NationalWatch

Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly: 'Arizonans Are Sick' of Biden's Border Policies (Newsmax)

By Brian Freeman | Wednesday, 26 October 2022 12:02 PM EDT

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who is in a tight race against Republican challenger Blake Masters, has been trying to distance himself from the border policies of President Joe Biden as the campaign hits its closing stage, the Washington Examiner reported on Wednesday.

"The administration has at times made some decisions that are not helpful to Arizona. I call the president out on it," Kelly said in an interview with the Examiner before a campaign stop in Yuma, a city near the border with Mexico.

In a debate earlier this month on the Arizona Senate race, Kelly emphasized in his opening remarks that when fellow "Democrats are wrong, like on the border, I call them out on it, because I'm always going to stick up for Arizona," ABC News reported.

The senator specified that he disagreed with the Biden administration's decision to lift Title 42, a Trump-era policy which lessened opportunities for migrants to make legal claims to avoid deportation during the coronavirus pandemic.

"When the president decided he was going to do something dumb on this and change the rules that would create a bigger crisis … I've told him he was wrong," Kelly said at the debate. "So I've pushed back on this administration multiple times, and I've got more money on the ground."

Kelly has admitted that "the federal government needs to do more" to fix the border issue and that "Arizonans are sick of it." He told the Examiner that "I've worked to bring more money here, more technology, more money for Border Patrol agents," adding that, "border security is national security, and when there are 2 million asylum-seekers coming across the border in a year, it's incredibly difficult for Border Patrol to handle that."

Kelly's renewed emphasis on the illegal immigrant situation comes as crossings set a new record for highest ever in a fiscal year, according to Customs and Border Protection.

It also comes amidst a recent CBS News poll that showed that immigration ranks third in Arizona as being "very important," just behind the economy and inflation.

The senator touted, while speaking to voters during campaigning this week, that new funding will expand and upgrade the San Luis Port of Entry, which is funded partly by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Act that passed last fall, the Examiner reported.

The improvements at the port will expand vehicle and pedestrian processing lanes and build new inspection facilities.

"This is something I've worked on since my first day in the United States Senate," Kelly said. "These ports of entry substantiate a substantial amount of revenue, and the Arizona economy will grow when we upgrade our ports of entry."

Masters slammed Kelly and other Democrats for "surrendering our southern border" during the debate earlier this month, as Republicans have stressed the border issue, particularly with the record-high number of arrivals, the Examiner reported.

Masters vowed to triple the size of the Border Patrol and complete the wall that former President Donald Trump started.

"I think the correct amount of illegal immigration is zero; that's what the federal law says," Masters said. "The problem is that Joe Biden and Mark Kelly are willfully ignoring federal law."

Original Article

Judge: Mark Meadows Must Testify in Georgia Election Probe

KATE BRUMBACK Wednesday, 26 October 2022 12:00 PM EDT

A judge on Wednesday ordered former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to testify before a special grand jury that's investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies tried to influence the state's 2020 election illegally.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation early last year into actions taken by Trump and others to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Meadows is one of a number of high-profile associates and advisers of the Republican former president whose testimony Willis has sought.

Because Meadows doesn't live in Georgia, Willis, a Democrat, had to use a process that involves getting a judge where he lives in South Carolina to order him to appear. She filed a petition in August seeking to compel his testimony. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who's overseeing the special grand jury, signed off on the petition, certifying that Meadows is a “necessary and material witness” for the investigation.

Circuit Court Judge Edward Miller in Pickens County, South Carolina, honored McBurney's finding and ordered Meadows to testify, Willis spokesman Jeff DiSantis confirmed. Meadows attorney James Bannister could not immediately be reached for comment.

In the petition seeking Meadows’ testimony, Willis wrote that Meadows attended a Dec. 21, 2020, meeting at the White House with Trump and others “to discuss allegations of voter fraud and certification of electoral college votes from Georgia and other states.” The next day, Willis wrote, Meadows made a “surprise visit” to Cobb County, just outside Atlanta, where an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes was being conducted. He asked to observe the audit but wasn’t allowed to because it wasn’t open to the public, the petition says.

Meadows also sent emails to Justice Department officials after the election alleging voter fraud in Georgia and elsewhere and requesting investigations, Willis wrote. And he participated in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump suggested the state’s top elections official, also a Republican, could “find” enough votes to overturn his narrow election loss in the state.

In a court filing this week, Bannister argued that executive privilege and other rights shield his client from testifying.

Bannister asserted in the filing that Meadows has been instructed by Trump “to preserve certain privileges and immunities attaching to his former office as White House Chief of Staff.” Willis' petition calls for him “to divulge the contents of executive privileged communications with the President," Bannister wrote.

Meadows previously invoked that privilege in a fight against subpoenas issued by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The House held Meadows in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute.

Special grand juries in Georgia cannot issue indictments. Instead, they can gather evidence and compel testimony and then can recommend further action, including criminal charges, in a final report. But it is ultimately up to the district attorney to decide whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Bannister argued that the special grand jury proceedings do not qualify as a criminal proceeding under the South Carolina law that governs out-of-state subpoena requests and that Meadows cannot be compelled to testify in a civil inquiry. Because he has no testimony to offer, he cannot be considered a “material witness," the filing argues.

Grand jury secrecy is “paramount” in South Carolina, Bannister wrote. Because the special grand jury is expected to ultimately issue a public report and the paperwork seeking Meadows' testimony was publicly filed, it is contrary to South Carolina grand jury secrecy provisions and that would violate his state right to privacy, Bannister argued.

McBurney, the Fulton County Superior Court judge, has made clear in ruling on other attempts by potential witnesses to avoid or delay testimony that he considers the special grand jury's investigation to be a criminal proceeding. He has also stressed the need for the secrecy of the panel's workings.

Original Article

Judge: Mark Meadows Must Testify in Georgia Election Probe

KATE BRUMBACK Wednesday, 26 October 2022 12:00 PM EDT

A judge on Wednesday ordered former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to testify before a special grand jury that's investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies tried to influence the state's 2020 election illegally.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation early last year into actions taken by Trump and others to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Meadows is one of a number of high-profile associates and advisers of the Republican former president whose testimony Willis has sought.

Because Meadows doesn't live in Georgia, Willis, a Democrat, had to use a process that involves getting a judge where he lives in South Carolina to order him to appear. She filed a petition in August seeking to compel his testimony. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who's overseeing the special grand jury, signed off on the petition, certifying that Meadows is a “necessary and material witness” for the investigation.

