NationalWatch

The Maine election official who disqualified former President Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot said on Monday that politics did not influence her decision. 

Last week, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, ruled that Trump was barred from running for president in her state because he allegedly “engaged in insurrection” through his actions leading up to and during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

“Politics and my personal views played no role,” Bellows told NPR in an interview. “I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and that is what I did.” 

Her controversial decision followed a similar ruling by Colorado’s state Supreme Court that cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars candidates who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States from holding federal elected office. 

TRUMP DISQUALIFIED FROM MAINE 2024 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY BALLOT

The Trump campaign had derided both decisions and called Bellows “a virulent leftist and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat,” accusing her of election interference on behalf of President Biden. 

However, the Maine election chief explained said she was required to issue a decision after registered voters challenged Trump’s qualification for the ballot.

“Under Maine law, when I qualified Mr. Trump for the ballot, any registered voter had the right to challenge that qualification,” Bellows told “All Things Considered” host Scott Detrow. “Five voters did so, including two former Republican state senators. And then I was required under the statute, under the law, to hold a hearing and issue a decision, and do so within a very compressed timeline. So this wasn’t something I initiated, but it’s something that’s required under Maine election law.”

Bellows said she “carefully” reviewed evidence presented at a hearing that the violence on Jan. 6 “occurred at the behest of, and with the knowledge and support of, the outgoing president.” 

MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT MET WITH BIDEN TWICE, CALLED ELECTORAL COLLEGE ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’

She called the riot “tragic” and an “attack not only upon the capital and government officials, but also an attack on the rule of law, on the peaceful transfer of power.” 

“The United States Constitution does not tolerate an assault on the foundations of our government. And under Maine election law, I was required to act in response,” Bellows said. 

The Maine and Colorado decisions provoked an outcry from Trump supporters, GOP officials and even some liberal Democrats who view efforts to take Trump off the ballot as overreach. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot, criticized Bellows’ decision and said voters should be able to vote for Trump “until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection.” 

In response to her critics, Bellows told NPR that the Constitution does not require Trump to be convicted to be barred from the ballot. 

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“So I encourage people to read my decision, and also read very carefully Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. It doesn’t say ‘convict.’ It doesn’t say ‘convicted’ or ‘impeached,'” she said. 

“But furthermore, here’s what’s very, very important: In my decision, I made clear this is part of Maine’s process,” she continued. “It now goes to Maine Superior Court. Mr. Trump may, and will, appeal to Superior Court. Then it goes to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and then to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Bellows noted that she suspended her decision from taking effect pending court review of the Colorado and Maine actions. Trump is expected to contest both decisions and the case will likely be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court sometime before January 20 — the deadline when military and overseas voters must receive their ballots for Maine’s presidential primary on March 5. 

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Bellows said Maine “would certainly welcome” a Supreme Court decision to clarify Trump’s eligibility to run for president. 

“So the courts are compelled by a very compressed timeline as well here in our state. And I am hopeful we’ll have resolution,” she said.

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

A Georgetown University professor who spent 12 years as a CIA intelligence analyst is warning that DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts and the overall politicization of the intelligence community have become a “significant” problem and that he is confident those agencies will attempt to interfere with the 2024 election similar to their efforts in 2020.

“My guess is that the the proverbial deep state within the intelligence community will reemerge because presumably a Republican candidate will again be seen as a threat to the internal policies that many intelligence people like,” Dr. John Gentry, author of the new book, “Neutering the CIA: Why US Intelligence Versus Trump Has Long-Term Consequences,” told Fox News Digital. 

Within days of the bombshell New York Post story that detailed the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the lead-up to the 2020 election, 51 former intelligence officials signed onto a letter in an attempt to discredit the laptop, saying it “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” 

The CIA approved the publication of the infamous Hunter Biden laptop letter, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital in 2023.

CIA THREATENED WITH SUBPOENA FOR RECORDS ON LETTER DISCREDITING HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP

Gentry told Fox News Digital that downplaying the Hunter Biden laptop was “clearly political” and that a highly placed source told him “in no uncertain terms” that it was done “explicitly” with the “intent to help the Biden campaign.”

He said there have already been signs in recent weeks that current or former intelligence agency members will be active in 2024.

“I long have thought we are likely to again see former intelligence officers be politically active against Trump or whomever the Republican presidential candidate is next year, and I expect leaking to resume,” Gentry said. “The activities of ‘formers’ have resumed already, a bit before I expected.”

Gentry pointed to a recent article from Marc Polymeropoulos, a CIA official who retired in 2019 and was the co-lead of the Hunter Biden laptop “open letter,” and former FBI employee Asha Rangappa that warned of the dangers of Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail. 

