Northeast
Fox News Power Rankings: With VP picks, Harris and Trump miss opportunities to broaden their appeal
Trump still has an edge, but the race is closer than ever. That is the outlook in the first Fox News Power Rankings with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket and two new running mate picks.
The race to be ‘someone else’
When this cycle began, most voters didn’t want President Biden or former President Donald Trump in the race.
In a Fox News survey conducted weeks after the midterms, 64% of voters said they wouldn’t like to see Biden run for re-election, and 58% said they weren’t happy about Trump running either.
Fox News Power Rankings forecast shows a slight Trump edge over Harris. (Fox News)
Voters were not glad Biden was running in 2024. (Fox News)
Throughout his campaign, reliably blue voters drifted away from Biden, and he lagged with independents.
The top reason was clear and consistent: voters thought he was too old for a second term.
Last month, the president acquiesced to his doubters and stepped out of the race. On Monday, Harris became the Democratic nominee.
Meanwhile, Republicans have been rallying around Trump.
Voters are not glad that Trump is running in 2024, either. (Fox News)
But the former president has proven there is a ceiling in his level of support, particularly with independents.
Collectively, the polls suggest that the winner of the 2024 presidential race could be the candidate who reminds voters least of Biden or Trump.
In other words, Harris and Trump each have up to 90 days to prove they can be “someone else.”
The type of “someone else” matters.
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS NAMES MINNESOTA GOV. TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE
A majority of Americans say Biden is too liberal. In June, 56% of adults said they felt that way, and so did 56% of independent voters.
Trump’s “MAGA” movement is also unpopular. In a survey last year, only 24% of Americans said they had a positive view of the movement, and only 12% of independents agreed.
That makes both candidates’ vice presidential picks missed opportunities.
Fox News Power Rankings’ election countdown calendar. (Fox News)
There is also little time left in the race. Most Americans now cast a ballot before election day and early voting kicks off in 30 days.
After a sleepy start, America is sprinting to the finish line.
Eliminating the age problem gives Harris a strong start, but Walz doesn’t help her
If Harris’ goal is to not remind voters of Joe Biden, she starts with a clear advantage. The vice president is 22 years younger than her boss.
Fox News Power Rankings analysis shows that Harris has wiped out Biden’s polling deficit. (Fox News)
That has helped wipe out Biden’s deficit in national polls.
After the presidential debate, Biden had support from 42% of registered voters in an average of polls, with Trump at 49% (NYT, WSJ). That is a 7-point gap.
In the first polls from the same outlets after Harris became the likely nominee, she improved to 47%, with Trump still at 49% (NYT, WSJ). That is a race within the margin of error.
We know age was the driver of this upswing because when these polls were conducted, Harris hadn’t changed anything else.
Tuesday, she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Polling showed whether Biden is too liberal. (Fox News)
Walz has supported a long list of socially progressive policies. He signed a law that made illegal immigrants eligible for drivers’ licenses, and another that, per a memo circulated by allies, made Minnesota a “Trans Refuge State.”
He has also faced criticism for his slow response to rioting, looting, and arson after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
With reporting over the weekend that Harris had narrowed her choices to Walz or moderate Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had a 61% favorability rating in a must-win swing state, Harris’ decision seems unhelpful to her campaign.
Walz is unlikely to hurt the campaign either.
His signature policies include expansions of paid family and medical leave, legislation protecting abortion rights, education funding and drug affordability.
Fox News Power Rankings analysis shows the top three issues in battleground states. (Fox News)
Those positions are all in line with Biden and Harris’ agenda over the last four years and are popular in battleground states.
Democrats are also excited about his “folksy” demeanor, military service, and working-class background.
And while there is no polling evidence so far that Walz has outsized appeal with Midwestern voters, he doesn’t underperform with them either. In the midterms, he won re-election by seven points.
The problem is more that Walz doesn’t help Harris win over independent voters who already say that Biden is too liberal.
Trump can’t redefine himself, and Vance doesn’t help either
Meanwhile, while voters prefer Trump on policy, he must show independents that he is a more honest and temperate man than he was in his first term.