Circuit Court Judge Edward Miller in Pickens County, South Carolina, honored McBurney's finding and ordered Meadows to testify, Willis spokesman Jeff DiSantis confirmed. Meadows attorney James Bannister could not immediately be reached for comment.

In the petition seeking Meadows’ testimony, Willis wrote that Meadows attended a Dec. 21, 2020, meeting at the White House with Trump and others “to discuss allegations of voter fraud and certification of electoral college votes from Georgia and other states.” The next day, Willis wrote, Meadows made a “surprise visit” to Cobb County, just outside Atlanta, where an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes was being conducted. He asked to observe the audit but wasn’t allowed to because it wasn’t open to the public, the petition says.

Meadows also sent emails to Justice Department officials after the election alleging voter fraud in Georgia and elsewhere and requesting investigations, Willis wrote. And he participated in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump suggested the state’s top elections official, also a Republican, could “find” enough votes to overturn his narrow election loss in the state.

In a court filing this week, Bannister argued that executive privilege and other rights shield his client from testifying.

Bannister asserted in the filing that Meadows has been instructed by Trump “to preserve certain privileges and immunities attaching to his former office as White House Chief of Staff.” Willis' petition calls for him “to divulge the contents of executive privileged communications with the President," Bannister wrote.

Meadows previously invoked that privilege in a fight against subpoenas issued by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The House held Meadows in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute.

Special grand juries in Georgia cannot issue indictments. Instead, they can gather evidence and compel testimony and then can recommend further action, including criminal charges, in a final report. But it is ultimately up to the district attorney to decide whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury.

Bannister argued that the special grand jury proceedings do not qualify as a criminal proceeding under the South Carolina law that governs out-of-state subpoena requests and that Meadows cannot be compelled to testify in a civil inquiry. Because he has no testimony to offer, he cannot be considered a “material witness," the filing argues.

Grand jury secrecy is “paramount” in South Carolina, Bannister wrote. Because the special grand jury is expected to ultimately issue a public report and the paperwork seeking Meadows' testimony was publicly filed, it is contrary to South Carolina grand jury secrecy provisions and that would violate his state right to privacy, Bannister argued.

McBurney, the Fulton County Superior Court judge, has made clear in ruling on other attempts by potential witnesses to avoid or delay testimony that he considers the special grand jury's investigation to be a criminal proceeding. He has also stressed the need for the secrecy of the panel's workings.

Video Report: Hungary PM Defends Bannon Against Political Persecution (Newsmax/"Wake Up America")

By Alex Salvi Wednesday, 26 October 2022 11:17 AM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is voicing his support for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Newsmax foreign correspondent Alex Salvi reports on Wednesday's "Wake Up America."

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Original Article

Poll: 2 in 5 US Voters Fear Intimidation at Polls A voter casts their ballot at a polling place at The League for People with Disabilities during the midterm primary election in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 19. (Nathan Howard/Getty)

Moira Warburton and Jason Lange Wednesday, 26 October 2022 07:58 AM EDT

Two in five U.S. voters say they are worried about threats of violence or voter intimidation at polling stations during the country's midterm elections, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

So far no violence has been reported at any early voting centers or ballot drop-off locations ahead of the Nov. 8 elections, when Republicans are favored to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.

But officials in Arizona, a key battleground, have already asked the federal government to probe a case of possible voter intimidation, after people casting ballots were conspicuously filmed and followed. An official complaint noted that the self-appointed monitors called the voters "mules," a reference to theories popularized by supporters of former President Donald Trump's claims that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, completed on Monday, also found that two-thirds of registered voters fear that extremists will carry out acts of violence after the election if they are unhappy with the outcome.

The findings illustrate what some observers have said is growing evidence of a lack of trust in the nation's democratic institutions, following decades of deepening partisanship.

Kathy Boockvar, a former top election official for Pennsylvania, said fears of voter intimidation and violence run counter to American tradition.

"Our country is based on democracy. We should be excited about Election Day," said Boockvar, a member of the bipartisan Committee for Safe and Secure Election.

Distrust between America's two political camps has grown over the last half century, with bipartisan legislation becoming rarer and a growing share of parents saying they would be displeased if their child married someone from the other political party.

Among the registered voters polled by Reuters/Ipsos, 43% were concerned about threats of violence or voter intimidation while voting in person. The fear was more pronounced among Democratic voters, 51% of whom said they worried about violence, although a still-significant share of Republicans – 38% – harbored the same concerns.

About a fifth of voters – including one in 10 Democrats and one in four Republicans – said they were not confident their ballots would be accurately counted.

Fired up by his fraud claims, thousands of Trump supporters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

While voter rights advocates accuse far-right groups who believe those claims of sending poll watchers to intimidate minority voters aligned with the Democratic Party, U.S. conservative media highlight left-wing violence, frequently tying Democrats to riots sparked by the 2020 murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Some two-thirds of registered voters – 67% – said they were concerned extremists will commit acts of violence after the election, including about three in four registered Democrats and three in five registered Republicans.

More than 10 million people have already cast ballots in the contests that will shape the rest of Democratic President Joe Biden's term.

Republican control of either chamber of Congress would effectively torpedo Biden's agenda.

About two-thirds of Republicans and one-third of Democrats think voter fraud is a widespread problem, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Two-thirds of Republicans think the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.

Trump's claims of fraud were dismissed by dozens of U.S. courts, state reviews and multiple members of his administration. Nonetheless, they have found widespread acceptance, helping fuel a cottage industry of poll-watching tools.

One software application heavily promoted by far-right media organizations lets users view a map of reported polling station problems and abnormalities in vote counts. Conservative activists have set up a hotline to collect similar reports.

The Reuters/Ipsos online poll gathered responses from 4,413 U.S. adults nationwide and had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of between 2 and 5 percentage points.

Original Article

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:37 PM PT – Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Kim Crockett received a huge endorsement in her bid to be Minnesota’s next Secretary of State.

45th President Donald J. Trump announced his support for Crockett in a Truth Social post Tuesday. He described her as a “strong and wonderful woman.”
Trump claimed that election fraud is rampant in Minnesota. He added that Crockett will fix the issue.

Crockett is challenging the current Democrat Secretary of State Steve Simon, who has held the position since 2015. She has focused her campaign on election integrity with the slogan “Restore everyone’s confidence in elections.”