“Asha Rangappa once worked at the FBI and also was openly anti-Trump, though as a relatively junior former, she attracted less attention than many,” Gentry said. “I think it is worth closely monitoring these people. Many have compromised their credibility by actions such as the ‘Laptop 51’ letter.”

A major issue over the past few decades, Gentry said, was the introduction of DEI policies at the major intelligence agencies, including the CIA, that shifted attention away from day-to-day operations to a more “woke” political agenda.

“It was an effort half a century ago to get more women and minorities into the intelligence community,” Gentry said. “This was done under the rubric of affirmative action. It gradually became more of a policy through the Clinton administration. But it took a significant step forward, or not, depending on your perspective, when President Obama signed an executive order designed to improve diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce.“

DOJ KNEW HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP WAS ‘NOT MANIPULATED,’ CONTAINED ‘RELIABLE EVIDENCE’ IN 2019: WHISTLEBLOWER

Gentry told Fox News Digital that discussions about personal politics didn’t happen during his time at the CIA but that sources in the intelligence community during the Obama years told him that standard was largely “gone” and political activism was “common.”

Two of the main drivers of the more politically active intel agencies, Gentry explained, were former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Gentry said Brennan and Clapper were both “… very strongly supportive of Obama’s desire to transform the federal workforce, and so they began to accelerate this process and did a number of things from the standpoint of policy actions, in terms of specific recruitment efforts, for example, and they pushed their employees to be more concerned about diversity and inclusion issues and, even in Brennan’s case, to be politically active.”

BARI WEISS CALLS FOR END TO DEI PROGRAMS, SAYS THEY UNDERMINE ‘CENTRAL MISSIONS’ OF INSTITUTIONS

Gentry told Fox News Digital that there is no doubt that DEI and politicization within the intel agencies have had a negative effect on morale with the rank-and-file workers.

“There are a lot of people who are unhappy about it because it’s politicizing the workforce, and it’s dividing the workforce among people who believe in DEI policies and those who don’t,” Gentry said. 

“And even in the Obama period, the analysis director had people who were beginning to talk about, quote, ‘soft totalitarianism.’ That was a direct result of Brennan’s top-down, politically driven policies; the totalitarianism being a reminder of the Soviet Union and China and so on. Well, this has a number of effects in terms of performance and in terms of credibility.”

Gentry said his book will hopefully help readers “appreciate that there is a significant political problem within the agencies” and that former members of the intel community saw how effective they were in damaging Trump in 2020 and “no one was criticized.”

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“So, put all these things together, and I’m pretty confident that we’ll see a reemergence of activism,” Gentry said.

In a speech at the Aspen Security Forum in July, CIA Director William Burns addressed the issue of politicization inside the intelligence community. 

“My obligation, and President Biden reminds me of this frequently, is to offer the best intelligence that we can collect and analyze straight up, even when that’s inconvenient to policymakers. I spent enough time on the other side of the table to know when it’s inconvenient to, when somebody’s telling you that the big new idea is actually not so big, not so new, and not so effective,” Burns said. 

“Our job is to be straight about that, whether it’s welcome downtown, at the White House, or other parts of the executive branch or not. It’s not an easy role to play, but it’s an incredibly important one. It’s one I take seriously. I know Director Haines does and others across the US intelligence community. That’s what our officers do their very best to provide.”

A Maryland county claims under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, it can create a school board seat that only illegal immigrants can vote for, according to reports.

The Washington Times reported that Howard County officials appeared before a federal court of appeals last month and defended its current process of having a school board seat occupied by a student, in which only public school students are allowed to vote for.

Some Howard County residents are challenging the practice on the basis of it being unconstitutional discrimination in voting, particularly against the county general electorate and students at religious schools who cannot vote for the student seat.

An attorney for the challengers, Michael Smith, told the publication it is a “zero-sum game.” He explained that empowering students to choose one of the eight school board members takes away power from the general electorate.

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“You have 12.5% of the voting authority of that board that’s removed from registered voters,” Smith said.

Eight counties in Maryland have a student serving on their respective board of education. In Howard County, officials argue the selection of a student is more of an appointment because, despite students casting a vote for their student candidate of choice, the board and school officials narrow down the candidates.

A county attorney, Amy Marshak, explained to the publication that the election is not just a popularity contest.

DECISIONS IN 14TH AMENDMENT CASES COULD IMPACT PENDING COLORADO, MICHIGAN EFFORTS TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM BALLOT

“While students do vote, they do it as part of a very limited process,” she said.

The case has been through several courts at this point.

A lower court sided with the county and determined the process violates the First Amendment religious rights and 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause of those students who are shut out of voting.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, though, questioned the decision, asking if a vote is not being taken, is it really an appointive process?