Surviving a terrifying assassination attempt gave Trump an opportunity to do this, and surrogates were eager to play up the “changed” Donald Trump throughout the Republican National Convention.
An uneven convention speech and an aggressive appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago last week proved Trump is still Trump.
His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has been unhelpful so far.
Vance earned his spot on the ticket because he was the most aligned to Trump and the “MAGA” movement out of all the leading candidates. The polling shows that “MAGA” has limited appeal outside the Republican base.
New polling shows that “MAGA” is broadly unpopular with voters. (Fox News)
Vance has also had to defend several comments he made about women.
In a 2021 interview, he called some Democratic politicians “childless cat ladies,” and the same year, said rape and incest were possible circumstances of a child’s birth that society views as “inconvenient.” Vance said he meant society sometimes sees babies as inconvenient in a Fox interview last week.
Like Walz, Vance brings a Midwestern background to the ticket.
Republicans are excited about his ability to empathize with working-class voters who propelled Trump to victory in 2016 and say his military experience will be an asset.
He has cosponsored bipartisan legislation to lower the price of insulin and make banks more accountable when they fail.
FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: IS KAMALA HARRIS UNBURDENED BY WHAT HAS BEEN?
And in the midterms, Vance won his race by about six points against one of the strongest Democratic candidates in decades.
Overall, Trump’s combative personality and the Vance pick are not quite the strategic mistakes that some analysts say they are.
The “MAGA” movement excites core Republican voters, and firing up the base was a key factor in Trump’s 2016 win.
But depressing Democratic turnout was also key to that victory. The polling now shows that Harris has fired up her base too.
Trump has an edge in the forecast, but it’s a very close race
The Fox News Power Rankings map shows the forecast as of Aug. 7, 2024. (Fox News)
With Harris at 47% and Trump at 49%, the national race is very tight.
Harris’ five-point improvement over Biden comes from upswings in two of three key groups that had drifted away from the incumbent president.
Harris has flipped the race with young voters. Biden had support from 40% of voters aged 18-29 after the debate; the vice president now sits at 56%.
She has similarly improved with Hispanic voters, increasing her support from 41% after the debate to 57% now.
Fox News Power Rankings show Democrats’ performance with key groups. (Fox News)
Trump continues to perform much better with Black voters than he did in 2020.
That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis had just 8% of African American or Black voters supporting Trump. He pulls 23% among registered voters in the same groups now, nearly tripling his support.
Watch that number as election day draws closer. There is evidence in past cycles that many Black voters “come home” to the Democrats, but the margin could determine the winner of the election.
With Democrats re-energized, Harris looks stronger in battleground Minnesota
Fox News Power Rankings’ list of most competitive swing states. (Fox News )
Only one competitive state moves further into Democratic territory in this forecast, and it’s Walz’s home, Minnesota.
Harris already had an advantage in this reliably blue state.
In a set of Fox News battleground state polls from late July, Harris had support from 52% of voters in Minnesota, 6 points above Trump at 46%.
That is just about the same as Biden’s vote share in 2020.
Minnesota has also voted for Democrats in every election since 1972.
Fox News Power Rankings’ list of less competitive swing states (Fox News)
Trump rallied there last week, and his campaign announced they were opening more field offices there in June, so it remains in a “competitive” category.
But unless there is a future drop in Harris’ support, she is in the driver’s seat. Minnesota moves from Lean D to Likely D.
A big month ahead for the Power Rankings
This is the first of several Fox News Power Rankings forecasts in August.
Look for the first Senate, House, and governor forecasts for 2024 starting Monday next week.
Then, on Sunday, Fox News Democracy 24 special coverage begins for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
That’s also the date for the next Power Rankings Issues Tracker, Fox’s polling tracker for the issues and candidate qualities that will define this race.
Read the full article from Here
Northeast
Video shows masked thieves using sledgehammer in brazen Lululemon heist before fleeing in U-Haul
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Pennsylvania authorities revealed Tuesday that surveillance video captured a brazen Lululemon smash-and-grab, with two masked individuals using a sledgehammer to carry out the overnight break-in.