Original Article Oann

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:28 PM PT – Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democrat presidential candidate Hilary Clinton has accused Republicans of concocting a scheme to steal the 2024 presidential election.

“Right wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next presidential election,” Clinton said.

In the video released last week, Clinton claimed that the Supreme Court may soon clear the way for State legislatures to decide the winner of 2024 election.

Clinton made the allegations as part of a fundraising pitch for a left-wing group fixated on electing far-left lawmakers and opposing what it calls the “Trump Agenda.” The multi-millionaire claimed that donating to the progressive group, which is targeting 29 races in over six states, will help defend democracy.

“Each of these races is highly competitive,” she said. “And your dollars could very well decide the winners and the winner of the next presidential election. This could not be more important or more urgent.”

Clinton’s claims come as she has previously sowed doubt about the validity of her 2016 election loss, while completely discrediting concerns about 2020.

Original Article Oann

Alaska GOP Censures McConnell for Backing Sen. Murkowski (Newsmax)

By Luca Cacciatore | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 10:35 PM EDT

The Alaska Republican Party voted to censure Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday due to his support of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, The Washington Post reported.

The party's 49-8 vote comes after it puts its support behind former President Donald Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, who has sought to challenge Murkowski from the right, highlighting her moderate record.

It also follows Murkowski's recent decision to endorse Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, for reelection against her Republican opponents, former Gov. Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III.

"Mary is a woman whose heart is as grounded in Alaska as anybody you're going to find," Murkowski said, ironically adding she is "going to get in so much trouble."

Tshibaka, in approval of the decision, said McConnell had been lying about her on the campaign trail in order to get more Republican support for Murkowski.

"The millions of dollars Mitch McConnell is spending on lies about me could be put to better use in other states where a Republican has a chance to beat a Democrat, and the Alaska Republican Party has just told him to butt out of our state," the former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner said.

Murkowski currently leads Tshibaka by 12 percentage points in a direct head-to-head, according to a poll by Alaska Survey Research. However, in the first two rounds, her lead is far slimmer. With Democrat Patricia Chesbro in the mix, it drops to a 1-point lead.

Alaska's new ranked-choice voting system means the first person to reach 50% wins the general election. It comes after Murkowski advanced from the primary along with Tshibaka, Chesboro, and Republican Buzz Kelley.

Original Article

'Gen Z' Trumpster Karoline Leavitt in Near Tie in N.H.-1 Race (Newsmax)

By John Gizzi Tuesday, 25 October 2022 10:00 PM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., and conservative Republican foe Karoline Leavitt squared off Monday night in their first televised debate a week after the latest poll showed their contest in New Hampshire's 1st District a virtual tie.

According to the survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons, two-termer Pappas has 48% to 47% for former Trump White House assistant press secretary Leavitt — who, at 25, is the minimum constitutional age to serve in the House of Representatives.

Earlier this year, Leavitt made nationwide news when she handily won the Republican primary over four opponents (among them 2020 nominee Matt Mowers). Last week, her former boss Donald Trump weighed in with a strong endorsement.

"She won her primary by out-Trumping a very Trumpy field," former State Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen told Newsmax. "And it's hard to move on from her primary rhetoric. But she is a skilled communicator who may be able to ride a tide of disappointment in Biden and worry about inflation past Chris Pappas."

But Cullen, the lone Republican on the Dover City Council, added, "I will refrain from voting for her because she is a full-throated election denier."

The first openly gay Member of Congress from New Hampshire, Pappas weighed in strongly against Leavitt during their encounter before the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

"She's one of the most radical candidates we've ever seen nominated for public office in New Hampshire," he declared, denouncing Leavitt as an "election denier" and "paid spokesman for Donald Trump."

The GOP nominee hit back at Pappas on the issues of illegal immigration and the opioid crisis, declaring "you've done nothing to push back against the Biden administration to stop the flow of illegal drugs into our communities."

"[Leavitt] could win in the most evenly split congressional district in New Hampshire," former State Attorney General Tom Rath, who has managed GOP, said. "She is organized, energetic and focused. And she definitely has been the aggressor. The Manchester area and Seacoast are strong for Pappas."

If elected, Leavitt will be the first "Gen Z" member of the House.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

Original Article

Kari Lake to Newsmax: Dems 'Reality Deniers' on 'Planet Crazy' (Newsmax/"Eric Bolling The Balance")

By Eric Mack | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 09:43 PM EDT

Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake is still waiting for Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs to put her ideas and candidacy up against Lake on a debate stage, because common sense people want off Democrats' "planet crazy," Lake told Newsmax.

"Republicans have the common sense ideas; the Democrats' ideas are dead-end, destructive ideas that are full of hypocrisy," Lake told Tuesday's "Eric Bolling The Balance," denouncing Democrats and President Joe Biden's administration for denying inflation that is now plaguing Americans.

"Inflation is eating up a third of people's retirement savings. People are in a panic right now in every city across this country and across the entire nation. I call them reality deniers because they are completely on planet crazy. And we want off.

"We want to actually get back to reality and start fixing some of these problems that they caused, and that's where the Republicans, the America First Republicans come in."

While Democrats like Hobbs have no answer to calls for a debate, Republicans have the answers to save America, Lake told Bolling.

"We've got ideas and solutions to all of these problems from the border, to the drug epidemic, to our schools, teaching just inappropriate garbage rather than a curriculum that helps our kids get ahead, to the crime that we're seeing on our streets: We have solutions to help solve these problems."

Lake, an outspoken defender of calls for election integrity and a former TV news anchor, is finding even the media has come to admit she is too savvy for the liberal narratives.

"I've been having fun just telling the truth to the fake news because they deserve it; they deserve everything they get," she told Bolling.

"And you know what's interesting, Eric?" she continued. "They're actually starting to adjust the way they cover us, and instead of asking these loaded questions where they're pushing a narrative, they're starting to ask more honest questions. Unfortunately when they write their stories, there's still leading, and they're still pushing a bunch of propaganda.

"But we're working on – I'm trying to teach them how to be true, honest journalists. I don't know if there's a chance for them to, you know, change their ways, but hopefully they'll learn."

Lake added the recent questions about her potentially being former President Donald Trump's running make in 2024 shows: 1. the media knows she is a strong candidate; 2. the media is trying to weaponize her ambition against her gubernatorial candidate.

