NationalWatch

Controversial National Public Radio (NPR) chief Katherine Maher met with a Republican senator and the organization rolled out a new layer of editorial review on Wednesday in response to the fallout from a former senior editor’s scathing essay alleging significant bias at the outlet. 

“She acknowledged the problem, which I think is a pretty good first step,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “She pretty much validated the concerns that I raised.” 

Last month, the senator led a letter to Maher that was signed by six other Republican senators. In the correspondence, they stressed significant concerns about the direction of the organization and its leadership following allegations of bias made by former senior editor Uri Berliner in his essay. 

DEMS USE GOP-OPPOSED IMMIGRATION BILL AS CUDGEL AGAINST REPUBLICANS ON BORDER SECURITY

Berliner claimed to have found 87 Democrats and zero Republicans in editorial positions when researching his coworkers’ voter registrations at the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C.

He also criticized editorial decisions on coverage of various current events, including allegations of former President Trump’s collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, Hunter Biden’s laptop and the theory that COVID-19 began in a lab in China and was leaked. 

DEMS SAY KATIE BRITT’S NEW BILL WOULD CREATE ‘DATABASE OF PREGNANT WOMEN’

The essay quickly sparked renewed Republican criticism and threats to review funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which partially funds NPR through grants. 

According to Cramer, Maher “emphasized their ongoing efforts to provide more balanced and fair journalism” during their meeting on Wednesday.

Edith Chapin, NPR’s acting chief content officer, SVP and editor-in-chief, revealed a new editorial review layer to content division staff, which was published on Wednesday. One of the many steps being taken by NPR to “strengthen editorial operations” is the institution of “the backstop.” 

BIDEN TORCHED BY REPUBLICANS FOR TOUGHER IMMIGRATION RULE AHEAD OF NOVEMBER ELECTION

“We will institute a process to ensure that all journalism across NPR platforms gets a final editorial review before air/publication. This will be a new group of senior-level editors who are not involved in the inception or development of a particular piece of work, working 24/7 to ensure that all coverage receives final editorial review,” Chapin wrote. 

While he appreciated the purpose, Cramer noted potential issues with the new layer’s implementation. “Three editors that are homogeneous, that are left-wing Democrats — that doesn’t increase oversight,” he said. “It just validates bias.”

DEMS PLAN TO REVIVE BORDER BILL REJECTED BY REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF NOVEMBER ELECTION

Maher has also come under fire during the scandal for her own views, with old social media posts demonstrating support for President Biden and policies associated with Democrats being brought to light. But Cramer said this issue wasn’t discussed during their meeting, which he characterized as pleasant. 

“I was more interested in going forward, how she’s going to improve the newsroom,” he explained. 

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Despite NPR’s move to address concerns, the North Dakota senator said that defunding is “always” on the table. 

“I could easily be talked into not funding public radio,” he added. 

Two Republican lawmakers are opening a second congressional investigation into embattled Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis for alleged misuse of federal grant funding. 

Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in a letter to Willis Wednesday alleged funds granted to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office by the Justice Department Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) meant to help at-risk youth and gang prevention went to purchase computers and “swag.”

The letter also alleges that, in 2020, OJJDP awarded Fulton County nearly $500,000 to establish the Fulton County Center of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention. The stated purpose of the center was to provide professional development, academic mentorship and a community network for young people at risk of becoming involved or continuing in gang activity. 

But the letter alleges that, according to reports, the center has yet to open, and the “building meant to house it is closed to the public, its gates padlocked.”

TRUMP CO-DEFENDANTS OFFICIALLY FILE NOTICES OF APPEAL TO KICK FANI WILLIS OFF GA CASE

Willis is leading the prosecution of the sweeping 2020 election interference case against former President Trump and has faced mounting scrutiny for allegedly having an “improper” affair with subordinate counsel. 

The senators note that Amanda Timpson, the former director of gang prevention and intervention for the Fulton County DA Office, reportedly notified Willis that an official in her office planned to use the OJJDP gang prevention funding “on computers and other ineligible expenses” such as MacBooks, “swag” and travel instead of helping at-risk youth in the community.

FANI WILLIS SUGGESTS SHE WON’T TESTIFY IN ‘UNLAWFUL’ GEORGIA SENATE INVESTIGATION

Timpson brought these concerns to Willis’ attention Nov. 19, 2021, and two months later, Timpson’s employment was terminated, the letter says.

The letter also highlights that, in 2020, the Fulton County DA’s office received $2 million in federal funding through the Office of Justice Program’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI).

According to OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, the office that administers SAKI, these funds were authorized to “address the issues that underline the problem of unsubmitted [sexual assault kits]” and help law enforcement and prosecutors solve more of these heinous crimes.

“However, data published by Fulton County, from 2020 to 2023 show the Fulton County DA’s office spent approximately 49% of its SAKI funding expenditures on travel and conference expenses, such as hotel, airfare, and rental cars, and approximately 28% was actually spent on professional services, such as forensic and DNA testing,” the senators wrote. 

“Moreover, in 2023, the Fulton County DA’s office spent approximately 98% of its SAKI funding on travel and conference expenditures. The apparent and significant discrepancy between the purpose of the federal award of taxpayer money and the actual use of that money raises alarms that it hasn’t been used as Congress intended. 

“The waste or misuse of taxpayer funds is unacceptable.” 

The duo asked for a list of all federal grants received by the Fulton County DA since fiscal year 2019 and a complete accounting of all expenditures for each federal grant. 

The request includes, but is not limited to, individualized receipts and invoices for expenditures, summaries of conference and travel expenses, conflicts of interest screenings, performance measures and outcomes and all records related to the expenditure of these taxpayer funds and compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. 

GEORGIA SENATORS FIND LITTLE OVERSIGHT OVER HOW FANI WILLIS SPENDS TAXPAYER DOLLARS: ‘LIKE THE WILD WEST’

They also asked for all records referring to or relating to the Fulton County DA’s planned expenditures for each federal grant it received, including but not limited to, any complaints or communications referring to or relating to concerns that an expenditure may not be permitted or was inconsistent with the purpose of the federal grant associated with those funds.

This is the second probe the U.S. Congress has launched into Willis’ office. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., subpoenaed Willis in February over the accusations of misusing federal funds. She is also under investigation by committees in the Georgia legislature.

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The Fulton County DA’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The White House on Thursday revealed that President Biden asserted executive privilege over audio and video recordings of his interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur at the request of Attorney General Merrick Garland.

During a media briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was Garland’s suggestion that “law enforcement files like these need to be protected.” 

“And so the president made his determination at the request of the attorney general,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. She referred further questions to the White House counsel’s office.

The Department of Justice on Thursday informed House Republicans investigating Biden that the executive branch would not turn over subpoenaed materials from Hur’s investigation. 

BIDEN ASSERTS EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER RECORDINGS FROM CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS PROBE

“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the President’s claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress,” Associate Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote to Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and James Comer, R-Ky., chairmen of the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Oversight and Accountability, respectively.

