President Trump blasts Biden’s proposed abortion policies

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden boards his campaign plane at New Castle Airport in New Castle, Del., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, to travel to Gettysburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:25 PM PT – Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Democrat presidential hopeful Joe Biden recently faced criticism from President Trump over his proposed abortion policies. The President tweeted Tuesday alleging Biden will take a more extreme position on abortion than other members of the Democrat Party.

President Trump also alleged Biden sides with the governor of Virginia who has voiced his support for third trimester abortions under specific health circumstances. He went on to accuse Biden of condoning ‘born-alive’ abortions, which he labeled as “execution.”

Meanwhile, Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, has repeatedly advocated to end abortion restrictions. She even voted against a bill requiring doctors to treat babies ‘born-alive’ after a failed abortion.

Biden confirmed at a town hall Monday that he would push to codify Roe v. Wade in order to keep abortion legal even if the Supreme Court were to strike it down.

The Biden campaign also vouched to reinstate federal funding for abortion, which is a move that would undo President Trump’s current policies and flip-flop on Biden’s earlier support of an amendment limiting the procedure’s federal funding. Biden faced criticism in 2019 for not quickly condemning the Hyde Amendment, which confines government funding of abortion to specific cases.

RELATED: Evidence of Biden’s Burisma Payoff

 

Commission on Presidential Debates makes changes to vice presidential contest

 

Preparations take place for the vice presidential debate outside Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Salt Lake City. The vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is scheduled for Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:24 AM PT – Tuesday, October 6, 2020

All eyes are on Salt Lake City as the two vice presidential candidates are set to take the debate stage. However, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced changes to the debate on Monday.

This came after President Trump, First Lady Melania, several White House staffers and others tested positive for coronavirus. Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Kamala Harris and the moderator will all be separated by plexiglass dividers, which was a request made by the Biden-Harris campaign.

Furthermore, the candidates will be required to stay about 12-feet apart compared to the seven-feet between President Trump and Joe Biden at their first debate. Members of the limited audience will also be spaced out. Also, any audience member who does not wear a mask will be escorted out.

Pence stepped into full campaign mode as President Trump took a break from the campaign trail while receiving care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The President has since returned to the White House while Pence continues to prepare for the debate.

“We’re looking very much forward to the vice presidential debate,” Pence stated. “The stakes in this election have never been higher, the choice has never been clearer, and I look forward to the opportunity to take our case to the American people for four more years for President Donald Trump in the White House.”

While vice presidential debates in the past seem to carry little weight, this face-off is no ordinary contest. This match-up comes off the heels of a fiery first presidential debate. At a time when political stakes are at an all-time high, the two vice presidential candidates look to zero-in and hit hard at topics, especially the coronavirus pandemic.

Pence could use the platform to showcase his preparedness to step in as President if necessary. Meanwhile, Harris as a former prosecutor may choose to turn up the heat.

“Let’s put our shoulders to the wheel, let’s do the work that is necessary and continue to fight for our ideals and our values,” she stated. “And in this case, what they fought for so many years ago, which is freedom and to hold our country accountable for the ideas we say we hold dear.”

The debate will be moderated by Susan Page of USA Today on Wednesday night at the University of Utah. One America News will provide live, uninterrupted coverage of the event starting at 9 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PST!
 2019, she signed a deal to write a biography of House Speaker Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

 

Susan Page of USA Today

 2019, she signed a deal to write a biography of House Speaker Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

Katie Hill says old government Twitter account was 'hacked' after 'former staff' rips her as #MeToo 'perpetrator'

Trashy

Katie Hill announced late Tuesday that her old government Twitter account was "hacked" by the ex-congresswoman's "former staff" that blasted the Democrat as a #MeToo "perpetrator" following the announcement of a Hollywood biopic. 

It was reported on Tuesday that actress Elisabeth Moss would be starring as the former California representative in a movie adaptation of Hill's memoir "She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality" that was being produced by Blumhouse Television and set for a streaming release. Hill announced on Twitter that she would also be serving as a producer of the film.

