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While Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Wisconsin, former President Donald J. Trump was the featured guest speaker at the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City. Hosted and chaired by His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan and emceed by comedian Jim Gaffigan, this year’s sold-out fundraiser brought together thousands of guests to raise money for charitable organizations serving New York’s most vulnerable. “I would not miss the Al Smith Dinner for anything in the world. I still remember coming here as a very young guy with my father…,” Trump told the crowd. CRITICS DRAG HARRIS FOR ‘CRINGE’ PRE-RECORDED VIDEO AIRED DURING CATHOLIC CHARITY DINNER”It’s an honor to be here to support the city and the community. It’s a great community that I love. I’ve been here a long time, and I love it.” Since its founding in 1946, the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation has raised millions of dollars to support nonprofit Catholic organizations in the Archdiocese of New York. Established by Francis Cardinal Spellman in honor of Catholic New York Gov. Alfred Emanuel Smith, the foundation supports organizations providing education, health care services, and family resources. In 2023, a record $7.3 million was raised to help the poor, sick and underprivileged in New York. Catholic Charities, Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, Sisters of Life and the Inner-City Scholarship Fund are among the numerous impactful organizations that the Foundation benefits and supports. Last year, because of the Foundation’s help, 175 special needs children received assistance at school, more than 400 foster children received mental health treatments, 120 children were tutored weekly and 763 students attended Camp Veritas. The annual dinner is a cherished opportunity for people with different backgrounds and beliefs to unite in support of helping those in need. Since 1960, presidential candidates of major parties during election years have taken a night off to attend the dinner, engage in some light-hearted banter, and bring attention to the many worthy causes the foundation supports. In 1960, Vice President Richard Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy were the first presidential candidates to appear and give remarks at the dinner together emphasizing the impact and legacy of Al Smith. As Nixon said, “Al Smith is a man who is bigger than his party … because the ideals for which he stood were as big as America itself.” This is what the Al Smith Dinner is all about – an evening of cordiality for a common cause that benefits Americans in need. Apparently, that was too much to ask of Harris. In a break with precedent, Harris declined the invitation to attend the Al Smith Dinner, the first presidential candidate to do so since Walter Mondale in 1984.  Instead, she sent in a pre-recorded video message. If there was any question about Harris’s priorities, consider that her campaign found time for an appearance on the vulgar “Call Her Daddy” podcast but not for a fundraiser benefiting impoverished children. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONWith each passing day, more Americans are reminded of Harris’s abysmal record targeting Catholics as California’s attorney general and U.S. senator, and as vice president of the United States. As attorney general, Harris filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, calling on the court to force family-owned Hobby Lobby to violate its religious beliefs and cover the cost of contraception for its employees. Recall the vitriol with which Sen. Harris questioned Catholic judicial nominees as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Harris implied that affiliation with the Knights of Columbus – a Catholic charitable organization that included JFK among its members – was grounds for disqualification.  And during her tenure as vice president, practicing Catholics have been suspected and accused of domestic terrorism and violent extremism. It’s no wonder that 50% of Catholic voters in swing states support Trump while just 45% support Harris. Kamala Harris’s absence at the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is a reminder that she can’t hide her disdain for Catholics. It confirms what Catholic voters already know – Harris is the anti-Catholic candidate. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CALLISTA GINGRICH



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Publish date : 2024-10-18 18:36:26

