Top GOP lawmaker announces early exit, leaving Republicans with temporary one-seat majority


Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House select committee on China, announced he’s leaving Congress on April 19, which will temporarily leave House Republicans with just a one-seat majority.

Gallagher revealed in February that he would not be running for a fifth term in the House, a shocking announcement for someone long considered a rising star within the Republican Party. 

His early departure will mean that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford to lose one GOP lawmaker on any vote that falls along party lines. That will likely remain the case until June, when there’s a special election to replace ex-Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio.

HOUSE PASSES $460 BILLION GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL BLASTED BY GOP HARDLINERS

Mike Gallagher

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., announced he would be leaving Congress in April, a month after announcing he wouldn’t seek re-election. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

A special election to replace ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is set to take place in May. McCarthy’s former seat in California’s 20th Congressional District is a safe red seat, so it’s likely going to give Johnson a GOP win.

Before that, however, is an April 30 special election to replace Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., a longtime left-wing lawmaker who departed earlier this year. That election will likely see Democrats add to their tally, which would keep the House majority at one seat.

GOP HARDLINERS FURIOUS AT JOHNSON FOR PASSING ANOTHER SHORT-TERM SPENDING BILL WITH DEMS: ‘USUAL C–P’

House Speaker Mike Johnson

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will temporarily be left with a one-seat majority. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans keeping McCarthy’s seat and Democrats keeping Higgins’ seat would keep the majority at one, which means the June 11 special election to replace Johnson in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District is the GOP’s first chance to regain some wiggle room.

“After conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position as a member of the House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District, effective April 19, 2024,” Gallagher said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T ‘CALL THE SHOTS’ ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT IS OVER

“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. My office will continue to operate and provide constituent services to the Eighth District for the remainder of the term.”

Gallagher announced his departure from Congress just after he experienced blowback from members of his own party for not voting to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Gallagher was one of three Republicans who voted against the measure.

It also prompted a primary threat — multiple outlets reported last month that Alex Bruesewitz, an ally of former President Donald Trump, was considering a challenge to Gallagher.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

A special election to replace ex-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is due for May. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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A source close to Bruesewitz told Fox News Digital on Friday that Bruesewitz is meeting with business leaders in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional district and is actively being recruited to run for the now open seat. The source said people in Trump’s circle, as well as current House Republicans, are pushing Bruesewitz to run.

“If I run, I will win,” the Trump ally said.

Bruesewitz is planning to announce his final decision the week of April 8, the source said.

The Washington Examiner reported last month that he’s being endorsed by Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.; Jim Banks, R-Ind.; and Cory Mills, R-Fla.



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Republican senators introduce bill to block TSA from using controversial app as legal form of ID for migrants


FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans introduced a bill on Friday cracking down on the federal government’s use of a controversial mobile app to identify illegal immigrants traveling via airplane to the United States.

The CBP One app was first introduced during the Trump administration for cross-border transit at ports, but it was expanded last year by the Biden administration to allow migrants seeking to enter the U.S. to upload data and make appointments to be processed into the U.S.

Led by Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee, the measure, named the VALID Act, would prohibit the TSA from accepting the CBP One Mobile App, a Notice to Appear (NTA), or a Notice to Report (NTR) as legal forms of identification for the purposes of successfully passing through TSA security and boarding a plane.

The legislation would also prevent aircraft flying from foreign countries with the intent of landing at an American airport from operating in U.S. airspace if they accept the CBP One Mobile App, an NTA or an NTR as a legal form of identification.

KANSAS SENATOR AIMS TO BLOCK AIRLINES FROM LETTING MIGRANTS FLY VIA CONTROVERSIAL APP AT DC AIRPORT

Mike Lee, CBP app

Led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the VALID Act would prohibit the TSA from accepting the CBP One Mobile App, a Notice to Appear, or a Notice to Report as legal forms of ID for the purposes of successfully passing through TSA security and boarding a plane. (Getty Images)

“Every American needs to show ID to enter our country. Why has our government made it simpler for illegal immigrants to enter and fly around the nation than for our fellow citizens? As America grapples with an unprecedented invasion at our southern border, the VALID Act resolves to close the loopholes that have allowed 200,000 illegal immigrants into the country unchecked,” Lee told Fox News Digital.

“The Biden administration’s policies have blatantly facilitated this crisis, encouraging illegal immigration and compromising our national security,” he added.

According to DHS, up to 1,450 migrants are currently allowed into the country each day at ports of entry via parole. Separately, the CBP One app is used to bring in up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela each month via a separate parole process.

Republicans have repeatedly accused the administration of abusing the parole law, which the administration has denied. They have also raised concerns about the use of the CBP One app to verify documentation when boarding airplanes.

CBP has stressed that those who have entered the country are vetted using biographic and biometric information, and those who are paroled have already provided a photograph. Parolees are not granted an automatic path to citizenship, and Republicans have said that the CBP One app is being used to waive in otherwise illegal immigrants. Many have expressed skepticism about how the verification can match that of those going through normal processes.

Mexico Migrants Kidnapped

Migrants stand on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, on the banks of the Rio Grande, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on March 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

HAWLEY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM TSA ON MIGRANTS USING CONTROVERSIAL APP TO BOARD PLANES: ‘THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS’

Lee’s measure is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Roger Marshall of Kansas.

“Biden’s TSA has made the choice to allow illegal aliens with no verified identification to use the CBP One Mobile App before flying on commercial airlines into U.S. airports. This is unacceptable and dangerous,” Scott said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Biden administration has intentionally made our country more dangerous with policies that put Americans at great risk and weaken U.S. national security. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation to keep Americans safe.”

The bill has also been endorsed by a handful of conservative and immigration-related groups, including the America First Policy Institute, the Immigration Accountability Project, and the Eagle Forum.

Chad Wolf, the former acting Homeland Security secretary who now serves as the executive director of the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News the bill is “an important step” to ensuring the safety of Americans.

“Shortly after 9/11, the U.S. Congress, through the REAL ID Act, recognized the importance of establishing certain security standards for identification documents to fly on commercial aircraft,” Wolf said. “Each presidential administration since 9/11 has worked diligently to bring more security to our skies. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration’s policy of allowing illegal aliens to use documents with unverifiable and unvetted information to board commercial aircraft defies common sense and congressional will and makes it easier for illegal aliens to travel than U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.”

Migrants in a line

Immigrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on December 07, 2023, in Lukeville, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“The administration’s unlawful use of the CBP One app to mass parole inadmissible aliens into American communities raises both legal and public safety concerns,” he added. “The VALID Act is an important step in reining in these abuses and ensuring the safety of the American people.”

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The administration has pushed back on criticism of the use of the app, saying that those without ID go through a “stringent identity matching process” and additional screening, and are denied boarding if they cannot be identified. Those who pose threats to security or public safety are turned over for investigation.

“The Department of Homeland Security works to detect and prevent individuals who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the secure areas of an airport to depart on a domestic flight or entering the United States upon arrival from another country,” a spokesman told Fox News Digital in February. “Recent reports that noncitizens have lower security bars for traveling on domestic flights are false. Noncitizens without acceptable forms of ID must undergo additional, more robust screenings to fly within the United States.”





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Trump vows to fight New York AG case ‘all the way up to the US Supreme Court,’ as deadline to post $454M looms


EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said he will fight the ruling out of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case “all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary,” telling Fox News Digital that “they can’t take away your property before you’ve had a chance to appeal.” 

Trump, the 2024 presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and his legal team have appealed and requested a stay on his $454 million civil fraud judgment. He is required to post that bond by Monday.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump reflected on the merger of his Trump Media & Technology Group — the parent company of Truth Social — which shareholders voted to make a publicly traded entity Friday. The company is worth nearly $8 billion. 

TRUMP SAYS HE HAS NEARLY $500M IN CASH, SUGGESTS HE COULD AFFORD BOND IN NEW YORK AG CASE, SLAMS ‘HACK’ JUDGE

Trump also noted he has nearly $500 million in cash and other properties driving massive amounts of money that he said have very little, if any, debt.

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to give money to a rogue and incompetent judge — the puppet of a corrupt attorney general who’s failing with violent crime and migrant crime and whose only purpose in life is attempting to get Trump,” Trump told Fox News Digital, referring to New York Judge Arthur Engoron and James. 

Trump campaign rally

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump salutes at a campaign rally Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio.  (AP/Jeff Dean)

Trump said Engoron “openly and hostilely disrespects the decision of the appellate division, which ruled in my favor.” 

“Hopefully they will set the record straight — he has already been overturned four times on this case,” Trump said. “A record. 

But Trump vowed to fight the judgment through the court system. 

“I’ll fight this all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They can’t take away your property before you’ve had a chance to appeal the decision of a Trump-hating, incompetent judge who has been overturned more than any judge in the state.” 

Trump added: “The business community in New York is being devastated by this decision and businesses are fleeing New York — never to return, because they don’t want this to happen to them. In the meantime, violent crime is flourishing.” 

Trump’s comments come as a Monday deadline looms to post $454 million. If he does not, James has threatened to begin seizing Trump assets and properties. 

New York Judge Arthur Engoran

Justice Arthur Engoron presides over the civil fraud trial of the Trump Organization at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City on November 13, 2023. (ERIN SCHAFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Engoron’s ruling came after a months-long non-jury trial stemming from James’ years-long investigation. James, when campaigning to become attorney general, vowed to “get Trump.” 

“We’re definitely gonna sue him, we’re gonna be a real pain in the a–,” James once told a supporter on video.

TRUTH SOCIAL PARENT COMPANY TRUMP MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY GROUP TO BECOME PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY

Trump’s comments also come after Truth Social became a publicly-traded entity. 

