Donald Trump endorses Ohio congressional candidate Derek Merrin just hours before polls open


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump issued a last-minute endorsement in a highly sought northwest Ohio congressional district Monday, backing state Rep. Derek Merrin over a rival Republican whom Trump’s closest ally in the state has described as “a rock-solid conservative.”

Trump’s decision came about 18 hours before polls were set to open on Ohio‘s primary election — and less than 48 hours after Trump campaigned in the state on behalf of Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, his pick for U.S. Senate.

OHIO REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE MATT DOLAN SHOWCASES THAT HE’S ‘A CONSERVATIVE THAT’S GETTING THINGS DONE’

“Derek Merrin is an incredible America First Patriot who is running for Congress in Ohio‘s 9th District against a RINO, Craig Riedel, who is no friend of MAGA,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “As your next Congressman, Derek will fight hard to Secure our Border, Stop Inflation, Support our Military / Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.”

Derek-Merrin

Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin talks to reporters on Feb. 15, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. Republicans are watching two hot-button federal races in Ohio on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, that could affect their chances for potentially pivotal pickups this fall. The Toledo-area congressional primary includes Merrin and former state Rep. Craig Riedel. Merrin joined the congressional race on the filing deadline, after audio that surfaced of Riedel criticizing Trump began raising concerns inside the party about his electability.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tapped Merrin, 38, as his pick to take on Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur, 77, the longest-serving woman in Congress, this fall. Kaptur is viewed as among the most vulnerable Democrats in the nation.

Merrin drew statewide attention for leading an intraparty rebellion in the Ohio House last year after a bitter fight over the speakership.

Johnson recruited Merrin after audio surfaced of Riedel criticizing Trump, which raised concerns about his electability in a state that’s twice supported Trump’s presidential bids by strong margins. But that was months ago, back in December, begging the question of why Trump didn’t weigh in earlier.

Notably, Riedel’s campaign recently began airing a searing Merrin attack ad — blasting the legislator as “a top henchman” to then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. Householder was convicted last year in the largest bribery scheme in state history and sentenced in June to 20 years in prison. The ad suggests “speculation swirls Merrin could be charged next.”

In backing Merrin, Trump parted ways with his best known Ohio ally: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan. Jordan originally endorsed Riedel and stuck by him even after the remarks involving Trump came to light.

Jordan said, “Craig Riedel is a rock-solid conservative who understands that parents, not the government, know what is best for their children. He will fight to cut spending, lower taxes, uphold the Second Amendment, and protect traditional family values.”

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Trump’s 11th-hour decision to get involved is merely the latest twist in what has been a roller coast primary marked by swift entries and exits, candidate gaffes and bouncing endorsements. At one point, Johnson, Jordan and the state’s Republican senator, JD Vance, were aligned with three different candidates.

Vance had backed J.R. Majewski, the party’s 2022 nominee, before he suddenly withdrew from the race earlier this month after facing criticism for remarks he made during a podcast denigrating Special Olympics athletes.



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Legal experts weigh in on Trump’s options after failure to get $464M appeal bond


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Legal experts are weighing in on Donald Trump’s options after attorneys for the former president said he has not been able to secure a $464 million appeal bond he needs following a New York civil fraud judgment against him. 

Trump’s lawyers wrote in a Monday court filing that obtaining the nearly half-a-billion appeal was a “practical impossibility under the circumstances presented.” 

David Gelman, a criminal defense attorney and a former deputy district attorney, called the judgment a “unicorn.” He argued that the judge should give Trump a lot more leeway to satisfy the bond because “not even the richest man in the world has $464 million lying around.” 

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)

A New York Appeals Court judge denied Trump’s request late last month to delay payment of the $464 million owed as a result of the lawsuit brought by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, but said he would temporarily allow the 2024 front-runner and his sons to continue running their business during the appeals process. 

A New York Appeals Court judge previously ruled that the former president must post a bond for the full amount of the judgment and that an independent director of compliance will be appointed.  

That ruling comes after New York Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his decision earlier in February after a months-long trial beginning in October in which the former president was accused of inflating his assets and committing fraud in financial documents.

JAMES CARVILLE SAYS BIDEN CAMP RIGHT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BLACK VOTE: ‘IT IS A PROBLEM’

Engoron ruled that Trump and other defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.”

Gelman told Fox News Digital that “everyone needs to realize how unprecedented this is.” 

“There has never been a judgment of this magnitude against a company or individual in the history of New York, so we are really in uncharted territory.” 

Letitia James

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference, Sept. 21, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

Gelman said Trump has three options: not appeal, ask the court to allow Attorney General James to use his property as collateral, or take it to a federal court and say the New York law is unconstitutional on its face. 

“Courts really don’t deny bonds when there are other ways to pay. Again, because this is so unprecedented, and I don’t care how rich you are, nobody has that much liquid cash. So if a court had the option to allow a defendant to use some other collateral to satisfy the bond, they will,” Gelman said. 

He added that there was no reason for the judge or Attorney General James to say no. 

“You’re dealing with Trump. He’s not going anywhere. He’s the most famous and well known person in the world. It’s not like he can just disappear and can’t be found,” Gelman said. 

NATHAN WADE CANCELS MAJOR IN-PERSON NETWORK INTERVIEW, CITING FAMILY EMERGENCY

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Cherkasky told Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum that he “would not count Trump out yet.” 

Cherkasky said that even if the court denies Trump’s appeal, he “still has paths to move forward through federal court – ultimately to the Supreme Court to complain about Eight Amendment violations.” 

Per the Eighth Amendment, which deals with cruel and unusual punishment, “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” 

The Trump family

Laura Trump speaks at the NCGOP state convention with former U.S. President Donald Trump on June 5, 2021 in Greenville, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Cherkasky argued that the fines imposed on Trump were so “astronomically high here that it seems unbelievable for the Constitution to permit it under these circumstances.” 

“I think – and I hope – that the New York Court of Appeals looks at it appropriately,” Cherkasky said. “But like I said, I think even the Supreme Court would have an interest in this case on Eighth Amendment grounds.” 

Trump attorney Alina Habba told the X22 report Monday she was “confident” Trump’s debt would be dismissed. 

“Despite the fact that witnesses frankly had said that they were great clients, we all made money, they did nothing wrong, we got slammed with this egregious number, and I’m confident we’ll overturn it,” Habba told the online podcast. 

Writing on his Truth Social platform later Monday, Trump called the bond set by Engoron “unconsitutitonal, un-American, unprecedented, and practically impossible for ANY company, including one as successful as mine.” 

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“The Bonding Companies have never heard of such a bond of this size before nor do they have the ability to post such a bond, even if they wanted to,” Trump wrote. 

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report. 



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Peter Navarro must report to prison, US Supreme Court says


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Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro must report to prison after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to stave off the jail term as he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction.

Navarro is due to report to prison in Miami to serve a four-month federal prison sentence for his conviction of misdemeanor charges for defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks. 

He requested to stay free while he appealed the conviction. Navarro’s attorney declined to comment to Fox News Digital about the matter. 

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said he had “no basis to disagree” with the appeals court ruling that he begin his sentence. 

DOJ RECOMMENDS 6 MONTH SENTENCE FOR FORMER TRUMP ADVISER PETER NAVARRO

Peter Navarro talks to media before sentencing hearing

Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro talks to the media as he arrives at U.S. Federal Courthouse in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to halt his prison term.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Navarro, who served as former President Trump’s trade adviser, was the second Trump aide convicted of misdemeanor contempt of Congress charges. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon previously received a four-month sentence but was allowed to stay free pending appeal by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Trump.

Navarro said he couldn’t cooperate with the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack because Trump had invoked executive privilege, an argument which lower courts have rejected.

FORMER TRUMP ADVISER NAVARRO CONVICTED OF CONTEMPT AFTER DEFYING JAN. 6 SUBPOENA

Navarro addresses reporters outside court

Peter Navarro, an advisor to former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks to reporters as he is surrounded by protesters after being found guilty of contempt of Congress. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“When I received that congressional subpoena, the second, I had an honest belief that the privilege had been invoked, and I was torn. Nobody in my position should be put in conflict between the legislative branch and the executive branch. Is that the lesson of this entire proceeding? Get a letter and a lawyer? I think in a way it is,” Navarro said at a January sentencing hearing. “I am disappointed with a process where a jury convicted me, and I was unable to provide a defense, one of the most important elements of our justice system.”

He described the attack on the U.S. Capitol as “one of the worst days of my life.”

Peter Navarro photo on screen during Jan. 6 committee

Images and videos are seen on a screen as the House Selects committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol meets to vote on contempt charges against former President Donald Trump’s advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino on Capitol Hill on Monday, March 28, 2022, in Washington, D.C.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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The lower courts found that Navarro couldn’t actually prove Trump had invoked executive privilege.  

The high court is also preparing to hear arguments on whether Trump himself has presidential immunity from charges alleging he interfered in the 2020 election.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



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Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to straw donor scheme in New York and Rhode Island


NEW YORK (AP) — A Chinese billionaire pleaded guilty to federal election crimes on Monday, admitting that he made thousands of dollars in contributions to New York and Rhode Island political candidates in the names of others.