Her account was dormant since she resigned from office in October 2019 following a "throuple" sex scandal. The alleged hackers called out Moss, Blumhouse, and screenwriter Michael Seitzman for pursuing the project.

The alleged hackers wrote that they were aware of Hill's "incredibly sensitive situation" that involved alleged domestic abuse and said they "appreciate the instinct to defend our former boss."

"But, this moment requires more nuance, as Katie Hill’s story - our story - is also one of workplace abuse and harassment," the tweet said.

"Katie Hill can be both a victim and perpetrator. And, staff can experience severe consequences for speaking out against their powerful boss," the tweet read. "No one should have to put themselves in harm’s way for the public to understand a simple truth: Katie Hill is not a hero for women. We deserve heroes who embody our values even in the most difficult moments."

The alleged hackers pointed out how Hill has not "been held accountable by anyone other than herself" since she resigned from Congress before the House Ethics Committee concluded its investigation into her conduct.

"While Katie is certainly the survivor of abuse, we are not confident that she sufficiently acted to end her own patterns of inappropriate and abusive behavior," the tweet read.

The thread concluded, "Enough is enough. In order to advance the #MeToo movement, we must be willing to acknowledge the problematic behaviors among those in our own communities. Only then will we see true progress. #TimesUp #MeToo"

The Twitter thread sent shockwaves across social media, which quickly captured the attention of the former congresswoman herself.

Hill tweeted that her account was hacked. She said control of her account "was immediately handed back to the House Clerk when I resigned, including password changes and access restrictions. God knows who hacked it from there. Reported to @Twitter."

Compromising photos of Hill and purported text messages from her to a campaign staffer surfaced online in a right-wing publication and a British tabloid back in 2019. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at the time that Hill had acknowledged “errors in judgment” that Pelosi said made her continued service in Congress “untenable.”

Hill apologized for her relationship with a subordinate when she announced she was stepping aside.

She accused her then-estranged husband, who she alleged was abusive to her during their relationship, of leaking the intimate texts and photographs to the press as revenge porn.

Republican Mike Garcia flipped her vacant congressional seat in a special election following her resignation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

Trump 'reports no symptoms' as he recovers from coronavirus diagnosis

President Trump's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, announced Tuesday afternoon that the president "reports no symptoms" of the novel coronavirus after doctors discharged Trump from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday.

Meanwhile, Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller was announced on Tuesday to have tested positive for the virus, following an outbreak at the White House that infected Trump and many others.

The White House on Tuesday also released updated safety precautions for staff at the executive residence after the president's diagnosis.

 

Trump authorizes declassification of all Russia collusion, Hillary Clinton email probe documents

President Trump on Tuesday said he has “fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents" related to the Russia investigation and the FBI’s investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

“I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. No redactions!” The president tweeted Tuesday night.

"All Russia Hoax Scandal information was Declassified by me long ago," Trump tweeted. "Unfortunately for our Country, people have acted very slowly, especially since it is perhaps the biggest political crime in the history of our Country."

He added: "Act!!!"

Last year, the president gave Attorney General Bill Barr authority to declassify any documents related to surveillance of the Trump campaign in 2016. Trump, at the time, also ordered members of the intelligence community to cooperate with Barr’s probe.

Allies of the president, including Republicans on Capitol Hill leading their own investigations into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, have criticized officials like FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel, claiming that the directors have been blocking the release of documents.

The president’s tweets come after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe declassified documents that revealed former CIA Director John Brennan briefed former President Obama on Hillary Clinton’s purported “plan” to tie then-candidate Donald Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server” ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Fox News first reported that Ratcliffe declassified Brennan’s handwritten notes – which were taken after he briefed Obama on the intelligence the CIA received – and a CIA memo, which revealed that officials referred the matter to the FBI for potential investigative action.

"Today, at the direction of President Trump, I declassified additional documents relevant to ongoing Congressional oversight and investigative activities," Ratcliffe said in a statement to Fox News Tuesday.

A source familiar with the documents explained that Brennan's handwritten notes were taken after briefing Obama on the matter.