The merger approval means TMTG stock will trade on Nasdaq as “DJT” as early as next week. 

Trump holds 78.7 million shares in Trump Media & Technology Group. His personal stake in the company at its current stock price of approximately $44.17 would be worth between $3 billion and $4 billion. 

Letitia James sits in courtroom audience of Trump trial

New York Attorney General Letitia James sits in the courtroom during the fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his children on Friday, Nov. 03. (Dave Sanders-Pool/Getty Images)

There is a six-month lock-up on Trump’s shares, but the board could vote to waive that rule. 

Trump lawyers on Monday said that “ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is a ‘practical impossibility,’” amid attempts to approach about 30 surety companies. 

The lawyers said the “enormous magnitude” of the bond requirement, which effectively requires cash reserves approaching $1 billion, is “unprecedented for a private company.” 

NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAUNTS TRUMP ABOUT INTEREST HE OWES ON CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT

James has pushed back, calling Trump’s request for a stay “extraordinary” and “improper.” James has said that Trump should be able to secure the entire value via multiple sureties or offer his real estate holdings as collateral.

But Trump attorney Clifford S. Robert on Thursday sent a letter to the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court, arguing James’ efforts are “unconstitutional.” 



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Trump says he has nearly $500M in cash, suggests he could afford bond in New York AG case, slams ‘hack’ judge


Former President Trump says he has nearly $500 million in cash, suggesting he has the money to post bond in the New York civil fraud case on Monday as required by a judge. 

Trump and his legal team have appealed and requested a stay on his $454 million civil fraud judgment. He is required to post that bond by Monday.

TRUMP LEGAL TEAM BLASTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ ATTEMPTS TO FORCE PROPERTY SALE AS DEADLINE FOR $454M FINE NEARS

“Through hard work, talent, and luck, I currently have almost five hundred million dollars in cash, a substantial amount of which I intended to use in my campaign for president,” Trump posted on his Truth Social Friday morning. 

Trump, Engoron in court

New York Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that former President Trump must pay over $350 million in damages to the state of New York as the result of his civil fraud trial. (Fox News)

“The often overturned political hack judge on the rigged and corrupt A.G. case, where I have done nothing wrong, knew this, wanted to take it away from me, and that’s where and why he came up with the shocking number which, coupled with his crazy interest demand, is approximately $454,000,000,” Trump said, referring to New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case against him. 

NY AG ASKS COURT TO IGNORE TRUMP CLAIM THAT POSTING $464M BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’

“I did nothing wrong except win an election in 2016 that I wasn’t expected to win, did even better in 2020, and now lead, by a lot, in 2024,” Trump continued. “This is communism in America.” 

“No trial, no jury, no crime, no victim, only a crooked judge and a corrupt, Trump hating attorney general who takes her orders directly from the White House,” Trump said of Engoron and James. “Election interference at a level never seen before!!!” 

Trump wrote both of his posts in all-capital letters. 

Trump lawyers on Monday said that “ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is a ‘practical impossibility,’” amid attempts to approach about 30 surety companies. 

The lawyers said the “enormous magnitude” of the bond requirement, which effectively requires cash reserves approaching $1 billion, is “unprecedented for a private company.” 

NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAUNTS TRUMP ABOUT INTEREST HE OWES ON CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT

James has pushed back, calling Trump’s request for a stay “extraordinary” and “improper.” James has said that Trump should be able to secure the entire value via multiple sureties or offer his real estate holdings as collateral.

But Trump attorney Clifford S. Robert on Thursday sent a letter to the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court, arguing James’ efforts are “unconstitutional.” 

Letitia James sits in courtroom audience of Trump trial

New York Attorney General Letitia James sits in the courtroom during the fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his children on Friday, Nov. 03. (Dave Sanders-Pool/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has learned that Trump and his legal team are exploring “all options on the table.” 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that his team plans “to exhaust all options.” 

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“The Trump team is continuing to look at every conceivable option,” the source said, adding that they are “hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.” 

If the Trump team’s appeal is granted, the judgment bond could be slashed considerably. It is unclear whether the court will rule on his appeal. 



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Top Trump VP prospect plans summer wedding weeks after GOP convention


Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is considered a top prospect to serve as former President Donald Trump’s running mate on the 2024 Republican presidential ticket, is planning an early August wedding to fiancée Mindy Noce.

The wedding would take place during a relatively quiet period on the presidential campaign trail, following the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee (July 15-18) and ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (August 19-22), and likely during the Summer Olympics in Paris (July 26-August 11).

The wedding will take place in South Carolina, Scott spokesman Nate Brand confirmed to Fox News Digital.

WHEN TIM SCOTT KNEW HIS FIANCE WAS ‘THE ONE’

Tim Scott and his fiancée, Mindy Noce.  (Fox News Digital)

As he ran for the White House last year, the now-58-year-old senator grabbed attention as the only major Republican presidential candidate who’s never been married.

Scott spotlighted at a political event in Iowa in September that he was “dating a lovely Christian girl,” as he addressed a large group of influential voters of faith in the state that traditionally leads off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

TRUMP VP AUDITIONS: SCOTT AND OTHERS HIT THE TRAIL ON BEHALF OF FORMER PRESIDENT

And in early November, moments after the end of the third Republican presidential primary debate, Scott appeared on stage for the first time with Noce, a Charleston-area interior designer and mother of three who was previously married.

Trump, DeSantis, Haley, battle for Tim Scott donors and endorsers

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina speaks during the third GOP presidential primary debate, on November 8, 2023, in Miami, Florida. Scott ended his White House bid four days later. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Scott, who two decades ago was previously engaged but never married, announced that he was introduced to Noce at church in South Carolina more than a year ago.

SCOTT TO APPEAR AT MAJOR PALM BEACH FUNDRAISER FOR TRUMP

Scott ended his presidential bid on November 13 after failing to gain traction. In mid-January, just ahead of the New Hampshire primary, he traveled to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state and endorsed Trump as they appeared together at a campaign event. 

That same weekend, Scott took to social media to say that he and Noce were engaged.

Sen. Tim Scott and Trump

Senator Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, right, speaks while standing next to former President Donald Trump during a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire, on Friday, January 19, 2024.  (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump, at the time, praised the engagement news, calling it “the biggest story out there.”

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“We never thought this would happen,” Trump joked on the campaign trail. “What’s going on?”

Scott, who enjoys high favorable ratings among GOP voters and who is the only Black Republican in the Senate, is considered one of a small group of people Trump is seriously considering as his vice presidential nominee, according to sources in the former president’s political orbit. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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Rubio says being Trump running mate would be ‘incredible honor’


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After reports that he is being considered to be former President Trump’s running mate, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said it would be an “honor” to serve, but said he has not heard from the Trump campaign.

Rubio, a Republican from Florida, said Thursday that being offered the chance to be a presidential running mate would be “an incredible opportunity to serve our country.”

“If anybody has been offered the chance to be vice president, they should consider that an honor and an incredible opportunity to serve our country,” Rubio said Thursday, according to Politico. “But that hasn’t happened, I haven’t spoken to anybody on his campaign about it. Never once have I talked to [Trump] about vice presidency.”

Rubio had nothing but good things to say about Trump, despite a past marked by competition and frequent barbs traded back and forth on the 2016 campaign trail.

TRUMP SWEEPS MARCH 19 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

Sen. Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks with members of the media as he walks through the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“We’ve had a great working relationship — we ran against each other, so at one point we were competitors — but since 2016, especially when he was president, we worked really well together,” the senator continued, according to Politico.

TRUMP REVEALS VP SHORTLIST INCLUDES DESANTIS, RAMASWAMY, NOEM, DONALDS, GABBARD

Recent rumors that Rubio was being considered seemed to come out of left field, as the senator was left out of previous discussions about the Trump campaign’s shortlist.

Donald and Melania Trump

Former President Trump and former first lady Melania Trump stand together as they speak with the media after voting at a polling station setup in the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

During an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” last month, Trump was asked about half a dozen potential running mate choices: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democrat turned independent.

“Are they all on your shortlist?” host Laura Ingraham asked the former president during the interview.

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Rubio questions Blinken

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., raises a question during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“They are,” Trump answered. “Honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid.”

Rubio on Thursday also quashed rumors circulating among Republicans that he has any ambitions of becoming the conference leader, emphatically denying that he is interested.

“No, I have never talked to anyone about running for leader, either,” Rubio said. “That’s something I’ve never been interested in doing.”

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.



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Longtime PA Dem silent on support for freshman ‘Squad’ member after his name is quietly removed from site


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Longtime Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s office has remained silent on whether the powerful Keystone State lawmaker still endorses freshman Squad member Rep. Summer Lee in light of backlash over her rhetoric on Israel. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Casey’s Senate office, press secretary, chief of staff and campaign repeatedly this week to see if the Democratic lawmaker endorses Lee in 2024, but received no responses. 

Pennsylvania will again serve as a key battleground state this election cycle as former President Donald Trump and President Biden are anticipated to face a rematch in a state that narrowly voted for Trump in 2016, and elected Biden in 2020 at a 1.17% margin. 

Casey is also anticipated to have a difficult election campaign this year as he defends his seat for the fourth time. His lack of response on whether he endorses the left-wing congresswoman and Squad member could mean a deepening divide between progressive Democrats and their more moderate counterparts over stances on the war in Israel. 

COOKIE MONSTER HIDES SEN. BOB CASEY’S REPLY ON X AFTER DEM SOUGHT CAMPAIGN DONATION: ‘CAN YOU CHIP IN?