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A 17-year-old Hawaii student who became separated from his high school paddling group and spent “nearly 12 hours treading water and clinging to his kayak” has been rescued with the help of the U.S. Coast Guard. Authorities have released video showing the moment the student, identified by media outlets as Kahiau Kawai, was pulled out of the waters of the Pacific Ocean early Thursday morning. “Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders were notified by Honolulu Fire Department personnel at 7:27 p.m. Wednesday that a 17-year-old boy had gotten separated from his high school paddling team approximately one-half mile south of Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort. The teenager had reportedly capsized on a 20-foot surf ski and was not wearing a life jacket,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “Sector Honolulu watchstanders issued an urgent maritime information broadcast, launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and HC-130 Hercules airplane crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, and launched a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Honolulu to search for the missing teen,” it added. COAST GUARD HOISTS ILL MAN FROM CRUISE SHIP NEARLY 170 MILES FROM CALIFORNIA COAST The Coast Guard says the teenager was spotted around 4 a.m. Thursday and “a good Samaritan, an off-duty lifeguard with the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department, rescued the boy from the water.” “I think he was in total shock because he wasn’t emotional at all. I was actually crying my guts off because he was okay,” that individual, Noland Keaulana, was quoted by KHON2 as saying. “He said I’m worried about my mom because she probably misses me.” COAST GUARD VIDEO SHOWS HELICOPTER CREW RESCUE MAN FLOATING ON A COOLER 30 MILES OFF FLORIDA COAST AFTER STORM Officials say Kawai was treated for injuries and hypothermia from being in the water. “The teenager had spent nearly 12 hours treading water and clinging to his kayak and [is] in serious but stable condition,” U.S. Coast Guard Pacific said, describing the operation as an “amazing rescue.”Kawai’s parents released a statement thanking “the State, City & County, and Federal agency rescue teams, who worked tirelessly through the night to search for our son, Kahiau,” according to KHON2. “Kahiau, who could see rescue teams looking for him, was strong, resilient and brave for 11.5 hours in the dark, and is grateful to be back with his family and friends,” the statement reportedly added. “Mahalo to the doctors and nurses caring for him. And lastly, thank you to everyone who prayed and BELIEVED God for and with us for his safe return.” 



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Publish date : 2024-10-18 17:26:37

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CNN chief media analyst and longtime critic of former President Trump, Brian Stelter, admitted that Trump’s address at Thursday night’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner in New York City “was funny” and heartfelt at points.The CNN pundit, who recently returned to the network after his show was canceled in 2022, praised the former president’s jokes at the event as well as his self-deprecating remarks about the two assassination attempts against him.”I thought he was funny. I thought he actually got a few great jokes in. I thought the best moment was when he talked about the assassination attempts and made light of what he’s experienced,” he said during a CNN broadcast following the famous dinner held to benefit Catholic Charities in New York City.HARRIS TO VIRTUALLY ATTEND CATHOLIC CHARITY DINNER THAT RIVAL TRUMP IS HEADLININGDuring his address, the former president joked, “Tradition holds that I’m supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening. So here it goes. Nope. I’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing to say. I guess I just don’t see the point of taking shots at myself when other people have been shooting at me for a hell of a long time.”Stelter continued, praising Trump for being able to joke about traumatic events he’s endured in recent months, including when he was shot in the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania in July, and the other assassination attempt at his golf course in West Palm Beach in September. No shots were fired by the would-be assailant in the latter incident.”I think he’s experiencing real trauma, real PTSD as a result of the shootings,” Stelter said, adding, “But he’s still able to have a light moment in this room, and he took advantage of the fact that Kamala Harris wasn’t there.” He did criticize Trump for mispronouncing Harris’ first name during the event, adding, “It is frustrating though that he will not pronounce her name correctly. It’s not difficult. And he goes out of his way to insult her in a way that I think is racially-tinged.” Trump repeatedly referred to Harris as “Kamala” during the event, putting an emphasis on the middle syllable.Other CNN pundits did not find Trump’s speech as amusing as Stelter did. CNN commentator Karen Finney told a “CNN This Morning” panel on Friday, “I don’t know if it was funny.” She also praised Harris for skipping the dinner, saying that she appeared focused on her campaign rather than being in a room with “old” and “stodgy” “White men.”KAMALA HARRIS PLANS TO SKIP HISTORIC AL SMITH DINNER DESPITE LONG-STANDING TRADITION”That is a stuffy room full of insiders, the quintessential backroom kind of old New York, old, stodgy, mostly White men … and she’s not of that,” the commentator stated, adding, “That’s not who she is. That’s not where she comes from.”Harris’ absence from the event marked the first time a major presidential candidate has snubbed the Al Smith dinner in 40 years. In her place, the Harris campaign sent in a prerecorded video of Harris addressing the dinner’s attendees that was played just ahead of Trump’s remarks. The video also featured comedian Molly Shannon doing a bit as her “Saturday Night Live” character Mary Katherine Gallagher, a quirky Catholic student. Social media critics and even speakers at the dinner mocked Harris for her absence, with both comedian Jim Gaffigan and Trump ripping her from the podium.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPFinney continued defending Harris from this criticism, “You know, she is somebody – would be the first president who has served at the local, state and federal level. She’s, you know – women and usually women of color, we aren’t in those backrooms. We aren’t in those spaces.” “So for her to be out with the people, that was a smarter campaign choice for multiple reasons. There was not anything for her to gain by going to that dinner. There was a lot more for her to gain in a hundred-day campaign in particular, to be on the road,” the commentator concluded. 



