NationalWatch

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared to take a page out of the White House’s playbook in likening GOP front-runner and former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini over his use of the term “vermin” to describe his political enemies ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

The Democrat, one of the leading Jewish governors in the country, told MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Trump’s comment is “just one in a long series of remarks, words that Donald Trump has used that are unfortunately reminiscent of the past. Let me just be clear, in Germany, in the 1930s, people that they didn’t want to have power, people that they wanted to separate, segregate. They began calling them immigrants, even people who had been in Germany for generations.” 

“Jews who were doctors, lawyers in government at the time became known as immigrants, even though they were German. And this is a way to begin to segregate people, and then eventually, at least what happened in Germany, is that they turned it into a way to almost dehumanize. And then they did in fact dehumanize and kill people,” Pritzker said. “I don’t know where it’s going with Donald Trump. What I can tell you is the things that he talks about are frightening to those of us who know the history of Europe in the 1930s and 40s. And I’m deeply concerned about his predilection for revenge.” 

During a speech in Claremont, New Hampshire, ahead of Veterans Day last week, Trump vowed, “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.” 

RAMASWAMY CLASHES WITH CNN ANCHOR PRESSING HIM ON TRUMP’S ‘VERMIN’ COMMENTS: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK!’

“They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream,” Trump said. “The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within. Because if you have a capable, competent, smart, tough leader, Russia, China, North Korea, they’re not going to want to play with us.”

Trump, recently endorsed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the U.S.-Mexico border, has repeatedly warned that President Biden is leading the globe to the brink of a third World War. 

TRUMP VS. BIDEN: A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE MEDIA TREAT EACH CAMPAIGN

The Washington Post condemned the use of the term “vermin,” saying historians sounded the alarm over concerns of it echoing authoritarianism. 

The White House also condemned Trump’s comment last week. 

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“Employing words like ‘vermin’ to describe anyone who makes use of their basic right to criticize the government ‘echoes dictators’ like Hitler and Mussolini,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told reporters, quoting the Post’s coverage. “Using terms like that about dissent would be unrecognizable to our founders, but horrifyingly recognizable to American veterans who put on their country’s uniform in the 1940s. President Biden believes in his oath to our constitution, and in American democracy. He works to protect both every day.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment Monday, but they did not immediately respond.

An Egyptian American woman freed from an Egyptian jail with help from the Trump administration in 2017 recently took to social media to praise Hamas and called it “morally abhorrent” to condemn them in the wake of their terrorist attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200. 

“I don’t condemn HAMAS and never will,” Aya Hijazi posted on X on Nov. 7, a month after Hamas massacred more than 1,200 Israelis. “I don’t condemn Palestinians who exhausted every peaceful way on earth to end their occupation and save their lives.”

“I condemn anyone who asks the world to condemn HAMAS,” Hijazi added.

“You are morally abhorrent with reverse standards. One for the Whites and ones for everyone else. And your standards of occupation, land theft, besiegement and mass murder don’t apply to me.”

BIDEN OFFICIALS REBEL AGAINST PRESIDENT ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, SIGN DISSENT LETTER

Trump and his aides engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to secure Hijazi’s freedom in 2017 after attempts by the previous Obama administration failed. Hijazi, who was 30 years old at the time, was released after spending three years in Egyptian prison on human trafficking charges and was alleged to have ties to the radical Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood.

“I asked the government to let her out,” Trump told The Associated Press at the time. “You know Obama worked on it for three years, got zippo, zero.”

In May 2018, pro-Trump influencers Charlie Kirk and Scott Presler mentioned Hijazi while touting prisoners freed by Trump.

Over the past couple of weeks, Hijazi’s social media accounts have been littered with posts supporting Hamas and Palestinians while slamming Israel.

“There is no amount of ingratitude in the world that can beat Hijazi’s ungratefulness to her country that came to her rescue,” Hussain Abdul-Hussain, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. 

INTERNAL STATE DEPARTMENT MEMO ACCUSED BIDEN OF ‘MISINFORMATION’ ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

“Hijazi’s venom in her X posts is not directed against the U.S. only, but against the West at large, which she often depicts as the White Colonial Man,” Hussain added. “The irony is that, had the thought of this West – life, liberty and equality – not spread throughout the world, Hijazi would have been probably locked up at her father’s house, married shortly after puberty, then locked up again at her husband’s house, birthing a dozen children and running the household.”

“Had it not been for this Western thought, Hijazi would have likely been illiterate, her voice never heard outside her family quarters. It was her U.S. citizenship that made the leader of the free world throw America’s weight behind her freedom, and then receive her like royalty in the Oval Office,” Hussain added.

Hijazi endorsed Biden for president in 2020 in a social media post and claimed that Trump only freed her to bolster his “ego.”

However, Hijazi walked back her support of Biden in a recent social media post, calling him “Genocide Joe” and saying there is “no way on earth” she will vote for him again due to his current support of Israel.

Cynthia Farahat, author of “The Secret Apparatus: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Industry of Death,” told Fox News Digital that “no one should be surprised by Aya Hijazi pro Hamas stance.”

“She has and does indeed support the Muslim Brotherhood, and this is why her comments are often featured positively on their official website, something the Brotherhood only does with its overt and covert members and agents,” Farahat said. 

“Hamas is the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. This is a fact not an opinion. This is why she will always be on their side even when they engage in horrific crimes against humanity like their barbaric terror attack against Israel.”

Hijazi, a dual national, was born in Egypt and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, a Washington suburb. She received a degree in conflict resolution from George Mason University in 2009. According to her Linkedin profile, she received her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University in 2021 and served as a “leadership coach” there for 5 months “with a focus on anti black racism and anti sexism.”

RASHIDA TLAIB MEMBER OF SECRET FACEBOOK GROUP WHERE HAMAS TERRORISTS GLORIFIED

Farahat told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration was likely “unaware of her affiliation” with Muslim Brotherhood “and acted based on bad intelligence.”

“Even if we were aware, we put her freedom ahead of her political affiliations. We argued that even if she were Muslim Brotherhood, she should be heard,” Hussain, who is of Iraqi and Lebanese origins and has spent time growing up and working there, told Fox News Digital.

“But it turns out that we were wrong. These Islamists are not interested in making a point, they are after incitement to violence. They don’t argue. They spew venom against America and the West. You read her X posts and you wonder: Did she really grow up pledging allegiance to the flag and the Constitution? Because if she did, it does not really show in her posts.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hijazi said she is “always very grateful for being freed by the United States and the honorable treatment I received” but is also “heartbroken that the expectation of gratitude equates an expectation of silence over genocide and colonization.”

Hijazi referred to Hussain’s conclusion as a “heartbreaking stereotype,” saying that her cousins in Egypt are all “college educated and fell in love with spouses of their own choosing.” 