Sen. Bob Casey speaking

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) speaks during a news conference on health care September 25, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Patient groups gathered on Capitol Hill to urged to reject the Graham-Cassidy health care bill. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Last week, a news report surfaced detailing that Lee, who was first elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district in 2022, removed Casey’s name from a section on her campaign website that communicates to super PACs and other outside political groups that they could include his endorsement in political ads. The section of the website is known as a “red box,” and is used by political candidates to work around rules prohibiting political groups from directly coordinating with a campaign. 

REPUBLICAN DAVE MCCORMICK LAUNCHES BID FOR VULNERABLE SENATE SEAT IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

Jewish Insider reported last week that as recently as March 7, Casey’s name was included within the “red box” section on Rep. Lee’s campaign site, but has since been removed and replaced with Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ name and endorsement. 

Rep. Summer Lee speaking at microphone

BALTIMORE – MARCH 2: Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., speaks during House Minority Whip Katherine Clarks news conference with freshman women of the 118th Congress at the House Democrats 2023 Issues Conference in Baltimore, Md., on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“In her first year in office, Congresswoman Summer Lee has worked with the Biden Administration to deliver $1.2 billion dollars in investments (see video) to Allegheny and Westmoreland counties to improve transportation, create green jobs, clean our air and water, and expand affordable housing. That’s why she’s endorsed by the Democratic Party, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO State Labor Council, SEIU and Planned Parenthood,” a section of the red box on the campaign website reads as of March 19. 

Fox News Digital reached out multiple times to Lee’s congressional office, chief of staff, press secretary and campaign for comment on why Casey’s name was removed from that section of the website, but did not receive any responses. Lee’s office also did not comment on questions regarding whether Casey endorses Lee’s 2024 run and if the name removal was related to the war in Israel.  

DEM SEN. BOB CASEY SLAMMED BY GOP FOR SHIFTING IMMIGRATION STANCES: ‘COMPLICIT IN THE CRISIS’

Casey’s name is still listed among a large swath of local and national political figures on Lee’s official endorsements page on her website, alongside Lee’s fellow Squad members such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Progressive Caucus chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal. 

Rep. Summer Lee hugs Rep. Rashida Tlaib

(L-R) US Representative Summer Lee, Democrat of Pennsylvania, embraces US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, as US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Lee’s district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, and includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. Pittsburgh is home to a large Jewish community, and where the 2018 mass shooting at the synagogue Tree of Life killed 11 people and wounded six others during Shabbat morning services. 

Lee has come under fire in recent months from pro-Israel groups and the Jewish community for her rhetoric on the war in Israel, including an open letter signed by dozens of rabbis condemning Lee for her “divisive rhetoric” they said has been “perceived as openly antisemitic.”

Jewish community leaders in the Pittsburgh area have taken issue with Lee calling for a ceasefire shortly following the war beginning in Israel, for voting against a resolution backing Israel and condemning Hamas in October, as well as agreeing to attend a Muslim advocacy group’s event this month before backing out. 

The March letter was also signed by a handful of rabbis in Lee’s neighboring district, which is represented by Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio. Fox News Digital reached out to Deluzio’s campaign and congressional office this week asking if he endorses Lee’s 2024 campaign, but did not receive comment back. 

“Chris Deluzio has been awfully quiet when it comes to Summer Lee’s extreme antisemitism, and that’s unacceptable. Why won’t Deluzio say a word while Jewish groups in his own district are speaking out against her?” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital of Deluzio.  

Previous media reports detailed that powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, had worked to recruit a candidate to challenge Lee this election cycle over her Israel stance, after spending $5 million against her campaign in 2022, the Intercept reported. Shortly following the outbreak of war in Gaza, Lee joined fellow left-wing lawmakers in calling for a ceasefire in October, while President Biden and other Democrats pledged support to Israel as it battled Hamas. 

DEMOCRATIC SEN. BOB CASEY CONCEDES THERE’S NO ‘VIDEOTAPE’ THAT’LL DISPROVE BIDEN’S AGE CONCERNS

In January, AIPAC tweeted a message that tagged Lee, fellow Squad members Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush and others, stating “a Ceasefire Now keeps these monsters armed and in power.” AIPAC is the largest pro-Israel PAC in the nation, and is expected to spend $100 million this election cycle against candidates they believe are not sufficiently pro-Israel, Politico reported earlier this month. 

That same month, three top House Democrats – Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar – endorsed Lee’s re-election. 

Rep. Summer Lee smiles

UNITED STATES – JANUARY 31: Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., participates in the House Oversight and Accountability Committee organizing meeting in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“A civil rights champion, advocate for organized labor and the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress, Summer Lee has worked tirelessly to deliver for working families,” the three leaders said in a statement in January. 

The removal of Casey’s name from the “red box” page on Lee’s campaign website could outline a growing divide within the Democratic Party amid the war in Israel. 

SEN. CASEY PUSHED TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR LGBTQ CENTER THAT HOSTED YOUTH DRAG SHOWS, PROMOTED COMMUNIST EVENTS

Casey has long been a Pennsylvania Democratic stalwart, first winning his election to the U.S. Senate in 2007. The Casey name also has deep roots in the state, with Bob Casey Sr., the senator’s father, serving as the Keystone State’s governor from 1987 to 1995, following years of serving in various other elected roles. 

This year, Casey is facing an anticipated closely-watched and uphill battle to hold onto his seat – which the longtime senator even conceded in an interview with NBC News last month. The Cook Political Report lists Casey’s seat as “leans Democrat,” while Casey’s 2024 race has repeatedly been listed as a must-watch this election cycle, as his seat could flip red. 

Sen. Bob Casey with Hillary Clinton

PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 05: (L-R) Actress Debra Messing, U.S. Sen Bob Casey (D-PA) recording artist Katy Perry and Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greet supporters during a get-out-the-vote concert at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on November 5, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With three days to go until election day, Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Florida and Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“It’ll be a close, tough race,” Casey said last month. “But look, there’s a lot on the line every time. Every time I’ve run for public office in Pennsylvania, I’ve had to earn the vote and the trust of the people. And I got to do that, again.”

MASSIVE COALITION FORMS TO PROTECT LEFT-WING ‘SQUAD’ MEMBERS AGAINST ONSLAUGHT OF ELECTION SPENDING

Casey is expected to face off against Republican Dave McCormick following the state’s primaries. McCormick is an Army combat veteran and former CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, who served as the Commerce Department’s Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security as well as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under former President George W. Bush’s administration. His wife, Dina Powell, also served under former President Donald Trump’s administration as Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy. 

McCormick and Israeli officials

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick meets with Israeli officials.  (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

McCormick last month called for Lee’s “immediate resignation” while trying to rally Casey to join him in the demand in a video posted to X. The video message came in response to outrage over Lee agreeing to appear as a speaker for a fundraiser hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). 

Lee ultimately canceled her appearance, following backlash, saying the cancelation was intended “to prevent the Muslim community from being the target of any more politically motivated Islamophobia and to ensure my Jewish and LGBTQ+ constituents know their concerns are heard.” 

McCormick has long been calling out Lee’s rhetoric on Israel, including right after the war began in October, when Lee claimed Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza – which was a narrative promoted by outlets such as the New York Times in October, before the Times backtracked and said it “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas.” 

McCormick called on Casey to rescind his endorsement of Lee in a comment to Fox News Digital. 

“Summer Lee has been sowing the seeds of antisemitic hate as Hamas brutalizes the Israeli people. For Senator Bob Casey to sit idly by as she fails to stand up for Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, which she’s supposed to be representing, is dangerous. Casey needs to rescind his endorsement of Lee immediately. You can’t fight antisemitism and support Summer Lee,” McCormick told Fox News Digital this week. 

McCormick also addressed the report detailing how Lee’s campaign quietly removed Casey’s name from the “red box” section of the campaign website in a tweet last week, saying Casey should “come out and rescind his endorsement” of Lee, but is instead taking the “say-nothing, do-nothing” approach. 

‘SQUAD’ DEMOCRAT DECLARES ‘ALL LIVES DO MATTER’ WHILE CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE IN ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

A recent Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey found McCormick is closing in on Casey, at 41% support to Casey’s 45%. The same poll found Trump has 47% of Pennsylvania voters compared to Biden’s 43%.

Casey came under fire from police groups this week, when a pro-defund the police group, Indivisible Philadelphia endorsed the Senator. Folcroft Deputy Police Chief and Delaware County FOP Lodge 27 President Chris Eiserman held a press conference on Wednesday, where he slammed Casey for aligning himself with the progressive group, while pledging his support for McCormick in the election. 

“At a time when there were four shootings in four days on our local public transit system, and law enforcement across the Commonwealth is understaffed, Casey’s decision to align himself with these defund the police activists is alarming and extremely dangerous,” Eiserman said Wednesday. 

Casey’s campaign office did respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding Indivisible Philadelphia’s endorsement this week, saying the senator has provided needed tools to law enforcement, while going after McCormick.

“Senator Casey has delivered hundreds of millions to fund bulletproof vests, SWAT gear, police cars, and ballistics shields for officers, and has worked alongside law enforcement to address threats like fentanyl trafficking,” campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said. “David McCormick went against law enforcement when he opposed a border deal that was supported by border patrol, and he spent his career investing for the Chinese government, which is now teaming up with Mexican cartels to pump fentanyl into Pennsylvania. We can’t trust him to prioritize our safety — only his bottom line.”

The campaign office did not address whether Casey agrees with Indivisible Philadelphia’s support of defunding the police in favor of funding social workers or medical professionals to handle certain public safety issues. 

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 15: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), stands with members of the U.S. Senate, (L-R), John Barrasso (R-WY), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Robert Casey (D-PA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Bob Menendez (R-NJ) and John McCain (R-AZ), during a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on February 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The More than 40 rabbis and Jewish leaders in the Pittsburgh area who published the open letter this month condemned Lee for what they said was her failing to come through on a promise to “call out antisemitism and temper your own language.”