Hur led the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents following his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. Hur announced in February that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, citing that Biden is “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON’S DEATH IN QUESTIONING

Hur wrote in the report that “it would be difficult” to convince a jury to convict Biden of any willful crime, citing his advanced age. 

The findings sparked widespread outrage that Biden was effectively deemed too cognitively impaired to be charged with a crime but could serve as president. Trump has meanwhile slammed the disparity in charges as a reflection of a “sick and corrupt, two-tiered system of justice in our country.” 

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REBUKED FOR DELAY TACTICS IN BIDEN-HUR TAPES

Biden met with Hur for about five hours last year, when he was grilled about his handling of the classified documents. 

After Republicans received news that Biden had invoked executive privilege to protect that testimony, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused the president of being “afraid” to release the tapes. 

“President Biden is apparently afraid for the citizens of this country and everyone to hear those tapes,” Johnson said at a news conference. “They obviously confirm what the Special Counsel has found, and would likely cause I suppose, in his estimation, such alarm with the American people that the president is using all of his power to suppress their release.”

Asked to respond to the speaker, Jean-Pierre insisted the president had nothing to hide since transcripts of his interview with Hur have been made publicly available for months.

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“The transcripts are already out there. They’ve been out there, they have been released to the public,” she told reporters. “The public has an opportunity to hear directly from the president and what, or to read what exactly the president said. The attorney general made it clear that law enforcement files like these need to be protected. And that’s the determination that was made.” 

Jean-Pierre deferred to the attorney general and the president when asked why the audio and video must be protected when the transcript has already been released. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton, David Spunt and Brooke Singman contributed to this update.

The federal government’s case in its corruption prosecution of Sen. Bob Menendez amounts to mere guilt by association, attorneys for the New Jersey Democrat’s co-defendants, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, said Thursday in their opening statements.

Lawrence Lustberg, Hana’s attorney, told the jury the prosecution’s case is about criminalizing friendships, gift giving and business successes after failure. 

He argued the charges against his client are guilt by association, which cannot incriminate him in a case, and urged the jury to consider how much of this case is guilt by association. 

JURY PICKED, OPENING STATEMENTS BEGIN IN US V. MENENDEZ: ‘USE YOUR GOOD JUDGMENT’

Lustberg said Hana and the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, “supported each other emotionally as well as financially … like brother and sister. They cared about each other.” 

The defense portrayed their relationship as one of mutual aid rather than corruption. Nadine helped Hana restart his life after setbacks, while Hana assisted Nadine with a loan when she faced financial difficulties. 

They exchanged gifts, with Hana’s becoming more lavish as his business prospered. The defense urged the jury to consider the evidence impartially, emphasizing cultural norms regarding gift giving, particularly citing the exchange of gold bars commonly practiced in the Middle East.

“Listen to the evidence with an open mind,” Lustberg said.

TRUMP VP CONTENDERS, SITTING SENATORS HEADLINE MENENDEZ TRIAL POTENTIAL WITNESS LIST

The defense refuted allegations of bribery, highlighting instances where Hana declined requests for additional financial assistance from Nadine Menendez. They assert loans were given, not bribes, and were repaid accordingly.

Lustberg also contested the notion of a quid pro quo, emphasizing Hana’s merit in securing contracts based on his professional credentials rather than any undue influence from Menendez. 

US V. MENENDEZ: DEM SENATOR’S CORRUPTION TRIAL KICKS OFF WITH SURPRISING DELAY

Likewise, Cesar De Castro, Daibes’ attorney, underscored the presumption of innocence his client is due by the jury.

He paralleled the defense’s argument to that of Hana’s counsel, emphasizing the importance of long-standing friendships and legitimate investments rather than alleged corruption.

De Castro acknowledged the exchange of gold bars and cash by his client but dismissed them as innocent gestures, not bribery. He underscored Daibes’ generosity and wealth, portraying him as a philanthropic figure who invests in his loved ones.

All three alleged conspirators have pleaded not guilty, but co-defendant Jose Uribe, who will not testify this week, has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. A trial for the senator’s wife, Nadine, who is also charged and has also pleaded not guilty, is delayed until at least July for health reasons as she battles Stage 3 breast cancer. The case may extend anywhere from 6-8 weeks.

This is the second time in a decade Menendez has been accused in a federal corruption case. 

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Menendez was charged by federal prosecutors with obstruction of justice in a superseding indictment unsealed in March relating to a multiyear alleged bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

The 18-page indictment is wrapped into Menendez’s existing charges already against him and his co-defendants, including wife Nadine, for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a senator.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called out President Biden for refusing to participate in a debate originally scheduled by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) for Oct. 1 at Virginia State University (VSU), which would have been the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to host a presidential debate.

“The Biden campaign is refusing to participate in a historic general election presidential debate at [VSU], a great university and HBCU,” the Republican governor wrote in a post on X. “Joe Biden is turning his back on students, Virginians and the nation because he can’t defend his failing policies. Huge snub to VSU and the citizens of the Commonwealth.”

Youngkin’s comments come a day after Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed to two debates — one on June 27 hosted by CNN, and a second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC.

The debates came to fruition after Trump gave Biden an open invitation to debate anytime, anywhere, and Biden stepped up to the challenge, telling Trump to “make my day,” in a heavily edited video on social media.

HERE ARE ALL THE RESTRICTIONS BIDEN’S TEAM DEMANDED IN THEIR TRUMP DEBATE

But alongside Biden’s announcement to take part in the debates came a letter from his campaign to the CPD, which revealed a few critical limits that Biden’s team was placing on any debate between him and Trump.

The list included restrictions like not having an audience, and conducting the debate in a TV studio with just the candidates and the moderator.

The proposal was initially outlined by the Biden-Harris campaign in a letter to the CPD on Wednesday morning. It abandoned the decades-old tradition of three fall meetings organized by the commission. Afterward, Trump told Fox News Digital that he’d accept the timeline proposed by the incumbent Democrat.

TRUMP URGES BIDEN TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH DEBATE PROMISE: ‘I’M READY TO GO ANYWHERE’

Trump told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “it is time for a debate to take place — even if it has to be held through the offices of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which are totally controlled by Democrats and who, as people remember, got caught cheating with me with debate sound levels.”

In November, the CPD set the sites and dates for three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate during the 2024 general election.

The presidential debates were to take place Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas; Oct. 1 at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia; and Oct. 9 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The vice presidential debate was set for Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

BIDEN GIVES 3-WORD RESPONSE WHEN ASKED WHEN HE’LL DEBATE TRUMP

After learning the presidential debates would not take place at VSU, but instead at CNN and ABC, VSU released a statement.

“Virginia State University is disappointed to hear media reports suggesting that the U.S. Presidential candidates may not participate in the scheduled October 1, 2024, debate at VSU,” the statement read. “A presidential debate at VSU is a huge win, not only for our students and campus community but for the greater community in general. As the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) ever selected to host a general election U.S. Presidential debate, VSU recognizes the event’s significance and welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the democratic process.