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“Indeed, I have huge critiques of many of the White Man’s vices, most notably colonization and foreign policy,” Hijazi continued. “At the same time, most of my time and life’s work is in fact dedicated to critiquing the practices of brown/Muslim/ Men. I don’t ascribe to the idea that any group should be immune to critique, including one’s own.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment and did not receive a response. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

As news of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s death continues to spread, many political leaders are turning to social media to honor her legacy.

The wife of former President Jimmy Carter died with her family by her side at her home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday at the age of 96.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he and his family joined all Georgians and the nation in mourning Carter’s death.

FORMER FIRST LADY ROSALYNN CARTER DEAD AT 96

“A proud native Georgian, she had an indelible impact on our state and nation as a First Lady to both,” Kemp said. “Working alongside her husband, she championed mental health services and promoted the state she loved across the globe. Their marriage, spanning 77 years, stands as a testament to their enduring partnership. Like that marriage, her achievements will stand the test of time and continue to be celebrated by those who knew her best.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., offered his “deepest condolences” to Carter’s family in a statement Sunday, saying her lifetime of work and dedication for public service changed many lives.

“Among her many accomplishments, Rosalynn Carter will be remembered for her compassionate nature and her passion for women’s rights, human rights and mental health reform,” Ossoff said. “The state of Georgia and the United States are better places because of Rosalynn Carter.”

ROSALYNN CARTER CELEBRATES 96TH BIRTHDAY WITH HUSBAND JIMMY CARTER, PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM AND BUTTERFLIES

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden remembered Carter’s “unwavering commitment” to mental health care and the crucial role of caregivers in American life.

“Her passing is a moment of great sorrow, and I want you all to know that my thoughts and sympathies are with you and your family during this challenging time,” the current First Lady said. “In these moments of grief, may we find solace in the enduring grace and strength exemplified by First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Her legacy will serve as a source of inspiration, reminding us to strive for a more compassionate and understanding world.”

JIMMY CARTER HAD ONE OF THE ‘GREATEST SECOND ACTS’ IN AMERICAN HISTORY, CONSERVATIVE HISTORIAN SAYS

Former First Lady Melania Trump said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Carter left behind a meaningful legacy, not just as a First Lady, but as a wife and mother.

“We will always remember her servant’s heart and devotion to her husband, family, and country,” Trump said. “May she rest in peace.”

JIMMY CARTER, LONGEST LIVING US PRESIDENT, TURNS 99

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., all shared their condolences to the former First Lady on X, with Schumer saying, “America has lost a passionate humanitarian and champion for people all over the world.”

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Also paying tribute to Carter was the Atlanta Braves, who said they are “deeply saddened by the passing of humanitarian and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced in a social media post on Sunday that he is “proud to endorse” former President Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination.

“Today, I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President,” Abbott said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Now more than ever, America needs a President who will secure the border and prioritize national security. President Trump is the clear choice to get the job done.”

The former president joined the governor in Edinburg, Texas on Sunday for Abbott’s annual pre-Thanksgiving tradition of serving tamales to Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guardsmen deployed along the southern border under the governor’s Operation Lone Star program.

TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT TO ENDORSE TRUMP FOR 2024 GOP NOMINATION WHEN THEY TEAM UP SUNDAY NEAR US-MEXICO BORDER

The visit is intended to spotlight the combustible issue of illegal immigration and border security.

The border has been a major issue for Republican voters and GOP leaders and politicians for two and a half years, leading to harsh criticism of President Biden’s administration’s handling of the crisis and a surge in border crossings by migrants.

Trump pledged to launch the largest mass deportation effort in American history if he is re-elected and would reinstate travel bans and his 2019 “Remain in Mexico” program, which forced non-Mexican asylum seekers aiming to enter the U.S. at the southern border to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their cases.

GAME ON IN IOWA AS DESANTIS AND HALEY BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP 

In 2021, Trump endorsed Abbott as the conservative governor who was seeking re-election and faced multiple primary challenges from the right.

He overwhelmingly won the renomination in March 2022 before defeating his Democratic challenger, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke last November to secure a third term as governor.

Abbott was grateful for Trump’s early endorsement last cycle, according to those in the governor’s political orbit, and he’s now apparently returning the favor.

WITH CLOCK TICKING TOWARDS FIRST VOTES IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE, THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Trump is making his third straight White House run and is currently the commanding front-runner for the Republican 2024 nomination, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley currently vying for a distant second place in the polls.

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Trump’s lead expanded over the spring and summer as he made history as the first former or current president in American history to be indicted for a crime. Trump’s four indictments – including in federal court in Washington D.C. and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss – have fueled his support among Republican voters.

Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

Voters in Argentina were heading to the polls Sunday in a presidential runoff election that will determine whether South America’s second-largest economy will take a rightward shift.

Populist Javier Milei, an upstart candidate who got his start as a television talking head, has frequently been compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump. He faces Economy Minister Sergio Massa of the Peronist party, which has been a leading force in Argentine politics for decades.

On Massa’s watch, inflation has soared to more than 140% and poverty has increased. Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, proposes to slash the size of the state and rein in inflation, while Massa has warned people about the negative impacts of such policies.

The highly polarizing election is forcing many to decide which of the two they consider to be the least bad option.

ARGENTINA’S JAVIER MILEI COPIES TRUMP’S PLAYBOOK TO BECOME COUNTRY’S BIGGEST PRIMARY ELECTION VOTE-GETTER

“Whatever happens in this election will be incredible,” said Lucas Romero, director of local political consultancy Synopsis. “It would be incredible for Massa to win in this economic context or for Milei to win facing a candidate as professional as Massa.”

Voting stations opened at 8 a.m. (1100 GMT) and close 10 hours later. Voting is conducted with paper ballots, making the count unpredictable, but initial results were expected around three hours after polls close.

Milei went from blasting the country’s “political caste” on TV to winning a lawmaker seat two years ago. The economist’s screeds resonated widely with Argentines angered by their struggle to make ends meet, particularly young men.

“Money covers less and less each day. I’m a qualified individual, and my salary isn’t enough for anything,” Esteban Medina, a 26-year-old physical therapist from Ezeiza, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a Milei rally earlier this week.

Massa, as one of the most prominent figures in a deeply unpopular administration, was once seen as having little chance of victory. But he managed to mobilize the networks of his Peronist party and clinched a decisive first-place finish in the first round of voting.

His campaign has cautioned Argentines that his libertarian opponent’s plan to eliminate key ministries and otherwise sharply curtail the state would threaten public services, including health and education, and welfare programs many rely on. Massa has also drawn attention to his opponent’s often aggressive rhetoric and has openly questioned his mental acuity; ahead of the first round, Milei sometimes carried a revving chainsaw at rallies.