The suspects, seen grabbing armfuls of merchandise during multiple rounds of theft, reportedly fled in a U-Haul truck, Lower Merion Police told Fox 29 Philadelphia.
The incident in the Ardmore shopping center reportedly occurred just before 2 a.m. Tuesday and resulted in an estimated $5,000 in stolen merchandise.
In the video released by police, two masked suspects dressed in all black swung what appeared to be a sledgehammer into the store’s windowed entrance. They then quickly rushed through the opening without hesitation, immediately targeting winter coats and shirts in the men’s section.
Surveillance footage shows a masked suspect smashing through a Lululemon store entrance during an overnight break-in. (Lower Merion Police/Fox 29 Philadelphia)
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The suspects appeared to grab entire racks of puffer jackets and sweatshirts before returning outside. The video then shows the men returning to the store a second time after dropping off the stolen items to take even more merchandise.
The footage shows the heist lasted roughly five minutes.
The thieves fled after loading the stolen merchandise into the bed of a U-Haul pickup truck parked outside, Fox 29 reported.
SUSPECTED THIEVES CAUGHT ON CAMERA SMASHING WASHINGTON STATE STOREFRONT WITH TRUCK IN ATM HEIST ATTEMPT
Police say suspects fled in a U-Haul truck after the overnight Lululemon smash-and-grab. (Lower Merion Police/Fox 29 Philadelphia)
By the afternoon, the store had reopened, but the front door’s glass remained shattered, with a large banner placed in front of the entrance, the local station reported.
According to an employee from another business nearby, Tuesday’s incident was not the first time the Lululemon store was targeted.
“I walked out here with my bartender, and we looked, and it’s scary that it’s happening right across the way from us,” Gina Picciano, general manager of Lola’s Garden, told Fox 29.
MASKED LOOTERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA TRASHING FLORIDA STORE, STEALING CLOTHES
The Lululemon store’s glass entrance was left shattered after the smash-and-grab burglary, authorities said. (Lower Merion Police/Fox 29 Philadelphia)
Last year, Picciano said, a theft occurred during store hours.
“All of the sudden, a bunch of people were just running out with armfuls of stuff. So, it happens in broad daylight,” Picciano added. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s night or day, and that’s crazy.”
The Lower Merion Police told Fox 29 that delayed alarm alerts can delay response times, emphasizing crime prevention and partnerships with merchants.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Sometimes there’s a delay in receiving these calls with Lululemon because their operations center, they’re the ones that receive the video and the alarm,” Superintendent of Police Andy Block said. “Prevention here is the key for this, and we’re always concerned about the criminal element coming into our communities. And our officers work all the time to try to prevent this. We want to work with our merchants to try to make our community safer.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Lower Merion Police and Lululemon for more information.
Read the full article from Here
Boston, MA
Ex-Yankees 1st-rounder among non-roster invitees to Red Sox spring training
Come February a former New York Yankees first-round draft pick, will get a chance to prove himself to their longtime rivals.
Left-hander T.J. Sikkema, 27, is one of seven non-roster invitees to Red Sox spring training, the club announced Tuesday.
Catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, lefty Alec Gamboa, and right-handers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris and Devin Sweet round out the group.
The Yankees drafted Sikkema 38th overall in the ‘19 draft. He was one of three minor league pitchers they dealt to the Kansas City Royals for former Red Sox star Andrew Benintendi at the ‘22 MLB trade deadline.
Sikkema spent the last two years in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Last year he reached Triple-A for the first time, and pitched to a 3.47 ERA over five games (four starts) with nine earned runs allowed over 23.1 innings, following the late-August promotion.
While the Red Sox had a top-ranked farm system last year, their catching depth is notoriously thin. Delay, 30, has 134 games of big-league experience with the 2022-24 Pittsburgh Pirates, including 131 behind the dish, a career .231/.333/.400 line in the majors. He spent last season with the Double-A and Triple-A levels of the Atlanta Braves organization.