“We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from [REDACTED],” Brennan notes read. “CITE [summarizing] alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service,” Brennan’s notes read.

The notes state “on 28 of July." In the margin, Brennan writes "POTUS," but that section of the notes is redacted.

“Any evidence of collaboration between Trump campaign + Russia,” the notes read.

The remainder of the notes are redacted, except in the margins, which reads:  “JC,” “Denis,” and “Susan."

The notes don't spell out the full names but "JC" could be referring to then-FBI Director James Comey, "Susan" could refer to National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and "Denis" could refer to then-Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough.

The declassification comes after Ratcliffe, last week, shared newly-declassified information with the Senate Judiciary Committee which revealed that in September 2016, U.S. intelligence officials forwarded an investigative referral on Hillary Clinton purportedly approving “a plan concerning U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections” in order to distract the public from her email scandal.

That referral was sent to Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok.

“The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate,” the CIA memo to Comey and Strzok stated.

"This memorandum contains sensitive information that could be source revealing. It should be handled with particular attention to compartmentation and need-to-know. To avoid the possible compromise of the source, any investigative action taken in response to the information below should be coordinated in advance with Chief Counterintelligence Mission Center, Legal,” the memo, which was sent to Comey and Strzok, read. “It may not be used in any legal proceeding—including FISA applications—without prior approval…”

“Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date," the memo continued. "“An exchange [REDACTED] discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”

The memo is heavily redacted.

Ratcliffe informed the committee last week that the Obama administration obtained Russian intelligence in July 2016 with allegations against Clinton, but cautioned that the intelligence community “does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the text to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.”

According to Ratcliffe’s letter, the intelligence included the “alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on July 26, 2016, of a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by Russian security services.”

Nick Merrill, Clinton's spokesperson, called the allegations "baseless b———t” last week. A spokesman for Clinton did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment on the declassified documents.

But Ratcliffe, in a statement released after the information was made public, pushed back on the idea he was advancing "Russian disinformation.”

"To be clear, this is not Russian disinformation and has not been assessed as such by the Intelligence Community,” Ratcliffe said in a statement to Fox News. “I’ll be briefing Congress on the sensitive sources and methods by which it was obtained in the coming days.”

A source familiar with the documents told Fox News on Tuesday that the allegation was "not disinformation.”

"This is not Russian disinformation. Even Brennan knew, or he wouldn't be briefing the president of the United States on it," the source said. "There is a high threshold to orally brief the president of the United States and he clearly felt this met that threshold.”

Another source familiar with the documents told Fox News that "this information has been sought by hundreds of congressional requests for legitimate oversight purposes and was withheld for political spite—and the belief that they’d never get caught.”

The source added that the Brennan notes are significant because it is “their own words, written and memorialized in real time.”

Meanwhile, last week, during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Comey was asked whether he received an investigative referral on Clinton from 2016, but he said it didn’t “ring any bells.”

“You don’t remember getting an investigatory lead from the intelligence community? Sept. 7, 2016, U.S. intelligence officials forwarded an investigative referral to James Comey and Strzok regarding Clinton’s approval of a plan [about] Trump…as a means of distraction?” Graham asked Comey.

“That doesn’t ring any bells with me,” Comey said.

Graham questioned “how far-fetched is that,” citing the fact that Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, through law firm Perkins Coie, hired Fusion GPS and ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to author and compile information for the controversial and unverified anti-Trump dossier.

The Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, through law firm Perkins Coie, hired Fusion GPS and ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to author and compile information for the controversial and unverified anti-Trump dossier.

The dossier contains claims about alleged ties between Donald Trump and Russia that served as the basis for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants obtained against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

Attorney General Bill Barr last year appointed U.S. Attorney of Connecticut John Durham to investigate the origins of the FBI’s Russia probe shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller completed his years-long investigation into whether the campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election.

It is unclear whether this information will be considered part of Durham’s investigation, or whether the president’s declassification will affect Durham’s investigation.