FORMER ROCKER NICKNAMED ‘ARGENTINE TRUMP’ GAINS ELECTION STEAM WITH ANTI-SOCIALIST MESSAGE

Massa’s “only chance to win this election when people want change … is to make this election a referendum on whether Milei is fit to be president or not,” said Ana Iparraguirre, partner at pollster GBAO Strategies.

Milei has accused Massa and his allies of running a “campaign of fear” and he has walked back some of his most controversial proposals, such as loosening gun control. In his final campaign ad, Milei looks at the camera and assures voters he has no plans to privatize education or health care.

Most pre-election polls, which have been notoriously wrong at every step of this year’s campaign, show a statistical tie between the two candidates. Voters for first-round candidates who didn’t make the runoff will be key. Patricia Bullrich, who placed third, has endorsed Milei.

Javier Rojas, a 36-year-old pediatrician who voted for Bullrich in October, told The Associated Press he’s leaning toward Milei, then added: “Well, to be honest, it’s more of a vote against the other side than anything else.”

Underscoring the bitter division this campaign has brought to the fore, Milei received both jeers and cheers on Friday night at the legendary Colón Theater in Buenos Aires.

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The vote takes place amid Milei’s allegations of possible electoral fraud, reminiscent of those from Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Without providing evidence, Milei claimed that the first round of the presidential election was plagued by irregularities that affected the result. Experts say such irregularities cannot swing an election, and that his assertions are partly aimed at firing up his base and motivating his supporters to become monitors of voting stations.

Such claims spread widely on social media and, at Milei’s rally in Ezeiza earlier this week, all those interviewed told the AP they were concerned about the integrity of the vote.

“You don’t need to show statistically significant errors,” Fernanda Buril, of the Washington-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems, said in an e-mail. “If you draw enough attention to one problem in one polling station which likely doesn’t affect the results in any meaningful way, people are likely to overestimate the frequency and impact of that and other problems in the elections more generally.”

It was the announcement Senate Democrats were dreading.

When it came, it appeared to strike a major blow to their hopes of holding their razor-thin Senate majority in the 2024 elections.

“I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate,” Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced earlier this month.

Manchin, a moderate Democrat and former governor, won over 60% of the vote in his 2012 re-election, but his margin of victory fell to just three points in 2018.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 POWER RANKINGS 

The consensus was that Manchin was the only Democrat who could win in West Virginia next year after his state shifted dramatically to the right over the past decade. Former President Donald Trump carried West Virginia by nearly 40 points in the 2020 election.

Democrats control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map in 2024, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — West Virginia, Montana and Ohio.

Five other blue-held seats are in key swing states narrowly carried by President Biden in 2020 — Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

WITH NINE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL THE FIRST VOTES, THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS THE COMMANDING FRONT-RUNNER IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

“Democrats have multiple pathways to protect and strengthen our Senate majority and are in a strong position to achieve this goal,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein argued in a statement after Manchin’s announcement.

“In addition to defending our battle-tested incumbents, we’ve already expanded the battleground map to Texas and Florida,” Berstein added, pointing to what he called “unpopular Republican incumbents.”

Texas and Florida, where incumbent senators Ted Cruz and Rick Scott are seeking re-election, appear to be the only potentially competitive GOP-held seats up for grabs next year. 

Here’s a look at the five seats most likely to flip in 2024.

West Virginia

With Manchin not seeking re-election, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Sen. Steve Daines said, “We like our odds in West Virginia.”

Right now, the main action is in the Republican Senate primary, where popular Democrat-turned-Republican Gov. Jim Justice has the backing of the NRSC and Trump.

Justice has rasied more money than his main rival, conservative Rep. Alex Mooney, who enjoys the support of the fiscally conservative Club for Growth.

The first Democrat to jump into the race following Manchin’s departure is 32-year-old Zachary Shrewsbury, a native West Virginian and Marine Corps veteran.

Montana

Democrats breathed a sigh of relief when Sen. Jon Tester of Montana announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election in 2024 in a state that Trump carried by 16 points three years ago. The Democratic incumbent has hauled in a formidable $15 million in fundraising so far this year.

Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient who notched more than 200 missions in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere around the globe, launched a Republican Senate bid in late June.

Sheehy, the CEO of Bridger Aerospace, a Montana-based aerial firefighting and wildfire surveillance services company, enjoys the NRSC’s backing.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, a hard-right congressman, is seriously mulling a bid. Rosendale narrowly lost to Tester in the 2018 Senate election.

Ohio

Longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is the only member of his party to win a non-judicial, statewide election in Ohio in the past decade. As Brown runs in 2024 for a fourth six-year term representing Ohio, he will be heavily targeted by Republicans in a state that was once a premier general election battleground but has shifted red over the past six years.

Trump carried Ohio by eight points in his 2016 presidential election victory and his 2020 re-election defeat. Last year, Trump’s handpicked Senate candidate in Ohio — Sen. JD Vance — topped longtime Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan by six points despite Ryan running what political experts considered a nearly flawless campaign.

Brown, who has served as a congressman, state lawmaker and Ohio secretary of state during his nearly half century career in elective politics, is well known across the Buckeye State. The senator, known as a champion for populist causes, raked in $3.6 million in contributions during the first three months of this year.

Two Republicans who ran unsuccessfully for the 2022 GOP Senate nomination in Ohio are already in the race to oust Brown.

State Sen. Matt Dolan, a former top county prosecutor and Ohio assistant attorney general, launched his campaign in January. Dolan, whose family owns Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, shelled out millions of his own money to run ads for his 2022 Senate bid. 

He surged near the end of the primary race, finishing third in a crowded field of Republican contenders, winning nearly a quarter of the vote.

Last month, Bernie Moreno, a successful Cleveland-based businessman and luxury auto dealership giant, declared his candidacy. Moreno, an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally from Colombia with his family as a 5-year-old boy, also shelled out millions of his own money to run TV commercials to try and boost his first Senate bid.

But he suspended his campaign in February 2022 after requesting and holding a private meeting with Trump.

In July, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose joined the race, launching a much-anticipated Senate campaign.

Arizona

With Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appearing to gear up for a re-election campaign — even though she hasn’t officially announced a campaign — the Senate race in battleground Arizona could be the most complicated of the 2024 cycle.

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is already running on the left and has raised more money than Sinema, although the incumbent enjoys a healthy $1 million cash-on-hand advantage.

Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb recently became the first major GOP contender to launch a campaign.

But 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake instantly became the Republican front-runner when she jumped into the race in October. Lake, a former TV news anchor and strong Trump ally, narrowly lost last year’s election for governor but refused to concede.

Pennsylvania 

The Keystone State, which is a perennial general election battleground, will likely live up to its reputation once again in 2024 as it holds what will arguably be one of the most competitive and expensive Senate races across the country.