Hui Qin, a Chinese cinema magnate, faces up to 27 years in prison on charges that include orchestrating a straw donor scheme, immigration fraud and using false identification documents.

AG GARLAND PLEDGES TO FIGHT VOTER ID LAWS, ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURES

Beginning in December 2021, Qin began working “to find individuals to make more than $10,000 in straw donor contributions” to an unnamed candidate running for citywide election in New York City, prosecutors said.

At least one individual donated $1,000 on Qin’s behalf to the citywide candidate. The following day, Qin reached out to a co-conspirator, who told him they expected to be able to obtain up to $20,000 in straw donor contributions for the candidate.

Fox News New York graphic

Chinese cinema magnate Hui Qin is facing charges that could put him in prison for 27 years.

Prosecutors also say he engaged in similar straw donor schemes to funnel donations to a U.S. representative in New York and a congressional candidate in Rhode Island.

As part of the plea deal, Qin also admitted that he filed a false application for lawful permanent residency status in 2019 when he claimed to have never used an alias. In fact, prosecutors said, he was provided the alias “Muk Lam Li” by an official in the Chinese government in 2008.

He used that name to transfer more than $5 million from the Chinese government to a U.S. bank account. He spent a portion of it on a luxury apartment in Manhattan, according to prosecutors.

Qin was previously listed on Forbes list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion from his stake in film and entertainment companies, including the Honk Kong-based SMI Culture.

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A phone call to his attorney was not immediately returned.

“Qin pleaded guilty today to engaging in a brazen web of deception, spreading lies to federal election and immigration authorities and a state agency,” U.S. Attorney Breon Pace said in a statement. “No one is above the law, no matter their wealth or station in society.”



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GOP candidate blasts AP ‘hit piece’ as ‘debunked’ after adult website founder calls alleged profile a ‘prank’


Republican Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno is blasting the Associated Press after a story published days before the primary election linking him to an adult online dating site, which a former intern has taken credit for creating, was called into question by the dating site’s founder.

On Friday, a post on X from one of the founders of the online site Adult Friend Finder, who says he wrote “most of the early code,” seemingly rejected a key aspect of an Associated Press report days earlier that suggested “geolocation data,” which is commonly understood as involving an IP address or GPS, linked the account to the area of a Moreno family home.

“I reviewed all the available information and it showed that the account had only a single visit, no activity, no profile photo, consistent with a prank or someone just checking out the site,” Andrew Conru, the engineer who founded Adult Friend Finder, wrote on social media. “That’s it.”

“The AP report seeming to claim that the available data proves the account was created in Florida is inaccurate, as location information is manually entered during the signup (sic) process. In reality, there appears to be no public geolocation data tied to the account.”

OHIO REPUBLICAN US SENATE CANDIDATE BERNIE MORENO HAS SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR GOP MEMBERS WHO ‘DON’T LIKE’ TRUMP

Moreno, JD Vance watching Trump

Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno listens as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Dayton International Airport, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Conru continued, “It’s important to recognize that even temporary access to an email account is sufficient to create a fake dating profile in someone else’s name. My sincere apologies to Bernie and anyone similarly affected by the 2016 data incident.”

The Associated Press reported on Thursday, days before Tuesday’s primary, that Moreno’s work email address registered on Adult Friend Finder 16 years ago with an account with a caption that said, “looking for young guys to have fun with while traveling.” The Associated Press reported that “geolocation data” it gathered from a 2016 data leak from Adult Friend Finder showed that the account “was set up for use in a part of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where property records show Moreno’s parents owned a home at the time.”

“Beyond the work email, the profile lists Moreno’s correct date of birth, while geolocation data indicates that the account was set up for use in a part of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where property records show Moreno’s parents owned a home at the time,” the story said.

TRUMP-BACKED GOP CANDIDATE RIPS ‘SICK’ REPORT TYING HIM TO GAY HOOKUP WEBSITE: ‘DESPERATE PEOPLE’

Moreno, Trump shaking hands

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump greets Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno during a rally at Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Associated Press story did not confirm that Moreno created the account.

The Moreno campaign denied that he had anything to do with the account, and a campaign lawyer provided a statement from a former intern who knew Moreno’s personal information and claimed responsibility, saying the incident was a “juvenile prank.”

Moreno, his family and supporters quickly labeled the Associated Press story as “debunked” and a “vile hit piece” following Conru’s social media posts that explained how his website tracked location by the zip code entered in 2008, not using an IP address that would provide specific geolocation data.

“My husband and I have known Matt Dolan and his family for years. For him to stoop this low, simply because he’s losing this race is disgusting, disgraceful, and he should be embarrassed,” Moreno’s wife, Bridget, said in a statement, pointing the finger at Moreno’s opponent, Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan, whose super PAC released an ad hitting Moreno over the report less than 24 hours after publication.

TRUMP REVEALS ‘VERY FIRST ACTIONS’ HE’LL TAKE AS PRESIDENT DURING OHIO RALLY, HAMMERS BIDEN’S BORDER POLICIES

Bernie Moreno at a Trump rally

Bernie Moreno (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana/File)

“If he’s willing to slander my husband simply to win a political election, he doesn’t belong anywhere near elected office,” she continued. “I know family values might not mean much to Matt Dolan, but they mean a lot to this family. His desperate attempts will backfire, and I have full confidence that Ohioans will see through his dirty tricks and elect an actual conservative to the U.S. Senate. Now that this story has proven to be 100% false, if Matt even has an ounce of integrity left in him, he will publicly disavow this slime coming from his family-funded Super PAC.”

The Dolan campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

On Friday, Moreno rejected the report as a “sick, last-minute attack by desperate people.”

Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance, who has endorsed Moreno, wrote on X that Conru’s post showed the story was “verifiably false,” and Ohio Republican Attorney General Dave Yost, also a Moreno endorser, wrote on X that the AP story was “falling apart.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Associated Press Vice President of Corporate Communications Lauren Easton defended the story.

“This is a deeply reported piece of accountability journalism in an election year. We stand by the story,” Easton said. “We did not report the location where the account was created.”

Easton also pointed to a follow-up tweet from Conru in which he said he “clarified his response” but which also appeared to show that the “geolocation data” AP had was based on a zip code that was entered by the user who could have registered from anywhere.

“Ah, just noticed what people are calling geolocation,” Conru wrote. “In 2008, when someone entered any zip code during signum (sic), we just had a lookup table to map it to latitude and longitude. Geolocation today means to deduce someone’s location based on the browser’s IP address which isn’t the case here.”

Donald Trump returns to Ohio to campaign for Bernie Moreno in the Senate Republican primary

Former President Trump is shown with businessman Bernie Moreno ahead of a rally in Wellington, Ohio, on June 26, 2021. (Bernie Moreno campaign)

Geolocation, the term used by AP, is currently defined as “the process of determining the location of an electronic device, as a computer, [cellphone], satellite, etc.”

“My review was looking for ‘geolocation’ and there is none,” Conru wrote in another X post. “In 2008, when someone entered any zip code during signum , we just had a lookup table to map it to latitude and longitude. Geolocation today means to deduce someone’s location based on the browser’s IP address which isn’t the case here. As I have been building websites since 1993, I was being too technical in my post.”

Fox News Digital followed up with the Associated Press and asked whether they possessed any data showing the location of the device consistent with the current definition of “geolocation” or if their data was simply the longitude and latitude of the zip code entered at the time of sign-up.

Easton’s response said, “We stand by the reporting, including that geolocation information showed the account was set up for use in the Ft. Lauderdale area.”

“In defense of your story, you point to a thread that explicitly shows the opposite of what you claim,” Vance wrote on X in response to the AP’s defense. “‘Geolocation data’ is a term with a specific meaning. Your reporter misused that term, and I demand a correction.”

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Vance also pointed to AP’s own style guide on geolocation and argued it is not consistent with the use of the word in the story.

Fox News Digital reviewed an analysis from the cybersecurity firm CTC International, which registered an account on Adult Friend Finder using two different methods, including one it says was “used by the AP reporter,” and pulled the data from those accounts. In both cases, the latitude and longitude in the data shows up as being in the submitted Washington, D.C., zip code even though the VPN was locked to Mississippi. 

“There is a possibility of a lawsuit by GOP candidate Bernie Moreno over what is being denounced as a ‘hit piece’ by AP on the eve of the Ohio primary,” George Washington University Professor Jonathan Turley wrote on X. “If Moreno sues and gains access to discovery, this could prove costly and embarrassing for the company.”



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Supreme Court debates Biden administration outreach to digital platforms over controversial posts


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A divided US Supreme Court cast doubt on Monday over calls to limit the ability of the federal government to communicate with social media platforms and the news media about publishing third-party content on controversial or potentially dangerous topics like vaccines, election interference, and terrorism.

In nearly two hours of oral arguments in a free-wielding free speech dispute, the justices debated whether the Biden administration crossed the constitutional line, and whether its outreach efforts with private companies amounted to permissible persuasion or encouragement versus illegal coercion or threats of retaliation.

Two Republican-led states and several private parties had sued, claiming First Amendment violations by the Biden administration, accused of improperly coordinating with tech firms to remove or limit information posted by private users on their sites.