PA SENATE CANDIDATE MCCORMICK RECOUNTS IDF VISIT, DEEMS ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR ‘TEST’ FOR AMERICAN LEADERSHIP

“Last fall we wrote to you with concerns about your rhetoric and votes in relation to the events of October 7 in Israel, the subsequent war and the rise in antisemitism in America,” the rabbis and Jewish leaders wrote in the letter. “You graciously agreed to meet with us, and in that meeting you promised us that you would call out antisemitism and temper your own language.”

“Sadly, three months later, you have not followed through on those commitments,” they wrote. The letter stated Lee has “continued to use divisive rhetoric, which, at times, we have perceived as openly antisemitic.”

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Lee is facing a Democratic challenger in the primary, which will be held on April 23, before the general election on Nov. 5.  



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Trump legal team blasts ‘unconstitutional’ attempts to force property sale as deadline for $464M fine nears


Lawyers for former President Trump are blasting New York Attorney General Letitia James’ “unconstitutional” attempts to block the GOP presumptive nominee’s appeal and force a property sale as the deadline for him to post hundreds of millions of dollars of bond in the case looms. 

Trump and his legal team have appealed and requested a stay on his $464 million civil fraud judgment. On Monday, his lawyers said that “ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is a ‘practical impossibility,’” amid attempts to approach about 30 surety companies. 

NY AG ASKS COURT TO IGNORE TRUMP CLAIM THAT POSTING $464M BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’

The lawyers said the “enormous magnitude” of the bond requirement, which effectively requires cash reserves approaching $1 billion, is “unprecedented for a private company.” 

James has pushed back, calling Trump’s request for a stay “extraordinary” and “improper.” James has said that Trump should be able to secure the entire value via multiple sureties or offer his real estate holdings as collateral.

But Trump attorney Clifford S. Robert on Thursday sent a letter to the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court, arguing James’ efforts are “unconstitutional.” 

“It would be completely illogical — and the definition of an unconstitutional Excessive Fine and a Taking — to require Defendants to sell properties at all, and especially in a ‘fire sale,’ in order to be able to appeal the lawless Supreme Court judgment, as that would cause harm that cannot be repaired once the Defendants do win, as is overwhelmingly likely, on appeal,” Robert wrote. 

Robert also argued that by James demanding Trump post bond in the full amount in order to appeal, she and the Supreme Court of New York have “sought to impose a patently unreasonable, unjust, and unconstitutional (under both the Federal and New York State Constitutions) bond condition, which would cause irreparable harm and foreclose any review of Supreme Court’s deeply flawed decision in this case.” 

“In short, while attempting to cynically and wrongfully tar the Defendants’ witnesses as ‘unreliable,’ the Attorney General does not actually dispute the truth of a single one of their specific claims,” Robert wrote. “This is unsurprising because these claims are undeniable to those with knowledge of real estate and sureties.” 

Trump plans to ‘exhaust all options’ for bond

TRUMP UNABLE TO GET $464M APPEAL BOND TO STOP COLLECTION, ATTORNEYS SAY: ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’

Fox News Digital has learned that Trump and his legal team currently have “all options on the table.” 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that his team plans “to exhaust all options.” 

Donald Trump and Letitia James

New York Attorney General said she is “prepared” to ask the judge to seize former President Donald Trump’s assets if he cannot pay the $354 million judgment handed down in his civil fraud case.  (ABC News/Screenshot/Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

“The Trump team is continuing to look at every conceivable option,” the source said, adding that they are “hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.” 

NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAUNTS TRUMP ABOUT INTEREST HE OWES ON CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT

If the Trump team’s appeal is granted, the judgment bond could be slashed considerably. It is unclear whether the court will rule on his appeal. 

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Wealthy Nikki Haley donors launch effort to boost Biden over Trump: report


Wealthy donors to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s now-suspended presidential campaign are flocking to support President Biden’s re-election bid.

Businessman and media mogul Harry Sloan — a prominent former backer of Haley’s campaign — said during a recent interview with CNBC that he’d undertaken an effort to convince his wealthy friends and Republican business leaders to get behind Biden.

“People I know who are generally business Republicans, they’re going to hear from me,” Sloan told the outlet, admitting he had already reached out to a number of people, and planned to eventually host a fundraiser for Biden as the campaign progresses.

DEMS FLIP SCRIPT ON GOP CRIME AGENDA, TARGETING RNC CONVENTION PLANS WITH SURPRISING NAME

Media executive Harry Sloan

Harry Sloan, co-founder of Global Eagle Acquisition Corp., appears at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on April 29, 2014.

One source familiar with the effort told the outlet that at least half a dozen former Haley donors had already signed on to lend the Biden campaign a hand.

According to the report, Biden campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, along with campaign finance chair Rufus Gifford, initiated the effort as part of a larger goal of attracting former Haley supporters disenchanted with the idea of former President Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president for a third time.

When asked about the effort, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital, “Americans from all backgrounds, including Republicans, Independents and disillusioned Democrats, are coalescing around President Trump and joining the greatest political movement in history so we can end Joe Biden’s chaos and make America strong, safe, and successful again.”

Fox News Digital has also reached out to Sloan for comment.

STATE’S LARGEST POLICE UNION MAKES MAJOR ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Presidential candidates

From left: President Biden, former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. (Getty Images)

In a January post on Truth Social one day after his victory over Haley in the New Hampshire primary, Trump issued a stark threat to those continuing to support the former South Carolina governor.

“Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” Trump wrote.

Haley ultimately dropped out of the race following an abysmal Super Tuesday performance, but notably did not endorse the former president.

GOP SENATOR RIPS BIDEN’S ‘GUN-GRABBING’ DOJ FOR TAKING NEARLY 2 YEARS TO ANSWER FOR CONTROVERSIAL POLICY

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Although Trump currently trails Biden in campaign cash, he is aiming to even the playing field with the formation of his own joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee (RNC), something the president’s campaign has already enjoyed alongside the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Trump is also looking to get a boost from his own wealthy supporters, including at a fundraising event in Palm Beach, Florida, next month hosted by billionaire investor and hedge fund founder John Paulson.

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According to the latest filings this week with the Federal Election Commission, Biden’s re-election campaign outraised the Trump campaign by a two-to-one margin last month and enjoyed a $71 million to $34 million cash-on-hand advantage as of the end of February.

Meanwhile, the DNC outraised the RNC by nearly $6 million last month. It also reported $26.5 million in its coffers at the end of February, compared to $11.3 million cash-on-hand for the RNC.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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Illegal immigrants storm US border in El Paso, knock over guards amid standoff over Texas law


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A large group of illegal immigrants burst through razor wire and surged towards the border wall in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday in a chaotic scene during which guards were knocked over — just as the state’s anti-illegal immigration law is being held up in the courts.

Video taken by the New York Post showed dozens of adult males ripping away razor wire that was set up by the state and charging past Texas National Guardsmen. They then ran towards a section of border wall where they were blocked from entering further. 

A Texas law enforcement source told Fox News the group consisted of over 300 illegal immigrants, and about 100 adult males rushed the soldiers, and one has been arrested so far for assaulting a soldier. The melee began when one family unit was allowed through. The source said that more arrests are likely coming for destruction of property and assault. 

“Get the f— back!” one soldier can be heard in the Post’s video yelling at the illegal immigrants from the other side of the fence.

MIDWEST STATE ON VERGE OF DEFYING BIDEN WITH TEXAS-STYLE BILL TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has fought with the Biden administration over border security. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Fox News Digital that all migrants are now apprehended, and agents were going through video to see who assaulted the soldiers. They will be processed for deportation, but maintain the ability to claim asylum. Texas also has the ability to charge the migrants who assaulted them.

But it marks the latest flashpoint at the border in a three-year crisis that has seen record numbers of migrants hit the border, with 2.4 million in FY 23 alone. Numbers have dropped since the high of 302,000 seen in December, but there are concerns those numbers could again swell as the summer months approach.

Border in El Paso, Texas

In an aerial view, immigrants pass through coils of razor wire while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on March 13. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Texas has implemented a number of border security measures to tackle the flow of illegal immigration, most of which have faced opposition from the Biden administration. The razor wire has been cut by federal officials, leading to a lawsuit. Meanwhile, the administration sued over Texas’ deployment of buoys into the Rio Grande.

This week, the Supreme Court briefly allowed Texas’ anti-illegal immigration law, which allows police to arrest illegal immigrants, to go into effect despite a legal challenge from the Biden administration. The law was kicked back down to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which then blocked it again hours later as arguments proceed on the merits.

The Biden administration has claimed that the law encroaches upon federal responsibility over immigration enforcement. 

TEXAS CAN KEEP ARRESTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHILE BIDEN CHALLENGE PROCEEDS, ABBOTT SAYS

“S.B. 4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe, it will also burden law enforcement, and sow chaos and confusion at our southern border. S.B. 4 is just another example of Republican officials politicizing the border while blocking real solutions, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement this week.

Texas has argued that it has had to act because the administration is not doing its job to secure the border and deport those in the country illegally.

MEXICO SLAMS TEXAS OVER IMMIGRATION LAW, WON’T ACCEPT REPATRIATIONS FROM STATE AFTER SCOTUS RULING

“Number one, we are facing such dangerous situations. And number two, Joe Biden, through his actions, is violating the laws of the United States of America,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.

Texas has said it still has the authority to stop those coming across illegally by using trespass laws. Gov. Abbott’s spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, told Fox News Digital, “The surge today in El Paso is the direct result of the unsustainable chaos President Biden has unleashed on the border. The Texas Military Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety quickly gained control of the situation and are working to repair the damage. These illegal immigrants committed crimes in Texas, and the Department of Public Safety is under instruction to arrest every illegal immigrant involved for committing criminal trespass and destruction of property.”