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who served a decade as the state’s auditor general and then treasurer before first winning election to the Senate in 2006, is seeking a fourth six-year term in office.

Casey, who’s not expected to face any serious Democratic primary challenge, is the son of a popular former governor.

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Republicans appear mostly united behind Dave McCormick, who’s making his second straight Senate run.

McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, West Point graduate, Gulf War combat veteran and Treasury Department official in former President George W. Bush’s administration, was endorsed by the Pennsylvania GOP in late September, soon after he entered the race.

McCormick had been courted by national and state Republicans to run, and his candidacy gives the GOP a high-profile candidate with the ability to finance his own race that’s expected to be one of the most expensive in the country.

The Pennsylvania GOP’s endorsement will likely help McCormick avoid a crowded and combustible battle for the 2024 GOP Senate nomination like the one he faced last year. McCormick ended up losing the nomination by a razor-thin margin to celebrity doctor and cardiac surgeon Mehmet Oz, who secured a primary victory thanks to a late endorsement from Trump. Oz ended up losing the general election last November to Democrat John Fetterman.

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

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas will endorse former President Donald Trump for their party’s 2024 nomination when the two team up Sunday near the U.S.-Mexico border, GOP sources in Texas confirm to Fox News.

The former president will join the governor in Edinburg, Texas, for Abbott’s annual pre-Thanksgiving tradition of serving tamales to Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guardsmen deployed along the southern border under the governor’s Operation Lone Star program.

Trump endorsed Abbott in 2021, as the conservative governor was gearing up for re-election and faced multiple primary challenges from the right. Abbott overwhelmingly won renomination in March of last year before comfortably defeating Democratic challenger former Rep. Beto O’Rourke last November to secure a third term steering Texas.

GAME ON IN IOWA AS DESANTIS AND HALEY BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP 

Abbott was grateful for Trump’s early endorsement last cycle, according to those in the governor’s political orbit, and he’s now apparently returning the favor.

WITH CLOCK TICKING TOWARDS FIRST VOTES IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE, THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Trump, who’s making his third straight White House run, is the commanding front-runner for the Republican 2024 nomination, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley currently vying for a distant second place in the polls.

Trump’s lead expanded over the spring and summer as he made history as the first former or current president in American history to be indicted for a crime. Trump’s four indictments — including in federal court in Washington D.C. and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss — have only fueled his support among Republican voters.

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The former president’s trip to Texas to meet with Abbott near the border will spotlight the combustible issue of illegal immigration and border security. The issue’s long been top of mind for Republican voters, and GOP leaders and politicians for two and a half years have heavily criticized President Biden’s administration over the surge in border crossings by migrants.

Trump has pledged, if he wins back the White House, to launch the largest mass deportation effort in American history, would reinstate travel bans as well as his 2019 “Remain in Mexico” program, which forced non-Mexican asylum-seekers aiming to enter the U.S. at the southern border to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their cases. Trump also said he’d seek to end automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. to immigrants who entered the country illegally, an idea he proposed during his administration.

Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign has slammed Trump’s “scary” proposals, arguing that it would violate the U.S. Constitution, the nation’s values, and the rights of immigrants.

Border security has also long been a top issue for Abbott, who’s sparred repeatedly with the Biden administration.

The Texas legislature, during a special session called by the governor, this week passed a controversial measure allowing state law enforcement officials to arrest suspected undocumented migrants. Democrats have pilloried the strict immigration bill.

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

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee is calling for an investigation into the now-defunct House January 6 committee, accusing former and current lawmakers who served on the committee of “deliberately” hiding some of the footage from the Capitol riots.

Lee’s comments came after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., began releasing more than 40,000 hours of footage taken at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when protesters angry about the 2020 election results stormed the halls of Congress.

Highlighting the release of the footage in a series of posts to X, formerly known as Twitter, Lee called into question the character of former Republican representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

“Why didn’t Liz Cheney and Adam Kizinger ever refer to any of these tapes? Maybe they never looked for them. Maybe they never even questioned their own narrative. Maybe they were just too busy selectively leaking the text messages of Republicans they wanted to defeat,” Lee wrote in a post to the platform, which included a video that purportedly showed Capitol police officers facilitating the passage of protesters through the building that day.

SPEAKER JOHNSON BEGINS RELEASING 40,000 HOURS OF JAN 6 FOOTAGE

Cheney and Kinzinger, Lee wrote in another post to X, were “people who helped hide the J6 tapes” and “are cut out of the same cloth as those who will tell you that FISA 702 must be reauthorized without reforms—’because search warrants require too much effort.'”

“We need to investigate the J6 committee,” he wrote in another post.

Lee also took aim at the committee overall, as well as then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who appointed the select committee to investigate what took place at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“Given the evidence they apparently suppressed, how much footage (and how many other records) do you think Nancy Pelosi and the J6 committee deliberately lost or destroyed?” Lee questioned in one post.

In response to a Friday post by Cheney, which included “some January 6th video” of disgruntled protesters tangling with Capitol police, Lee wrote, “Liz, we’ve seen footage like that a million times. You made sure we saw that — and nothing else. It’s the other stuff — what you deliberately hid from us — that we find so upsetting. Nice try.”

“P.S. How many of these guys are feds? (As if you’d ever tell us),” Lee added in his response to the former lawmaker.

LEFT-WING ACTIVIST CHARGED IN CAPITOL RIOT AFTER SAYING HE WAS JUST THERE TO ‘DOCUMENT’

In another post, Lee wrote, “Taxpayer dollars funded the sham J6 committee.”

The GOP senator also amplified a clip released Friday that shows an officer working inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, who appeared uncuffed and released a protester. The protester could be seen in the clip giving a fist bump to what appeared to be another officer who was nearby at the time of his release.

“I walk through these doors every day — several times a day. I’ve never seen this happen,” Lee wrote in response.

In releasing the remaining footage from the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Speaker Johnson said in a statement: “When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Truth and transparency are critical.”

Some video was made available to the public on Friday, with the bulk of it to be released gradually over time, Johnson said.

Johnson said his decision to release the remaining footage “will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials.”

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Johnson said that roughly 5% of the footage would likely be held back due to “sensitive security information related to the building architecture,” and that some faces would be blurred “to avoid any persons from being targeted for retaliation of any kind.”

It is being made public through the House Administration Committee’s subcommittee on Oversight.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

A new poll suggests that significantly more voters trust former President Donald Trump in handling the ongoing crisis at the southern border compared to President Biden — just as the U.S. remains wracked by a historic migrant crisis.

The Marquette Law School Poll asked respondents who would handle immigration and border security better. Of those polled, 50% said Trump, 27% said Biden, 7% said about the same and 16% said neither.

Respondents also believed Trump to be better on the economy by a 21-point margin. It also found him preferred on the Israel-Hamas war, foreign relations and Medicare and Social Security by just one point. Biden was preferred on abortion policy and climate change.