“We will continue to work closely with the Commission on Presidential Debates and other stakeholders as we assess this situation,” the school added.

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The Biden and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Brooke Singman and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump warned that as he sits in the “icebox” Manhattan courtroom, China and Russia are strengthening their relationship, which he says poses danger to the U.S. and world. 

“President Xi of China, I know him well. President Putin of Russia, I know him well. They’re right now together working on plans, where they combine — where they get together and do damage. Because that’s ultimately what they’re thinking about: doing damage,” Trump said Thursday outside of the Manhattan courtroom. 

“And you take a look at what President Xi said today. He fully expects to take Taiwan. He made that statement today. That’s a big statement and I’m sitting here in an icebox.” 

Trump rattled off other issues causing him concern, including inflation, the economy and an electric vehicle mandate, but argued the China-Russia meeting was “maybe worse than anything.” 

PUTIN AND XI REAFFIRM ‘NO-LIMITS’ PARTNERSHIP AS MOSCOW INTENSIFIES OFFENSIVE IN UKRAINE

“I’m sitting here listening to a case that even people from CNN and MSDNC say should never be brought. I’ve been sitting here for almost four weeks, and we still have a long way to go,” Trump added. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing Thursday, where the two pledged to strengthen their countries’ ties with one another. 

“This partnership is without a doubt exemplary for how the relationship between neighboring states should be,” Putin said, according to Politico. “Our cooperation in global affairs today is one of the main stabilizing factors in the global arena.” 

Xi said China is ready to “uphold fairness and justice in the world.”

BIDEN DRIVING CHINA, RUSSIA INTO ‘SHOCKING’ PARTNERSHIP, EXPERT WARNS: ‘BLUNDER OF THE HIGHEST ORDER’

“The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it,” Xi added. 

In a joint statement, the two leaders also condemned the U.S. for what they said was “hegemonic attempts” to “change the balance of power in Northeast Asia by building up military power and creating military blocs and coalitions.”

TRUMP TRIAL VEEPSTAKES? TRUMP ALLIES SHOW UP IN FORCE AHEAD OF MICHAEL COHEN’S SECOND DAY OF TESTIMONY

The meeting came as Russia advanced on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in a war that has raged since February of 2022. As war rages in Ukraine and also Israel, the world has braced for China potentially invading Taiwan, which operates as an independent country separate from China. 

Trump’s warning about China and Russia came as he wrapped up his 18th day in Manhattan court, where he is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. 

JIM JORDAN DEMANDS NY AG HAND OVER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO FORMER DOJ OFFICIAL AT HEART OF NY V. TRUMP

Thursday’s day in court heard continued cross-examination testimony from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. The case focuses on the prosecution team working to prove Trump falsified business records 34 times to conceal a $130,000 payment to former pornography star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an affair with Trump. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case and has maintained his innocence. 

On Thursday, Trump’s legal team peppered Cohen with questions regarding his history of lying under oath, dating back to 2017, including to Congress about a Trump Tower Moscow project and to federal investigators from special counsel Robert Mueller’s office.

NY V TRUMP: HOUSE GOP FIREBRANDS FLANK TRUMP OUTSIDE MANHATTAN COURTROOM

Cohen’s testimony, which began Monday, has also included him describing that he used his personal funds to pay Daniels in 2016 through a home equity line of credit, which he concealed from his wife. Cohen testified he used his personal funds because Trump told him to “handle it” because the story could be damaging to the campaign. 

Cohen said he was “reimbursed $420,000” for the payment, a sum he said was “grossed up” to prevent loss of funds to taxes, and argued that Trump was aware of the details of the payments. The checks themselves were described as a “retainer,” which Cohen said was a false description.

Cohen will resume his testimony Monday morning under cross-examination, though Trump’s legal team said they expect to wrap up questioning early Monday morning. Closing arguments could begin as early as Tuesday. 

TRUMP PERMITTED TO ATTEND SON BARRON’S GRADUATION AFTER RIPPING TRIAL JUDGE FOR DELAYING DECISION

Court will not be held on Friday, as Trump is traveling to his home in Florida to attend his son Barron Trump’s high school graduation. 

Trump said in his remarks to the media Thursday afternoon that the court is trying to “rush” the trial ahead of the 2024 election. 

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“They’re trying to rush to get it done before the election, so that they can harm me so they can hurt their political opponent,” Trump said. 

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

What’s happening? 

– Michael Cohen wraps up another day of testimony in Trump trial

– Democrats annoyed over Biden’s flip-flopping on Israel weapons

– Biden camp agrees to debate between Kamala and Trump VP

Biden exercises privilege to prevent release of Hur audio

The White House asserted executive privilege over audio and video recordings of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Biden during the classified documents investigation.

“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the President’s claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress,” Associate Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote in a letter Thursday to Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer, chairmen of the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

The Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt Thursday afternoon, setting up a potential House floor vote. The White House noted that Biden asserted privilege at the request of the DOJ.

Hur led the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents following his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. Hur announced in February that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, citing that Biden is “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

White House

‘THEY SUCK’: Even Democrats annoyed by Biden’s flip-flops on U.S. weapons to Israel …Read more

‘UNPRECEDENTED’ AND ‘UNFOUNDED’: Garland rips effort to hold him in contempt after Biden asserts executive privilege over Hur audio …Read more

Capitol Hill

‘MUST APOLOGIZE’: Vulnerable House Dem faces backlash over resurfaced comparison involving 9/11 terrorist …Read more

GOP SHOW OF FORCE: House Republicans join Trump in court amid ongoing Cohen testimony …Read more

AGENCY UNDER FIRE: Lawmakers demand travel info after voter registration claims …Read more

‘POLITICIZED PROSECUTION’: Jordan slams lead prosecutor in NY v. Trump trial for alleged obsession with Trump …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

FOX NEWS POLL: Voters reveal ‘deal-breaker’ issues in 2024 elections …Read more

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: Biden campaign accepts invitation for debate between Kamala Harris and whoever Trump’s running mate will be …Read more

‘WEIRDLY HELP’: NBC host says Biden should want RFK Jr on debate stage because of his vocal issue …Read more

SKEPTICAL PSAKI: Jen Psaki argues that Biden-Trump debate plans may fail …Read more

‘MOBILIZE SUPPORT’: Top Jewish Republican group steps up fundraising efforts for Trump …Read more

GOTTA HAVE FAITH: Trump’s potential running mates to compete for approval at major Christian conference as speculation swirls …Read more

‘MY MARYLAND’: Top Democrats praise Republican aiming to flip key Senate seat in deep blue state …Read more

Across America

‘EXTREMELY ALARMING’: Illegal immigrant arrests from this foreign foe hit new highs …Read more

SUPREME DECISION: Supreme Court rules in favor of Elizabeth Warren’s brainchild CFPB …Read more

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Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Former President Trump on Thursday filed a notice of appeal to the Georgia Court of Appeals formalizing his bid to overturn a court decision and disqualify Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis from the case against him. 