They say it amounted to censoring what some users said about Covid treatments, election security, and other issues the powerful federal government might subjectively find misleading or problematic.

THIS WAS CENSORSHIP BY SURROGATE: JIM JORDAN

“It’s got these big clubs available to it and it’s so it’s treating Facebook and these other platforms like their subordinates,” said Justice Samuel Alito.

But others on the bench took another approach.

“Your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the federal government, in significant ways in the most important time periods,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told the lawyer representing Louisiana, Missouri and the private plaintiffs. “The government actually has a duty to take steps to protect the citizens of this country… by encouraging or even pressuring platforms to take down harmful information.”

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the court, mostly opposing the administration’s efforts.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is photographed, Feb. 28, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

This is the latest case at the Supreme Court testing how federal and state governments, big tech platforms, and private users can operate in an increasingly crowded and contentious digital space.

The lawsuit alleges 67 federal agencies and officials coerced platforms like Facebook and Twitter/X to censor individual posts, primarily related to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the past two administrations, as well as the 2020 presidential election results.

Those cited include White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI, and the U.S. cybersecurity agency.

The Justice Department told the high court the president and agencies under his control have long enjoyed a “bully pulpit” to try and persuade citizens and companies, in ways that advance the public interest. That includes areas like public health, voting integrity, and national security threats.

NEW MEXICO COUNTY COMMISSIONER WHO PARTICIPATED IN JAN 6 RIOT LOSES SUPREME COURT APPEAL

But a federal appeals court ruled against the administration, saying officials could not “coerce or significantly encourage” changes in online content. 

In oral arguments, conservative justices were most vocal against the federal government’s actions, which Alito in October – when the appeal first arrived at the high court – said was “heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news.”

Justice Clarence Thomas asked at one point, suggesting how the federal government might subtly coordinate with tech firms. “You just work together, said: Look, we’re right; they’re wrong. Let’s work together. You know, we’re on the same team. Let’s work together to make sure that this misinformation doesn’t gain sort of any following.”

But several of their conservative colleagues were concerned about hamstringing the federal government too severely. One hypothetical raised in court was how to respond to an epidemic sprouting online, where young people were being encouraged as a dare or stunt to record themselves jumping off windows to the ground below, at ever-increasing heights.

Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court

Clarence Thomas, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, listens during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. The Senate voted 52-48 Monday to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, giving the court a 6-3 conservative majority that could determine the future of the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights.  (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The government is not monolithic either,” said Chief Justice John Roberts, using another hypothetical. “Maybe EPA is trying to coerce a platform about something, and the Army Corps of Engineers is trying to coerce them the other way? I mean, you can’t just sort of pick and choose which part of the government you’re concerned about.”

Roberts prefaced his remarks with a lighthearted aside, “I have no experience coercing anybody,” which brought laughter to the courtroom.

When the lawyer for the plaintiffs argued the federal government was indirectly engaging in “encouragement” with platforms, Justice Amy Coney Barrett interjected.

“Just plain vanilla encouragement, or does it have to be some kind of significant encouragement? Because encouragement would sweep in an awful lot.”

Justice Elena Kagan raised national security concerns.

FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER SOUNDS OFF ON DOBBS DECISION: ‘TOO MANY QUESTIONS’

Terrorists engage in things that come under the First Amendment. Let’s say they’re just recruiting people for their organizations” online, she asked. “There’s all kinds of things that can appear on these platforms that do all kinds of different harms, and the inability of government that you’re suggesting to reach out to these platforms and say:  we want to give you information that you might not know about on this.

President Biden himself has used social media to bluntly promote vaccinations. In a controversial July 2021 Facebook post, he wrote, “They’re killing people… The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they’re killing people.” Biden later pulled back on those comments.  

The current debate comes in a national election year, where there is heated public discourse on ballot integrity and voting regulations.

“The question before the justices this morning is actually a fairly simple one. It’s whether the government went too far,” said Thomas Dupree, former top official in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush. “This administration leaning very heavily on these social media companies to take down content that the government didn’t like. Some of it concerned vaccine or health related information. Others concerned election related information. But it’s very different and it’s challenging if you’re a tech company and the government with all of its powers at its disposal, calls you up and says: Hey, we don’t like this post that we’re seeing on your website, We think that you need to take it down.”

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, March 7, 2024.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The high court in February heard separate arguments over a challenge to social media company policies that deal with subjectively “problematic” content.

The justices debated laws in Florida and Texas from 2021 that would restrict the ability of big social media companies like Instagram and YouTube to decide what third-party material they wish to publish.

The regulations aim to address what some lawmakers call “censoring” of conservative messages, and banning politicians like former President Trump, for violating subjective policies over offensive or “problematic” content.

Separately, the justices Friday issued rulings that public officials can be held liable in some cases for blocking critics on social media.

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The court laid out new rules on the free speech limits of government workers, and when their “mixed use” social media accounts cross the line from personal; conduct to official business.

The case argued Monday is Murthy v. Missouri (23-411). A decision is expected by early summer.



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Trump, co-defendants request to appeal Georgia judge’s ruling keeping Fani Willis on case


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Former President Trump and several of his co-defendants are asking Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee for permission to appeal after he ruled against dismissing the case and disqualifying District Attorney Fani Willis. 

McAfee last week denied a full dismissal of the case against Trump and Willis’ disqualification. Instead, he demanded that Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade resign from the case. McAfee warned that without Wade’s withdrawal, Willis would be disqualified from prosecuting Trump. Wade withdrew within hours of the judge’s order.

Four co-defendants had accused Willis of having an “improper” affair with Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case. Willis and Wade have denied the claims. 

FULTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE WITHDRAWS FROM TRUMP CASE, ALLOWING DA FANI WILLIS TO CONTINUE

Fani Willis and Donald Trump

Fani Willis and Donald Trump (Getty Images)

The motion Monday was filed on behalf of Trump and several co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Harrison Floyd and Cathleen Latham. 

Trump and his co-defendants are requesting permission to appeal McAfee’s ruling. 

“In its Order, the Court found that District Attorney Willis’ actions had created an appearance of impropriety and an ‘odor of mendacity’ that lingers in this case, as well as the continuing possibility that ‘an outsider could reasonably think that District Attorney Willis is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences,’” the motion states. “Despite this, the Court declined to disqualify District Attorney Willis, finding that eliminating only the Special Assistant District Attorney would cure the lingering appearance of impropriety.” 

The motion adds that defendants “believe that the relevant case law requires dismissal of the case, or at the very least, the disqualification of the District Attorney and her entire office under the facts that exist here, and the resignation of Mr. Wade is insufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists.” 

“Given these facts and the current state of case law, the Court of Appeals should speak definitively to this outcome-determinative issue now.” 

Trump attorney Steve Sadow added in a statement, “The motion further notes that the Court found Georgia case law lacks controlling precedent for the standard for disqualification of a prosecuting attorney for forensic misconduct. For these reasons among others, the Court’s Order is ripe for pretrial appellate review.”

photo of Fulton County DA case election interference

Judge Scott McAfee, left, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, right. (Getty Images)

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

The filing comes after McAfee last week quashed six counts in the Georgia election interference case against Trump and his 18 co-defendants. 

McAfee said in an order Wednesday that the state failed to allege sufficient detail for six counts of “solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.” 

“The Court’s concern is less that the State has failed to allege sufficient conduct of the Defendants – in fact it has alleged an abundance. However, the lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned opinion, fatal,” McAfee wrote.

Rudy Giuliani appears at court in Washington D.C., for a defamation case

Rudy Giuliani, the former personal lawyer for former U.S. President Donald Trump, departs the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. District Courthouse on December 11, 2023, in Washington, DC.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“As written, these six counts contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission, i.e., the underlying felony solicited,” the judge continued. 

“They do not give the Defendants enough information to prepare their defenses intelligently, as the Defendants could have violated the Constitutions and thus the statute in dozens, if not hundreds, of distinct ways.”  

Georgia state law prohibits any public officer from willfully and intentionally violating the terms of his or her oath as prescribed by law. Willis alleged that Trump and six of his co-defendants illegally attempted to persuade numerous state officials to violate their oaths in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Mark Meadows points

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaks with reporters at the White House, Oct. 21, 2020, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Willis charged Trump with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

Meanwhile, the defendants alleged that Willis benefited financially by hiring Wade in 2021 because they were in a pre-existing romantic relationship and went on several trips together. Michael Roman, a Republican operative who worked on Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, claimed Wade’s law firm billed taxpayers $650,000 at a rate of $250 an hour since his hiring — and that he used that income to pay for vacations with Willis.

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Both Wade and Willis had denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring. During a two-day evidentiary hearing in February, they each testified that they split the cost of their shared trips. Willis told the court she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash.

A trial date for Trump has not yet been set. 



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GA bill limiting truck crash suits against insurance companies heads to Kemp


The ability of people to sue insurance companies directly after trucking crashes would be limited under a bill receiving final passage in the Georgia legislature.

The House voted 172-0 on Monday to pass Senate Bill 426, sending it to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto.

The measure says someone could only sue an insurance company directly if the trucking company involved has gone bankrupt or when the plaintiff can’t find the company or the driver.