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL CARRY OUT THE ‘LARGEST DOMESTIC DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY’ IF ELECTED 

The poll comes as the U.S. continues to face a migrant crisis now deep into its third year. There were more than 249,000 migrant encounters in October, the highest October on record.

That comes after more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY23 — itself an annual record – and more than 600,000 gotaways.

Republicans have hammered the Biden administration for its handling of the migrant crisis, blaming it on its policies — including the rolling back of Trump-era policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and border wall construction, as well as decreased interior enforcement. 

In the House, Republicans have passed a sweeping bill that would strictly limit asylum and increase border security measures — including resuming wall construction. But it has not received support from Democrats, which would be needed for it to pass the Senate. Republicans have also moved to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — although a bid to do that failed in the GOP-controlled House this week.

Trump, running for the presidency in 2024, has promised to carry out the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history” if elected.

THOUSANDS OF CHINESE NATIONALS, GOTAWAYS AT THE SOUTHER BORDER SINCE OCT 1: SOURCES 

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has said it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis, and is in need of resources and immigration reform legislation to fix what it says is a “broken” immigration system. It also says it is using a strategy of implementing “consequences” for illegal entry while broadening “legal pathways” for migration.

It has called for the passage of legislation it unveiled in early 2021, which not only would have broadened immigration paths but also would have granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants already in the country. It has yet to pick up any Republican support. The White House recently requested an extra $14 billion in supplemental funding for “border operations.” That includes money for for migrant services and housing, anti-fentanyl technology and more border agents.

A fact sheet put out by the White House stressed that the Biden administration’s strategy is “focused on enforcement, deterrence and diplomacy” that includes a massive expansion of “lawful pathways” into the U.S.

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“The request we have made of Congress today provides critically needed funding to equip the Department of Homeland Security with the people and tools it needs to prevent cartels from moving fentanyl through our ports of entry and to enforce our immigration laws in an orderly and effective way,” Mayorkas said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, the crisis has not only affected border communities but also cities and states deeper in the interior. New York City on Thursday announced deep budget cuts, including to policing and education, which it blamed on the billions it is spending on dealing with the more than 110,000 migrants that have come through the “sanctuary” city in the last year.

DES MOINES, Iowa – He trails former President Donald Trump by at least 25 points in the latest polls in the state that leads off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remains confident.

“We’re going to win here. We have what it takes,” DeSantis vowed in a Fox News interview in Iowa’s capital city.

The Florida governor spoke minutes before he sat down with former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – two of his 2024 GOP White House rivals – in front of a large crowd of social conservative voters in a state where evangelicals play an outsized role in Republican politics.

DeSantis is making a strong showing in Iowa central to his bid to defeat Trump, who remains the commanding Republican front-runner as he makes his third straight run for the White House.

DESANTIS, HALEY, RAMASWAMY, GET PERSONAL AS THEY SIT SIDE-BY-SIDE

But Haley, who’s enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates, has leapfrogged DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire – which holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican schedule – and her home state – which holds the first southern contest.

Now, she aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where she’s pulling even with DeSantis in some of the latest polls.

“The momentum is real. The excitement is there. We’re going to keep working hard to win every Iowan’s vote. We’re not going to give up on Iowa,” Haley touted in a Fox News Digital interview Friday ahead of a town hall in Newton, Iowa.

COULD THIS IOWA EVANGELICAL LEADER’S ENDORSEMENT PUT  DENT IN TRUMP’S COMMANDING LEAD?

With under two months to go until the January 15 caucuses, Haley returned to Iowa showcasing over 70 new Hawkeye State endorsements. And Haley is set to launch a $10 million ad blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire in two weeks.

Asked what kind of finish she needs in Iowa, Haley responded, “we don’t look at it as what do we have to have. The way I look at it is, we’re not going to stop until we get every single person’s vote. That’s the focus.”

But Haley, who only last month opened her headquarters in Iowa, is playing catch up with DeSantis, who been all-in on the Hawkeye State for months. Between his campaign and the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down, the Florida governor has built up a formidable ground game. 

“We’re going to get the job done,” he pledged.

In a major boost for DeSantis, the Florida governor landed the endorsement earlier this month of Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is very popular among Hawkeye State Republicans. Reynolds’ backing helped DeSantis alter a negative narrative.

Reynolds is scheduled to spend Saturday campaigning with DeSantis at multiple stops in Iowa. 

DeSantis called the endorsement “a huge plus for us.”

He’s also aiming to land the endorsement of Bob Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of The Family Leader, the influential social conservative group that hosted Friday’s presidential forum.

Vander Plaats backed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016 — all three of whom went on to win the Iowa caucuses, but failed to capture the GOP presidential nomination.

When asked about winning the support of Vander Plaats, DeSantis told Fox News “we would love that endorsement…I think after this forum, that may be a time when they want to dig in.”

WITH NINE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL THE FIRST VOTES IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE, THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

DeSantis, who earlier this year signed a six-week abortion ban into law in Florida, questioned Trump’s social conservative credentials and argued that “Haley has moved left on a lot of these issues, so I’m really the conservative choice at this point. I think the governor [Reynolds] endorsing me shows that. I think you’ll see us coalesce the support of conservatives on caucus night.”

At the forum, Haley doubled down on comments on her stance on abortion that she made last week at the third Republican presidential debate, in which she urged Americans to find consensus when it comes to limiting abortions.

Haley also reiterated that she is “unapologetically pro-life” and emphasized that “our overall goal is how do we save as many babies as possible and support as many moms as we can.” 

Nicole Schlinger, a longtime Iowa-based strategist with close ties to evangelicals, told Fox News that “this was the answer that I think Iowans were waiting for from Amb. Haley on life issues… I think that was very positive.”

“Gov. DeSantis really came alive during the second half of this forum,” added Schlinger, who’s neutral in the GOP presidential nomination race. “This was a very pro-DeSantis crowd. He got the biggest applause.”

A couple of hours before the presidential forum in Des Moines, Haley landed a surprise endorsement from another social conservative leader in Iowa.

As Haley was taking questions from the audience at a town hall in Newton, Iowa, former state GOP executive director and former president of the Iowa Right to Life Marlys Popma stood to speak.

“I was an undecided voter when I walked in here today, and I am no longer an undecided voter,” Popma said, as many in the crowd applauded. “I just want to tell Nikki that I wholeheartedly support you.”

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While Haley and DeSantis have repeatedly clashed in recent weeks as they battle for second place in the polls behind Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, there were no fireworks at the Family Leader forum.

Asked if it’s getting personal between her and DeSantis, Haley told Fox News “no, it’s not personal. I think Ron’s been a good governor. I think we’re both fighting to save our country. I think we have differences of opinion.”