Last month, Fox News reported, though, that Durham had assumed aspects of U.S. Attorney John Huber’s investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

A source familiar with Durham’s investigation told Fox News last month that parts of what Huber was investigating in 2017 -- involving the Clinton Foundation -- have been incorporated in Durham’s investigation.

In November 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed Huber, the U.S. attorney for Utah, and other senior prosecutors to evaluate “certain issues” involving the sale of Uranium One, and other dealings related to the Clinton Foundation. Sessions tapped Huber after requests by congressional Republicans, who had been calling for the appointment of a special counsel to review the matters.

Huber was also tasked with reviewing the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email probe, including allegations that the Justice Department and FBI “policies or procedures” were not followed.

It has been unclear, for years, the status of Huber's investigation, but another source told Fox News Thursday that Huber has faced mounting criticism from the Justice Department and White House over his progress.

It is unclear whether any aspects of the Clinton email investigation were included in Huber’s review.

 

Blue State Bailout Cartoons

 

Tax hikes on November ballot in many (BLUE) states amid coronavirus economic fallout

 

 

New Jersey's millionaire tax hike doesn't help exodus from state: Zuma global president

Zuma Global President Heather Zumarraga weighs in on the repercussions of New Jersey Gov. Murphy's new millionaire tax

Residents in many states heading to the polls this November will be asked to approve ballot measures that could result in tax increases on residents and businesses.

Many state and local governments are looking for ways to generate more revenue as they battle ballooning debts after large swaths of the economy shut down following the coronavirus outbreak.

Measures make it on the ballot in one of two ways – either through the state legislature or a citizen initiative, whereby an idea must receive a qualifying number of signatures to place it on the ballot.

This year, as the economy continues to recover from a deep recession, residents in many cities and states will be asked to approve tax increases – or measures that would pave the way for the locality to raise rates at a later date.

Here’s a look at some of the tax-related ballot initiatives that will be decided next month.

Illinois

In Illinois, voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment that would allow for a progressive income tax bracket system. As it stands, the state constitution calls for a flat tax rate, which currently sits at 4.95%.

Lower-income individuals would pay rates between 4.75% and 4.9%. Those with incomes between $100,000 and $250,000 would pay the 4.95% rate. The top rate, however, for joint filers with incomes more than $250,000 would reach 7.75%; 7.85% on incomes more than $500,000 and 7.99% for people making more than $1 million.

The revised tax rates would earn the state an extra $3.6 billion in expected revenue. The change would not take effect until 2021.

As previously reported by FOX Business, billionaire Ken Griffin spent $20 million to campaign against the effort, alleging the change to the state’s structure would eventually end up costing all families more.

Colorado

In Colorado, residents will decide whether to repeal the Gallagher Amendment, which was introduced as a way to limit residential property taxes.

Under the measure, residential property taxes cannot make up more than 45% of the tax base, which means nonresidential property taxes – like commercial property taxes – make up the remainder.

Proponents of the repeal claim the amendment has reduced funding for K-12 schools and fire districts as well as placing a larger financial burden on the state government.

On the flip side, residents would face higher property taxes as the U.S. economy struggles to come out of a coronavirus-induced recession that began in February.

The amendment has saved state residents an estimated $35 billion in residential property taxes since 1982 – when it was implemented – according to The Colorado Sun.

California

California is also asking residents to approve a ballot initiative that would allow the state to raise certain property tax rates.

Proposition 13 was passed in the 1970s, and it stipulates that residential and commercial property owners pay taxes based on what they originally paid for the property.

Rates of increase are also restricted to 2% or less each year, and there’s a limit on property taxes to 1% of the assessed value.

The proposition lawmakers want residents to approve would remove caps for large commercial businesses (properties worth more than $3 million).

Alaska

Voters in Alaska will decide whether some of the country’s largest oil companies – like ConocoPhillips – should pay more in production taxes.

The measure would only apply to producers that put out more than 40,000 barrels per day over the previous calendar year and more than 400 million barrels of cumulative production.