Meanwhile, the chaotic scenes at the border will fuel the ongoing debate in Washington, D.C., over how to handle the crisis. The Biden administration has said it needs more funding, resources and reforms to overhaul a “broken” system and has called for passage of a bipartisan Senate package.

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Republicans have said no such legislation is needed and that the administration can restore calm by re-enacting Trump-era policies like “Remain-in-Mexico” and wall construction.

“Just in case people are unsure, this is what an invasion looks like,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Thursday.



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Quoting Dr. Seuss, ‘Just go, Go, GO!’ federal judge dismisses Blagojevich political comeback suit


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Rod Blagojevich, the ex-governor and ex-con who often dusted off ancient and sometimes puzzling quotations to emphasize his positions, found himself at the other end Thursday when a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit attempting to return to public life by quoting Dr. Seuss: “Just go.”

The Chicago Democrat, impeached and removed from office by the General Assembly in 2009, then sentenced to federal prison for political crimes, filed suit in federal court to reverse a ban accompanying his impeachment that prohibits his return to public office.

BLAGO HOLDS COURT: EX-GOV GIVES DRAMATIC ACCOUNT OF LIFE BEHIND BARS, DECLARES HE’S A ‘TRUMP-O-CRAT’

On Thursday, in a colorful, 10-page smackdown dismissing the action from Chicago, U.S. District Court Judge Steven Seeger debunked the former governor’s claims issue by issue, then relied on Dr. Seuss’ 1972 book, “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!” to suggest what Blagojevich should do:

“The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just Go. Go. GO! I don’t care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now!”

Mark Vargas, a Blagojevich spokesperson, said the ruling was no surprise.

Rod Blagojevich

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich speaks with news reporters Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006, in Springfield, Ill. Blagojevich, the ex-governor and ex-con who often pulled great and sometimes puzzling quotations out of thin air to emphasize his positions, found himself at the other end Thursday, March 212, 2024, when a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit attempting to return to public life by quoting Dr. Seuss: “Just go.” (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

“The people should be able to decide who they want or don’t want to represent them,” Vargas wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “not federal judges or establishment politicians who are afraid of governors who fight for the people.”

He did not say whether Blagojevich, 67, would take further action.

As Illinois governor from 2003 to 2009, Blagojevich was fond of quoting Greek philosophers, Roman statesmen and the Bible (particularly John 8:32: “The truth will set you free.”)

He was impeached and removed from office in 2009, then convicted of 17 counts of corruption in 2011, including attempting to sell or trade for political gain the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama upon his election as president. He served eight years behind bars of a 14-year sentence before his sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2020. The Illinois Supreme Court also revoked his law license.

Blagojevich, who routinely joked while governor that he had received a “C” in constitutional law at Pepperdine University Law School, filed the lawsuit in 2021, representing himself. Accompanied by a gaggle of news reporters, cameras and microphones outside the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, the always impeccably coifed Blagojevich declared, “I’m back.”

The federal civil rights complaint sought to reverse the state Senate’s impeachment ban on his holding office again, arguing the ban violates the Constitution’s Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments and the First Amendment’s protection of the people’s fundamental right to vote. “And by that,” Seeger explained, “Blagojevich apparently means the fundamental right to vote for him.”

“The complaint is riddled with problems,” Seeger began. “If the problems were fish in a barrel, the complaint contains an entire school of tuna. It is a target-rich environment. The complaint is an Issue-Spotting Wonderland.”

First off, Seeger said that civil rights complaints must be filed against a person, which neither the state of Illinois nor its General Assembly is.

Next, Seeger discussed at length why a federal court cannot intervene in a legislative impeachment proceeding because of the Constitution’s separation-of-powers provision. The judge then pointed out that even if the impeachment ban was reversed, Illinois state law still prevents a convicted felon from holding “an office of honor, trust or profit.”

The Sixth Amendment, Seeger wrote, applies to criminal trials, not civil trials: impeachment “took away his job, not his liberty,” he said.

Further, Blagojevich can’t sue to protect the rights of voters. They need to speak for themselves, Seeger said, and “no voter is here hoping to cast a vote for Blagojevich.”

Finally, the judge said, Blagojevich might not even have a reason to proceed because when he filed the lawsuit, he said he might want to run again, but hadn’t decided. Seeger noted that a legal claim is not “ripe” if it depends on “contingent future events that may not occur.”

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“The case started with a megaphone, but it ends with a whimper,” Seeger concluded. “Sometimes cases in the federal courthouse attract publicity. But the courthouse is no place for a publicity stunt.

“He wants back. But he’s already gone. Case dismissed.”



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NY court orders Trump Organization finances be monitored for three years


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The judge in former President Trump’s New York civil fraud case has ordered the court to monitor the Trump Organization’s finances for three years.

Judge Arthur Engoron, who ruled on the civil fraud case that ultimately slapped Trump with his $464 million judgment, made the order to monitor the Trump Organization on Thursday.

“Based on the Court’s findings in its February 16th Order, the Court ordered the continued monitoring of Defendants’ financial and accounting practices and disclosures, including and enhanced role for the Monitor, for a period of no less than three years, as well as the appointment of an Independent Director of Compliance,” Engoron wrote in the Thursday order.

NY AG ASKS COURT TO IGNORE TRUMP CLAIM THAT POSTING $464M BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’

New York Judge Arthur Engoran

Justice Arthur Engoron presides over the civil fraud trial of the Trump Organization at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City. (Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Retired federal Judge Barbara Jones, who has monitored the Trump Organization’s finances as part of a preliminary injunction in 2022, will continue in her role for the next three years.

NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAUNTS TRUMP ABOUT INTEREST HE OWES ON CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT

The monitor will allow reviews of the organization’s internal accounting records, recordkeeping, financial reporting policies and more.

The Trump Organization will be required to provide the monitor with monthly bank statements, notify the monitor at least five business days before major cash or asset transfers, and inform the monitor about debt restructuring or payment.

READ THE FILING BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

Most relevant to the case, the organization must also disclose efforts to obtain surety bonds.

Quarterly reports on these and other financial data points will be prepared for the court.

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Trump court

Former President Trump leaves the courtroom after testifying at his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“Defendants shall not evade the terms of this Monitorship Order by transferring assets, reincorporating existing business entities in other forms or jurisdictions, modifying entity ownership, or any other form of restructuring or change in corporate form,” the order from Engoron states.

Jones will also be able to advise the court on orders to change operations within the Trump Organization.



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Hillary Clinton wades into crucial battleground Senate race that could determine balance of power


Former Secretary of State and two-time failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday waded into what is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate races this year that could determine the balance of power in Congress.

In an early morning post on X, Clinton offered her endorsement to Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Phoenix-area congressman and the likely Democrat nominee in the race, praising him as a “fighter” who would defend abortion “rights.”

Gallego welcomed the endorsement, saying in a statement he was “proud” to have Clinton’s support.

WEALTHY NIKKI HALEY DONORS LAUNCH EFFORT TO BOOST BIDEN OVER TRUMP: REPORT

Clinton, Arizona candidates

Democrat Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, former Secretary of State and Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake (Getty Images)

“She’s long been a leading advocate for social justice, an unyielding fighter for women’s rights, and a dedicated public servant who has spent decades working to better our nation. Now more than ever, we need to stand together in the face of the extremism that’s threatening Arizona and work to protect abortion rights, defend our democracy, and build a better future for families in every corner of our state,” Gallego said.

Gallego’s likely opponent, former local news anchor and conservative firebrand Kari Lake, teased the endorsement in her own X post.

“[Hillary Clinton] is all-in on [Ruben Gallego]. I’m not surprised. They have a lot in common. Ruben & Hillary have spent their careers defrauding hard-working Americans & enriching themselves at YOUR expense. I’m running to put you & your family first,” she wrote.

DEMS FLIP SCRIPT ON GOP CRIME AGENDA, TARGETING RNC CONVENTION PLANS WITH SURPRISING NAME

Gallego welcomed a second endorsement on Thursday from progressive veterans group Common Defense, which praised his support for President Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act as well as his support for abortion.

Democrats currently hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the backing of independent Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Angus King of Maine. Sinema announced this month that she will not seek reelection.

Recent polls of Arizona voters have shown a tight hypothetical matchup between Gallego and Lake, while former President Trump holds a slight advantage over President Biden, a factor that could have a major impact on the Senate race.

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Arizona’s Senate race is one of many that Republicans see as an opportunity to flip in their favor, including West Virginia, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. A win in just two of those would give Republicans a Senate majority, assuming they hold onto their other seats not considered as competitive.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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No Labels reaches out to a former GOP presidential candidate regarding their pending third-party ticket


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As they vet candidates for a potential third-party presidential ticket, No Labels is reaching out to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

A source in the two-time Republican presidential candidate’s political orbit told Fox News on Thursday that the centrist group has made outreach to Christie in recent days.

Christie, who ended his 2024 GOP nomination campaign in mid-January, appeared to leave the door open to a possible third party run in an interview with former Obama adviser David Axelrod that was released earlier in the day. 

Asked on Axelrod’s popular podcast if he’s considering a third-party presidential bid, Christie said “I think the way I would look at it is, I will do whatever I can to try to make sure that the country doesn’t go through what I think will be the misery of a second Trump term.”

NO LABELS TAKES ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS LAUNCHING A THIRD-PARTY PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Chris Christie

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, headlines a town hall in Londonderry, New Hampshire on Dec. 13, 2023.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Christie, a one-time Donald Trump supporter, ally, and adviser, broke with him over the then-president’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden. Christie became an extremely vocal GOP critic of the former president and made his opposition to Trump a centerpiece of his 2024 White House run.

Christie emphasized that “I wouldn’t preclude anything at this point.”