Last week, the appeals court said it would hear the case raised by Trump and several co-defendants that Willis should be disqualified because she had an “improper” affair with special counsel Nathan Wade, whom she hired. 

Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Cathy Latham and Michael Roman all filed their notices of appeal Monday in the case, joining former Georgia GOP head David Shafer in kicking off the briefing processes before the court. 

President Trump’s lawyers filed the 45th president’s notice of appeal Thursday. The Fulton County Superior Court Clerk now has to prepare the official record in the case and send it to the Court of Appeals. 

TRUMP CO-DEFENDANTS OFFICIALLY FILE NOTICES OF APPEAL TO KICK FANI WILLIS OFF GA CASE

The earliest the Court of Appeals could hear this appeal would be August, and the latest would be spring 2025. 

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March that Wade had to be removed to keep Willis from disqualification in the sweeping racketeering case against Trump.

Trump and several co-defendants alleged Willis and Wade were romantically involved prior to his hiring and that she financially benefited from the relationship. Willis and Wade denied those allegations.

GEORGIA SENATORS FIND LITTLE OVERSIGHT OVER HOW FANI WILLIS SPENDS TAXPAYER DOLLARS: ‘LIKE THE WILD WEST’

Judge McAfee allowed the defense to appeal his ruling, and the appeals court announced last week it will hear the defense’s case to have Willis disqualified.

“President Trump looks forward to presenting interlocutory arguments to the Georgia Court of Appeals as to why the case should be dismissed and Fulton County DA Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution,” Trump lawyer Steve Sadow said in a statement.

McAfee’s ruling in March said the defendants “failed to meet their burden of proving that the District Attorney acquired an actual conflict of interest in this case through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor.

“However, the established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team — an appearance that must be removed through the State’s selection of one of two options,” he wrote, adding Willis and her office could choose to step aside or Wade could withdraw from the case.

Wade subsequently resigned from his post as special prosecutor.

The co-defendants had alleged Willis benefited financially by hiring Wade because they were in a relationship when he was hired in 2021 and would vacation together. 

NATHAN WADE SPEAKS OUT ON ‘WORKPLACE ROMANCE’ WITH FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS: ‘AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE’

Both Wade and Willis denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring and that the couple would split the costs of their shared travels. Willis said she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash.

In his March order, McAfee said while Willis’ “reimbursement practice” was “unusual and the lack of any documentary corroboration understandably concerning,” he ultimately decided the defendants did not present “sufficient evidence” that expenses weren’t “roughly divided evenly.” 

He also said “the evidence demonstrated that the financial gain flowing from her relationship with Wade was not a motivating factor on the part of the District Attorney to indict and prosecute this case.”

In February, Judge McAfee held a two-day evidence hearing, when the defense, led by attorney Ashley Merchant, set out to expose a money trail that would mean Willis has a conflict of interest in the case against Trump and should be disqualified.

“[T]he Court finds that the record made at the evidentiary hearing established that the District Attorney’s prosecution is encumbered by an appearance of impropriety,” McAfee wrote in his order.

“As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed.

“Put differently, an outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist.”

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When the defense in March submitted a joint motion for a certificate of immediate review, McAfee said his order on the defendants’ motions to dismiss and disqualify the Fulton County district attorney issued March 15 “is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had” and allowed the defendants to ask the Georgia appeals court for an opportunity to appeal, which the court granted Wednesday.

Fox News’ Clauda Kelly-Bazan contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: The Biden campaign is taking aim at former President Trump following the administration’s move to ease federal marijuana restrictions.

President Biden announced the “monumental” shift in marijuana policy on Thursday in a video posted on social media, kicking off a process to reclassify the drug from a Schedule I restricted substance to a Schedule III.

“It’s simple, Joe Biden smokes sleepy Don on delivering for the American people. After four years of all talk, all failure from Donald Trump, Joe Biden is keeping his promise on marijuana policy, moving America forward, and making America safer,” Biden campaign spokesman James Singer told Fox News Digital following the announcement.

TRUMP’S POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES TO COMPETE FOR APPROVAL AT MAJOR CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE AS SPECULATION SWIRLS

“Donald Trump was wrong on marijuana policy and made America less safe, hurting young people and communities of color. Voters can’t afford the broken promises and dangerous failures of a second Trump term,” he added.

Trump’s position on marijuana remained somewhat ambiguous during his presidency. He previously expressed the view that marijuana policy should be determined at the state level, but has also spoken out against related ballot initiatives, citing worries it could boost Democrats.

He did, however, sign the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp. The substance had been prohibited for decades, and his administration allocated resources specifically to enact the reforms in the bill.

TRUMP VEEP STAKES: THE PROS AND CONS OF SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. KRISTI NOEM

The proposed rescheduling will now appear in the Federal Register, where the public can participate in a 60-day comment period. Following this period, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will take the proposal to an administrative law judge, who will consider related evidence and make a recommendation, and then the DOJ will make a final decision on the reclassification.

Schedule I drugs include substances like heroin and ecstasy, while Schedule III drugs include ketamine and anabolic steroids, as well as have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” according to the DEA.

The change, although it wouldn’t legalize the recreational use of marijuana outright, could be popular with young voters as recent polls suggest Biden is struggling with that demographic less than six months from the November general election.

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Other polling shows a split among Americans when it comes to easing marijuana restrictions, something Pew found in research published earlier this year, as “34% of conservative Republicans say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, compared with a 57% majority of moderate and liberal Republicans,” the report said.

It added that “62% of conservative and moderate Democrats say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use,” with 84% of liberal Democrats believing the same.

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

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

The foreign-born population hit a record high in March, in large part as a result of the flow of illegal migrants into the U.S. over the last few years.

The population of foreign-born people living in the U.S. hit a new record high of 51.6 million in March, raising the percentage of foreign-born residents to 15.6% of the total U.S. population, according to a study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).

The CIS report found that between March 2022 and March 2024, the foreign-born population in the U.S. increased by 5.1 million people, which the report noted is the largest two-year increase in American history.

ILLEGAL MIGRANTS FROM THIS FOREIGN ADVERSARY ARE INCREASINGLY CROSSING THE BORDER

“Although many think of immigrants only as workers, less than half of those who arrived since 2022 are employed,” the report added.

Driving the large increase is illegal immigration, the report found, noting that 58% of the increase under President Biden’s watch is attributable to illegal migration. Since Biden took office in 2021, the foreign-born population has increased by a total of 6.6 million people.

The 6.6 million person increase in just 39 months under Biden is “unprecedented,” the report argues, noting that the figure is roughly equal to the increase seen during the nine years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOUTHERN BORDER MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS DECREASE SLIGHTLY BUT GOTAWAYS STILL SURGE UNDER BIDEN 

“If present trends continue, the foreign-born population will reach 62.5 million in 2030 and 82.2 million by 2040 – larger than the current combined populations of 30 states plus the District of Columbia,” the report said.