Capra, 29, appeared in 47 major league games last season, 24 with the Milwaukee Brewers and 23 with the Chicago White Sox. Since his debut with the ‘22 Toronto Blue Jays, he has played 67 big-league games over the last four years.
Though a lifetime .133/.181/.188 hitter in the majors, Capra brings defensive versatility to the table. In just 58 fielding games, he has already covered third base, second, shortstop, left and right field, and made three pitching appearances.
Gamboa, 28, comes to the Red Sox after a season split between the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets and the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball League. He was the Dodgers’ ninth-round pick in ‘19, and owns a 4.23 ERA over 131 career minor league games, including 41 starts.
Berrios is one of several former St. Louis Cardinals who will be in Red Sox camp next month. The Puerto Rico native split last season between Cardinals’ Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. Working primarily in relief, he logged a 5.12 ERA and struck out 62 over 58 innings (40 games, four starts).
Harris’ name will likely be familiar to Red Sox fans, as he spent all of last season in Triple-A Worcester. The 32-year-old righty posted a 4.05 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 31 relief appearances and one start. He also has 16 games of major league experience, from his time with the ‘23 Washington Nationals.
Like Sikkema, Harris is a former Yankees draft pick; they selected him in the 31st round in 2015.
The Red Sox signed Sweet to a minor league deal last month. He has seven games of big-league experience between the ‘23 Seattle Mariners and then-Oakland Athletics. He spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, with whom he posted a 5.08 ERA over 46 games, including two starts, and struck out 49 batters in 51.1 innings.
Tumbling from top spot
Entering last spring training, the Red Sox earned the top spot in Baseball America’s farm system rankings for the first time since the publication began their assessments in 1984.
“The Red Sox have returned to the top of the farm system rankings, even after dealing four prospects to the White Sox to bring Garrett Crochet to Boston,” Baseball America’s explanation stated. “No other organization can match the trio of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, and Boston’s pitching depth has improved as well.”
The publication’s annual Prospect Handbook ranks the Red Sox 14th.
Chalk some of that up to the aforementioned trio making their respective big-league debuts and progressing out of prospect eligibility. Players like Anthony don’t exactly grow on trees.
Other top prospects, like slugging outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, have since been traded away. (Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has made a staggering 49 trades since taking the reins in November ’23.)
At present, most of Boston’s current top prospects are in the lower levels of the farm system. Three of the organization’s top five on MLB Pipeline are expected to debut in 2027 or later; the exceptions are lefties Payton Tolle (No. 2) and Connelly Early (No.4), who both debuted late last season but remain prospect-eligible.
Pittsburg, PA
Puppy zipped in suitcase almost ready for adoption at Pittsburgh rescue
A puppy is being cared for by the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh in Homewood after police said his owner zipped him inside a suitcase on Christmas Day.
When you see him, you would never know how his little life got started. The little white dog loves to play and has quickly become a favorite at HARP.
However, nearly two weeks ago, Pittsburgh police said his owner, 56-year-old Jayme White, zipped him inside a suitcase she was carrying on Christmas Day. They said a witness told them she was yelling at the dog and hit it several times before putting it in the bag.
Now White is facing several charges, including animal neglect and public drunkenness.
HARP executive director Dan Cody said animal control brought them the puppy the next morning.
“When the dog arrived, he was in relatively good condition, given the circumstances,” Cody said.
They couldn’t find any signs of physical abuse.
“He was a little bit shy, but he very quickly warmed up,” Cody said.
They believe he’s about two and a half months old now, and expect he’ll be a large breed. Most importantly, they said he’s completely healthy.
“He’s just so energetic and loving,” Cody said.
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office told KDKA that White has surrendered custody of the animal to the rescue, so once he’s neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, he should be up for adoption in the coming days.
“We’ll find a great home for him,” Cody said.
While the circumstances remain unclear, Cody hopes this case serves as a reminder that owning a pet comes with a great responsibility.
“If you do know someone who is struggling or needs help, we are a place where you can come for resources,” Cody said.
White is now out of jail after a judge ruled she get a mental health evaluation. Her preliminary hearing is set for April.
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