But he also added, “I would just say that there are a number of hurdles to get over before I would actually consider running as a third-party.”

TRAILING BIDEN IN FUNDRAISING FIGHT, TRUMP AIMS TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD

Asked in an interview last summer soon after he launched his second presidential campaign if he’d consider joining a possible No Labels ticket, Christie shot down the idea, saying, “I think it’s a fool’s errand.”

“I’m not in this for showtime. I’m not in this for making a point. I’m in this to get elected President of the United States, and there are only two people who will get elected President of the United States: the Republican nominee for president and the Democratic nominee for president,” Christie said at the time in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” 

But former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee who later became an independent and was a No Labels founding co-chair, said in a radio interview in January after Christie ended his White House bid that he “could be a very strong candidate” on the group’s proposed unity ticket.”

“I’d like to reach out to him and see if he, Gov. Christie, is at all interested in being on a bipartisan No Labels Unity ticket this year. He could be a very strong candidate,” Lieberman added in a Sirius XM conversation with Michael Smerconish.

Christie suspends 2024 campaign

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie announces he is dropping out of the race during a town hall campaign event Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Windham, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

No Labels last week took another step toward forming a bipartisan presidential ticket in November’s general election, as it announced the formation of a committee to vet candidates for the potential bipartisan ticket. The announcement of the committee came a week after roughly 800 No Labels delegates who took part in a virtual meeting voted to give a thumbs up to fielding a presidential ticket.

For over a year, No Labels has mulled a third-party ticket, as it pointed to poll after poll suggesting that many Americans were anything but enthused about a 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

REMATCH: TRUMP, BIDEN, CLINCH GOP AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS

And No Labels had long said that it would decide whether to launch a presidential ticket following Super Tuesday, when 16 states from coast to coast held nominating primaries and caucuses.

The latest move by No Labels came right after Biden and Trump clinched the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, becoming the two major parties’ 2024 presumptive nominees.

No Labels holds a news conference in DC

No Labels leadership and guests from left, Pat McCrory, Co-Executive Director, Margaret White, Dan Webb, National Co-Chair, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis and former Senator Joe Lieberman, speak about the 2024 election at National Press Club, in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The moves by No Labels also came after former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a former leader of the group who was considered a potential contender for the “unity” ticket, recently took his name out of contention as he announced a run this year for an open Senate seat in his home state.

And moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, another former No Labels leader who is not seeking re-election this year and who flirted with a White House run, has also said he won’t launch a presidential bid.

There was also plenty of speculation that former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was the final 2024 GOP presidential nomination rival to Trump before she ended her White House run earlier this month, would consider running on a No Labels ticket. No Labels had expressed interest in her earlier this year.

But Haley repeatedly nixed joining a No Labels ticket, most recently in an interview on “FOX and Friends” earlier this month.

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No Labels this month was holding conversations with former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan of Georgia, a former health care executive and minor league baseball player who served three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives before winning election as lieutenant governor in 2018.

Duncan, another very vocal anti-Trump Republican, took his name out of contention earlier this week.

No Labels said last week that it is already on the ballot in 16 states and currently working in 17 other states to obtain access. 

There’s been a chorus of calls from Democrats warning that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in November, but the group dismisses that criticism.

“That’s not our goal here,” Lieberman told Fox News Digital late last year. “We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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Energy agency announces $475M in funding for clean energy projects on mine land sites


FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Biden administration pumped more money into clean energy projects Thursday, announcing up to $475 million in federal funding for projects in five states — including the political battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada.

The projects will accelerate clean energy development on current and former mine lands, the U.S. Department of Energy announced. The other states benefiting — Kentucky and West Virginia — are solidly Republican and have been hit hard by the downturn in the coal sector.

BIDEN ADMIN SET TO FINALIZE MAJOR GAS CAR CRACKDOWN OVER WARNINGS FROM AUTOMAKERS, ENERGY INDUSTRY

The funding comes from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law — one of President Joe Biden’s hallmark legislative victories. The projects in Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania advance efforts to transition away from coal to solar and hydropower.

The administration said the clean energy projects will strengthen the country’s energy security while helping ensure mining communities continue playing a role in the energy economy.

“Workers and communities that powered our country for the last 100 years deserve the chance to power us for the next 100 and beyond,” Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk said in a press call Wednesday.

Paul Jacob

Rye Development CEO Paul Jacob talks about his company’s plans to build a $1.3 billion coal-to-pumped storage hydropower facility as Gov. Andy Beshear looks on during a news conference, Thursday, March 21, 2024 in Frankfort, Ky. Jacob says the project will create about 1,500 construction jobs and 30 operations jobs once the facility is operational. (Tom Latek/Kentucky Today via AP)

Energy and climate policies have emerged as flash points in this year’s presidential race between Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump. Trump has indicated he’ll try to roll back Biden’s clean energy investments and expand drilling for oil and natural gas if he returns to office.

Biden’s administration said the latest round of funding reinforced his commitment to building an “inclusive and equitable clean energy future that creates healthier, more resilient communities.”

In Kentucky, a $1.3 billion pumped storage hydroelectric facility will be built on a former coal mine site, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said. The project has been approved for a federal grant totaling up to $81 million to assist with construction of the plant in Bell County in southeastern Kentucky, Beshear said.

“The mountains in this area provide the perfect landscape for moving water from one elevation to another, creating electricity when we need it,” Turk said.

Coal employment numbers in Kentucky have fallen sharply over the last decade as demand for coal has declined. Kentucky employed about 4,700 mine workers at the end of 2023, including about 2,700 in underground mines, compared to nearly 12,000 total miners in 2013, according to numbers provided by the state.

The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project by Rye Development in Kentucky will create about 1,500 construction jobs to build what officials described as a first-of-its-kind coal-to-pumped storage hydropower facility, Beshear said.

“We believe … this is the largest investment ever in eastern Kentucky,” he said.

Once built, the facility will create 30 operations jobs and generate enough energy to power nearly 67,000 homes, he said.

The federal funding also will support:

—A project in southeast Arizona to deploy direct-use, geothermal, clean heat combined with a battery energy storage system at two active copper mines. It will help decrease the mines’ reliance on thermal backup generators while supporting the annual extraction of 25 million pounds (11.3 million kilograms) of copper. Kathleen Quirk, president of Freeport Minerals Corp., said the copper the project plans to extract from already-mined material was previously considered unrecoverable. The project aims to create 121 construction jobs and 12 permanent operations jobs.

—A project in Nevada’s Elko, Humboldt and Eureka counties to develop a solar facility and accompanying battery energy storage system across three active gold mines. By shifting to clean energy, the project could demonstrate a replicable way for the mining industry to reach net-zero operations while meeting growing demands for minerals, the Energy Department said. Project construction is estimated to create about 300 jobs.

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—A project in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, to repurpose nearly 2,700 acres (1,090 hectares) of former coal mining land to create a utility-scale solar facility. The project will generate enough clean energy to power more than 70,000 homes. It will increase regional access to clean energy and fill a critical electricity-generation gap following the closure of the Homer City coal plant, the department said. More than 750 construction jobs and six operations jobs are expected to be created by the project. The project owner, Boston-based Swift Current Energy, has said construction could begin as early as summer 2024 and is scheduled to be online by the second half of 2026. In November, it announced that it had a 20-year contract to supply power to New York’s grid.

—A project in Nicholas County, West Virginia, to repurpose two former coal mines with a utility-scale solar system that would power about 39,000 homes. The two inactive mine sites provide land and access to existing energy infrastructure that will transmit the solar energy the project generates to the grid. The project is projected to create about 400 construction jobs and four operations jobs.



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Fox News Politics: Coming after Trump Tower


Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s happening? 

-White House calls Biden impeachment inquiry ‘embarrassing’

-Republicans hit Biden over $110 billion tax hike

-GOP billionaires rally behind Trump as 2024 looms

Towers Fall

Lawyers for former President Trump are blasting New York Attorney General Letitia James’ “unconstitutional” attempts to block the GOP presumptive nominee’s appeal and force a property sale as the deadline for him to post hundreds of millions of dollars of bond in the case looms. 

Trump and his legal team have appealed and requested a stay on his $464 million civil fraud judgment. On Monday, his lawyers said that “ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is a ‘practical impossibility,’” amid attempts to approach about 30 surety companies. 

James has pushed back, calling Trump’s request for a stay “extraordinary” and “improper.” James has said that Trump should be able to secure the entire value via multiple sureties or offer his real estate holdings as collateral. 

Trump attorney Clifford S. Robert on Thursday sent a letter to the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court, arguing James’ efforts are “unconstitutional.” But ahead of Monday’s deadline, Trump’s team is looking at all available options.