"I'm not looking at 2024; I'm worried to be honest – the reason I'm in this is I want to make sure we have a country, and if we don't get things right in this midterm election, if we get someone like a Katie Hobbs in a border state like Arizona, I think we lose our country," Lake said. "She's open borders all the way. She doesn't want to have any election integrity. She doesn't want to have any common sense laws to stop the inflation and curb the crime and the drugs pouring across. We have to solve problems starting now. And that's why I'm in this."

Ultimately, the media has had to turn from mocking Lake's campaign to suggesting she is now fit for even higher office, Lake noted.

"It is humorous that the press would even ask me about that because it wasn't all that long ago when they were saying things like, 'Oh, what the heck does she know? Why would she run for office? How dare she run for office? Who does she think she is?'" Lake mocked. "And now, all of a sudden, the press is asking me: 'Are you going to leave and become vice president?'

"I think it's humorous. I think they're trying to scare the voters and the electorate. I tell the fake news that I'm not only going to be here for years, I'm going to be here two terms, eight years and I'm going to be the fake news' worst nightmare, and we will continue to call them out for their propaganda and they're lying to the American people.

"And we are going to do great things for Arizona, and they're going to have to cover it. And I know their heads are going to be exploding along the way. It's going to be fun to watch."

Despite the media trying to stop her campaign success, Lake is determined to press on for Arizona.

"We are going to secure our border, and we are going to bring an end to this fentanyl crisis in Arizona as best we can – stop the flow of that horribly deadly drug – and we are going to secure our streets," she concluded.

"I'm taking marching orders as governor from the people of Arizona, and we will have a safe state and we will bring back safe streets and sanity."

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Original Article

Alina Habba to Newsmax: Trump Has 'Nothing to Hide' Pertaining to Jan. 6 (Newsmax/"Eric Bolling The Balance")

By Jay Clemons | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 09:27 PM EDT

Alina Habba, the current senior adviser and previous attorney to former President Donald Trump, says Trump would have no problems complying with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 unrest at the Capitol.

"I would recommend that [Trump] cooperate because he has nothing to hide. That's what I always say," Habba told Newsmax Tuesday evening, while appearing on "Eric Bolling The Balance."

Habba continued: Trump "has no issue with being deposed, even though the left-leaning media seems to think he does. He has no issue being subpoenaed and answering questions about what happened that day" in January 2021.

"And he shouldn't," says Habba. "What [Trump] did [on Jan. 6] was very public," while noting then how the president encouraged the public in Washington D.C. to "peacefully" and patriotically protest outside the Capitol.

At this point of Tuesday's interview, Habba turned the discussion momentum over to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for reportedly denying multiple requests to have the National Guard present at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Habba was similarly baffled by the recent revelation of Speaker Pelosi hiring a film crew — reportedly led by her daughter — to follow her around that day.

"What I really want to know is, Why didn't Nancy Pelosi do anything?" Habba rhetorically posed. "The safety of the Capitol [building] is her responsibility — not" President Trump's.

"Why are we always having to play defense?" asked Habba, regarding the Trump team. "I want to know what [Democrats] did that day, and why they didn't do anything that was in their [legal] purview."

Regarding the documentary, Habba got a derisive kick out of Speaker Pelosi pretending to be tough for the cameras, admitting she wanted to punch then-President Trump in the face.

"OK, Nancy," Habba shot back in the present, with a tinge of sarcasm. The Trump adviser then mimicked Pelosi's bizarre hand rub/half-dance while presiding over President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech last February.

"I would love to question [Pelosi on the witness stand]. Can you imagine that fight?" asked Habba rhetorically.

Habba then rattled off some hypothetical questions, regarding why Speaker Pelosi didn't accommodate the National Guard request or why her daughter just happened to be recording Pelosi's thoughts on that day? Also, were the Democrats anticipating drama inside the Capitol?

"The whole thing was orchestrated," says Habba. "No, Nancy, it was not your 'moment.' You and the 'unselect' [Jan. 6] committee have been trying, and trying, and trying" to nail Trump for the better part of 21 months.

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Original Article

Alina Habba to Newsmax: Trump Has 'Nothing to Hide' Pertaining to Jan. 6 (Newsmax/"Eric Bolling The Balance")

By Jay Clemons | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 09:27 PM EDT

Alina Habba, the current senior adviser and previous attorney to former President Donald Trump, says Trump would have no problems complying with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 unrest at the Capitol.

"I would recommend that [Trump] cooperate because he has nothing to hide. That's what I always say," Habba told Newsmax on Tuesday evening, while appearing on "Eric Bolling The Balance."

Habba continued: Trump "has no issue with being deposed, even though the left-leaning media seems to think he does. He has no issue being subpoenaed and answering questions about what happened that day" in January 2021.

"And he shouldn't," says Habba. "What [Trump] did [on Jan. 6] was very public," while noting then how the president encouraged the public in Washington, D.C., to "peacefully" and patriotically protest outside the Capitol.

At this point of Tuesday's interview, Habba turned the discussion momentum over to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for reportedly denying multiple requests to have the National Guard present at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Habba was similarly baffled by the recent revelation of Speaker Pelosi hiring a film crew — reportedly led by her daughter — to follow her around that day.

"What I really want to know is, 'Why didn't Nancy Pelosi do anything?'" Habba rhetorically posed. "The safety of the Capitol [building] is her responsibility" — not President Trump's.

"Why are we always having to play defense?" asked Habba, regarding the Trump team. "I want to know what [Democrats] did that day, and why they didn't do anything that was in their [legal] purview."

Regarding the documentary, Habba got a derisive kick out of Speaker Pelosi pretending to be tough for the cameras, admitting she wanted to punch then-President Trump in the face.

"OK, Nancy," Habba shot back in the present, with a tinge of sarcasm. The Trump adviser then mimicked Pelosi's bizarre hand rub/half-dance while presiding over President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech last February.

"I would love to question [Pelosi on the witness stand]. Can you imagine that fight?" asked Habba rhetorically.

Habba then rattled off some hypothetical questions, regarding why Speaker Pelosi didn't accommodate the National Guard request or why her daughter just happened to be recording Pelosi's thoughts on that day. Also, were the Democrats anticipating drama inside the Capitol?

"The whole thing was orchestrated," says Habba. "No, Nancy, it was not your 'moment.' You and the 'unselect' [Jan. 6] committee have been trying, and trying, and trying" to nail Trump for the better part of 21 months.