The report also points out that the numbers represent a net change in total population, more than making up for outflows of migrants or deaths.

“New immigrants add to the total foreign-born population but are offset by emigration and mortality among the existing immigrant population,” the report said. “All births to immigrants in the United States add only to the native-born population by definition. This means the number of new arrivals must be even higher for the foreign-born population to grow this much.”

Moreover, the report found a staunch difference between the growing total under Biden compared to his immediate predecessors, with Biden adding about 174,000 new foreign-born residents per month compared to 42,000 under former President Trump before COVID. That 174,000 also far outpaces the inflow seen under former President Barack Obama, who averaged 76,000 per month in his second term and 59,000 in his first, or an average of 68,000 per month when both terms are combined.

“The current scale of immigration (legal and illegal) into the United States is without any precedent in the nation’s history,” the report concludes. “Perhaps the most fundamental question these numbers raise is whether America can successfully incorporate and assimilate all the immigrants already here, let alone millions more in the future.”

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The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, is introducing a bill to prevent the federal government from using taxpayer dollars to issue “unacceptable” identification cards to illegal immigrants.

The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to launch the ICE Secure Docket Card program this summer, with the distribution of approximately 10,000 cards to migrants being released into the U.S.

The “No Taxpayer Funds for Illegal Immigrant Identity Cards Act” seeks to “prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from using Federal funds to establish the ICE Secure Docket Card program and to prohibit the use of documentation issued in connection with immigration proceedings to establish eligibility for Federal public benefits.”

Nehls told Fox that the Biden administration’s ridding of Trump-era policies is what led to the influx of migrants at the southern border.

TAXPAYER-FUNDED ID PROGRAM FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS EXPECTED TO BEGIN THIS SUMMER

“Upon taking office, Joe Biden dismantled successful Trump-era policies, sending a message around the world that our border is wide-open, encouraging over 9 million illegal aliens to cross our borders,” Nehls told Fox News Digital. 

The Republican added that the cards will be used to “take advantage of the American people.”

‘ENOUGH’: CONTROVERSIAL ID PROGRAM FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TARGETED BY GOP SENATOR

“If this wasn’t bad enough, his DHS is going to hand out IDs to illegal aliens instead of addressing the crisis he created—all at the expense of the American taxpayer,” he said. “This is unacceptable. Joe Biden should be deporting illegal aliens, not giving them a way to further take advantage of the American people.”

The bill, shared first with Fox News Digital, mirrors legislation recently brought forth in the Senate by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that also aims to prevent federal funds being used for the ICE Secure Docket Card program.

The ICE Secure Docket Card program was first reported on in 2022, and Fox News Digital reported last week that ICE is planning a limited rollout of the program this summer, with a distribution of approximately 10,000 cards. While the agency stressed that plans are “pre-decisional” and still subject to change, it is expected the cards will be issued in three or four locations in the U.S.

The agency said the program will “modernize documentation provided to some noncitizens” but stressed it would not be an official form of federal ID.

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“While the specifics of the card and pilot are under development, it is important to note the secure card will not be an official form of federal identification,” the agency said. “The secure card will indicate it is for use by DHS agencies and would be provided only after national security background checks have been performed.”

Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James demanding her office turn over documents related to former Department of Justice official Matthew Colangelo, who now serves as lead prosector for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in the NY v. Trump case. 

“Mr. Colangelo’s recent employment history demonstrates his obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime,” Jordan wrote in his letter to James on Wednesday. 

“At the New York Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Colangelo – who, for some time, held the title of Chief Counsel for Federal Initiatives – ran investigations into President Trump, leading ‘a wave of state litigation against Trump administration policies,'” Jordan continued. “On January 20, 2021, the first day of the Biden Administration, Mr. Colangelo began serving as the Acting Associate Attorney General – the number three official at the Justice Department. Upon the confirmation of Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, Mr. Colangelo then served as the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General.”

But Colangelo left his high position in the DOJ to join the New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation of Trump months before the indictment of the former president.

“In December 2022, District Attorney Bragg ‘beefed up [his] office’ by hiring Mr. Colangelo to fill the void left by the departure of politicized line prosecutors Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne. District Attorney Bragg hired Mr. Colangelo to ‘jump-start’ his office’s investigation of President Trump, reportedly due to Mr. Colangelo’s ‘history of taking on Donald J. Trump and his family business.’ Mr. Colangelo is now a lead prosecutor in President Trump’s trial,” Jordan continued. 

LIVE UPDATES: MICHAEL COHEN FACES CROSS EXAMINATION FROM TRUMP LAWYERS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL

Colangelo has a lengthy resume in government, working in a variety of legal roles that date to the Obama administration, Fox News Digital previously reported. He most recently served nearly two years in Biden’s DOJ, including as acting associate attorney general and overseeing the Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions.

TRUMP PROSECUTOR QUIT TOP DOJ POST FOR LOWLY NY JOB IN LIKELY BID TO ‘GET’ FORMER PRESIDENT, EXPERT SAYS

EX-TOP BIDEN DOJ OFFICIAL NOW PROSECUTING TRUMP WAS ONCE PAID BY DNC FOR ‘POLITICAL CONSULTING’

Colangelo has also previously prosecuted cases involving Trump. 

Colangelo assisted a case in 2018 that dissolved Trump’s former NY-based charity, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, after prosecutors alleged that it had illegally coordinated with Trump’s 2016 campaign. The charity was dissolved after a judge found that Trump had “breached his fiduciary duty.”

That same year, Colangelo worked as lead prosecutor in a case involving the Trump administration’s push to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census. The Justice Department ultimately decided to print the 2020 Census without the citizenship question due to lengthy court battles that included having the Supreme Court weigh in that the question could not be added for the time being. 

Experts who previously spoke to Fox News Digital described Colangelo’s career move from a top DOJ position to a district attorney’s office as “very odd.”

NY V. TRUMP: HOUSE JUDICIARY INVESTIGATES BRAGG PROSECUTOR WHO HELD SENIOR ROLE IN BIDEN DOJ

“It’s very odd. It’s usually the other way around…. And frankly, that sounds to me like somebody who thought, ‘Ah, here’s an opportunity to go and get Donald Trump,'” Hans von Spakovsky, an attorney and former member of the Federal Election Commission, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview last month, ahead of the trial kicking off in earnest. 

Trump is no fan of Colangelo’s, according to public remarks. He has slammed the attorney as a “radical left [prosecutor] who was put into the state working for Letitia James and was then put into the District Attorney’s office to run the trial against Trump.” The comment came before the presiding judge in NY v. Trump, Juan Merchan, imposed a gag order that prevents Trump from speaking publicly about witnesses or the prosecution team. 