GEORGIA LAWMAKER DEMANDS FANI WILLIS STEP ASIDE IN TRUMP ELECTION CASE: ‘HER CREDIBILITY IS SHOT’

Supporters say the change would result in lower insurance rates for truckers, arguing current rates inhibit trucking companies’ ability to do business.

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during his primary night election party at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

House Majority Whip James Burchett, a Waycross Republican, said Monday that it was a balancing act between business groups and lawyers. Several Democrats also spoke to praise the bill. Rep. Teddy Reese, a Columbus Democrat, called it “a great compromise that lawyers like myself are happy with and can work with.”

Kemp has said he wants to make it harder for people to file lawsuits and win big legal judgments. He has said Georgia’s high insurance rates are among the harms caused by such lawsuits. But Kemp said he would pause his effort until the 2025 legislative session in order to gather more information.

Georgia lawmakers capped noneconomic damages including pain and suffering in a 2005 tort reform law, but the state Supreme Court overturned such caps as unconstitutional in 2010.

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Besides truckers, owners of commercial properties and apartments have also been seeking limits, saying they are getting unfairly sued when third parties do wrong on their property.



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How the most powerful nation lost control of its borders: former ICE director


The U.S. is in the grip of an ongoing crisis at the southern border, now into its third year. While there have been a number of surges in migration to the U.S.-Mexico border in recent history, none have been so large or so sustained.

Republicans say the crisis has been a direct consequence of the policies of the Biden administration. But Democrats and the administration say the U.S. has a broken system in need of reform and funding that Congress has so far failed to address.

How did the immigration crisis start?

The surge escalated in 2021, when, after months of increasing numbers in 2020 from the lows seen during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, encounters skyrocketed from 78,000 in January 2021 to 213,000 by July, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

Encounters remained high through 2022, reaching a high of 241,000 that May. Encounters in fiscal year 2022 hit 2.3 million, a new record. That was broken the next year with 2.4 million.

BIDEN, DURING VISIT TO OVERWHELMED BORDER, URGES REPUBLICANS TO BACK SENATE BILL 

Joe Biden, southern border

President Biden speaks with Customs and Border Protection officers as he visits the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023.  (JIM WATSON/AFP)

More recently, the monthly record for encounters was shattered in December, when there were over 300,000 encounters for the first time, according to CBP. Meanwhile, the immigration court backlog has exploded to more than 3 million cases, while seizures of fentanyl at the southern border have also broken records.

What’s the Biden administration’s response?

The Biden administration has said the spike coincides with a hemisphere-wide migration surge sparked by insecurity, poverty and other root causes.

“It is because the world is living through one of the greatest levels of human displacement that it ever has, and certainly since World War II. And the challenge that we are experiencing at our border, which is a very serious and consequential challenge, is one that the entire hemisphere is experiencing,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told The New York Times in February.

President Biden and former President Trump have both visited the southern border in 2024, making their respective cases to the voters.

Biden said he needs Congress to “put politics aside” and pass additional spending and reforms found in a bipartisan Senate bill. The legislation includes additional staffing at the border and in asylum offices, an increased $1.4 billion in funding to cities and organizations receiving migrants, aims to tackle fentanyl smuggling and would limit asylum claims. It would also increase detention beds to 50,000 and provide additional immigration judges.

However, the bill failed to gain enough support in the Senate after conservative lawmakers warned that a limiting mechanism that only comes into place after an average of 5,000 encounters a day would normalize the already high levels of illegal immigration.

“It’s real simple, it’s time to act, it is long past time to act,” Biden said. “It’s time for us to move on this, we can’t wait any longer.”

Meanwhile, the administration has been pursuing a strategy of expanding lawful migration pathways while increasing what it says are consequences for illegal entry, including an asylum ban and increased use of expedited removal. But it has stressed it needs more funding to do so.

The administration rejects claims it has opened the border, pointing to more than half a million removals or returns between May 2023 and January 2024. It also expanded the CBP One app to allow more migrants to be processed in ports of entry, launched funding drives to tackle root causes in Central American countries and set up processing centers in the region.

What do Republicans think?

Republicans and former Trump officials blame the Biden administration, accusing it of rolling back successful Trump-era policies like the Remain in Mexico program, which kept migrants in Mexico for their asylum hearings, along with border wall construction and other measures to stop catch-and-release.

Tom Homan, who served as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director under Trump, told Fox News Digital he believes those Trump policies secured the border.

“We handed the Biden administration the most secure border in my lifetime. That’s just based on fact. That’s based on data. Anybody can look at the data. Then President Biden came in,” he said.

Homan and other critics also cited a 100-day ICE deportation moratorium as evidence the administration is pursuing an open border policy.

“President Biden ran on open borders, and you gotta give him credit. Once he became president, he kept his promise and opened the border,” Homan said.

7.2M ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande at the southern border

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico line up for processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Electoral implications

The crisis has had deep political impacts. Not only has it become a top 2024 issue, with polls showing a majority of voters seeing large amounts of illegal immigration as a “critical” threat, but the immediate impact has also spread beyond the border.

As more and more migrants have moved into the interior, including through a busing program from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, cities like New York City, Chicago and Denver have been overwhelmed by the numbers and the strain put on their services. Mayors have appealed for support, last year asking for more than $5 billion in aid, among other measures.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the House impeached Mayorkas for his handling of the crisis, sending articles of impeachment to the Senate. 

If elected, Trump has promised to return to many of his past policies and has pledged to ramp up deportations.

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“The fix is simple. Dust off the Trump plan and reinstitute the Remain in Mexico program, reinstitute the safe third country agreements, continue building the wall and end catch and release,” Homan said. “Those things right now would solve 90% of the problem on the border.”



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Trump, top allies make closing pitch for Sherrod Brown challenger Bernie Moreno in Ohio Senate race


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VANDALIA, OH – Thousands of Ohioans braved strong winds at a Dayton, Ohio-area airport on Saturday to watch former President Donald Trump stump for Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, where the pair made the case that Moreno is the best option to challenge Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a battle that pits the establishment against the MAGA agenda.

Ohio needs to defeat your horrendous radical left, Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown, who pretends he’s my best friend,” Trump told the crowd near the start of his speech. “He pretends he’s my best friend until he gets in, and then he goes radical left all the time. You know, if you listen to his commercials, he sounds like he’s running with Trump. He’s not.”

“He’s not with me, and the day he gets out, he votes with Biden all the time, and if you vote with Biden this country is finished, I’ll tell you right now.”

Brown, the only Democrat elected statewide in Ohio in the past decade, will face the winner of Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary in November in one of only three Senate races Cook Political Report ranks as a “toss up” opportunity for Republicans to take back control of the Senate.

OHIO REPUBLICAN US SENATE CANDIDATE BERNIE MORENO HAS SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR GOP MEMBERS WHO ‘DON’T LIKE’ TRUMP

Moreno, Trump shaking hands

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump greets Ohio Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024 in Vandalia, Ohio.  The rally was hosted by the Buckeye Values PAC.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“With your vote, we’re going to take back the Senate,” Trump said. “We’re going to win Ohio in November. We’re going to win by a lot.”

Trump hit on immigration harder than any other issue in Ohio, where polling shows that illegal immigration is a top concern in the state, along with the economy. 

“Among my very first actions upon taking office will be to stop the invasion of our country and send Joe Biden’s illegal aliens back home,” Trump — who invoked the name of Laken Riley multiple times during the speech — told the crowd. 

“These are the roughest people you’ve ever seen. You know, now we have a new form of crime. I call it Biden migrant crime, but it’s too long, so let’s just call it migrant crime. We have a new category. You know, you have vicious crimes, you have violent crimes. You have all these, now we have migrant crimes, and they’re rough. They’re rough.”

TRUMP FACES OFF AGAINST GOP ESTABLISHMENT AS HE PARACHUTES INTO CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY

Donald Trump wearing a red make america great again hat

Former President Donald Trump (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

According to recent polling, Moreno supporters say that their top concern is immigration, and the Ohio businessman seemed to strike a chord on that issue with the crowd during his remarks.

“If you’re in this country illegally… listen… starting in January of 2025, you will be deported,” Moreno said, eliciting a cheer from the crowd.

On stage, Moreno made the case that his primary race is a battle between political outsiders and the establishment, similar to Trump’s messaging in the past.

Look at what happened in 2017,” Moreno told his audience. “President Trump took office and fought Republicans just as much as he fought Democrats over and over again.”

TRUMP-BACKED GOP CANDIDATE RIPS ‘SICK’ REPORT TYING HIM TO GAY HOOKUP WEBSITE: ‘DESPERATE PEOPLE’

Moreno on campaign trail

Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno  (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana, File)

“They’ve let us down. And I understand. I got to understand why that is. They care more about the job and their advancement in their career and making money being a public servant instead of taking care of this country. This is the issue in this election. This is the last gasp of breath of the swamp RINO establishment in Ohio. And I need you on Tuesday to stab it right in the heart and make it clear that in Ohio, we put America first.”

Moreno faces off against Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Republican State Sen. Matt Dolan on Tuesday in a race that has gotten increasingly hostile as it winds down, with polling this week showing 20-30% of voters still undecided.

Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance endorsed Moreno and stumped for him on Saturday, making the case that like Trump, he, too, goes against the GOP establishment. 

“Do we need a senator who answers to the people of the state of Ohio?” Vance asked the crowd. “Yes, we do. Do we need a senator who will not compromise with the D.C. swamp, but will fight the D.C. swamp? That’s Bernie Moreno.”

Over the past several months, each of the Republican candidates have attacked one other over who is the most conservative, pointing to past public statements and positions they argue don’t fit with Trump’s agenda. Various polls have showed each of the candidates leading the race at one point or another.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan spoke with Fox News Digital at the rally and explained why he believes Moreno is the best candidate to face Brown, who, he says, “talks one way” when “he’s at home,” but then votes with Biden in Washington, D.C.

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Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is seen during Senate votes in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He’s a fighter,” Jordan said, adding he believes Moreno is in a good position to win in November. “He’s got an amazing story. He’s from an immigrant family who came here legally, did things the right way, lived the American dream — a successful business guy. So, I think he’s just the kind of guy we need and is going to be such a compliment to Senator Vance in the United States Senate.”

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who also endorsed Moreno, argued that he is the “only one” that can “beat Sherrod Brown this fall.”  

“He’ll beat Sherrod, and he will beat him bad, and it will be amazing,” she said. 

Trump told the wind-battered crowd on Saturday night that there was “tremendous spirit” behind him in 2016 and 2020, but there’snever been spirit like we have now.”

I love being with you — this is a special place to me. We’ve won every single time. Vote for Bernie Moreno. He’s a great guy,” Trump said at the conclusion of his speech. “He’ll be a great, great senator.”



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Democrat Rep. Jeff Jackson apologizes on TikTok for voting to ban app: ‘I screwed this up’


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Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson posted a video to TikTok apologizing for his vote that could help ban the Chinese-owned app from the U.S.

“I screwed this up, I did,” Jackson, who is running for North Carolina attorney general, said in the video over the weekend. “And the reason I voted for it was because I genuinely believe the chance of a ban is practically zero for a lot of reasons – financial, political, geopolitical – I just don’t think there’s any real chance of a ban. I still believe that, but maybe I got that balance wrong.”

“I apologize, and I will keep you posted,” the freshman congressman said.

GOP LAWMAKERS PRESS TIKTOK CEO ON ‘DELUGE OF PRO-HAMAS CONTENT’ ON PLATFORM

Jackson, who has 2.3 million TikTok followers, said he’s been “completely roasted” on the app ever since his vote. 

Rep Jeff Jackson

Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson posted a video to TikTok apologizing for his vote that could help ban the Chinese-owned app from the U.S. (Rep Jeff Jackson/jeffjacksonnc/TikTok)

“If I were in your shoes, I would probably feel the same way,” he said. “I would see someone who used this app to build a following, and then appears to have voted against it. And I would be upset.”

In the video, Jackson said he liked TikTok as a means to connect with people, but that there were “genuinely alarming” briefings about the app in Congress.

Jackson said he thought the House bill would force the sale of TikTok to a U.S. company, not result in a full ban. Both Democrats and Republicans supported the bill, which passed the House by a 352-65 vote last week. 

HOUSE PASSES BILL THAT COULD SEE TIKTOK BANNED IN US

An iPhone screen with the TikTok app.

The bill would block TikTok in the U.S. if its parent company, Bytedance, does not divest from it within 165 days of passage. (iStock)

The bill, led by House China Select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., would block TikTok in the U.S. if its parent company, Bytedance, does not divest from it within 165 days of passage. It would also require it to be bought by a country that is not a U.S. adversary.

TikTok’s critics have long called it a national security threat. They have cited concerns about the Chinese government’s ability to leverage its power over Bytedance to access sensitive user data, even in the U.S., something the company has denied. 

JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE WILL ‘APPLY EVERY AMOUNT OF PRESSURE’ TO SENATE TO PASS TIKTOK BILL

Congress hearing security

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before a congressional panel on Thursday regarding security concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned app. (Fox News )

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Last week, Jackson uploaded a TikTok video saying the Chinese Communist Party “can tweak the algorithm in ways that may be helpful to them, and harmful to us,” which is why the bill got overwhelming support in Congress, he said.

China hawks have also warned that the app’s popularity among young Americans gives the ruling Chinese Communist Party a platform for a mass influence campaign.

It’s unclear when the Senate will take up the legislation, but several senators have already signaled they support the divestment of the social media app. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Jackson’s office for further comment.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 





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Americans aren’t buying Biden’s ‘devout Catholic’ label, poll finds


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A large majority of Americans are not convinced by President Biden’s presentation of himself as a “devout Catholic,” according to a new poll from Pew Research.

The poll, conducted in late February, found that just 13% of Americans think of Biden as “very religious,” while 41% say he is “somewhat religious” and another 44% say he is “not at all” or “not too religious.”

The polling comes despite Biden’s own description of himself as a “devout Catholic” who attends church regularly. The White House has also used the term to describe Biden when defending his aggressive pro-choice stance on abortion.

Biden has had a fractious relationship with the Catholic Church since gaining office, with Pope Francis criticizing his views on abortion in July 2021. Francis argued that Biden’s faith and pro-choice views were a display of “incoherence.”

OBAMA BALKED AT BIDEN’S ASSERTION THAT RUSSIA SHOULD ‘PAY IN BLOOD AND MONEY’ AFTER 2014 INVASION: BOOK

President Joe Biden

A large majority of Americans aren’t convinced by President Biden’s presentation of himself as a “devout Catholic,” according to a new poll from Pew Research. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The pair met in person later that year, however, and Biden says Francis encouraged him to continue receiving Communion.

BIDEN PRIVATELY DEFIANT THAT HE DIDN’T BOTCH AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: BOOK

Former President Trump has sought to capitalize on the friction between Biden’s faith and his stance on abortion, telling a campaign crowd on Saturday that Catholics would be “crazy” to vote for him.

While Trump himself has paid lip service to Protestant and Catholic Americans, he has not suggested that he is a man of devout faith himself. That reflects Pew’s findings in the February poll.

BIDEN’S BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL HAUNTS 2024 ELECTION AS BOOK CLAIMS ‘13 AMERICANS NEVER HAD TO DIE’

Trump victory speech

Former President Trump has sought to capitalize on the friction between Biden’s faith and his stance on abortion, saying Catholics would be “crazy” to vote for him. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Just 4% of Americans said they believed Trump is “very religious,” while 25% said he is “somewhat religious.” Meanwhile, 68% of Americans said Trump is “not too religious” or “not at all religious.”



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New Mexico county commissioner who participated in Jan 6 riot loses Supreme Court appeal


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A former New Mexico county commissioner who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot will not be able to run for future office, following a Supreme Court decision on Monday.

The rejected appeal by former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin leaves him the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over then-President Trump.

Though the Supreme Court ruled this month that states do not have the ability to bar Trump or other candidates for federal offices from the ballot, the justices said different rules apply to state and local candidates.

“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,” the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion.

NEW MEXICO JUDGE REMOVES COUNTY COMMISSIONER FROM OFFICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN JAN 6 RIOT

Couy Griffin loses Supreme Court appeal

Otero County, New Mexico, Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, D.C., June. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

Griffin was kicked out of office in September 2022 over his participation in the Jan. 6 riot following a ruling from New Mexico State District Court Judge Francis Mathew that permanently prohibits him from running for local or federal office.

The judge ruled that Griffin participated in an “insurrection after taking his oath” at the U.S. Capitol and that he violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

PETER NAVARRO, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ADVISER, FILES EMERGENCY REQUEST WITH SCOTUS

Capitol riot

A scene from the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. He was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served.

Griffin contends that he entered the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 without recognizing that it had been designated as a restricted area and that he attempted to lead a crowd in prayer using a bullhorn, without engaging in violence.

GOP REPORT CONTRADICTS JAN 6 COMMITTEE’S WITNESS ALLEGING TRUMP TRIED TO GRAB SUV STEERING WHEEL

Couy Griffin in Sept. 2023

Couy Griffin, a former Otero County commissioner and co-founder of Cowboys for Trump, speaks during a gun rights rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)

On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, Griffin cast himself as the victim of political persecution as he spoke to a gathering in the rural community of Gillette, Wyoming, at the invitation of the county Republican Party.

“God is really allowing me to experience some amazing days,” Griffin said, according to The Associated Press. “Jan. 6 was a day like no other. It was a day where a type of patriotism was expressed that I’d never seen before, and I was honored to be there.”

Couy Griffin in June 2022

Otero County, New Mexico, Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters at federal court in Washington, D.C., June. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

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Griffin is a cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing then-President Trump with a series of horseback caravans.

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



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Biden campaign reveals ‘aggressive’ swing state strategy, admits beating Trump will ‘take relentless effort’


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EXCLUSIVE: President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign has revealed its ongoing, “aggressive” strategy to gain the advantage in critical swing states ahead of the November general election, telling Fox News Digital it will “take relentless effort” to defeat former President Trump.