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Original Article

Fetterman, in Debate With Oz, Tries to Play Down Health Challenge (AP)

MARC LEVY and STEVE PEOPLES Tuesday, 25 October 2022 08:40 PM EDT

Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman acknowledged health challenges knocked him down but vowed to “keep coming back up” in the opening moments of his debate against Republican Mehmet Oz on Tuesday. The highly anticipated clash could prove pivotal in the state's high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.

Fetterman, 53-year-old lieutenant governor, has acknowledged that he “almost died" after suffering a stroke in May. On Tuesday night, he addressed what he called the “elephant in the room.”

“I had a stroke. He’s never let me forget that,” Fetterman said, speaking haltingly at times of his Republican opponent. “I might miss some words during this debate, mush two words together. … It knocked me down and then I'm going to keep coming back up.”

Fetterman insists he is prepared for the demands of the Senate as he continues to recover from the stroke. Independent experts consulted by The Associated Press before the debate said he appears to be recovering well. He used closed-captioning during the debate to help him process the words he hears.

Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon, ignored his opponent's health early in the debate, though he has hammered Fetterman on the issue repeatedly during the campaign. On Tuesday night, Oz attacked Fetterman's policies on crime, saying he is “trying to get as many murders out of jail as possible.”

"These radical positions extend beyond crime," Oz charged.

While debates have rarely swayed elections in the modern era, the intense national interest in the primetime affair — particularly in Fetterman’s performance — suggested this debate could prove decisive in an election central to the Democrats’ urgent fight to retain their Senate majority.

For Democrats, there is no better pickup opportunity in the U.S. than the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in a state Biden narrowly carried in 2020.

For much of the year, it looked as if Fetterman was the clear favorite, especially as Republicans waged a nasty nomination battle that left the GOP divided and bitter. But as Election Day nears, the race has tightened. And now, just two weeks before the final votes are cast, even the White House is privately concerned that Fetterman’s candidacy is at risk.

Voting is already well underway across the state. As of Tuesday, 639,000 votes had already been cast.

“The debate looms very large, bigger than usual for a Senate debate,” said Republican activist Charles Gerow, a veteran of two decades of Sunday TV political talk shows.

The Pennsylvania Senate hopefuls faced each other inside a Harrisburg television studio. No audience was allowed, and the the debate host, Nexstar Media, declined to allow an AP photographer access to the event.

The meeting was the first and only major statewide debate this year in Pennsylvania, since Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano couldn’t reach an agreement on terms for a gubernatorial debate.

Fetterman is a star in progressive politics nationwide, having developed a loyal following thanks in part to his blunt working-class appeal, extraordinary height, tattoos and unapologetic progressive policies. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-9-inch Democrat swapped his trademark hoodie and shorts for a dark suit and tie.

But Fetterman's health has emerged as a central issue over the election's final weeks, even as candidates elsewhere clash over issues like abortion, crime and inflation.

Oz had pushed for more than a half-dozen debates, suggesting that Fetterman's unwillingness to agree to more than one is because the stroke had debilitated him. Fetterman insisted that one debate is typical — although two is more customary — and that Oz's focus on debates was a cynical ploy to lie about his health.

Democrats noted that the televised debate setting likely would have favored Oz even without questions about the stroke.

Oz is a longtime television personality who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show” weekdays for 13 seasons after getting his start as a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 2004. Fetterman, by contrast, is a less practiced public speaker who is introverted by nature.

“This was always going to be an away game for John Fetterman,” said Mustafa Rashed, a Democratic political consultant based in Philadelphia.

Fetterman asked for, and was granted, a closed-captioning system for the debate that displayed in writing everything said on a large screen behind the moderators.

The Fetterman campaign said in a memo ahead of the debate that the closed captioning would be “typed out by human beings in real time, on live TV,” warning that it could lead to time delays, transcription errors and miscommunication. “It is impossible to control and unavoidable,” the memo said.

Donald Trump endorsed Oz earlier in the year and campaigned alongside the Pennsylvania Republican in September.

Fetterman, meanwhile, has embraced Biden — even if he was reluctant to do so earlier in the year.

The Democratic president campaigned with Fetterman in Pittsburgh during the Labor Day parade and just last week headlined a fundraiser for Fetterman in Philadelphia. There, Biden said the “rest of the world is looking” and suggested a Fetterman loss would imperil his agenda.

Biden is also scheduled to headline the state Democratic Party’s annual pre-election dinner in Philadelphia on Friday.

Oz has faced pointed questions about his residency throughout the campaign.

For much of the year, Fetterman has seized on Oz’s tenuous connections to the state in witty social media posts and media campaigns.

Oz was born in Ohio, was raised in Delaware and has lived in New Jersey for decades. In 2020, People magazine ran a feature on the New Jersey mansion that Oz and his wife, Lisa, “built from scratch 20 years ago.”

Later that year, Oz formally adopted a Pennsylvania address. And the next year, 2021, he launched his Senate campaign.

Meanwhile, questions about Fetterman's physical and mental strength have persisted.

Fetterman has rebuffed calls to release medical records or let reporters question his doctors. Last week he released a note from his primary care physician, who wrote that Fetterman is recovering well, shows no cognitive effects and “can work full duty in public office.”

Fetterman’s campaign insists he is healthier than ever now that he is paying closer attention to his diet and daily exercise regimen of walking several miles a day. He is participating in regular sessions with a speech therapist and taking medication.

Original Article

Fetterman, in Debate With Oz, Tries to Play Down Health Challenge (AP)

MARC LEVY and STEVE PEOPLES Tuesday, 25 October 2022 08:40 PM EDT

Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman acknowledged health challenges knocked him down, but tried to make the case that he'd "keep coming back up" in the opening moments of his debate against Republican Mehmet Oz on Tuesday. The highly anticipated clash could prove pivotal in the state's high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.

Fetterman, 53-year-old lieutenant governor, has said he "almost died" after suffering a stroke in May. On Tuesday night, he addressed what he called the "elephant in the room."

"I had a stroke. He's never let me forget that," Fetterman said, speaking haltingly at times of his Republican opponent. "I might miss some words during this debate, mush two words together. … It knocked me down and then I'm going to keep coming back up."

Fetterman insists he is prepared for the demands of the Senate as he continues to recover from the stroke. Independent experts consulted by The Associated Press before the debate said he appears to be recovering well.

He did use closed-captioning during the debate to help him process the words he hears.

Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon, has hammered Fetterman on the issue repeatedly during the campaign. On Tuesday night, though, he attacked Fetterman's policies on crime, saying he is "trying to get as many murders out of jail as possible."