Shift in Ohio vote tallies after election not a sign of 'something nefarious,' secretary of state says

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose

 As officials in the key battleground state of Ohio prepare for an unprecedented surge in mail-in ballots for the 2020 presidential election, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants to make it clear that any shift in voting tallies after Election Day should not be taken as an indication of wrongdoing.

More than two million Ohio residents requested mail-in ballot applications prior to the start of early voting on Tuesday, doubling the count at the same time in 2016 and 2012. Ballots in the state are counted for up to 10 days after Election Day -- as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 2 -- meaning that election results displayed on the night of Nov. 3 will be unofficial and include all votes received through any method by 7:30 p.m. local time.

LaRose, a Republican, said the state will have “pretty conclusive” results on election night if early returns show President Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden winning the state by a wide margin.

But if the race is close, he acknowledged that it could take “three weeks or more” to know the final results as elections officials work to tabulate mail-in and provisional ballots. LaRose added that the state is taking steps to be transparent about the process, such as publishing the number of outstanding mail-in ballots online.

“When the results on election night say one thing and then when the results change over the ensuing several weeks, that’s not a sign that something nefarious is happening. In fact, quite the contrary,” LaRose told Fox News. “It’s a sign that the legal process is being allowed to play itself out so that every legally cast vote can be tabulated. That’s exactly what we need to do.”

The security and speed of the mail-in ballot process have emerged as key points of contention during the 2020 election cycle.

Trump has argued, without evidence, that mail-in ballots are susceptible to fraud and suggested that their widespread use could result in a “rigged election.” During his debate with Biden last week, Trump said he would only accept the results of the vote "if it’s a fair election.”

In a change from past years, Ohio plans to publish the number of expected mail-in ballots that have yet to be received on election night – both for the sake of transparency and as a guide on whether initial results can be taken as definitive. The voting process will operate just as it has in the past, where results on election night have been considered unofficial until they can be certified.

Additionally, LaRose was adamant that Ohio has developed a highly secure system for mail-in voting with a number of safeguards in place.

“Let me be loud and clear, voter fraud is exceedingly rare,” LaRose said. “It’s rare because we enforce the laws. We work to keep it rare. We follow the procedures. We have bipartisan supervision of every part of our election process and that includes the way Ohioans do absentee voting.”

In order to cast a mail-in ballot, voters must prove their identity both when requesting their ballot application and when submitting their completed ballot. State officials maintain up-to-date voting rolls and allow voters to track their ballots online.

Ohio does not allow so-called “ballot harvesting,” in which a third party collects ballots from the public. Voters must submit their ballots personally, through a family member or through the mail.

LaRose said he plans to “follow the law” if any candidate, Trump or otherwise, attempts to question Ohio’s election results. Ohio state law allows officials to provide voting tallies on two occasions -- an unofficial count on election night and a final, certified result about three weeks after Election Day.

Ohio is one of several key “swing states” in 2020. A Fox News poll last month showed Biden with a five-point lead over Trump in the state after the president carried Ohio during his victory over then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.

LaRose said disinformation about the voting process and adequate staffing at polling locations, not ballot security, are his chief concerns for the upcoming election. He noted that much of the disinformation has emerged from abroad, where foreign countries “are intentionally trying to degrade the trust that Americans have in our elections.”

 

“Combating disinformation, making sure that voters have accurate information is probably the thing I think about more than anything else right now,” LaRose said. As of this week, Ohio has recruited approximately 46,000 state residents to serve as poll workers at roughly 4,000 voting locations. The state has set a target of 55,000 trained poll workers by Election Day to ensure that locations are staffed even if the ongoing coronavirus pandemic impacts the workforce.

County election boards have been equipped with high-speed mail handling equipment and letter-opening machines to handle the record influx in ballots. For in-person voting, centers will follow a 61-point safety checklist, including use of personal protective equipment, to ensure a safe environment for the public.

“We want to be at 55,000 and that’s what’s necessary to make sure that no voter arrives at a polling location on Nov. 3 and finds a locked door,” LaRose said. “We need to have those polling locations staffed with well-trained, bipartisan teams of elections officials."