“District Attorney Bragg’s politicized prosecution of President Trump has serious consequences for federal interests,” Jordan continued in his letter Wednesday to James. “The fact that a former senior Biden Justice Department official – whose previous employment consisted of leading ‘a wave of state litigation against Trump administration policies’ – is now leading the prosecution of President Biden’s chief political rival only adds to the perception that the Biden Justice Department is politicized and weaponized.”

BRAGG ‘ALLOWED POLITICAL MOTIVATIONS’ TO ‘INFECT’ PROSECUTION OF TRUMP, HOUSE JUDICIARY GOP SAYS

The NY v. Trump case focuses on the prosecution team working to prove Trump falsified business records 34 times to conceal a $130,000 payment to former pornography star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to conceal her claims of an affair with Trump. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case and has maintained his innocence.

TRUMP TRIAL: FORMER PRESIDENT ‘INNOCENT,’ DEFENSE SAYS AS DA ALLEGES ‘CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who is considered the prosecution team’s star witness, has delivered ongoing testimony this week, including describing that he used his personal funds to pay Daniels in 2016 through a home equity line of credit. Cohen testified he did this because Trump told him to “handle it” as the story could be damaging to the campaign. 

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Cohen said he was “reimbursed $420,000” for the payment, a sum he said was “grossed up” to prevent loss of funds to taxes, and argued that Trump was aware of the details of the payments. The checks themselves were described as a “retainer,” which Cohen said was a false description.

James’ office, as well as the Manhattan DA’s office, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment Thursday morning.

The Biden campaign accepted CBS News’ vice presidential debate for this summer, setting the stage for a showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and whoever is selected as the Republican VP nominee, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The campaign notified CBS News that they accepted the invitation to participate in studio on either of the proposed dates — July 23 or August 13. 

TRUMP ACCEPTS BIDEN OFFER TO DEBATE HIM IN JUNE AND SEPTEMBER

The campaign said the debate would “be in accordance with the guidelines put forth by the campaign.” 

On Wednesday, the Biden campaign wrote a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, abandoning the decades-old tradition of three fall events organized by the debate commission. 

Former President Trump, shortly after, exclusively told Fox News Digital that he would accept the timeline proposed by Biden — scheduling the first presidential debate for June 27 on CNN and the second for September 10 on ABC News. 

The Biden-Harris campaign asked that the debates occur inside a TV studio, with microphones that automatically cut off when a speaker’s time limit elapses. The letter also asked that the debates involve just the two candidates and the moderator — without “an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors.” 

They also want the debates without the participation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. or other independent or third-party candidates. 

“We look forward to the Trump campaign accepting one of these dates so that the full debate calendar for this campaign can be set,” the Biden campaign said about the vice presidential debate schedule on Thursday. 

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The fast scheduling began Wednesday morning after Biden posted a video to social media. 

“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal,” Biden said in a video message shared Wednesday morning. “I’ll even do it twice. So let’s pick the dates, Donald. I hear you’re free on Wednesdays.” 

Trump, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital shortly after, said: 

“Crooked Joe Biden is the worst debater I have ever faced – he can’t put two sentences together,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “Crooked is also the worst president in the history of the United States, by far.” 

Trump told Fox News Digital that “it is time for a debate to take place – even if it has to be held through the offices of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which are totally controlled by Democrats and who, as people remember, got caught cheating with me with debate sound levels.”

JESSE WATTERS: BIDEN HAS A LIST OF DEBATE DEMANDS LONGER THAN A SPENDING BILL

“I’m ready to go,” Trump said. “The dates that they proposed are fine. Anywhere. Anytime. Any place. Let’s see if Joe can make it to the stand-up podium.”

“The proposed June and early September dates are fully acceptable to me,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “I will provide my own transportation.”

And just moments later, Biden posted on his social media that he “received and accepted an invitation” from CNN for a debate on June 27. 

“Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden wrote. 

When asked for comment, Trump told Fox News Digital that he will accept and “will be there.” The Republican added that he is “looking forward to being in beautiful Atlanta.”

Later Wednesday, Trump took to his Truth Social, echoing his comments to Fox News Digital. 

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“It’s time for a debate so that he can explain to the American People his highly destructive Open Border Policy, new and ridiculous EV Mandates, the allowance of Crushing Inflation, High Taxes, and his really WEAK Foreign Policy, which is allowing the World to ‘Catch on Fire.’ I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” Trump posted. “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!’” 

Trump on Saturday appeared before a crowd of tens of thousands on the Jersey Shore in the deep-blue state. The campaign event was held in between Trump’s appearances in Manhattan Criminal Court.

House firebrands came out in force Thursday in support of former President Donald Trump as he faces his 18th day in Manhattan court. 

Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Bob Good (R-VA), Mike Waltz (R-FL), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Michael Cloud (R-TX) joined Trump Thursday, as the court is anticipated to hear continued testimony from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. 

“We have a lot of congressmen and some senators down today, and they’re all up in arms over this. I can’t even believe it. We have quite a few congressmen,” Trump told the press outside the courtroom Thursday. 

“It’s very unfair. I’d like to be in these various states where I should be campaigning like anybody else. It’s a Biden trial. This all comes out of the White House and the Department of Justice. This is all them. In fact, a lead person from the DOJ is running the trial,” he said, apparently referring to prosecutor Matt Colangelo, who served in the DOJ before taking a job with the DA’s office. “So Biden’s office is running this trial. This trial is a scam and it’s a sham.” 

LIVE UPDATES: MICHAEL COHEN FACES CROSS EXAMINATION FROM TRUMP LAWYERS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL

The House members gathered at the court Thursday follow other notable Republican lawmakers and politicians joining Trump in support earlier this week in the Manhattan court. Former 2024 presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy as well as Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum joined the 45th president on Tuesday. While Ohio Sen. JD Vance, New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville joined Trump on Monday. 

A Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the political allies all volunteered to join Trump in court to support their friend, and were not invited by the campaign.

Thursday will continue with Trump’s defense team cross-examining Cohen. The case focuses on the prosecution team working to prove Trump falsified business records 34 times to conceal a $130,000 payment to former pornography star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to conceal her claims of an affair with Trump. 

MICHAEL COHEN RETURNS AS FINAL WITNESS IN NYC AG BRAGG’S CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF TRUMP

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case and has maintained his innocence. 

Cohen’s testimony, which began Monday when the prosecution team peppered him with questions, included him describing that he used his personal funds to pay Daniels in 2016, through a home equity line of credit. Cohen testified he did this because Trump told him to “handle it” because the story could be damaging to the campaign. 

TRUMP TRIAL VEEPSTAKES? TRUMP ALLIES SHOW UP IN FORCE AHEAD OF MICHAEL COHEN’S SECOND DAY OF TESTIMONY

Cohen said he was “reimbursed $420,000” for the payment, a sum he said was “grossed up” to prevent loss of funds to taxes, and argued that Trump was aware of the details of the payments. The checks themselves were described as a “retainer,” which Cohen said was a false description.

