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Analysis: Biden’s State of the Union speech takes aim at Putin, and poll numbers

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Analysis: Biden’s State of the Union speech takes aim at Putin, and poll numbers

Early in his State of the Union deal with Tuesday night time, as President Biden reeled off the devastating financial sanctions in opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he sounded a bit like he was making an attempt to channel Soiled Harry.

“He has no thought what’s coming,” Biden stated in a menace to Putin that sounded private and appeared ad-libbed.

This was Biden as a quasi-wartime president, absent the precise American troops: speaking powerful concerning the battle for freedom in Ukraine in opposition to a international enemy, and capitalizing on American unity to promote his home agenda.

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“We are going to meet the check,” Biden stated on the climax of his speech. “To guard freedom and liberty, to develop equity and alternative. We are going to save democracy.”

Biden has reached the type of “inflection level” he typically invokes — confronting the unpredictable struggle in Europe, a disaster in democracy at dwelling, a pandemic that has lingered, a stalled agenda in Congress and an American public anxious over inflation.

Beneath these challenges lie questions from the general public over whether or not Biden is a powerful sufficient chief to confront the maelstrom. In
a Washington Put up-ABC Information ballot taken final week, 59% of People stated no, in contrast with 49% who gave that reply simply earlier than he secured the Democratic nomination in 2020.

Considerations over the energy of Biden’s management, mirrored in a wide range of polls, observe sustained assaults from the proper claiming he’s mentally unfit. However these worries even have unfold to voters in his personal occasion and particularly to independents, who fear he’s shedding steam, even when they don’t purchase Fox Information’ portrayal of him as doddering.

Favorable perceptions of Biden declined noticeably after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan undermined his administration’s case that it had restored competency to authorities.

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“With out utilizing the phrase ‘return to normalcy,’ he was seen that manner by lots of people,” stated Mary Kate Cary, a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. “The remainder of the world didn’t get the memo.”

A lot of the will for normalcy was based mostly on fatigue with President Trump and the sense that Biden would deliver empathy, an finish to division, and stability. Celinda Lake, one in every of Biden’s marketing campaign pollsters, argues the president has handed the primary two assessments, however concedes the third goal — stability — has been elusive.

A suburban lady in one in every of Lake’s latest focus teams summarized the sensation: “I simply need off this curler coaster.”

Lake believes the struggle in Ukraine, nonetheless bleak, presents a window for Biden to display that his quiet type of management has labored — counting on consultants; lobbying European allies behind the scenes to impose painful sanctions in opposition to Russia; and speaking candidly with the American individuals.

In his State of the Union deal with, Biden made some extent of calling out Putin for a “premeditated and unprovoked” invasion, whereas warning that when “dictators don’t pay a worth for his or her
aggression, they trigger extra chaos.” He introduced new motion to match the more durable speak, banning Russian planes from U.S. airspace.

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“American diplomacy issues,” Biden proclaimed Tuesday, drawing an implicit distinction with Trump, who disdained NATO and different multinational organizations.

The president argued that Putin had underestimated the unity of America and its allies.

“Putin was mistaken,” Biden stated. “We have been prepared.”

However whilst Biden lauded Western resolve in opposition to Putin, his tone may backfire, given the struggling that has already begun in Ukraine and the potential for a broader battle with a nuclear energy.

Biden vowed to make use of American troops provided that it turns into crucial to guard NATO international locations. So his promise to “save democracy” may sound hole to some ears in Ukraine, which isn’t a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Group.

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He conceded the necessity to “stay cleareyed,” cautioning that though “Ukrainians are preventing again with pure braveness … the subsequent few days, weeks, months will probably be onerous on them.”

The relative unity within the U.S. and amongst allies over the struggle, nonetheless, offered Biden the chance to border his home challenges as a part of a worldwide wrestle between democracy and the rising forces making an attempt to upend it, together with Trump’s baseless claims to being the rightful president.

It additionally allowed Biden to recast his home imaginative and prescient in additional bipartisan phrases, after a yr wherein he struggled to get his extra progressive plans by means of slender Democratic majorities in Congress.

He framed his local weather agenda as a technique to reduce hovering vitality prices, his immigration invoice as a step towards securing the border, his tax hikes on companies and the rich as a technique to repair a damaged system. He emphasised the significance of funding police departments, whilst he urged an overhaul of discriminatory practices.

Biden conceded Republicans would disagree with a few of these assessments, however virtually begged the opposition occasion to signal on to his “unity agenda,” which included plans to battle the opioid epidemic, assist veterans, defeat most cancers and enhance entry to psychological healthcare.

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“I don’t see a partisan edge to any a type of 4 issues,” he stated in an apart.

Biden’s 41% approval in polls is at its lowest ebb up to now, solely fractionally higher than Trump’s standing at this level in his presidency and significantly worse than that of most of his predecessors. It’s onerous to show the tide with a speech, however the State of the Union provided Biden a uncommon probability to succeed in viewers who don’t linger on Twitter or spend their days watching cable information.