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Publish date : 2024-10-18 16:46:46

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One Direction member Niall Horan recalled his “heartbreaking” final moments with Liam Payne just two weeks before the musician’s sudden death.”I’m absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend, Liam. It just doesn’t feel real,” Horan said in a statement shared to Instagram. “Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure.”All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together and I will cherish every moment we had forever. The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”ONE DIRECTION MEMBERS ‘DEVASTATED BY’ LIAM PAYNE’S DEATH, SAY THEY WILL ‘MISS HIM TERRIBLY’Payne died Oct. 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.Horan was the only member of One Direction to have seen Payne in the weeks before his death. Payne had traveled to Argentina to see Horan take the stage on Oct. 2.”I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently,” Horan wrote in his statement. “I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,” he added. “My love and condolences go out to Geoff, Karen, Ruth and Nicola and of course his son Bear. Thank you for everything, Payno. Love you brother. Nialler.”LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSPayne was 14 when he first auditioned for “The X Factor” in 2008. He returned to audition two years later and was chosen by Simon Cowell to join a super group. Cowell matched Payne up with Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.They formed the boy band One Direction and went on to become one of the best-selling groups of all time.One Direction is known for massive hit songs including, “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes,” “Story of My Life” and “Steal My Girl.”The group “will miss him terribly.””We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” the statement released by the band on social media said. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERPayne’s death was the “result of the fall he suffered from the balcony of the third floor room of the hotel in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo where he was staying,” according to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 16, temporarily headed by Marcelo Roma.Forensic experts reported finding 25 injuries “compatible with those caused by falling from a height,” according to the autopsy. They also noted that “craniocerebral lesions were adequate enough to cause death, while internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs, they contributed to the mechanism of death.”Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.



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Publish date : 2024-10-18 15:38:24

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Former President Trump said Friday he was “surprised” that Vice President Kamala Harris skipped the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, calling it a “terrible” decision by the Democratic nominee. “I thought it was great, you know, it was for the Catholic Church… a lot of good people, a lot of good causes and unusually she didn’t show up. You would have thought she would have showed up last night,” Trump said during an in-studio appearance on “FOX & Friends.””We were all surprised,” Trump added. TRUMP TAKES JABS AT HARRIS DURING KEYNOTE AT AL SMITH DINNER, VOWS TO CORRECT ‘SERIOUS PROBLEMS’ IN USThe Al Smith dinner was launched in 1946 and has raised millions of dollars for charities supporting women and children. It has since grown to become a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons, but Harris surprised many by skipping the bipartisan political event that typically adds a bit of levity to the campaign trail each presidential election cycle. “I think it was terrible that she missed it because… only one person missed it in many years and that’s Walter Mondale and he lost 49-1,” Trump said. “FOX & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Trump why he believes Harris skipped the event that is historically attended by candidates from both parties. “I think that she’s not competent. I don’t want to say this kind of stuff, but we can’t live with this,” Trump said. “I don’t think she’s funny,” he added. “We can’t have her as a president, she’s a Marxist. We’re not ready for a Marxist.” MONTAGE: TRUMP CRACKS JOKES AT THE AL SMITH DINNER IN NEW YORK CITYTrump also mocked Harris’ decision when he spoke at the event.”I must say I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith dinner. I’d really hoped that you would come, because we can’t get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy,” Trump joked.”If you really wanted Vice President Harris to accept your invitation, I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed. She would have been guaranteed,” Trump also quipped, citing Harris’ promotion of a bail fund during the riots of 2020. The dinner is named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who served as the 42nd governor of New York. He ran for president as a Democrat in 1928. Harris’ snub of the historic Catholic charity event irked New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the host of the dinner, on his podcast earlier this week. COMEDIAN JIM GAFFIGAN TAKES SURPRISING SHOTS AT HARRIS FOR SKIPPING ‘CATHOLIC MET GALA'”This year will be imbalanced because sadly, Kamala Harris isn’t coming,” Dolan said on his podcast Tuesday. “It’s a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is civility, patriotism, humor. It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”Other attendees of the event include, Attorney General Letitia James – an outspoken critic of Trump who slammed him as a “con man” while campaigning for the AG job in 2018 – former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and others. Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on sending a pre-recorded video message for the event, but did not receive a reply. The campaign previously told Fox News that Harris was skipping the event to focus on campaigning in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday. 



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Publish date : 2024-10-18 14:34:50

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