MASSIVE TRUMP BEACH RALLY IN DEEP-BLUE NJ DRAWS STARK CONTRAST TO BIDEN’S BEACH WEEKEND: ‘BIDEN COULD NEVER’

On Wednesday, ​​a lawyer who formerly advised Cohen, Robert Costello, testified before Congress that Cohen was a serial liar. Costello testified before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s grand jury in March before Trump was indicted and recalled interactions with Cohen. 

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Costello said Cohen told him during their meetings he “took care” of the Stormy Daniels payments “himself” and said he did not get any money from Trump for the arrangement. 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

The White House asserted executive privilege over audio and video recordings related to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Biden.

“I write to inform you that the President has asserted executive privilege over the requested audio recordings and is making a protective assertion of privilege over any remaining materials responsive to the subpoenas that have not already been produced,” Associate Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote in a letter Thursday to Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer, chairmen of the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Oversight and Accountability, respectively. 

“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the President’s claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.”

Hur led the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents following his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. Hur announced in February that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, citing that Biden is “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REBUKED FOR DELAY TACTICS IN BIDEN-HUR TAPES

“Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone from whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him – by then a former president well into his eighties – of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness,” Hur wrote in his report. 

The findings sparked widespread outrage that Biden was effectively deemed too cognitively impaired to be charged with a crime but could serve as president. Trump has meanwhile slammed the disparity in charges as a reflection of a “sick and corrupt, two-tiered system of justice in our country.” 

HOUSE REPUBLICANS SUBPOENA DOJ MATERIALS RELATED TO SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW WITH BIDEN

Biden met with Hur for about five hours last year, when he was grilled about his handling of the classified documents. 

The executive privilege, according to the letter, also includes interviews between Biden and ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland has asked Biden to block the release of the audio recordings. 

BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON’S DEATH IN QUESTIONING

“The audio recordings of your interview and Mr. Zwonitzer’s interview fall within the scope of executive privilege. Production of these recordings to the Committees would raise an unacceptable risk of undermining the Department’s ability to conduct similar high-profile criminal investigations–in particular, investigations where the voluntary cooperation of White House officials is exceedingly important,” Garland wrote to Biden in a letter obtained by Fox News. 

White House Counsel Ed Siskel also wrote to Jordan and Comer Thursday that House Republicans would “chop” up the recordings for “partisan political purposes.” 

FOREIGN OUTLETS PULL NO PUNCHES OVER BIDEN ‘CONFUSION’ AND ‘RAGE’ AFTER SURPRISE PRESS CONFERENCE

“The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal — to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” White House Counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a letter to Republican House leaders Thursday morning revealing Biden’s decision. “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.”

CONGRESSMAN, ARMY VET SAYS BIDEN BEING ‘USED,’ FEARS OTHERS ARE MAKING DECISIONS: ‘IT’S ABUSIVE’

The letters come after The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, as well as Judicial Watch and CNN, filed FOIA requests seeking the release of the tapes, and House Republicans unsuccessfully subpoenaed the recordings. 

The DOJ announced in April it would not abide by a subpoena from House Republicans, while maintaining its cooperation with Congress’ Biden family investigation has been “extraordinary.” 

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Garland was facing potentially being held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the documents. Biden’s order, however, protects Garland from criminal prosecution over the matter. 

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report. 

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are pushing forward with their plan to repeal a pandemic-era law that allowed the wearing of masks in public for health reasons, a move spurred by anti-Israel demonstrations that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses.

The legislation – House Bill 237 – cleared the state’s Senate on Wednesday in a 30-15 vote along party lines despite several attempts by state Senate Democrats to change the bill. The bill, which would raise penalties for someone who wears a mask while committing a crime, including arrested protesters, could still be altered as it heads back to the House.

Opponents of the bill say it risks the health of those masking for safety reasons. Those backing the legislation say it is a needed response to the protests, including those at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that escalated to police clashes and arrests. The bill also further criminalizes the blockage of roads or emergency vehicles for a protest, which has occurred during anti-Israel demonstrations in Raleigh and Durham.

“It’s about time that the craziness is put, at least slowed down, if not put to a stop,” Wilson County Republican Sen. Buck Newton, who presented the bill, said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL RUNOFF SHOWS TRUMP’S SWAY IN GOP STATE POLITICS

“There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of what this bill does and how the law operates, and it’s no wonder that so many folks are scared,” Newton added, according to NC Newsline, questioning the motivations of those against the legislation. “I think some of us are wondering what the real motivations are of folks on the other side of the House, scaring the bejesus out of everybody and making them feel like if they have a need at times to wear masks because they’re immunocompromised somehow, they’re going to get arrested.”

Most of the pushback against the bill has centered around its removal of health and safety exemptions for wearing a mask in public. 

The health exemption was added at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic along largely bipartisan lines. This strikethrough would return public masking rules to their pre-pandemic form, which were created in 1953 to address a different issue: limiting Ku Klux Klan activity in North Carolina, the Associated Press reported, citing a 2012 book by Washington University in St. Louis sociology professor David Cunningham.

Democratic lawmakers repeated their unease about how removing protections for people who choose to mask for their health could put immunocompromised North Carolinians at risk of breaking the law. Legislative staff said during a Tuesday committee that masking for health purposes would violate the law.

“You’re making careful people into criminals with this bill,” Democratic Sen. Natasha Marcus of Mecklenburg County said on the Senate floor. “It’s a bad law.”

“Is it really that you find masked chemo patients that threatening? Something about them makes you really angry?” Marcus added, according to WRAL. “Or is this, more likely, a desire to score some political points with the anti-mask crowd during an election year, at the expense of vulnerable people?”

Simone Hetherington, an immunocompromised person who spoke during Wednesday’s Senate Rules Committee, said masking helps her protect herself from illnesses and fears the law would prevent that practice.

“We live in different times and I do receive harassment,” Hetherington said about her mask wearing. “It only takes one bad actor.”

But Republican legislators continued to express doubt that someone would get in legal trouble for masking because of health concerns, saying law enforcement and prosecutors would use discretion on whether to charge someone. Newton said the bill focuses on criminalizing masks only for the purpose of concealing one’s identity.

NORTH CAROLINA GOP ELECTS TRUMP-ENDORSED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AS ITS NEXT CHAIRMAN

“I smell politics on the other side of the aisle when they’re scaring people to death about a bill that is only going to criminalize people who are trying to hide their identity so they can do something wrong,” Newton said.

Three Senate Democrats proposed amendments to keep the health exemption and exclude hate groups from masking, but Senate Republicans used a procedural mechanism to block them without going up for a vote.

Future changes to the bill could be a possibility, but it would ultimately be up to the House, Newton told reporters after the vote, according to the AP. Robeson County Republican Sen. Danny Britt also said during an earlier committee that he anticipated “some tweaking.” House Rules Committee Chairman Destin Hall, a Caldwell County House Republican, told reporters before the Senate vote that the House planned to “take a look at it” but members wanted to clamp down on people who wear masks while committing crimes.

