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Supreme Court OKs Virginia GOP's last-minute bid to purge alleged noncitizens from voter rolls

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Supreme Court OKs Virginia GOP's last-minute bid to purge alleged noncitizens from voter rolls

A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled for Virginia Republicans, clearing the way for an election-eve purge of about 1,600 registered voters who were suspected of being noncitizens.

In a 6-3 vote, the court granted an emergency appeal from Virginia’s attorney general and set aside rulings by a federal judge who called the last-minute purge a “clear violation” of federal law.

The six justices in the majority were all Republican appointees. The three Democratic appointees — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented.

In a fast-track appeal, Virginia Atty. Gen. Jason Miyares, a Republican, said it would violate “common sense” and “irreparably injure Virginia’s sovereignty” to keep noncitizens on the voting rolls.

Federal law says states may not “systematically remove” registered voters from the rolls in the 90 days prior to a federal election. Congress, in passing the law, said the danger is that voters will go to the polls on election day and discover they are no longer registered.

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In early August, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an order to speed up the process of removing voters from the rolls who were flagged as possible noncitizens in state databases. They included residents or people with the same name who had checked a box when renewing their driver’s license that said they were noncitizens.

Shortly after voting rights advocates learned of the order, they discovered about two dozen longtime legal voters who had been wrongly removed from the rolls.

They sued along with the Justice Department, and a federal judge blocked Youngkin’s order on Oct. 18.

U.S. Judge Patricia Giles said the state’s data-based program is a “clear violation” of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and she ordered the state to restore the affected voters to the rolls. She noted, however, the state may cancel the registration of individuals who are shown to be noncitizens or otherwise ineligible.

In a 3-0 decision, the 4th Circuit Court refused to lift the judge’s order on Oct. 27.

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Virginia’s state attorneys filed an appeal with the high court on Monday, arguing the federal law that forbids election-eve purges “does not even apply to the removal of noncitizens. … This election-eve injunction is thus based on legal error.”

U.S. Solicitor Gen. Elizabeth Prelogar had urged the court to deny the appeal. She said the state clearly violated a federal law “enacted to prevent the very type of 11th-hour disenfranchisement and confusion that [state officials] have caused here. “

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Trump gets last-minute round of big-name endorsements including Joe Rogan, son of Roberto Clemente

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Trump gets last-minute round of big-name endorsements including Joe Rogan, son of Roberto Clemente

On the eve of the U.S. election, President Trump received a round of last-minute endorsements from high-profile names, including Joe Rogan and Roberto Clemente Jr., son of the baseball legend. 

With less than 24 hours to go before the election, podcaster and comedian, Joe Rogan formally endorsed Trump for president, ending speculation. 

Posting on X, Rogan highlighted his nearly three hour interview with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has already supported Trump. 

“The great and powerful @elonmusk. If it wasn’t for him we’d be f—ed,” Rogan said. “He makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you’ll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way.” 

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Podcaster Joe Rogan endorsed Donald Trump on eve of election. (“The Joe Rogan Experience”)

And leaving no room for doubt, Rogan wrote: “For the record, yes, that’s an endorsement of Trump.” 

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Trump in Pittsburgh

Donald Trump gained several last-minute endorsements from some big names. (Getty Images)

Earlier Monday, Robert Clemente Jr., son of the Puerto Rican baseball legend, formally endorsed Trump in the city where his father played. 

Clemente Jr. joined Trump on stage in Pittsburgh where he praised the former commander-in-chief. 

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Roberto Clemente Jr. and Donald Trump at a rally

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, greets Roberto Clemente Jr., right, at a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

“For the first time, I had to take a step forward. It is very important for me to support this man, because I believe tomorrow is a change of time,” Clemente Jr. said. “My father, the name Clemente, what it means is goodwill and unity. I believe that your team is going to bring it all home. I believe in everything that you stand for right now,” he told Trump.

And earlier Monday, Randi Mahomes, the mother of star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, endorsed Trump during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Randi Mahomes in MAGA hat

Randi Mahomes, the mother of Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, wears MAGA hat at game. (OutKick)

In an exclusive video to OutKick, Randi Mahomes, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat with a Chiefs sweatshirt revealed her endorsement of Trump. 

“Make America great again. Let’s do it. Woo!” Randi Mahomes said. 

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Additionally, Trump was joined on stage in Pittsburgh earlier Monday by podcast host Megyn Kelly, who touted the former president as a “protector of women.”

Fox News Digital’s Scott Thompson contributed to this report. 

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Oprah, Lady Gaga bring back the joy in Kamala Harris' final rally

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Oprah, Lady Gaga bring back the joy in Kamala Harris' final rally

Vice President Kamala Harris held her final rally of the campaign Monday night, 106 days after President Biden dropped out, with a heavy dose of celebrity, trying to bring back the joy that characterized her early weeks on the trail.

At a Philadelphia rally outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, by the steps where Rocky Balboa ran in the “Rocky” movie franchise, she implored a raucous crowd to make a plan to vote.

