at the meeting, which was viewed 200 million times. “Every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to put the blame where it goes, which is at the shooter’s feet. You want to put it at my feet. You want to turn around and restrict my right.”

He previously worked as a furniture factory employee in North Carolina and is an Army veteran, before climbing the GOP’s political ladder, including earning endorsements from former President Trump and the NRA. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.