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The masking bill will likely move through a few committees before hitting the House floor, which could take one or two weeks, Hall said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: A top grassroots group that represents Jewish Republicans across the country is showcasing what it calls its largest ever fundraising and expenditure effort in support of a GOP presidential nominee.

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), in an announcement shared first with Fox News on Thursday, highlighted that it is committed to raising a minimum of $5 million – from its donors and from its RJC Victory Fund super PAC – to help elect former President Trump in his November White House rematch with President Biden.

RJC national political director Sam Markstein highlighted that this “will be the RJC’s largest effort ever to mobilize support in the Jewish community for President Trump.”

Additionally, Markstein noted that the announcement is “in addition to our $15 million independent expenditure,” which he characterized as the largest independent expenditure in the organization’s history.

WARNING SIGNS FOR TRUMP, BIDEN, AS THEY CAREEN TOWARDS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

The announcement comes amid weeks of anti-Israel protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

The protests in support of Palestinians have grabbed plenty of attention on cable news and online coverage. Demonstrators have criticized President Biden’s support for Israel in its battle with Hamas and have called on colleges and universities to cut financial ties with the government in Jerusalem.

POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES DUELING FOR DOLLARS AS THEY SHOW OFF THEIR FUNDRAISING PROWESS FOR TRUMP

Polls suggest that while many Democrats are divided over the demonstrations, Republicans are nearly entirely united in opposition.

“As antisemitism spikes to record highs and America’s relationship with our ally Israel continues to reach new lows, the Jewish community is more energized than ever to turn the page from the failures, broken promises, and betrayals by Joe Biden. November 5 cannot come soon enough,” Markstein argued.

The RJC is a four-decades-old group that describes itself as “the national grassroots organization of Jewish Republicans and represents tens of thousands of Jewish Republicans across this country.”

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Late Republican mega donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who died at age 87 in 2021, for years played a key leadership role with the RJC and gave it generous financial support.

The group remained neutral during the 2024 GOP presidential nomination race and the RJC’s annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas last autumn attracted all the major Republican White House contenders. Former Vice President Mike Pence made major news at the October confab by announcing that he was suspending his campaign.

The RJC endorsed Trump in early March, immediately after former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – who was the former president’s last rival – dropped out of the race.

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

The U.S. Border Patrol recorded ar decline in migrant encounters in April, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a news release Wednesday.

In April, the Border Patrol recorded 128,900 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. The figure was 30% lower than in April 2023, and 6% lower than in March.

“CBP continues to surge resources and personnel to impacted sectors along the border to ensure the safe, swift, and orderly processing of individuals to maximize expedited removals,” Troy Miller, a senior official performing the duties of the commissioner, said in a statement.

DHS’ FAILURE TO FILE PAPERWORK HAS LED TO 200K IMMIGRATION COURT CASES TOSSED UNDER PRESIDENT BIDEN: TRAC

Despite the decline, separate figures obtained by Fox News revealed there were 1.6 million known gotaways from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2023. In the decade of FY 2010 through FY 2020, under former Presidents Obama and Trump, authorities recorded more than 1.4 million known gotaways.

Known gotaways are illegal immigrants seen or detected via cameras, sensors, footings, etc., but are never apprehended.

“If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk?” Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens asked a House committee in May 2023. 

BORDER PATROL OFFICIALS SAY THREAT POSED BY ‘GOTAWAYS’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER ‘KEEPS US UP AT NIGHT’

“That’s of concern to me. What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is,” he added. “I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform.”

In April, CBP processed 41,400 people through appointments at ports of entry submitted on the CBP One app, authorities said. Since the app was introduced in January 2023, more than 591,000 people have scheduled appointments to present at ports of entry, CBP said. 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who has been heavily criticized for the record numbers of migrants entering the U.S., has previously noted changes in migration flow in correspondence with Congress.

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“Before 2013, the majority of individuals attempting to cross the border entered without being caught,” he said in a letter in January to the House Homeland Security Committee. “Under this administration, the estimated annual apprehension rate has averaged 78%, the same average rate of apprehension as in the prior administration.”

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Twenty-one-term Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is facing renewed criticism from Republicans in her state over comments she made in a resurfaced interview where she appears to compare Osama bin Laden and the United States’ war against terrorism with the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution.

“Before launching a military strike against Iraq, Americans should consider their own history to remember how powerful the mix of religion and politics can be, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said,” a March 2003 article from the Toledo Blade reports about a conversation with Kaptur, who is running for re-election in November for a seat she has held in Congress since 1983.

“If you think back to our founding as a country, we are a country of revolution,” Kaptur is quoted as saying as the country was preparing for an invasion of Iraq. “One could say that Osama bin Laden and these non-nation-state fighters with religious purpose are very similar to those kind of atypical revolutionaries that helped to cast off the British crown.”

Kaptur went on to explain that the United States should not get “caught in the crossfire” of religious extremism in the Middle East.

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“I think that one thing that people of faith understand about the world of Islam is that the kind of insurgency we see occurring in many of these countries is an act of hope that life will be better using Islam as the only reed that they have to lean on,” Kaptur said. “I think that people of faith understand that for many of the terrorists, their actions are acts of sacred piety to the point of losing their lives. And I think that people of faith understand that there is a heavy religious overtone to the opposition.”

Kaptur’s comments drew criticism from Republicans at the time it was made, including from then National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Thomas M. Reynolds, who called it “outrageous,” Washington Post reported.

That criticism was renewed this week by Kaptur’s critics in Ohio, including her Republican challenger, Republican Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin.

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“It’s clear Marcy Kaptur left her values behind many years ago,” Merrin told Fox News Digital. 

“Whether it’s comparing a terrorist to our Founding Fathers, voting in lockstep with radical Democrats, or failing to deliver results for Northwest Ohio, Kaptur has demonstrated time and again that she’s lost touch with working-class people that love America. Our Founding Fathers created the best country on Earth,” Merrin continued. “They should never be considered in the same sentence as a terrorist who has done immeasurable harm to Americans.”

Mike Marinella, a NRCC spokesperson, also slammed Kaptur in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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“When you’ve only passed five bills in forty years like Marcy Kaptur, apparently you have time on your hands to contemplate radical deep thoughts,” Marinella said. “No Ohioan agrees with Kaptur’s sympathy for terrorists – she must apologize immediately.”

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

In 2003, Kaptur told the Washington Post that Republican critics had “chosen to twist my words.”

“My comments were intended to point out that what faces us is a rising revolution being felt across repressive regimes of the Arab and Islamic world,” Kaptur said at the time. “The American people understand the power of revolution. It is in that context that I referred to the American Revolution.”

The general election race in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District 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 “toss up” that Republicans are targeting as an opportunity to hold and improve on their slim majority in the House.