Speaking with Fox amid a cross-country tour that will culminate in the president visiting all six of the states in which he narrowly defeated Trump in 2020, Biden-Harris communications director Michael Tyler touted the hawkish approach being taken by the campaign following the president’s fiery State of the Union speech earlier this month.

“We knew kicking off the year we wanted to have an aggressive posture going into 2024. That’s why the president began the year with speeches in places like Valley Forge and in Charleston, where he laid out what this election was going to be about,” Tyler said.

GEORGIA LAWMAKERS REACT TO JUDGE’S RULING ALLOWING FANI WILLIS TO STAY ON TRUMP CASE: ‘WHOLLY INSUFFICIENT’

Biden, Trump

President Biden, left, and former President Trump. (Getty Images)

“Looking ahead to March, we knew we had tentpole moments like Super Tuesday, and State of the Union, where, in the minds of the American electorate, the general election was really going to kick off,” he added. 

The day after his State of the Union speech — which avoided any major gaffes Republicans often point to as evidence of cognitive decline — Biden hit the campaign trail with a stop in Philadelphia, followed by another in Atlanta the next day. 

Stops in Wisconsin and Michigan followed on Thursday, with more planned in Nevada and Arizona this week, all an effort to demonstrate what Tyler described as “defining the choice” voters have this November. “Joe Biden, who wakes up every single day fighting for the American people, bringing people together to get results, and Donald Trump, who is running a campaign of revenge and retribution, and is focused on himself.”

“This is, of course, going to be a very, very competitive general election contest, as all presidential elections are. But we feel good about where we’re at, just given some of the key metrics. And if you look at which candidate is fully consolidating their base of support, Joe Biden is doing that throughout the primary contest, while Donald Trump continues to hit a ceiling in proving an inability to expand beyond the MAGA base,” Tyler said.

TEXAS DEMOCRAT COLIN ALLRED FACES 6-FIGURE AD CAMPAIGN FOR CALLING BORDER WALL ‘RACIST’

Concern over Trump’s ability to coalesce the various factions of the Republican Party behind his candidacy has continued to grow following former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s departure from the race the morning after Super Tuesday

Joe Biden SOTU

President Biden speaks during a State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite suspending her campaign, Haley still received more than 13% of the vote in Georgia’s primary last week, although it is unclear how much of that was early or absentee votes cast before she dropped out.

Recent polls have also suggested large portions of voters who supported Haley in other states were motivated by their opposition to Trump, and that they might not shift their support to him as the Republican nominee. 

That does not mean those voters would automatically show up to support Biden, but, as Fox News contributor and Republican strategist Karl Rove said amid Super Tuesday’s results being tallied, “Team Trump ought to be concerned about unifying the Republican Party.”

CNN FORCED TO CORRECT STORY AFTER ACCUSATIONS OF ‘SMEAR’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST KATIE BRITT

“I just think the ability to expand beyond the MAGA base, look at which candidate is amassing the financial resources and building the infrastructure needed to reach the voters who are going to decide this election — Joe Biden is doing that. Donald Trump is not,” Tyler said, referencing the massive cash advantage the campaign, in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee, holds over their Republican rivals.

“We have $130 million in the bank to wage this general election fight, while Donald Trump is … either spending money up to this stage in the race fending off Nikki Haley or spending money on legal fees. None of the money that he’s spending so far is geared towards reaching the voters that are going to, again, decide the pathway to 270 electoral votes in the general election,” he added.

Nikki Haley announces she is suspending her campaign for president

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks as she announces she is suspending her campaign, in Charleston, South Carolina, March 6, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

According to FEC filings, the $50 million spent by Trump’s fundraising entities on his legal defense last year goes up to north of $90 million if spending in 2022 and 2021 is included. Combining that with Trump’s fundraising costs — which reach nearly half of the $282 million he’s raised — his cash burn rate amounts to a whopping 81%, leaving him just $0.19 per dollar raised.

“He’s spending that money screaming into an echo chamber of MAGA extremism. And I think the most important thing is which candidate is running on an agenda that’s actually popular with the American people, and with a proven track record of delivering results for the American people,” Tyler said. 

WHO IS NEW TRUMP-BACKED RNC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL WHATLEY?

“Joe Biden is clearly doing that, running on a historic record of accomplishment, and running on an agenda that is very popular, versus Donald Trump, who is running on an agenda that is even more extreme than the one that he governed on when he had power, and that he campaigned on in 2020. It’s as dangerous as it is extreme this go around in 2024,” he said.

When asked if he felt Biden — who has trailed Trump in recent swing state polls — could get a boost from the former president possibly being required to attend court rather than be on the campaign trail, Tyler did not concede that any aspect of the race would be made easier.

Biden

President Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024 in Atlanta. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

“I think it’s going to take a relentless effort on behalf of this campaign to reach the voters,” he said. “We are running on a popular historic record of accomplishment. It is about us doing the work to communicate with the voters who are going to decide this election everything this administration has done to make their lives better over the last four years.” 

“The more that the American people hear about Joe Biden’s record of accomplishment, his positive vision for the future, and the more that they hear about the danger and the extremism that is posed by Donald Trump, the more they’re going to side with Joe Biden over the course of the next eight months,” he said. 

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Tyler dismissed any notion that the campaign’s aggressive posture was part of an effort to push back on concerns about Biden’s age and cognitive ability, but rather about “aggressively campaigning, and aggressively contrasting what this election is actually going to be about.”

“The president himself has said this is not going to be a contrast in age. It’s going to be a contrast in the age of the candidates’ ideas,” he said. 

“Donald Trump’s ideas are old as hell, and they’ve already been rejected by the American people. And so, Joe Biden is going to aggressively make sure that we reject Trump’s ideas for good, and that we continue to pursue a more positive vision for what this country can achieve if we all work together,” he added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

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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Jim Jordan previews main focus of upcoming Hunter Biden hearing, blasts Hur report ‘double standard’


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VANDALIA, OH – Republican Congressman Jim Jordan previewed an upcoming hearing on the investigation into the business dealings of Hunter Biden and railed against the “double standard” he says President Biden was the benefactor of in the investigation into his handling of classified documents.

“We’ll see,” the Ohio Republican told Fox News Digital on Saturday when asked about Hunter Biden previously expressing willingness to testify openly before the House before his legal team recently backtracked and objected to doing so.  

“I think Chairman Comer, we’re going to have this hearing this week, this upcoming week with three of Hunter Biden’s business partners, Mr. Galanis, Mr. Bobulinski and Mr. Archer and what’s interesting, all three of those individuals tell a different story, and their story seems to match up with the three of them versus what Hunter Biden told us when we deposed him,” Jordan said. “So we’ll see if Hunter Biden comes in. But we’ll go through this here and get information out to the American people.”

It’s going to be the comparisons between what these individuals said and what Hunter Biden said and the contradictions that exist in this testimony from both sides,” Jordan told Fox News Digital when asked for a preview of what this week’s hearing on the Hunter Biden scandal will entail. 

GOP REP SPOTLIGHTS 3 KEY PIECES OF EVIDENCE THAT THE BIDEN FAMILY ‘CONTRADICTED’ THEIR BUSINESS COVERUP

Rep. Jim Jordan gives a press conference

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Jason Galanis, Tony Bobulinski and Devon Archer, all former associates of Hunter Biden, were invited to participate in a House hearing on Wednesday as part of the investigation into an alleged corruption scandal that Republicans are suggesting could eventually lead to an impeachment vote for President Biden.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hunter Biden’s legal team for comment but did not receive a response.

Jordan, who was speaking to Fox News Digital near Dayton, Ohio where former President Trump was rallying for Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, brought up the recent testimony of Special Counsel Robert Hur while discussing Hunter Biden, which he suggested was an example of President Biden “knowingly” ignoring the law. 

I thought last week with special counsel Hur where we went through that, where we know Joe Biden knowingly retained and disclosed classified information, he knew the rules, he’d been in government five decades, he was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was vice president, so he knew the law and willfully violated that law,” Jordan said. 

“And I think he did it because, special counsel Hur says in his report, he said Joe Biden was motivated to ignore classified procedures because he was writing a book and he got an $8 million advance so there are 8 million reasons why Joe Biden didn’t follow the law.

BIDEN GHOSTWRITER SPOTTED ON NYC STREETS HOURS AFTER GOP LAWMAKERS RIPPED HIM DURING HEATED HUR HEARING

Hunter Biden press conference

Hunter Biden (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

When asked by Jordan last week during the House hearing on Hur’s conclusion regarding Biden’s handling of classified documents and his decision not to file charges whether he agrees that Biden had motivation to misuse the documents to write a book, Hur replied, “That language does appear in the report, and we did identify evidence supporting those assessments.” 

The White House has pushed back on the idea that Hur’s report shows Biden’s actions possibly correlate with a potential book deal.

“And then, of course, Mr. Hur concluded by saying even though he knowingly, willfully retained and disclosed, did it for the money, in my judgment, we’re not going to prosecute because he’s a forgetful old man and I think that came out loud and clear in the hearing we had this past week,” Jordan added. “So we’ll have another hearing next week with these other individuals and we’ll go from there.”

Fox News Digital asked Jordan if he agreed with Hur’s conclusion that it would be too difficult to secure a guilty verdict from a jury with the current evidence.