And Haley, who advocates a muscular American foreign policy compared to DeSantis, Trump, or Ramaswamy, argued that “I have a stronger foreign policy sense than he does. I’ve focused on what I did as governor. He’s focused on what he did as governor. But I was also at the United Nations and dealt with these countries every single day.”

Given a chance to respond to her comments, DeSantis told Fox News Haley “has less than two years at the U.N., which is a corrupt organization that I would defund.”

DeSantis touted his military service in the War in Iraq and his years on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and charged “I think she really represents kind of the failed foreign policy elite that we’ve seen over the last 20-25 years.”

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Monico Oroz contributed to this report

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

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unleashed a fiery response to Biden administration officials who signed on to a dissent letter over President Biden’s pro-Israel stance in its fight against Hamas terrorists — with the former top diplomat saying their moral compass “is broken.”

“People who serve our country in any government institution, whether in the military or the State Department, swear allegiance to the United States and should commit to the mission of the President — elected by the American people — and his Administration,” Pompeo said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “If they are unable or refuse to do so, they should resign or face termination.”

Hundreds of government officials from 40 departments and agencies within the administration signed an anonymous letter demanding a “cease-fire” and opposing the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

BIDEN OFFICIALS REBEL AGAINST PRESIDENT ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, SIGN DISSENT LETTER 

“We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the letter reads, in part.

Biden and others have argued that a cease-fire would only benefit Hamas, who launched a brutal terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, in which militants murdered over 1,000 Israeli civilians. The administration has pushed for humanitarian pauses in fighting, which Israel has carried out.

Pompeo said the dissent was a problem that plagued him during his time in office “when hundreds of State Department employees worked to subvert the mission of the Trump administration.”

“Then as now, these dissenting staff fundamentally misunderstand their role and authority. Not a single American voted for them or their personal views on foreign policy. Their job is to serve the State Department as it executes the elected President’s foreign policy objectives to keep America safe,” he said. “To do otherwise is not just inappropriate; it is deeply at odds with our Constitutional order and subverts the will of the American people.”

BIDEN ALLIES CONDEMN FAR-LEFT CALLS FOR CEASE-FIRE IN ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: ‘AMERICANS REMAIN PRO-ISRAEL’

Apart from their general outspokenness about government policy, Pompeo argued that the staff “are also dead wrong.”

“Their moral compass is broken,” he said. 

“It is absolutely right for America to back Israel in its war against the barbaric Hamas terrorists who committed the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust. Supporting Israel right now isn’t about politics. It’s about enabling the triumph of good over true evil,” he asserted. “Any staffer who fails to recognize this does not deserve the honor of serving the American people at the State Department or any other government agency.”

Meanwhile, President Biden on Wednesday said he believes that Israel’s military operation in Gaza will stop when Hamas “no longer maintains the capacity to murder, abuse, and do horrific things to the Israelis.”

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“Hamas said they plan to attack Israelis again and this is a terrible dilemma,” he said.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump and his family attended the funeral of his sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, at a church in New York City on Friday, The New York Post reported.

Barry, a retired judge and assistant U.S. attorney, passed away on Nov. 13 at the age of 86.

According to The Post, “a somber-looking” Trump was joined by former First Lady Melania Trump, sons Donald Jr., and Eric, daughter Ivanka and a number of others at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church on Park Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

TRUMP TO REMAIN ON COLORADO BALLOT AFTER JUDGE REJECTS 14TH AMENDMENT CHALLENGE TO ELIGIBILITY

Trump waited with his family on the sidewalk outside to greet the hearse carrying Barry’s coffin before entering the church.

The Post reported that New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan performed the blessing over Barry’s body.

Barry was a former federal appellate judge who retired in April 2019, according to the New York Times. The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that she passed away at her home in New York City’s Manhattan borough, with one person saying she was found Monday morning.

COULD EVANGELICAL LEADER’S ENDORSEMENT UPEND TRUMP’S MASSIVE LEAD BEFORE IOWA’S CAUCUS?

In 2016, Trump called his sister a “highly respected judge” while noting they disagree on public policy issues.

Four years later, Trump dismissed secret audio recordings released of Barry saying he had “no principles” and was “cruel.”

“Every day it’s something else, who cares?” Trump said in a statement at the time, according to the Washington Post.

LEFT-WING COMEDIAN MICHAEL RAPAPORT SAYS VOTING FOR TRUMP ‘ON THE TABLE’ IF ANTI SEMITISM NOT ADDRESSED IN US

The Washington Post’s story about the recordings appeared one day after the White House hosted a private memorial service for Robert Trump, the president’s younger brother, who died Aug. 15, 2020, at age 71.

During her legal career, Barry worked as a federal prosecutor before being nominated by then-President Ronald Reagan to the Federal District Court in New Jersey in 1983, the New York Times reported.

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In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton appointed her to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the newspaper added.

Fox News’ Greg Norman and Houston Keene contributed to this report.

DES MOINES, IOWA – They’ve traded fire from behind podiums on the Republican presidential debate stage.

But White House rivals Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy sat down together on Friday around the same table for a very different discussion in front of a large crowd of social conservative voters in Iowa, the state whose caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar.

All three candidates shared personal and at times emotional stories at a presidential Thanksgiving forum hosted by The Family Leader, a politically active and influential social conservative group in a state where evangelical voters play an outsized role in Republican politics.

And each of the candidates spotlighted the difficulties they endured in having children as they showcased their opposition to legalized abortion.

COULD THIS IOWA EVANGELICAL LEADER’S ENDORSEMENT PUT  DENT IN TRUMP’S COMMANDING LEAD?

“I actually haven’t shared this story before,” Ramaswamy said as he described his wife Apoorva’s first pregnancy. 

“About three and a half months in… one day she woke up, she was bleeding. She had a miscarriage. We lost our first child,” Ramaswamy shared.

Moments later, he signaled for his young son to join him on stage.

DeSantis also noted his wife Casey’s miscarriage, and shared publicly for the first time how the two of them prayed for a child during a trip to Israel soon after their marriage.

TRUMP, DESANTIS OR HALEY — WHO BENEFITS AS TIM SCOTT DROPS OUT OF THE RACE?

“We got back to the United States, and a little time later, we got pregnant,” DeSantis continued. “But unfortunately, we lost that first baby.”

Haley also discussed the difficulties she had in getting pregnant.

And Haley doubled down on comments on her stance on abortion that she made last week at the third Republican presidential debate, in which she urged Americans to find consensus when it comes to limiting abortions.

Family Leader president and CEO Bob Vander Plaats noted that Haley’s debate comments sounded “pro-choice” to some evangelicals and asked the presidential candidate to “assure them why that’s not a pro-choice answer.”

Haley reiterated that she is “unapologetically pro-life” and emphasized that “our overall goal is how do we save as many babies as possible and support as many moms as we can.” 