Presidents and their speechwriters normally begin writing the deal with months upfront, hoping to inform a narrative and convey a easy imaginative and prescient fairly than a laundry record of proposals.

Cody Keenan, President Obama’s former lead speechwriter, remembers sitting with Obama and laying out plans to interrupt the laundry record mould. However the competitors amongst coverage aides to get even a line within the speech — which may propel a problem to relevancy contained in the federal forms — is simply too fierce to withstand. Keenan stated advisors staked him out within the lavatory to make their pitches.

Biden’s advisors started sending out a string of coverage reality sheets and giving background briefings Monday, creating an inventory of priorities so lengthy that few People will be capable of bear in mind a lot of them.

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Those that fear concerning the president’s vitality could as a substitute recall his uneven supply. Biden flubbed numerous his strains in his hourlong speech, at one level talking concerning the “hearts and souls of the Iranian individuals” when he supposed to discuss the resolve of the Ukrainian individuals.

His tempo picked up towards the crescendo, nonetheless, as Biden pointed, clenched his fist and informed the nation to “go get ’im.”

Biden hopes the speech will give new life to his agenda and maybe start a resurgence for a Democratic Social gathering that’s anticipating large losses in November’s midterm elections. And like his predecessors, he’s prone to get not less than a small bump within the polls. However altering longer-term perceptions about his presidency is a tougher raise.

“The State of the Union might be one in every of his higher possibilities to try this, however let’s not over-torque it,” Keenan stated. “It’s one of the crucial essential speeches, however let’s be trustworthy: Most People overlook it after two days.”

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Appeals court rules Texas has right to build razor wire border wall to deter illegal immigration: 'Huge win'

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Appeals court rules Texas has right to build razor wire border wall to deter illegal immigration: 'Huge win'

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Texas has the right to build a razor wire border wall to deter illegal immigration into the Lone Star State. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the ruling on X, saying President Biden was “wrong to cut our razor wire.” 

“We continue adding more razor wire border barrier,” the Republican leader wrote. 

Wednesday’s 2-1 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals clears the way for Texas to pursue a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of trespassing without having to remove the fencing.

TRUMP SAYS MEXICO WILL STOP FLOW OF MIGRANTS AFTER SPEAKING WITH MEXICAN PRESIDENT FOLLOWING TARIFF THREATS

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It also reversed a federal judge’s November 2023 refusal to grant a preliminary injunction to Texas as the state resisted federal efforts to remove fencing along the Rio Grande in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas.

U.S. Border Patrol agents cut an opening through razor wire after immigrant families crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, Sept. 27, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee during the president-elect’s first term, wrote for Wednesday’s majority that Texas was trying only to safeguard its own property, not “regulate” U.S. Border Patrol, and was likely to succeed in its trespass claims.

LIBERAL NANTUCKET REELS FROM MIGRANT CRIME WAVE AS BIDEN SPENDS THANKSGIVING IN RICH FRIEND’S MANSION

Duncan said the federal government waived its sovereign immunity and rejected its concerns that a ruling by Texas would impede the enforcement of immigration law and undermine the government’s relationship with Mexico.

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TEXAS BORDER RAZOR WIRE

A Venezuelan immigrant asks Texas National Guard troops to let his family pass through razor wire after they crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, Sept. 27, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)

He said the public interest “supports clear protections for property rights from government intrusion and control” and ensuring that federal immigration law enforcement does not “unnecessarily intrude into the rights of countless property owners.”

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton called the ruling a “huge win for Texas.” 

“The Biden Administration has been enjoined from damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s border fencing,” Paxton wrote in a post on X. “We sued immediately when the federal government was observed destroying fences to let illegal aliens enter, and we’ve fought every step of the way for Texas sovereignty and security.”

Texas border

Migrants attempt to cross the southern border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in February. (David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The White House has been locked in legal battles with Texas and other states that have tried to deter illegal immigration. 

In May, the full 5th Circuit heard arguments in a separate case between Texas and the White House over whether the state can keep a 1,000-foot floating barrier on the Rio Grande.

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The appeals court is also reviewing a judge’s order blocking a Texas law that would allow state officials to arrest, prosecute and order the removal of people in the country illegally.

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Rep. Katie Porter obtains temporary restraining order against ex-boyfriend on harassment allegations

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Rep. Katie Porter obtains temporary restraining order against ex-boyfriend on harassment allegations

U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) secured a temporary restraining order Tuesday against a former boyfriend, saying in dozens of pages of court filings that he had bombarded her, as well as her family and colleagues, with hundreds of messages that she described as “persistent abuse and harassment.”

Porter, 50, alleged in a filing with Orange County Superior Court that her ex-boyfriend Julian Willis, 55, was contacting her and her family with such frequency that she had a “significant fear” for her “personal safety and emotional well-being.”

Judge Stephen T. Hicklin signed a restraining order Tuesday barring Willis from communicating with Porter and her children until a mid-December court hearing. He also barred Willis from communicating about Porter with her current and former colleagues.