"These radical positions extend beyond crime," Oz charged.

While debates have rarely swayed elections in the modern era, the intense national interest in the prime-time affair – particularly in Fetterman's performance, given critics' talk of his poor health – suggested this debate could prove decisive in an election central to the Democrats'uphill battle to retain their congressional majority.

For much of the year, it looked as if Fetterman was the favorite. But as Election Day nears, the race has tightened. And now, just two weeks before the final votes are cast, even the White House is privately concerned that Fetterman's candidacy is at risk.

Voting is already well underway across the state. As of Tuesday, 639,000 votes had already been cast.

"The debate looms very large, bigger than usual for a Senate debate," said Republican activist Charles Gerow, a veteran of two decades of Sunday TV political talk shows.

The Pennsylvania Senate hopefuls faced each other inside a Harrisburg television studio. No audience was allowed, and the debate host, Nexstar Media, declined to allow an AP photographer access to the event.

The meeting was the first and only major statewide debate this year in Pennsylvania, since Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano couldn't reach an agreement on terms for a gubernatorial debate.

Fetterman is a star in progressive politics nationwide. But his health has emerged as a central issue over the election's final weeks, even as candidates elsewhere clash over issues like abortion, crime, and inflation.

Oz had pushed for more than a half-dozen debates, suggesting that Fetterman's unwillingness to agree to more than one is because the stroke had debilitated him. Fetterman insisted that one debate is typical — although two is more customary — and that Oz's focus on debates was a cynical ploy to lie about his health.

Democrats also contended that the televised debate setting likely would have favored Oz even without questions about the stroke.

Oz is a longtime television personality who hosted "The Dr. Oz Show" weekdays for 13 seasons after getting his start as a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey's show in 2004. Fetterman, by contrast, is a less practiced public speaker who is introverted by nature.

"This was always going to be an away game for John Fetterman," said Mustafa Rashed, a Democrat political consultant based in Philadelphia.

Fetterman asked for, and was granted, a closed-captioning system for the debate that displayed in writing everything said on a large screen behind the moderators.

The Fetterman campaign said in a memo ahead of the debate that the closed captioning would be "typed out by human beings in real time, on live TV," warning that it could lead to time delays, transcription errors, and miscommunication. "It is impossible to control and unavoidable," the memo said.

Donald Trump endorsed Oz earlier in the year and campaigned alongside the Pennsylvania Republican in September.

Fetterman, meanwhile, has embraced Biden — even if he was reluctant to do so earlier in the year.

The Democrat president campaigned with Fetterman in Pittsburgh during the Labor Day parade and just last week headlined a fundraiser for Fetterman in Philadelphia. There, Biden said the "rest of the world is looking" and suggested a Fetterman loss would imperil his agenda.

Biden is also scheduled to headline the state Democrat Party's annual preelection dinner in Philadelphia on Friday.

Oz has faced pointed questions about his residency throughout the campaign.

For much of the year, Fetterman has seized on Oz's tenuous connections to the state in witty social media posts and media campaigns.

Oz was born in Ohio, was raised in Delaware, and has lived in New Jersey for decades. In 2020, People magazine ran a feature on the New Jersey mansion that Oz and his wife, Lisa, "built from scratch 20 years ago."

Later that year, Oz formally adopted a Pennsylvania address. And the next year, 2021, he launched his Senate campaign.

Original Article

Hillary's Conspiracy Theory: GOP Already Plans '24 Election Theft Hillary Clinton

By Jack Gournell | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 07:13 PM EDT

"Right-wing extremists" have a plan already in place to "literally steal the next presidential election, and they’re not making a secret of it,” Hillary Clinton says in a video recently posted to Twitter.

In the video, posted by the progressive group Indivisible, the former first lady, Senator from New York, secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee looks straight into the camera and says, "The right-wing-controlled Supreme Court may be poised to rule on giving state legislatures the power to overturn presidential elections."

She is referring Moore v. Harper, currently before the court, which involves a 2019 ruling by a panel of judges that invalidated what they called "extreme gerrymandering" by the GOP legislature.

If the conservative high court overturns the case, state legislatures could get more power to regulate elections for federal office.

Such as move, Clinton warns in the video, could result in the next presidential election not being decided by the popular vote, "or even the anachronistic Electoral College,” but by Republican-controlled state legislatures.

Clinton herself was stung by an Electoral College loss in 2016, when Republican Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to her 227. Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more popular votes than the Trump, the largest margin ever by a losing presidential candidate in American history, the New York Post noted.

Clinton immediately afterward and up to the present has continued to say that election was "stolen."

In an October 2020 interview with The Atlantic's politics podcast "The Ticket," she said, "There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level. We still don’t know what really happened."

She added: "There’s just a lot that I think will be revealed. History will discover."

No election fraud of any kind other than Clinton's public statements have ever been alleged or discovered.

Also in 2020, Clinton advised then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden not to concede if the returns on election night were close.

"Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don’t give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is," she was quoted by Politico.

She also famously was the author of the "vast right-wing conspiracy" theory during her husband's presidency.

"Right-wing extremists" have a plan already in place to "literally steal the next presidential election, and they’re not making a secret of it,” Hillary Clinton says in a video recently posted to Twitter.

In the video, posted by the progressive group Indivisible, the former first lady, Senator from New York, secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee looks straight into the camera and says, "The right-wing-controlled Supreme Court may be poised to rule on giving state legislatures the power to overturn presidential elections."

She is referring Moore v. Harper, currently before the court, which involves a 2019 ruling by a panel of judges that invalidated what they called "extreme gerrymandering" by the GOP legislature.

If the conservative high court overturns the case, state legislatures could get more power to regulate elections for federal office.

Such as move, Clinton warns in the video, could result in the next presidential election not being decided by the popular vote, "or even the anachronistic Electoral College,” but by Republican-controlled state legislatures.

Clinton herself was stung by an Electoral College loss in 2016, when Republican Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to her 227. Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more popular votes than the Trump, the largest margin ever by a losing presidential candidate in American history, the New York Post noted.

Clinton immediately afterward and up to the present has continued to say that election was "stolen."

In an October 2020 interview with The Atlantic's politics podcast "The Ticket," she said, "There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level. We still don’t know what really happened."

She added: "There’s just a lot that I think will be revealed. History will discover."

No election fraud of any kind other than Clinton's public statements have ever been alleged or discovered.

Also in 2020, Clinton advised then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden not to concede if the returns on election night were close.

"Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don’t give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is," she was quoted by Politico.

She also famously was the author of the "vast right-wing conspiracy" theory during her husband's presidency.

Original Article

Hillary's Conspiracy Theory: GOP Already Plans '24 Election Theft (Newsmax/"Rob Schmitt Tonight")

By Jack Gournell | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 07:53 PM EDT

"Right-wing extremists" have a plan already in place to "literally steal the next presidential election, and they're not making a secret of it," Hillary Clinton says in a video recently posted to Twitter.

In the video, posted by the progressive group Indivisible, the former first lady, senator from New York, secretary of state, and Democrat presidential nominee looks straight into the camera and says, "The right-wing-controlled Supreme Court may be poised to rule on giving state legislatures the power to overturn presidential elections."

She is referring Moore v. Harper, currently before the court, which involves a 2019 ruling by a panel of judges that invalidated what they called "extreme gerrymandering" by the GOP legislature.

If the conservative high court overturns the case, state legislatures could get more power to regulate elections for federal office.

Such a move, Clinton says in the video, could result in the next presidential election not being decided by the popular vote, "or even the anachronistic Electoral College," but by Republican-controlled state legislatures.

Clinton herself was stung by an Electoral College loss in 2016, when Republican Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to her 227. Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more popular votes than Trump, the largest margin ever by a losing presidential candidate in American history, the New York Post noted.

Clinton immediately afterward and up to the present has continued to say that election was "stolen."

In an October 2020 interview with The Atlantic's politics podcast "The Ticket," she said, "There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level. We still don't know what really happened."

She added: "There's just a lot that I think will be revealed. History will discover."

No election fraud of any kind other than Clinton's public statements has ever been officially alleged or discovered.

Also in 2020, Clinton advised then-Democrat nominee Joe Biden not to concede if the returns on election night were close.

"Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don't give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is," she was quoted by Politico.

She also famously popularized the "vast right-wing conspiracy" theory during her husband's presidency.

In a 1998 interview with the "Today" show's Matt Lauer, Clinton said all the scandals surrounding Bill Clinton's presidency could be attributed to Republicans out to get him.

"I do believe that this is a battle," she said. "I mean, look at the very people who are involved in this — they have popped up in other settings. This is — the great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."

Despite ridicule from some quarters over the comment, she never abandoned the theory, saying when asked about it in 2016, "At this point it's probably not correct to say it's a conspiracy because it's out in the open."

Texas Rep. Harrison: Parents Fear CDC Decision Will Force Vax on Kids (Newsmax)

By Jack Gournell | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 06:10 PM EDT

A CDC recommendation that children as young as 6 months old be vaccinated against COVID-19 has many parents fearing mandates may not be far behind, GOP Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison, tells Newsmax.

A June recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded COVID vaccine availability to children from 6 months to 5 years old and advised parents to add the vaccine to the regular vaccine schedule.

But Harrison, appearing Tuesday on "The Chris Salcedo Show," said that although the CDC's advice is only a recommendation, many local and state governments end up relying on the CDC's advice and simply mandating them as policy.

Harrison, who served as chief of staff of the Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, currently serves the 10th District in the Texas House and was one of 20 state representatives who signed a letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky asking that the recommendation be rescinded.

"This will have the result of millions of schoolchildren across the country being forcibly vaccinated because of many local and state governments saying, 'Whatever the CDC recommends, we're going to force it on our kids,'" Harrison said. "And myself and 19 other colleagues are standing up rebuking the CDC and saying, 'No, that will not happen here in the state of Texas."

Further, Harrison said, are concerns that children will be harmed by getting vaccines they don't need.

"It's been, I think, almost a year now, perhaps even longer, that respected researchers at Johns Hopkins and others have put out data showing that absent severe co-morbidity, very serious underlying health issues like cancers, leukemias extreme autoimmune disorders, children are statistically zero risk of dying from COVID alone," he said.

"Kids are infinitely more likely to die in a car being driven to school or from school than they are from COVID that they catch at school," he added. "And so we're going to be mass vaccinating indiscriminately millions of schoolchildren knowing for a fact that even if it's small, even if it's one in 5,000, some kids are going to develop myocarditis from this, and other adverse events, as a result of the vaccination for a population where there's no statistical benefit?"

The CDC put out the recommended schedule "without any clinical data whatsoever, with zero evidence of efficacy," Harrison said, adding that was a "completely political decision by unelected bureaucrats, the CDC, and they've got to be stopped."

President Joe Biden should end all the "tyrannical mandates coming out of D.C.," adding that heavy-handed government methods of enforcing mandates have done more to spark distrust in vaccines in general than the anti-vax movement has.

"It's why I introduced legislation next session to ban all COVID vaccine mandates in the state of Texas. I mean, this is a line-in-the-sand issue for liberty," he said.

"If unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. can force needles into our arms and Texas against our will, we might as well give up on individual liberty freedom, state sovereignty, the 10th amendment, medical autonomy, informed consent in the entire Constitution," he said.

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Original Article

Fetterman, Oz Meet for Highly Anticipated Pa. Senate Debate (Dreamstime)

MARC LEVY and STEVE PEOPLES Tuesday, 25 October 2022 05:20 PM EDT

Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz will meet Tuesday for one of the most highly anticipated debates of the midterm elections as they wage a fierce contest for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania that could decide control of the chamber and the future of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Much of the focus is on Fetterman, who has spent the past several months fending off an escalating series of attacks from Oz about his health and fitness for office. Fetterman, who is Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, had a stroke in May, a health scare that was so severe he said he “almost died.”

But he has insisted he is prepared for the demands of the Senate. Since his stroke, Fetterman has struggled at times to speak clearly in public events. Independent experts consulted by The Associated Press, however, said he appears to be recovering remarkably well. He will use closed-captioning during the debate to help him process the words he hears.

Still, Tuesday’s debate could prove to be a decisive moment in a race that represents the best chance for Democrats to flip a Republican-held Senate seat this year. It will provide an opportunity for Fetterman to prove that he has the stamina for the job and shift the focus to Oz, who Fetterman has argued is a carpetbagger from New Jersey with no understanding of the state. Oz, meanwhile, will have a high-profile chance to unite Republicans and appeal to moderates who could decide the race.

“The debate looms very large, bigger than usual for a Senate debate,” said Republican activist Charles Gerow, a veteran of two decades of Sunday TV political talk shows.