If someone meets the elements of the crime, it’s the job of the prosecutor to take that to the jury and the jury decides,” Jordan responded. “Mr. Hur and his evaluation, you weigh all things, so we have some respect for that of course, but what I do think comes clear is the double standard.”

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Joe Biden talking at podium, making a fist

President Biden speaks at Abbotts Creek Community Center during an event to promote his economic agenda in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 18, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

“You know, this idea that there are pressing charges and they have charged President Trump, they raided his home for goodness sake, but nothing happens here, and that’s what Americans really take away is the double standard.

Several legal experts, including Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley, have recently suggested that the classified documents handling case against President Biden had more significant evidence than the case involving Trump.

Jordan told Fox News Digital he agrees with that analysis.

I think so especially when you see the report and you walk through the elements, particularly when he’s talking to the ghost writer, who, by the way, the ghost writer tried to destroy the evidence once he found out Mr. Hur was named the special counsel,” Jordan said. “Go figure. If that’s not obstruction. I don’t know what is. So, I do think that again underscores this double standard that we’ve seen for such a long time.”





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Biden campaign slams Trump after he suggests ‘bloodbath’ if he doesn’t win


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The Biden-Harris campaign accused former President Trump of threatening “political violence” after Trump, while speaking about the auto industry at a rally in Ohio, suggested there will be a “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win the upcoming election in November. 

Trump made the remark during a campaign event near Dayton on Saturday as he was talking about China and how “they think that they are going to sell” cars manufactured in Mexico to the U.S. “with no tax at the border.” 

“Let me tell you something. To China, if you are listening President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal. Those big, monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now, and you think you’re going to get that, you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us. Now, we’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line,” Trump said. 

“And you’re not going to be able to sell those cars, if I get elected,” Trump continued. “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole, that’s going to be the least of it, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country, that’ll be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars.” 

OHIO REPUBLICAN US SENATE CANDIDATE BERNIE MORENO HAS SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR GOP MEMBERS WHO ‘DON’T LIKE’ TRUMP 

Trump rally in Ohio

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16 in Vandalia, Ohio. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Biden-Harris campaign later released a statement slamming Trump for his words, accusing him of speaking about actual violence, rather than economic consequences.

“This is who Donald Trump is: a loser who gets beat by over 7 million votes and then instead of appealing to a wider mainstream audience doubles down on his threats of political violence,” it said. “He wants another January 6, but the American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge.” 

TRUMP REVEALS ‘VERY FIRST ACTIONS’ HE’LL TAKE AS PRESIDENT DURING OHIO RALLY, HAMMERS BIDEN’S BORDER POLICIES 

Trump Ohio rally crowd

Supporters react at the Trump campaign rally in Ohio ahead of remarks from the former president on Saturday. (AP/Jeff Dean)

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller, addressing Trump’s “bloodbath” statement on X, clarified that it was “[f]or the auto industry[.]”

“Crooked Joe Biden’s Insane EV Mandate will slaughter the American auto industry,” Miller added. “So many jobs killed! That’s why we have to elect President Trump.”

Moreno, Trump shaking hands

Former President Donald Trump greets Ohio Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16 in Vandalia, Ohio.   (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Trump on Saturday urged voters to support Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, an Ohio businessman who is running to help Republicans win a crucial seat and potentially flip the majority in the chamber. 

In his remarks, Trump also railed against Biden and his border policies, calling him “a great threat to our democracy” and the “worst president in U.S. history.” 

Fox News Lawrence Richard contributed to this report. 



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GOP candidate pushing term limits seeks unseat vulnerable 41-year Dem incumbent: ‘Our country is in trouble’


A Republican Senate candidate in northwest Ohio is setting his sights on a congressional seat held by a vulnerable Democrat incumbent in a race that he says comes down to a clash between the entrenched establishment class and the voters.

“People locally have encouraged me to run for Congress for years,” Republican Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin, 38, told Fox News Digital about his decision to run for the seat held by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. “I finally decided to pull the trigger. I’m a constitutional conservative. I believe our country is in trouble because the federal government has gone outside the bounds of the Constitution and is doing many things that should be left up to the states and the premise of my campaign is that America is the greatest country in the history of the world, and I’m fighting to preserve the American dream for everyone in northwest Ohio.

Merrin believes his previous electoral victories in northwest Ohio — home to Ohio’s 9th Congressional District that Kaptur has represented since 1983 — put him in a good position to challenge the 41-year Democratic incumbent. He once defeated a three-term incumbent in a race for mayor of Waterville, Ohio, as a 21-year-old.

Generally, about 50% of the vote in Ohio’s 9th District comes from Lucas County, where both Merrin and Kaptur are from. Merrin told Fox News Digital that his ability historically to win votes in that county will be key to his success in November.

WILL CONGRESS EVER HAVE TERM LIMITS? 4 REPUBLICANS SIDED WITH DEMOCRATS TO KILL LATEST PROPOSAL

Merrin Kaptur

L- Derek Merrin; R – Marcy Kaptur (Getty Images)

[Kaptur] historically runs up the numbers in Lucas County, and it’s imperative that we have a Republican that can stop her in Lucas County and that’s why it’s important to have someone that lives here and has a proven record of getting elected,” Merrin said.

When it comes to Kaptur’s record in Congress, Merrin told Fox News Digital the “majority of voters”  in his district agree with him on most policy issues, especially when it comes to immigration, spending, taxes, and energy policy.

Marcy Kaptur is completely out of step with our district, and voters are going to see if we have the resources to get our message out, which we will, that they’re more aligned with my positions and with Marcy Kaptur.”

Merrin, leader of the Ohio House Republican Caucus, explained that voters in his district are looking for an “authentic” candidate who will stand up to both parties.

OHIO GOP SENATE CANDIDATE TOUTS KEY PRO-2A GROUP’S ENDORSEMENT: ‘ONLY CANDIDATE’ VOTERS ‘CAN TRUST’ ON GUNS

Marcy Kaptur

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The majority of people agree with me on positions. There’s people that don’t but still vote for me because they realize I’m fighting against the establishment and doing what’s best for the people,” Merrin said, pointing to Kaptur’s track record of consistently voting with President Biden. 

Fox News Digital previously reported that Kaptur has introduced just five bills that have ultimately become law, although many bills she co-sponsored have become law.

She’s rarely in the district, she spent more time having brunch overlooking the Potomac River than she has overlooking Lake Erie,” Merrin said. “People really don’t see her.”

Over the next few days before the primary, Merrin told Fox News Digital that his message will be focused on three key issues.

TRUMP HEADING TO OHIO WITH HIS GOP CLOUT ON THE LINE IN CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY

Midterm voters casting ballots

Voter at a polling location (Fox News)

Number one, we must stop the invasion at the southern border,” Merrin said. “We must secure the border. Number two, we must balance the budget. I believe in a constitutional amendment to put lawmakers in a box and force them to do the right thing and balance the budget. I’ve taken a pledge not to raise taxes. Number three is I say we must take on and combat the political class of this country, and that’s Democrats and Republicans. We need to enact term limits on members of Congress and bring the bad ones and the good ones home.

“Our Founding Fathers never meant our government to have people sitting in Congress for 20 to 30 years, and in Marcy Kaptur’s case, for 41 years. Our government was never designed like this, and these guys need to come home.”

Ohioans will head to the polls on Tuesday, March 19 to vote in the GOP primary and Merrin is facing two other Republican candidates in that race, former state Rep. Craig Riedel, and real estate broker Steve Lankenau.

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If Merrin were to advance past Tuesday’s primary, the general election race is expected to be a tight one with Kaptur defending her seat in a district that Trump won by three points in 2020. The Cook Political report ranks the race as a “Lean Democrat” contest that Republicans are targeting as an opportunity to hold and improve on their slim majority in the House.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Kaptur’s team for comment but did not receive a response.



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Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno has message for GOPers who ‘don’t like’ Trump


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Former President Trump was flanked by several Republican allies during a campaign rally in Ohio on Saturday, where he urged voters to support Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno.

In his remarks, Trump railed against President Biden — calling him “a great threat to our democracy” and the “worst president in U.S. history” — and his border policies. The 45th president also urged voters to back Moreno, an Ohio businessman who is running to help Republicans win a crucial seat and potentially flip the majority in the U.S. Senate.

Moreno returned the favor during the speech, urging voters to back Trump, and he offered a special message to Republicans who “don’t like” the former president.

“I am so sick of Republicans that will say ‘I support President Trump’s policies, but I don’t like the man,'” Moreno said, drawing some reaction from the crowd. “This is a good man. This is a great American. This man wakes up every day fighting for us, fighting for this country. He loves this country like no other leader in this nation has ever loved this country.”

TRUMP REVEALS ‘VERY FIRST ACTIONS’ HE’LL TAKE AS PRESIDENT DURING OHIO RALLY, HAMMERS BIDEN’S BORDER POLICIES

Moreno, Trump shaking hands

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, right, greets Ohio Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno, during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on Saturday in Vandalia, Ohio.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Moreno faces Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and state Sen. Matt Dolan in the Republican primary on Tuesday.

The winner will face third-term U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is viewed as a particularly vulnerable Democrat, in November.