In the court filing, Porter said that Willis had been hospitalized twice since late 2022 on involuntary psychiatric holds and had a history of abusing prescription painkillers and other drugs.

She said in a statement to The Times that Willis’ mental health and struggles with addiction seemed to have gotten worse since she asked him in August to move out of her Irvine home. She said she sought the court order after his threats to her family and colleagues “escalated in both their frequency and intensity.”

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“I sincerely hope he gets the help he needs,” Porter said.

Willis declined to comment. He will have an opportunity to file a legal response to the temporary restraining order and challenge Porter’s allegations.

Porter is leaving the House of Representatives in January after losing in California’s U.S. Senate primary in March. She has been discussed as a front-runner in the 2026 governor’s race in California after Gov. Gavin Newsom is termed out, but has not said whether she will launch a campaign.

The 53-page court filing, first reported by Politico, included 22 pages of emails, text messages and other communications among Porter, family members and colleagues who had received messages from Willis, as well as messages that Willis sent to Porter’s attorney and to her political mentor Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

The filing also included messages between herself and Willis’ siblings as they discussed trying to help him during his psychiatric holds and while he was staying in a sober-living facility.

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Porter said that since she ordered Willis to move out, he had sent her more than 1,000 text messages and emails, including texting her 82 times in one 24-hour period in September, and 55 times on Nov. 12 before she blocked his number.

Porter said in the filing that her ex-boyfriend had “already contacted at least three reporters to disseminate false and damaging information” about her and her children, which she said “poses a serious risk to [her] career and personal reputation.”

The filing includes an email that Porter said Willis sent to her attorney late Monday, in which Willis said he had visited Porter’s son at college in Iowa and told him that he would “bring the hammer down on Katie and smash her and her life into a million pieces.”

Another screenshot shows Willis telling Porter’s attorney that he would file a complaint about Porter, who has children ages 12 and 16, with child protective services.

One of Porter’s congressional staff members received a text message from Willis saying he would “punish the f—” out of him if he did not agree to “cooperate” with a New York Times reporter and Willis’ attorneys, according to a screenshot included in the court document.

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Willis previously made the news in 2021, when he was arrested after a fight that broke out at a Porter town hall at a park in Irvine.

Times staff writer Christopher Goffard contributed to this report.

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Homan taking death threats against him ‘more seriously’ after Trump officials targeted with violent threats

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Homan taking death threats against him ‘more seriously’ after Trump officials targeted with violent threats

Incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan reacted to news of death threats against Trump nominees on Wednesday and said he now takes the death threats he has previously received seriously. 

“I have not taken this serious up to this point,” Homan told Fox News anchor Gillian Turner on “The Story” on Wednesday, referring to previous death threats made against him and his family. 

“Now that I know what’s happened in the last 24 hours. I will take it a little more serious. But look, I’ve been dealing with this. When I was the ICE director in the first administration, I had numerous death threats. I had a security detail with me all the time. Even after I retired, death threats continued and even after I retired as the ICE Director. I had U.S. Marshals protection for a long time to protect me and my family.”

Homan explained that what “doesn’t help” the situation is the “negative press” around Trump. 

HARRIS NEVER LED TRUMP, INTERNAL POLLS SHOWED — BUT DNC OFFICIALS WERE KEPT IN THE DARK

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President Elect Donald Trump, left, and new appointed Tom Homan, right (Getty)

“I’m not in the cabinet, but, you know, I’ve read numerous hit pieces. I mean, you know, I’m a racist and, you know, I’m the father of family separation, all this other stuff. So the hate media doesn’t help at all because there are some nuts out there. They’ll take advantage. So that doesn’t help.”

Homan’s comments come shortly after Fox News Digital first reported that nearly a dozen of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees and other appointees tapped for the incoming administration were targeted Tuesday night with “violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” prompting a “swift” law enforcement response.

ARMED FELON ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TO KILL TRUMP ATTENDED RALLY WEEKS AFTER BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Donald Trump in a blue suit and red tie pumps his fist in the air and looks up

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The “attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’” according to Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman and incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

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“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “In response, law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.” 

Sources told Fox News Digital that John Ratcliffe, the nominee to be CIA director, Pete Hegseth, the nominee for secretary of defense, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the nominee for UN ambassador, were among those targeted. Brooke Rollins, who Trump has tapped to be secretary of agriculture, and Lee Zeldin, Trump’s nominee to be EPA administrator, separately revealed they were also targeted. 

Threats were also made against Trump’s Labor Secretary nominee, GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and former Trump attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz’s family. 

Trump holds fist

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.  Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

Homan told Fox News that he is “not going to be intimidated by these people” and “I’m not going to let them silence me.”

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“What I’ve learned today I’ll start taking a little more serious.”

Homan added that he believes “we need to have a strong response once we find out is behind all this.”

“It’s illegal to threaten someone’s life. And we need to follow through with that.”

The threats on Tuesday night came mere months after Trump survived two assassination attempts.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report

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