Donald Trump and Letitia James

New York Attorney General said she is “prepared” to ask the judge to seize former President Donald Trump’s assets if he cannot pay the $354 million judgement handed down in his civil fraud case.  (ABC News/Screenshot/Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

White House

‘BIGGEST CHALLENGE’: Psaki warns about third-party threat to Biden’s re-election …Read more

WORST FOOT FORWARD: White House calls GOP Biden impeachment inquiry ’embarrassing’ …Read more

Capitol Hill

ALARMING EARMARKS: Democrat earmarks include funding for late term abortions and groups that push gender transitions for kids …Read more

NEW GREEN NEW DEAL: AOC revives signature concept for public housing bill …Read more

‘EN MASSE’: House government weaponization committee probes IRS’s use of AI …Read more

‘HIGHER PRICES’: Republicans hit Biden over proposed $110B energy tax hike …Read more

‘NOT SACRED’: GOP hardliners furious at Johnson for rushing $1.2T government spending bill …Read more

PEEPING TOMS: Nancy Mace unveils bill aimed at harsher penalties for voyeurism …Read more

AOC during a news conference

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed X owner Elon Musk on his platform after he claims “she’s not that smart.” (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Tales from the Campaign Trail

‘CRITICAL JUNCTURE’: State’s largest police union makes major endorsement in 2024 presidential race …Read more

TAKING THE REINS: Progressive money man Alex Soros busy huddling with Dems as 2024 campaign heats up …Read more

BIG BUCKS: GOP billionaires rally behind Trump as he looks to level playing field in fundraising blitz with Biden …Read more

Across America

KEEP IT MOVING: Manhattan DA urges judge not to give Trump more time to review thousands of new documents before trial …Read more

‘ABSOLUTE WEIRDOS’: Dems flip script on GOP crime agenda, targeting RNC convention plans with surprising name …Read more

IN THE RED: California votes to spend $6.4B on homeless crisis despite spiraling debt …Read more

RITTENHOUSE PROTEST: Angry student protesters disrupted Kyle Rittenhouse’s TPUSA event …Read more

‘FAIR GAME’: Ex-NBC exec deletes Barron Trump tweet amid backlash, gives explanation …Read more

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GOP lawmaker asks ‘Where in the world is Hunter Biden,’ after Cap Hill ghosting as AOC calls hearing a ‘joke’


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Hunter Biden’s no-show at a congressional hearing wasn’t shocking to some House Republicans who joked his whereabouts should be made into a game, but several Democrats told Fox News that President Joe Biden’s son has already answered enough questions and the impeachment inquiry should end.

The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees held a joint hearing on Wednesday regarding foreign business dealings and allegations of influence peddling within Biden’s family, but Hunter declined to appear. The Republican-led impeachment inquiry into Biden instead heard from the younger Biden’s former business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, along with House Democrats’ witness and former Rudy Guiliani associate, Lev Parnas. 

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“It’s [Hunter’s] history, isn’t it?” Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Kelly said. “He’s always MIA.” 

Empty Hunter Biden seat

A seat reserved for Hunter Biden remained empty during a nearly eight-hour proceeding regarding allegations of influence peddling within President Biden’s family on Wednesday.  (Getty Images)

HUNTER BIDEN’S EX-BUSINESS PARTNER TONY BOBULINSKI SLAMS HIM FOR ‘RUNNING AWAY’ FROM HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the inquiry a “joke” ahead of the hearing. 

“I think the fact that Republicans’ core theory here and their main source turned out to be working with Russian spies is kind of the reason to not show up to this joke,” the New York Democrat said. 

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was charged in February with two counts related to “false derogatory information” regarding the Biden family’s business dealings, according to court documents. Prosecutors accused Smirnov of “actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials,” the detention memo states.

“Maybe we should have a game. Where in the world is Hunter Biden?” Rep. Carlos Giménez told Fox News. “He probably didn’t show because he didn’t want to testify, didn’t want to probably lie under oath as to what his activities and his family’s activities are.”

BIDEN MET WITH CHAIRMAN OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRM HUNTER DID BUSINESS WITH IN 2017, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIES

Joe and Hunter Biden

House Republicans have conducted a series of depositions as part of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over his involvement in his family’s business dealings. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

“Why are people giving millions and millions and companies and adversary nations giving millions and millions of dollars to the Biden family when there’s no product to sell or to buy except Joe Biden’s influence?” the Florida Republican continued.

Hunter’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer last week Hunter would be absent because of a court hearing in California the next day and called Republicans’ request “hasty.” Hunter rejected a November subpoena but unexpectedly showed up to a January congressional committee hearing and testified behind closed doors in February. 

AOC SAYS TRUMP ‘WILLING TO SELL THE COUNTRY FOR A DOLLAR’ AS LAWMAKERS REACT TO POTENTIAL PROPERTY SEIZURES

Congressional lawmakers on Capitol Hill

Congressional lawmakers react to Hunter Biden skipping a House hearing about allegations of influence peddling within President Biden’s family on Wednesday.  (Fox News Digital/Megan Myers)

New York Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman told Fox News ahead of Wednesday’s hearing that the president’s son has already answered Republicans’ questions.

“He debunked all the conspiracy theories … and made a really good point, which is that the witness who should be here on this purported hearing about influence peddling is Jared Kushner, who used his position in the government, unlike Hunter Biden, to solicit and obtain $2 billion from the Saudi Arabians,” Goldman said. 

HUNTER BIDEN’S FEDERAL GUN CHARGES TRIAL SLATED FOR EARLY JUNE

Kushner, former President Trump’s son-in-law and an adviser during his administration, reportedly received the hefty investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for his private equity firm after he left the White House. Comer said his committee would look into whether Kushner has a “real business” after Democrats urged further investigation during the Wednesday hearing, but noted that Hunter’s businesses appeared illegitimate.

Some House Republicans accused Hunter of continuing to avoid transparency about his business dealings and his father’s involvement. They also pointed to Hunter’s earlier plea for public testimony.

Hunter on Capitol Hill

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, departs a House Oversight Committee meeting at Capitol Hill on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

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Hunter “actually said he wanted to testify in public and then, given that opportunity, declined to do so,” California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock said. “What does that say about him?”

Michigan Republican Rep. John Moolenaar said “it would be best if [Hunter] would simply be transparent and open about his business dealings and cooperate in a way that assures the American people.”

Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.



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Ukrainian refugees, wounded soldiers hope for US aid as funding’s stalled


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Over $113 billion in U.S. tax dollars have already been sent to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion. But an additional $60 billion in aid is stalled in Congress and defense officials warn Ukraine is running out of resources.

In Ukraine, there is a shortage of soldiers, ammunition and confidence that Western aid will come soon. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have died or lost limbs in the war. 

Twenty-five-year-old Oleksandr Bazilevych has only his right arm left. A Russian grenade exploded near him last September as he was helping a wounded friend reach a medic. He wasn’t surprised when he lost his limbs. 

“It could be even worse,” Bazilevych says as he sits in a Minnesota rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment clinic. Other organizations told him it would be impossible to help him. Then he found the Protez Foundation.

PUTIN WARNS THE WEST THAT RUSSIA IS ‘READY’ FOR NUCLEAR WAR: ‘WEAPONS EXIST IN ORDER TO USE THEM’

a doctor helps a man in a wheel chair with his new prosthetic arm

“It’s pretty hard. You cannot see your family. You don’t understand what will happen to you, how it’s going and what will be next,” Oleksandr Bazilevych says about his time in the Ukrainian army.  (Mills Hayes)

Ukrainian American Dr. Yakov Gradinar was living in Minnesota and working as a prosthetist when the war started two years ago. He and his business partner and CEO, Yury Aroshidze, have now opened up three clinics, with another on the way in Kyiv, Ukraine.  

“They get much better quality of prosthetic care,” Gradinar said about the over 160 Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, and children they’ve brought to the U.S. “They get [a] break from sirens from all this pressure from war.”

A man sits over zoom talking with a reporter

The Protez Foundation takes amputee cases that nobody could help with in Ukraine. Dr. Yakov Gradinar says over 40% of the soldiers they fit for prosthetics return to the front line to fight. (Mills Hayes)

The nonprofit says over 60,000 Ukrainians are in need of prosthetics. Their waiting list is over 1,500 people long. 

Bazilevych says joining the military was the right decision at the time, despite only having one limb left.

“We want civilization in our country. We want freedom in our country, not like in Russia,” Bazilevych said. 

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: SEE WHAT AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) OWE IN REAL TIME

Twenty-seven-year-old Ninel Nosachova fled Ukraine at the start of the war. She and her family were refugees in Germany for months as she finished her education for physical therapy. Nosachova felt like she wasn’t doing enough to help her country. 

“People my age are fighting and protecting my country. I need to join. I need to protect my country, and then I saw this foundation on [the] internet,” Nosachova said. 

For the past eight months, she’s been working as a volunteer physical therapist at the Protez Foundation, helping soldiers who fought for her freedom walk again. But she worries about the future of her country without more U.S. aid.  

“We don’t have a lot of resources for the fighting and if the USA will not help us, we will die,” Nosachova said. 

photo of a ukrainian woman sitting on a workout bench in a rehab center in the US

Ninel Nosachova, who goes by Nellie, said she’s nervous to return to her home country because she says people have changed, grown angrier, and some of her friends have died in the war. (Mills Hayes)

Resources are running out as additional aid is stalled in Congress, with Republican lawmakers insisting new funds be linked to action against illegal border crossings.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized Tuesday at a meeting of Ukraine allies that the U.S. “will not let Ukraine fail.” 

The latest Pew Research Center poll shows that over 30% of Americans say the U.S. is providing too much aid to Ukraine.

The national debt, which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors, increased to $34.54 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office indicates that the national debt will grow to an astonishing $54 trillion in the next decade. Should that debt happen, it could risk America’s economic standing in the world. 

Ukrainian-American Walter Anastazievsky is the refugee services director at the Ukrainian American Community Center in Minneapolis. His parents and grandparents fled Ukraine after WWII and he felt like this was an opportunity to give back. 

“I’ve literally had someone say, ‘Oh I thought the war was over.’ Pay attention, because people are suffering,” Anastazievsky said. 

Anastazievsky estimates the center has helped over 1,000 refugees get access to housing, health care and employment. 

US SENDING UKRAINE $300 MILLION IN WEAPONS DESPITE LACKING FUNDS TO REPLENISH ITS OWN STOCKPILES 

A refugee service director sits in a chair talking to a reporter

Refugee services director Walter Anastazievsky isn’t holding his breath for more funding from Congress. “It’s anyone’s guess what’s going to happen in Washington,” Anastazievsky said. (Mills Hayes)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. He promoted former President Trump’s plan for a loan to Ukraine, rather than aid, to continue supporting the country in the war with Russia

“I think Ukraine needs assistance in any form that it can get. Ideally, it would be a continuation of the kind of assistance that the U.S. and other countries have been providing,” Anastazievsky said. “I don’t know that Ukraine is in a position to reject aid regardless of how it’s structured.”