Trump’s pick for Ohio senator has picked up several endorsements ahead of the crucial primary election.

Trump speaking at an Ohio rally

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., endorsed Moreno in a statement last month.

“I am thrilled to endorse Bernie Moreno as Ohio’s next U.S. Senator. Bernie is a strong conservative who will put America first and help reverse the damage done by Joe Biden and the radical left’s agenda.”

GOP SENATOR ENDORSES TRUMP-BACKED OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE TO FACE VULNERABLE DEMOCRAT

“Bernie is the type of senator we need to help get our nation back on track for working American families. Bernie will be a fierce voice for the forgotten men and women of this country, and I look forward to working with him in the U.S. Senate.”

He is also endorsed by fellow Ohioans, Sen. J.D. Vance and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, both of whom spoke during Saturday’s rally.

“What we had under President Trump was a guy who did what he said he was going to do,” Jordan said. “He was amazing. He said he would cut taxes, he did. He said he would reduce regulations, he did. He said he would put conservatives on the court, he did.”

TRUMP HEADING TO OHIO WITH HIS GOP CLOUT ON THE LINE IN CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY

Moreno has also picked up endorsements from former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., Reps. Max Miller, R-Ohio, Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith R-Miss., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Rand Paul, R-Ky., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Moreno, JD Vance watching Trump

Ohio Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno listens as Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Dayton International Airport on Saturday in Vandalia, Ohio. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

According to his website, Moreno is a former luxury car dealership tycoon, who purchased a flailing Cleveland Mercedes-Benz dealership in 2005. He has cast himself as a “political outsider” and a self-made man.

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With a background reminiscent of Trump, he quickly emerged as the Trump-world favorite for the nomination.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.



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Trump reveals ‘very first actions’ he’ll take as president during Ohio rally


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Former President Trump visited Ohio on Saturday, where he barnstormed for businessman Bernie Moreno, a Republican seeking to win his state’s primary to run against Democrat Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate.

During his rally in Dayton, Trump repeatedly mentioned illegal migrants surging across the border, violent migrant crime, and the death of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

“Not one more American life should be lost to migrant crime. We can’t have another Laken,” the 2024 Republican presumptive nominee said in his remarks, in which he also repeatedly blamed President Biden’s policies for allowing millions of migrants, including, “violent gang members and gangsters” into the U.S. “When I’m President of the United States, we will demand justice for Laken on day one. My administration will terminate every open border policy of the Biden administration.”

He added: “The fastest way to reverse every single Biden disaster is to very simply just put me back in office.”

TRUMP HEADING TO OHIO WITH HIS GOP CLOUT ON THE LINE IN CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY

Trump speaking at an Ohio rally

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on Saturday during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump’s trip comes three days before Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary, when Moreno will face state Sen. Matt Dolan, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

On the Ohio Senate race, Trump called Moreno a “hero” and “a winner” and urged voters to elect him to replace the “radical left Democrat Sherrod Brown.”

“Ohio needs to defeat your horrendous radical left, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who pretends he’s my best friend. He pretends he’s my best friend, then he goes radical left all the time,” Trump said before a large crowd in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia. “If you listen to his commercials, he sounds like he’s running with Trump. He’s not. He’s not with me.”

Bernie Moreno

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Bernie Moreno, Republican candidate for Senate, in December. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Sherrod Brown

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio (Maddie McGarvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The U.S.-Mexico border was a focus of Trump’s Ohio speech, as was Biden’s border policies which he criticized as allowing violent migrants to enter the U.S.

“We’re going to fix it again,” Trump said of the border. “Among my very first actions will be to stop the invasion of our country and send Joe Biden’s illegal aliens back home.”

6 KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER

Trump also took issue with Biden apologizing last week for using the word “illegal” to describe Riley’s alleged killer during the State of the Union speech.

“They have a new term for people coming into our country,” the former president said of the Biden administration. “They call them ‘neighbors.’”

The line was an apparent reference to a recent White House handout that referred to illegal immigrants as “newcomers.”

“One week ago, I met with the family of a 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Riley, who was brutally murdered in Georgia last month while out on a morning run,” the former president said Saturday. “She was so badly beaten up, unrecognizable. Laken’s killer was set loose into the United States through Joe Biden’s program of releasing military-age males into our community after they’ve illegally crossed our southern border.”

Trump, MAGA hat

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks Saturday during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

He added: “Laken Riley would be alive today if Biden had not unleashed his savage attack on America. And that’s what he’s done. But instead of apologizing to Laken’s family, Joe Biden apologized to the killer for calling him illegal. He shouldn’t have done that.”

“We believe that Laken’s killer is an illegal alien criminal. He is an illegal monster. He should never have been in our country,” Trump said.

He also specifically addressed members of the notoriously violent MS-13 Mexican gang, who have crossed into the U.S.

“If you can [even] call them people. I don’t know if you call them people. In some cases they’re not people, in my opinion, but I’m not allowed to say that because the radical left says that’s a terrible thing to say,” Trump chided.

GOP SENATOR ENDORSES TRUMP-BACKED OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE TO FACE VULNERABLE DEMOCRAT

Trump’s speech also took repeated swipes at Biden, who the former president called “a great threat to our democracy.”

“Remember this, Joe Biden is a great threat to our democracy,” Trump told the thunderous Dayton crowd. “He’s a tremendous threat to our democracy. His incompetence is the number one reason. Also, he uses the Justice Department, the FBI, to go after his political opponent, which happens to be me.”

Rally attendees in Dayton, Ohio

Supporters of former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listen as he speaks Saturday in Vandalia, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

“There’s never been a president so bad,” Trump said of Biden. “There’s never been anything like it. He’s incompetent, he’s crooked.”

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR OHIO AS FORMER SWING STATE’S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE SHIFTS

The former president urged people to go out and vote Tuesday, and again in November to elect him and other Republicans.

“But with your vote, we’re going to take back the Senate. We’re going to win Ohio in November. We’re going to win by a lot,” Trump said.

Trump saluting

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak Saturday at a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

During the speech, Trump had a notable issue with the wind affecting his teleprompters. He used the moment to swipe Biden again.

“We can give a non-teleprompter speech,” he persisted. “Isn’t it nice to have a president that doesn’t need to use a teleprompter?”

Trump then summarized his 2024 campaign pitch with four priorities: Seal the border, stop inflation, drill for oil, and prevent World War III.

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Moreno, an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally from Colombia, and later became a successful Cleveland-based businessman and luxury auto dealership giant, was endorsed by Trump in December.

The winner of the GOP primary will face off in November against Brown, who is the only Democrat to win statewide in Ohio over the past decade. The seat is contested as Republicans seek to win a majority in the U.S. Senate.

Democrats control a slim 51-49 majority, but Republicans have a favorable Senate map in 2024, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.



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WATCH: Dozens of migrants breach border wall, take selfies on US side


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Dozens of migrants were seen breaching the United States-Mexico border wall in Arizona over the weekend, where a video caught them crossing unimpeded and taking selfies once they got onto American soil.

Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin shared the video, which was taken in Lukeville, Arizona, on Friday. It appears to show dozens of women, children and whole family units, dressed casually and in clean clothes, carrying their belongings. Several of the migrants are seen holding cellphones and celebrating their entry.

The breach comes amid record illegal immigration entries under President Biden, especially in the Tucson Sector, which remains one of the busiest areas of illegal crossings.

It also comes just days after U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested five child sex offenders at the southern border — at the Yuma, Tucson, El Paso, Del Rio, and Rio Grande Valley sectors — and as the FBI warned Monday of a “wide array” of dangerous threats coming from the U.S. border, including drug trafficking, violent gangs, and smugglers with ties to ISIS.

BORDER OFFICIALS SEE MASSIVE NEW SURGE AT SOUTHERN BORDER

Migrants near the border wall in Arizona

A surge of migrants illegally pass through openings cut by smugglers on the southern border wall.  (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, border officials encountered upwards of 14,000 illegal migrants at the southern border over just a two-day period, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources.

Leading the encounters was the Tucson Sector, with more than 2,000 apprehensions of illegal immigrants, Melugin reported.

Migrants in a line

Migrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Ariz.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

Lukeville, Arizona migrants

Migrants enter the U.S. through the border wall in Lukeville, Ariz. (Fox News)

The border officials estimated an additional 1,000 gotaways on one of those days.

PENTAGON COMMANDER WARNS OF ‘ALARMING’ NUMBER OF DRONE INCURSIONS AT US-MEXICO BORDER

These border figures have followed a trend since President Biden took office, with illegal border crossings dipping during the colder months of January and February, then ticking back up in March before massive surges in the spring.

“If no action is taken — buckle up for the rest of the year, if the last 3 years are any indication,” Melugin tweeted. “Especially if migrants feel they need to get in before Biden is potentially voted out of office.”

Joe Biden southern border immigration

President Joe Biden speaks with Border Patrol agents along the southern border in January 2023. (JimWatson/AFP via Getty Image)

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Immigration and border security have become central issues of the 2024 presidential election, with both Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump visiting the border.

President Biden, after reversing several of Trump’s immigration policies, has ruled out further executive actions to secure the country and has urged Congress to pass a long-term solution.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.



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