TRUMP CAMPAIGN SAYS 14TH AMENDMENT ADVOCATES USING ‘LAWFARE’ TO ‘DEPRIVE’ VOTERS OF CHOICE IN 2024

The appeals court also argued if it is not an appointment, but it is an election, the process gets tangled with voting rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

“You’ve got this additional seat that is not subject to the one-person, one-vote rule,” Chief Judge Albert Diaz reportedly said. “That’s a problem.”

The seat held by the student does not have the power to vote on the budget or personnel matters, though plaintiffs in the case say a student board member was able to cast the decision-making vote to close school longer because of the pandemic.

The appellate court ruled reportedly determined the constitution does not guarantee the right to vote for a school board, adding if a student is appointed, the matter is closed.

CASES IN COLORADO, MINNESOTA SEEK TO STOP TRUMP FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT AGAIN

When the process is deemed an election, though, it is up to the county to prove restrictions on who is allowed to vote.

Judge A. Mavin Quattlebaum Jr. questioned what other populations may be eligible to have a school board member designated for them, particularly immigrants in the country illegally.

“So, if Maryland decided, or the school board decided that undocumented aliens aren’t adequately represented, constitutionally could a board member be selected by undocumented aliens in town,” Quattlebaum asked.

Marshak said it would not go against the 14th Amendment.

“I think it would not violate the one-person, one-vote principle of the Equal Protection Clause,” she reportedly said, though she questioned if additional parts of the law could come into play.

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Maryland allows immigrants, even those in the country illegally, to vote in local elections if communities allow them to do so. At this time, though, no elections are reserved specifically for them.

No decision has been made, and both sides are waiting for the court of appeals to rule on the matter.

With a wary eye over the future of the federal courts, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warned Sunday of the perils of artificial intelligence (AI) when deciding cases and other important legal matters.

His remarks came in the annual year-end report issued by the head of the federal judiciary, which made no mention of current controversies surrounding his court, including calls for greater transparency and ethics reform binding the justices.

Noting the legal profession in general is “notoriously averse to change,” Roberts urged a go-slow approach when embracing new technologies by the courts.

“AI obviously has great potential to dramatically increase access to key information for lawyers and non-lawyers alike,” he said. “But just as obviously it risks invading privacy interests and dehumanizing the law.”

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“But any use of AI requires caution and humility,” he added. “As 2023 draws to a close with breathless predictions about the future of Artificial Intelligence, some may wonder whether judges are about to become obsolete. I am sure we are not— but equally confident that technological changes will continue to transform our work.”

Roberts also summarized the work of the nation’s 94 district courts, 13 circuit courts and his own Supreme Court. Previous year-end reports have focused on courthouse security, judges’ pay, rising caseloads and budgets. 

The chief justice’s predictions of the future did not include his own court’s caseload, as he and his colleagues are poised to tackle several politically-charged disputes in the new year, many focused on former president Donald Trump’s legal troubles and re-election efforts.

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Election examinations

The Supreme Court has tackled its share of election fights over the decades — remember Bush v. Gore nearly a quarter century ago? — but 2024 promises to make that judicial drama look quaint by comparison. 

First up could be whether states can keep Trump’s name off primary and general election ballots. Colorado’s highest court said yes, and now the U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to decide the extent of a 14th Amendment provision that bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection.”

State courts across the country are considering whether Trump’s role in 2020 election interference and the Jan. 6 Capitol riots would disqualify him from seeking re-election.

The justices are being asked to decide the matter quickly, either by mid-February or early March, when the “Super Tuesday” primaries in 16 states are held.

In his leadership role as “first among equals,” the 68-year-old Roberts will likely be the key player in framing what voting disputes his court will hear and ultimately decide, perhaps as the deciding vote. 

Despite a 6-3 conservative majority, the chief justice has often tried to play the middle, seeking a less-is-best approach that has frustrated his more right-leaning colleagues.

But despite any reluctance to stay away from the fray, the court, it seems, will be involved in election-related controversies. 

“Given the number of election disputes it might be coming, a lot of them could be moving very quickly and will be very important to see what the court does,” said Brianne Gorod, chief counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center. “Sometimes the Supreme Court has no choice but to be involved in the election cases, because there are some voting rights and election cases that the justices are required to resolve on the merits.”

Already the high court is considering redistricting challenges to voting boundaries in GOP-leaning states, brought by civil rights groups.

That includes South Carolina’s first congressional district and claims the Republican-led legislature created a racial gerrymander. A ruling is expected in spring 2024.

The high court could also be asked to weigh in on emergency appeals over vote-by-mail restrictions, provisional ballots deadlines, polling hours, the Electoral College and more. 

Just weeks before President Trump’s first House impeachment in 2019, Roberts tried to downplay his court’s consideration of partisan political disputes.

“When you live in a polarized political environment, people tend to see everything in those terms,” Roberts said at the time. “That’s not how we at the court function and the results in our cases do not suggest otherwise.”