The high-stakes debate — the first and only in the contest — comes just two weeks before Election Day in what polls say is a close race to replace retiring two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. It’s the only major statewide debate happening this year in Pennsylvania since Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano couldn’t reach an agreement on terms for a gubernatorial debate.

Fetterman has grown as a national brand thanks in part to his extraordinary height, tattoos and unapologetic progressive stances. But the 53-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat's health has emerged as a central issue over the election's final weeks, even as candidates elsewhere clash over issues like abortion, crime and inflation.

Oz, trailing in the polls, had pushed for more than a half-dozen debates, suggesting that Fetterman's unwillingness to agree to more than one is because the stroke had debilitated him. Fetterman has insisted that one debate is typical — two is more customary — and that Oz's focus on debates was a cynical ploy to lie about his stroke recovery.

Meanwhile, Fetterman’s lead in polls has shrunk as Oz's Republican allies poured tens of millions of dollars into a perennial battleground state that Biden won by just 1 percentage point in 2020.

Fetterman's allies fear that the 60-minute live televised debate may represent a no-win situation for the Democrat, even if the typical audience for a Senate debate is quite small. Much of the attention will likely focus on how Fetterman — who is blunt and plainspoken — can communicate in a high-pressure situation.

His campaign has acknowledged the built-in disadvantage of putting Fetterman on stage with Oz, a longtime TV personality who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show” weekdays for 13 seasons after getting his start as a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 2004.

“This was always going to be an away game for John Fetterman,” said Mustafa Rashed, a Democratic political consultant based in Philadelphia.

The debate host, Nexstar Media, declined to allow an AP photographer access to the event, and the AP declined to accept handout photos.

Fetterman's stroke happened just days before his resounding victory in the Democratic primary. Recovery kept him out of the public eye for much of the summer, though the campaign said he was meeting with aides, taking long daily walks, driving and doing household errands.

Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, barely survived his own primary, beating Republican rival David McCormick by 951 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast after a dayslong recount.

Fetterman has rebuffed calls to release medical records or let reporters question his doctors, but last week he released a note from his primary care physician, who wrote that Fetterman is recovering well, shows no cognitive effects and "can work full duty in public office.”

Fetterman acknowledges that he continues to stumble over the occasional word and that a common condition of his stroke — called auditory processing disorder — means that his brain's language network cannot quickly and accurately turn sound into meaning. That requires him to use closed-captioning during interviews and at the debate.

Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democratic state lawmaker who is campaigning for Fetterman after unsuccessfully challenging him in the primary, said Fetterman should talk about his priorities as a senator and be selective about which of Oz's attacks to respond to.

Fetterman should “to the extent possible ignore the clown show that’s happening on the other side and, if he does that, I think that's a win,” Kenyatta said.

Original Article

Mark Meadows Asks Judge to Block Subpoena in Georgia Probe Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows talks to reporters at the White House on Oct. 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

By Brian Pfail | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 05:10 PM EDT

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is asking a South Carolina judge to block a subpoena from a Georgia probe into possible interference in the 2020 election.

In the filing, Meadows claimed the Georgia probe could not require him to testify since it's not a criminal investigation.

Since Meadows is a South Carolina resident, the probe must get a judge's approval in his home state. He has urged the court in Pickens County, South Carolina, to deny the request on the grounds that South Carolina's law on out-of-state witnesses does not apply to a civil inquiries like that of the Georgia probe.

Meadows tried to assert executive privilege and has said the subpoena is no longer valid since he was supposed to appear on Sept. 27.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued the subpoena. She is also spearheading the Georgia investigation.

The former White House chief of staff was in Georgia in December, 2020, visiting to observe a post-election audit. He was also on a January, 2021, call between former President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

The call is now infamously known for Trump asking Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 more votes.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has also attempted to avoid a subpoena from the probe. He went as far as to submit an emergency application to the Supreme Court after a lower appeals court declined to prevent the testimony.

Just days before the senator was expected to respond, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas granted Graham's request on Monday.

Related Stories:

• Giuliani to Newsmax: Being Target in Georgia Probe a 'Desecration' of Sixth Amendment
• Lindsey Graham Argues Raffensperger Call Is Protected Speech

Original Article

Dick Morris to Newsmax: Hillary Clinton Viral Rant a Prelude to '24 WH Run (Newsmax/"American Agenda")

By Jay Clemons | Tuesday, 25 October 2022 04:51 PM EDT

Dick Morris, a best-selling author, TV host, and adviser to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, has a simple explanation for Hillary Clinton's seemingly out-of-the-blue rant about the Republicans, or "right-wing extremists literally" having a plan to "steal" the 2024 presidential election.

From Morris's perspective, Hillary Clinton will pursue the Democratic Party nomination two years from now — regardless of President Joe Biden's final determination of his own plans.

"By Hillary getting out here and saying this, it means she's running for president," Morris told Newsmax Tuesday afternoon, while appearing on "American Agenda" with hosts Bob Sellers and Katrina Szish.

The only hurdle left to clear regarding 2024: Morris believes Clinton's camp must wait out the upcoming midterm elections (Nov. 8), before making any public pronouncements.

"If Democrats [and by extension, Biden] lose massively in the midterms, then Hillary would jump in," says Morris, the author of "The Return: Trump's Big 2024 Comeback."

Note: Get Dick Morris' new book "The Return" on Trump's secret plan for 2024. See It Here!

Regarding Morris's latest book, he's been foretelling the Clinton-camp strategy of painting Hillary as the moderate option among Democrat voters — or someone with more centrist appeal than President Biden.

As such, Morris says it only makes sense that Clinton would come out against 2024 Republicans so quickly — since they have always been her true focus.

"Good for her, I've been saying the same thing for five months" in the book, added Morris, while sporting a large grin.

Morris says that Clinton's rant also serves as a narrative warning shot against the Supreme Court hearing a pending case — Moore v. Harper — which involves a "strict" interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, regarding the various state Legislatures potentially determining future election results.

The conservative judges on the Supreme Court have agreed to hear the Moore v. Harper case, says Morris. And that could have many Democrats lashing out publicly, since the GOP-controlled state Legislatures would most likely invoke stricter enforcement standards for voting in America.

If Moore vs. Harper goes the Republicans' way, "it will solve the problem" of curbing future voter/election fraud and "force states to listen to their Legislatures," adds Morris, host of "Dick Morris Democracy" on Newsmax.

Note: Get Dick Morris' new book "The Return" on Trump's secret plan for 2024. See It Here!

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Original Article