“I think you can look at my entire record as governor. I fought for life whether it was a pain-capable bill, whether it was making sure that women had to wait to see an ultrasound before they made a decision,” said Haley said as she pointed to her two-terms steering South Carolina.

And Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during former President Donald Trump’s administration, touted that “they said that I was the most pro-life ambassador they had ever had represent the U.S. at the United Nations because we did everything we could to make sure our taxpayer dollars never went towards anything that would take that life away or abortion.”

When Vander Plaats pressed Haley on whether she would have signed a six-week abortion bill into law when she was governor,” she quickly answered “Yes. Whatever the people decide, you should do.”

“I think it’s right to be in the hands of the people. I think that the people decided this was put in the states; that’s where it should be. Everybody can give their voice to it.” 

WITH NINE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL THE FIRST VOTES IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE, THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Nicole Schlinger, a longtime Iowa-based strategist with close ties to evangelicals, told Fox News that “this was the answer that I think Iowans were waiting for from Amb. Haley on life issues… I think that was very positive.”

“Gov. DeSantis really came alive during the second half of this forum,” added Schlinger, who’s neutral in the GOP presidential nomination race. “This was a very pro-DeSantis crowd. He got the biggest applause.”

While Haley and DeSantis have repeatedly clashed in recent weeks as they battle for second place in the polls behind Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, there were no fireworks on Friday. 

And the recent acrimony between Haley and Ramaswamy was also not evident at the forum.

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“I don’t want to know what is bad about the other person,” Vander Plaats, who moderated  the forum, said as he explained the ground rules. “I want to have an adult conversation about the future of this country.”

Trump, who was invited to the forum, declined to attend. It was the second major presidential cattle call hosted by the Family Leader that Trump skipped this year. The former president will return to Iowa on Saturday, to headline a rally. 

The forum was briefly interrupted by a climate protester, who shouted, “Repent! Repent!” 

“How can you guys talk about being pro-life when our children’s future is on fire? ” the protester said before being escorted out of the hotel ballroom in downtown Des Moines where the event was held.

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

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A trial for a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Missouri‘s new photo identification requirement for voters is scheduled to begin Friday. Here is a look at the function of the law and why voting rights groups are suing:

WHAT THE LAW DOES

Missouri’s GOP-led Legislature last year capped off a nearly two-decade-long push by Republicans and passed a law requiring voters to show photo identification to cast a regular ballot.

WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FOR VOTER ID AND MAKING EARLY VOTING EASIER: NATIONAL POLL

People without a government-issued photo ID can cast provisional ballots to be counted if they return later that day with a photo ID or if election officials verify their signatures. The law requires the state to provide a free photo identification card to those lacking one to vote.

LEGAL CHALLENGES

The Missouri League of Women Voters, NAACP and two voters sued to overturn the law last year, arguing the change makes casting ballots unconstitutionally difficult for some voters.

Cole County Presiding Judge Jon Beetem, who also will hear arguments in the trial beginning Friday, dismissed the case in October 2022. He found neither of the two voters “alleged a specific, concrete, non-speculative injury or legally protectable interest in challenging the photo ID requirement.”

The Missouri ACLU and Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, who sued on behalf of the plaintiffs, have since added another voter to the lawsuit and asked Beetem again to find the voter ID requirement unconstitutional.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE LAW

The newest plaintiff is John O’Connor, a 90-year-old Columbia, Missouri, resident with poor vision who needs help walking. When the law took effect last year, O’Connor had an expired passport and driver’s license, which are not acceptable forms of identification to vote under state law.

His lawyers argued he eventually obtained a non-driver’s license with the help of his wife, but only because officials accepted his expired driver’s license despite guidance from the state Revenue Department that long-expired licenses are not acceptable records to use when seeking new IDs.

“Even when a voter obtains the underlying documentation, voters who lack transportation, cannot get to the DMV or other government agencies during their hours of operation, or have a disability or impairment that prevents them from accessing a DMV, the voter is still unable to surmount the burdens to obtaining a photo ID,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote in a pretrial brief.

ARGUMENTS FOR THE LAW

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office is defending the law in court. The state lawyers argue that, so far, no one has been turned away at the polls because of the law.

Missouri provides free non-driver’s licenses for voting to those who do not already have a driver’s license or have a current license. The health department’s Bureau of Vital Records provides free birth certificates to those seeking their first non-driver’s license in order to vote if the applicant does not have a current driver’s license.

“There is not a severe burden on the right to vote as the State has gone to great lengths to help voters obtain IDs,” Bailey wrote in a court brief.

VOTER ID ELSEWHERE

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports 36 states request or require identification to vote, of which at least 20 ask for a photo ID.

Other Republican-led states are moving in the same direction as Missouri as they respond to conservative voters unsettled by unfounded claims of widespread fraud and persistent conspiracy theories over the accuracy of U.S. elections. Critics characterize such requirements as an overreaction that could disenfranchise eligible voters.

For the first time this year, Ohio voters were required show photo identification to cast ballots in person. The new law eliminated previously acceptable non-photo options, such as a utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck. State-issued photo IDs are available free of charge

Missouri Republicans are not the only ones who had to fight for years to enact ID requirements.

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North Carolina’s voter photo identification law, enacted nearly five years ago by the Republican-controlled legislature but blocked by litigation, is just now being implemented. Registered voters there can get free IDs at their county election offices if they provide their name, date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Nebraska lawmakers this summer passed a voter ID law allowing a wide array of photo identification that voters can present at the polls. IDs include passports, driver’s licenses, military and tribal IDs and Nebraska college IDs. Expired IDs are allowed if they have the voter’s name and photo. Residents of hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living centers will be able to use patient documents that include a photo.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday praised President Biden for being the “first president in the United States in recent times who has not built walls.”

López Obrador made the remark while meeting with Biden in San Francisco, adding that “we wish to assist the people in their countries of origin when they are forced to migrate.” 

“I would like to also take this opportunity to greet our paisanos, the Mexican migrants who are living and making a life and working in the United States,” he continued. “Around 40 million people have made the United States their second home, their second country, and I would also like to inform those who may not be aware of this that in recent years there are many American citizens who are moving to Mexico to stay there or to live in Mexico.”

“So welcome, because we are brotherly countries,” López Obrador added. 

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION APPROVES $950 MILLION IN CONTRACTS FOR BORDER WALL REPAIR, UPGRADES 

Biden said while sitting next to Mexico’s president, “We’re working side by side to combat arms trafficking, to tackle organized crime and to address the opioid epidemic, including fentanyl.” 

The meeting comes two weeks after Fox News Digital reported that the Biden administration approved $950 million in contracts to repair and upgrade part of existing border wall construction in Arizona, California and Texas, using money from Trump-era congressional appropriations. 