Back in Ukraine, Dr. Gradinar is opening another Protez Foundation clinic in Kyiv. The demand for high-quality, free prosthetics is high. 

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As a Ukrainian American, Gradinar says he understands the need for taxpayers to know how their money is being spent in Ukraine. But he says Russia’s desire to take over the world is “scary for the 21st century.” He says Ukrainians want to be free of corruption and have a democracy like the U.S. 

“Tell me who’s going to be elected in United States as the next president? We don’t know,” Gradinar said. “Tell me who’s going to be elected in Russia president election. Everybody knows.”



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Trump aims to level playing field in fundraising battle with Biden as GOP billionaires come to the rescue


Former President Donald Trump significantly trails President Biden in the crucial dash for campaign cash, but he is hoping to level the playing field with the formation of a joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee (RNC).

The committee, titled the Trump National Committee JFC, filed a statement of organization on Wednesday with the Federal Elections Commission.

Trump, who clinched the GOP presidential nomination last week and is now the Republican Party’s 2024 presumptive nominee, has taken control of the RNC and installed allies in the national party committee’s top leadership positions.

The move comes as Trump aims to catch up to Biden in the fundraising race.

FIRST ON FOX: DONALD TRUMP’S FUNRAISING HAUL LAST MONTH

Trump is expected to clinch the GOP presidential nomination on March 12

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures at a campaign rally Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Rome, Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

According to the latest filings this week with the Federal Election Commission, Biden’s re-election campaign outraised the Trump campaign by a two-to-one margin last month and enjoyed a $71 million to $34 million cash-on-hand advantage as of the end of February.

The fundraising reports from both Biden and Trump didn’t include details on the myriad of other joint fundraising committees the two White House titans are also relying on to haul in campaign cash. Filings covering those fundraising ventures will be made public late next month.

THE POWER OF TRUMP’S GOP PRIMARY ENDORSEMENT HAILED AS ‘MOST POWERFUL’

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee outraised the Republican National Committee by nearly $6 million last month. The DNC reported $26.5 million in its coffers at the end of February, compared to $11.3 million cash-on-hand for the RNC.

President Biden campaigns in Nevada and Arizona - two crucial western battleground states

President Joe Biden speaks at the Washoe Democratic Party Office in Reno, Nev., Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Biden’s campaign taunted Trump over the fundraising figures.

“If Donald Trump put up these kinds of numbers on ‘The Apprentice,’ he’d fire himself,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. 

One reason Trump faces such a large deficit to Biden is that the president has been able to raise money in conjunction with the DNC and Democratic state parties across the country.

The new joint fundraising committee set up by the Trump campaign and the RNC will allow them to similarly coordinate among themselves and with state GOP chapters from coast to coast.

“It’s definitely going to help,” Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks told Fox News. “It also gives a tactical advantage. It makes it easier in terms of some of the execution on some of the joint events. So, I think it’s a win, win.”  

Trump is also expected to get a boost early next month from some of the wealthiest Republicans in the country.

That’s when some of the biggest donors in the GOP, some of whom stayed on the sidelines or supported the former president’s rivals during the recently concluded primary season, will host a fundraising event to be held April 6 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Billionaire investor and hedge fund founder John Paulson is hosting the top-dollar fundraiser, Fox News has confirmed.

The “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” will be held at Paulson’s Palm Beach home, which isn’t too far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and resort.

Word of the gathering is a further sign of the coalescing of much of the Republican donor class around Trump, now that he’s clinched the GOP nomination and is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. A source in the former president’s political orbit called the fundraiser a “come home to Trump” moment.

“We are receiving an overwhelming amount of support from donors.” Paulson said in a statement.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024.  (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Among those listed as co-chairs of the fundraiser are hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer. They were major boosters of Trump in 2016 but mostly sat out the former president’s 2020 re-election campaign.

Also on the list of co-chairs are oil magnate Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; and casino giant Steve Wynn, and Todd Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, a member of the TD Ameritrade board of directors and former RNC finance chairman.

Trump has long had strained relations with some in the Republican Party’s donor class, but he has worked hard in recent months to improve relations. He’s hosted some of these major contributors in recent weeks.

“There’s no question that most of the major donors who were with DeSantis or Haley are coming on board and rallying around the president. I think everybody realizes what’s at stake in the 2024 elections,” Brooks, who has close ties to the Republican donor class, told Fox News.

Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor and bundler who raised big bucks for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign but who backed DeSantis in the 2024 nomination race, is back supporting Trump and is attending the April 6 fundraiser.

“There’s still hesitation, but many big donors are coming around now that the nomination process is over,” Eberhart told Fox News. 

Meanwhile, two top Trump allies – businessman and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, who served as the former president’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Wilbur Ross, who was Trump’s Secretary of Commerce – are also listed on the fundraising invitation.

Those attending the fundraiser are expected to donate from $250,000 and up to over $800,000.

Three former 2024 GOP presidential primary rivals who’ve all backed Trump since ending their bids – Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and culture wars crusader Vivek Ramaswamy – are listed as “special guests” at the fundraiser.

Tim Scott is a potential Trump running mate

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks at a primary election night party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, February 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A source in the former president’s political orbit said that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who along with Scott is considered a potential 2024 Trump running mate, may also attend the fundraiser.

The joint fundraising committee filing and the Palm Beach fundraiser come as Trump not only aims to catch up to Biden in the 2024 fundraising race, but as the former president also struggles to pay his mounting legal bills, with just seven and a half months to go until the November election.

Trump’s latest filings with the FEC indicate the strain his multiple criminal and civil cases are putting on his campaign.

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Save America, the Trump-aligned political action committee that he’s been using to pay his legal bills, spent more than it raised last month, with nearly all the expenditures going to cover the former president’s legal costs.

Trump is also scrambling to fork over a $454 million bond to comply with a New York court ruling in a civil fraud case that he and his sons engaged in a decade-long conspiracy to lie about the value of the Trump Organization’s assets.

Eberhart told Fox News that among top-dollar donors, “the big concern is Trump’s legal bills and how their money will be used.” 

“There’s going to be some among the big donors who will choose to give to independent expenditure groups rather than to Trump directly because of the legal expenses issue,” he predicted. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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House GOP eyes putting Trump-era migrant policy in place on northern border: ‘Remain In Canada’


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FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are looking to echo a key Trump-era border policy, which kept migrants out of the U.S. for the duration of their immigration hearings, at the northern border with Canada – amid a sharp increase in apprehensions.

The “Remain in Canada Act,” introduced by Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, would duplicate the Remain-in-Mexico program – officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols – at the northern border. 

MPP was launched during the Trump administration and expanded across the border in 2019 as migrant encounters rose to what were then historic highs. The program saw court tents set up across the border, and migrants had to wait in Mexico for their asylum hearings rather than being released into the interior.

TEXAS CAN KEEP ARRESTING ILLEGAL MIGRANTS WHILE BIDEN CHALLENGE PROCEEDS, ABBOTT SAYS

migrants seen in wooded border area

Migrants at the northern border. (Customs and Border Protection)

Conservatives have credited the policy with ending the “pull factor” of release into the U.S. which they believe has encouraged migrants to make the journey north. Currently, migrants are frequently released into the interior to wait for their court hearings, which may be up to eight years away.

The Biden administration abolished the program, saying it was ineffective and left migrants in treacherous conditions in Mexico. Instead, it has pushed for initiatives to speed up asylum processing, including funding for immigration judges and a rule to bring the wait time down to a matter of months and allowing asylum officers to make final determinations on claims.

But, while there has been focus on the crisis at the southern border, the northern border has also seen a significant increase in encounters, going from 27,180 in FY 21 to more than 189,000 in FY 23.

BLACKBURN LEADS GOP PUSH TO RE-ESTABLISH TRUMP’S REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY 

Brian Babin, Texas Republican, in blue coat, orange and gray tie

Rep. Brian Babin has introduced the legislation. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The head of the Swanton Sector said in November that agents have seen a 550% increase in apprehensions, with migrants arriving from 79 different countries. The top five countries from which migrants originated were Mexico, India, Venezuela, Haiti and Romania.

Babin, who co-chairs the House Border Security Caucus, accused the Biden administration of an “intentional mass-replacement effort” and said something must be done as America’s borders are “overrun.” He said a 2023 agreement between the U.S. and Canada to return migrants back to Canada had failed to lower encounters.

“Under President Trump, we had the most secure borders seen in decades. President Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy worked to mitigate unlawful entry, secure the southern border, and hold Mexico accountable,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “My new bill, the Remain in Canada Act, will implement the same policy at the northern border.” 

“Instead of blindly allowing parolees into our nation, my bill will add an important tool to stop illegal immigration: ensuring illegal entrants or asylum seekers coming from Canada are not allowed to freely roam our country and burden American taxpayers,” he said.

The nine co-sponsors on the bill include Reps. Andy Biggs., R-Ariz., Mary Miller, R-Ill., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Keith Self, R-Texas.

black and white image of migrants crossing border

Migrants are seen crossing the northern border. (Customs and Border Protection)

The bill comes as immigration is looking to be a top 2024 issue, as the migrant crisis moves into its third year and the administration battles with Republicans over how to solve it.

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Republicans have called on the administration to re-implement Trump-era policies – including Remain-in-Mexico – while the Biden administration has called for the passage of more funding and reforms, including in a recent bipartisan Senate proposal, to fix what it says is a “broken” immigration system.



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