“One more day, just one more day in the most consequential election of our lifetime,” she said. “And momentum is on our side.”

The rally was intended as a show of force — bringing celebrity firepower to the biggest city in the most important swing state that was also the birthplace of American democracy. It featured Fat Joe, Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, the Roots, will.i.am and Oprah Winfrey.

The event was part of a simulcast that stretched more than four hours across multiple cities, including Las Vegas and Phoenix. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed a crowd in Milwaukee. Sugarland performed in Raleigh. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke from Detroit, where Jon Bon Jovi also performed.

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“You don’t know who you voting for?” said Fat Joe, who introduced a musical number by fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin in a Philadelphia speech that criticized former President Trump for having a comedian who insulted Puerto Ricans during his rally last week. “You gotta be kidding me at this point.”

Lady Gaga performed a soulful version of “God Bless America” and spoke about empowering women, revving up the crowd. Winfrey brought 10 first-time voters on stage and asked several why they cast their votes.

“We are voting for healing over hate,” Winfrey said.

The mood was celebratory but Democrats are tense. Polls show a toss-up race with Pennsylvania, the biggest of the seven battleground states, nearly even as well.

“Everyone’s a little bit high-strung, which is understandable,” said Sara Grimaldi, 22, who has been working on youth voter engagement for a feminist group throughout the campaign.

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She came to do some last-minute outreach and to release some of that anxiety with Lady Gaga, she said. “Screaming, when you’re stressed out, helps.”

Democrats are hoping their ground game, two years in the making, will push Harris over the top. The campaign said about 110,000 volunteers have worked in the state since Harris took over atop the ticket from Biden three months ago, and were on track to knock on 5 million doors.

Tal Tigay, a 43-year-old real estate developer, came with her 12-year-old daughter, Nina, and their friend Ella, also 12. Tigay had taken Nina to a Hillary Clinton rally eight years ago to see the first female presidential candidate.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t win that one, but it was important for my daughter to be here in this moment,” Tigay said.

Violet Perloff, a first-year student at George Washington University in Washington, rescheduled a test and came home on the train so she could celebrate voting for the first time. She brought a bejeweled “Harris” sign that she made in her dorm room.

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“I had the opportunity to show my support,” she said. “So I was like, I want to do it. I want to come out and show that I care about my rights and I care about the future of this country.”

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Russia remains 'active threat' in influencing 2024 election, likely to focus on swing states: U.S. officials

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Russia remains 'active threat' in influencing 2024 election, likely to focus on swing states: U.S. officials

American intelligence officials released a recent statement warning about Russian actors conducting “additional influence operations” to impact the upcoming election on Tuesday.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) published the latest update on its website on Monday evening. Speaking on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the ODNI detailed the latest intelligence findings.

Last week, officials said that they observed Russian actors creating and disseminating a fake video that showed individuals voting illegally, and a video accusing a politician of taking a bribe. Since then, the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) has observed Russia and other foreign adversaries “conducting additional influence operations intended to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stoke divisions among Americans.”

“The IC expects these activities will intensify through election day and in the coming weeks, and that foreign influence narratives will focus on swing states,” the statement read.

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Florida residents wait in line at an early polling precinct to cast their ballots in local, state, and national elections, in Clearwater, Florida, U.S., November 3, 2024.  (REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

Of all the foreign adversaries seeking to impact the election, the ODNI said that Russia “is the most active threat.”

“Influence actors linked to Russia in particular are manufacturing videos and creating fake articles to undermine the legitimacy of the election, instill fear in voters regarding the election process, and suggest Americans are using violence against each other due to political preferences, judging from information available to the IC,” the ODNI continued. “These efforts risk inciting violence, including against election officials.”

“We anticipate Russian actors will release additional manufactured content with these themes through election day and in the days and weeks after polls close.”

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Poll worker and voters in Massachusetts

A poll worker, center, works at a table as voters prepare to cast their ballots during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In recent days, Russian actors created an article reporting about false plans for swing state officials to orchestrate election fraud, and also made a recent video that “falsely depicted an interview with an individual claiming election fraud in Arizona.

Officials also believe that Iranian actors may be meddling with the election and disseminating false information, as they have done in the past. The meddlers may intend “to create fake media content intended to suppress voting or stoke violence, as they have done in past election cycles,” the ODNI noted.

The FBI encourages anyone who observes suspicious or criminal activity to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Cyber incidents impacting election infrastructure can be reported to the CISA through the number 1-844-SAY-CISA.

The report came less than 24 hours before polls are set to open on Nov. 5, in what is expected to be a toss-up election between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. Swing states across the country have been on the lookout for fake ballots.

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Trump and Harris in North Carolina

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were neck-and-neck in polls on the eve of Nov. 5. (AP/Evan Vucci/Jacquelyn Martin)

On Monday, the chair of a Pennsylvania county election board announced that he had found 2,500 suspicious registration and mail-in ballot applications. At least 17% of the applications were fraudulent.

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