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER SHOT DEAD IN CARTEL-DOMINATED MEXICAN BORDER HUB 

In court documents, first reported by the New York Post, the Department of Homeland Security said that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded contracts for repair work and “system attribute installation” in the San Diego, El Centro, El Paso and Tucson Sectors. 

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Remediation work includes closing gaps, installing gates and improving roads and drainage systems. “System attribute installation” includes putting in cameras, roads and detection technology to enhance the border wall. Other contracts include installing anti-climb features on the wall in San Diego, IT support and environmental planning. None of the money was awarded for additional wall construction.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

Former President Donald Trump’s name will remain on the Colorado 2024 presidential primary ballot, a judge ruled Friday.

“The court orders the Secretary of State to place Donald J. Trump on the presidential primary ballot when it certifies the ballot on January 5, 2024,” U.S. District Court Judge Sarah B. Wallace wrote in her ruling.

The decision came following a legal challenge seeking to disqualify Trump from appearing on the ballot, citing the 14th Amendment.

BIDEN USES TRUMP’S OWN WORDS AGAINST HIM IN BID TO RECAPTURE THIS MAJOR VOTING BLOCK FOR DEMS IN 2024

The lawsuit sought to use the Disqualifications Clause, or Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars individuals who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against America or who have aided those engaged in such activities from holding office, and specifically cited Trump’s alleged involvement in the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021. 

Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), as well as six Colorado voters, filed the lawsuit in September, one of multiple legal attempts in a number of states across the country aiming to prevent Trump winning another four years in the White House.

CREW, a left-wing organization that often targets Republicans, was optimistic Friday morning that the ruling would fall in their favor.

NEW YORK JUDGE LIFTS TRUMP GAG ORDER IN CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL OVER FREE SPEECH CONCERNS

The decision comes after a Michigan judge ruled Wednesday in a similar lawsuit that Trump would also remain on that state’s primary ballot, which followed the Minnesota Supreme Court and a federal judge in New Hampshire previously dismissing other challenges.

Trump is the first former president in United States history to face criminal charges. 

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He was indicted during special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into alleged interference in the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. He faces criminal charges in Georgia, New York and from Smith’s separate investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

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

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the House of Representatives will release more than 40,000 hours of footage taken at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when protesters angry about the 2020 election results stormed the halls of Congress.

Some video is already available to the public as of Friday, with the bulk of it to be released gradually over time, Johnson said.

“When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Truth and transparency are critical,” Johnson said in a statement.

LEFT-WING ACTIVIST CHARGED IN CAPITOL RIOT AFTER SAYING HE WAS JUST THERE TO ‘DOCUMENT’

“Today, we will begin immediately posting video on a public website and move as quickly as possible to add to the website nearly all of the footage, more than 40,000 hours. In the meantime, a public viewing room will ensure that every citizen can view every minute of the videos uncensored.”

He continued, “This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials.”

FEDS SEIZE $90K FROM SUPPOSED LEFT-WING ACTIVIST WHO SOLD FOOTAGE OF CAPITOL RIOT

Johnson said that roughly 5% of the footage would likely be held back due to “sensitive security information related to the building architecture,” and that some faces would be blurred “to avoid any persons from being targeted for retaliation of any kind.”

It is being made public through the House Administration Committee’s subcommittee on Oversight. 

Johnson shared the link to the public website on his X page on Friday afternoon.

JOHNSON’S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING — AND SOME VICTORIES

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had made clips from Jan. 6 available to qualified individuals like the media, legal defendants and certain groups in September, to be viewed under security measures at the Capitol.

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But hardliners in the House GOP Conference have been pushing for the full tranche to be released to the public.

“Doing what he said he would do. Good,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X after Johnson’s announcement.

A Democratic congresswoman from Michigan said the violent pro-Palestinian demonstration at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) “rattled” her more than the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said Thursday the protest frightened her and warned that someone “is going to get hurt at one of these things.”

“They can get out of control,” Dingell added. 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dingell described how she attempted to leave the DNC building as the protest turned violent.

REPUBLICANS BLAST PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS AT DNC: ‘NATION’S CAPITAL IS UNDER SIEGE’

Dingell and fellow Michigan Democrat Rep. Hillary Scholten were inside the DNC during the protest that saw a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer pepper-sprayed.

Dingell told Fox News Digital she thinks “that the right to free speech and the right for peaceful protest … right for assembly, they’re really fundamental parts of our Constitution.”

However, as she tried to leave the building through a side door, she found it had been blocked.

“I later learned that they had pushed those trash bins so you couldn’t open the doors,” Dingell said. “And they said people are waiting in the alley to jump at you.”

Dingell said she went back and chatted with people inside the building before deciding she would leave the DNC via the front door because she has “talked to protesters” before.

“I’ve always done that,” Dingell said. The congresswoman said she told the other people who were in lockdown at the DNC she was going to leave the building and was joined by Scholten.

“And I said, ‘I talk to protesters all the time, what can they do to us?’” Dingell said. “And I said, ‘So I’m going to walk out the front door, and we’ll see how we get treated and the rest of you can figure it out.”

Dingell said she got up to leave but stopped when she saw the pepper-sprayed USCP officer brought in.

“Her skin was burnt, her eyes were bad. She had been pepper-sprayed and was not OK,” Dingell said. “And a medic came in right behind her and was treating her, and we’re all looking at that.

“Then, the Capitol Police said to me, ‘It’s not OK out there, you’re going to get hurt,'” she added. “And you looked, and there were policemen there with masks on up on the stairs. And you saw the intensity of what was going on.

“So, yeah, when you’re that close and you see someone come in who’s been hurt, it does rattle you.”

The Michigan Democrat said the DNC building “is not a huge building,” calling it a “contained space.”

“In the Capitol, we were in a big place. They were working to keep us safe,” Dingell said, recalling the storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump in January 2021. “I never knew how bad it was until after we had finished our final voting about what had been happening.”

The DNC headquarters, on the other hand, put her closer to the clash between police and protesters. 

“When you’re in that contained space and all you see are bodies fighting each other, it’s scary,” Dingell said.

Dingell said that while she “will protect anybody’s right for peaceful protest,” the violent Wednesday night protest “distracts from the message that they were trying to get people to hear.”

The Michigan Democrat said she was grateful to the Capitol Police for keeping her and her colleagues safe and that she is “sorry anybody got hurt.”

Dingell said she believes “that there are people that are deliberately trying to pit us against each other.”

When asked who she thinks is trying to divide the country, Dingell said she thinks there are some “outside forces” at play.

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“And I’m not into calling any … I am a person who believes in civility. I believe you can disagree agreeably,” Dingell said. “And I think that there are forces at play, probably multiple ones that really enjoy watching some of this play out.”

“And they’re trying to harm our democracy,” she added.