But the court’s reputation as a fair arbiter of the law and Constitution has continued to erode to all-time lows.

A Fox News poll in June found just 48% of those surveyed having confidence in the Supreme Court, down from 83% just six years ago.

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The Trump term?

Donald Trump faces separate criminal prosecution in four jurisdictions in 2024 — two federal cases over document mishandling and 2020 election interference; and two state cases in Georgia over 2020 election interference and New York over hush money payments to a porn star.

The prospect of a former president and leading GOP candidate facing multiple criminal convictions — with or without the blessing of the United States Supreme Court — has the potential to dominate an already riven election campaign.

The former president has filed various motions in each case, seeking to drop charges, delay the proceedings, and be allowed to speak publicly at what he sees as politically-motivated prosecutions.

The Supreme Court recently refused to fast-track a separate appeal, over Trump’s scheduled criminal trial scheduled to start the day before “Super Tuesday.”

Special counsel Jack Smith is challenging Trump’s claim of presidential immunity in the 2020 election interference case. The former president says the prosecutions amount to a “partisan witch hunt.”

While the justices are staying out of the dispute for now, they could quickly jump back in later this winter, after a federal appeals court decides the merits in coming weeks.

But the justices will decide this term whether some January 6 Capitol riot defendants can challenge their convictions for “corruptly” obstructing “official proceedings.” Oral arguments could be held in February or March.

More than 300 people are facing that same obstruction law over their alleged efforts to disrupt Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.

The former president faces the same obstruction count in his case, and what the high court decides could affect Trump’s legal defense in the special counsel prosecution, and the timing of his trial.

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Look ahead

In the short term, the Supreme Court, with its solid conservative majority, will hear arguments and issue rulings in coming months on hot-button topics like:

– Abortion, and access to mifepristone, a commonly-used drug to end pregnancies

– Executive power, and an effort to sharply curb the power of federal agencies to interpret and enforce “ambiguous” policies enacted by Congress

– Social media, and whether tech firms — either on their own or with the cooperation of the government — can moderate or prevent users from posting disinformation

– Gun rights and a federal ban on firearm possession by those subject to domestic violence restraining orders

Off the bench, the court last month instituted a new “code of conduct” — ethics rules to clarify ways the justices can address conflicts of interest, case recusals, activities they can participate in outside the court and their finances.

It followed months of revelations that some justices, particularly Clarence Thomas, did not accurately report gifts and other financial benefits on their required financial disclosure reports.

The court in a statement admitted the absence of binding ethics rules led some to believe that the justices “regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules.”

“To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”

All this reflects the delicate balancing act the chief justice will navigate in a presidential election year.

The unprecedented criticism of the high court’s work — on and off the bench — is not lost on its nine members.

“There’s a storm around us in the political world and the world at large in America,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said this fall. “We, as judges and the legal system, need to try to be a little more, I think, of the calm in the storm.”

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Some court watchers agree the court as an institution may struggle in the near term to preserve its legitimacy and public confidence, but time might be on its side.

“By its nature, the court kind of takes a long-term view of things,” said Thomas Dupree, a former top Justice Department official, who has litigated cases before the Supreme Court. “Even when we disagree with the outcome in a particular case, I have never had any doubt that these are men and women who are doing their absolute best to faithfully apply the laws and the Constitution of the United States to reach the right result.”

The U.S. southern border saw its highest rate of illegal migrant encounters last month, blowing away previous statistics.

Sources with Customs and Border Patrol told Fox News Digital that migrant encounters hit a staggering 300,000 incidents in the last month of 2023, reaching a level thought unimaginable just years ago.

Between Dec. 1 and December 31, more than 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border. 

It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded. It is also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000.

BORDER NUMBERS FOR DECEMBER BREAK MONTHLY RECORD, AS BIDEN ADMIN TALKS AMNESTY WITH MEXICO

More than 785,000 migrant encounters have been reported since the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1 — the highest first quarter total ever recorded.

Republicans have blamed the surge on the policies of the administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies, while the administration says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge and needs more funding and immigration reform legislation from Congress. 

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Officials in Texas have been sending the migrants nationwide. A plane-load of migrants was seen arriving at Chicago Rockford International Airport in Illinois on Dec. 31.

Mayor Michael Gonnelli of Secaucus, New Jersey reported that bus loads of migrants headed to New York City have stopped at his town’s train station, attempting to circumvent the city’s regulations on migrant arrivals.

“It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the executive order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucus and having them continue to their final destination,” Gonnelli said in a statement.

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Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were part of a U.S. delegation to Mexico City where they met with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

In the joint statement, the countries affirmed their commitments to “orderly, humane and regular migration” and stressed their efforts to tackle “root causes” of migration, disrupt human smuggling and promote private investment while also investing in “ambitious development programs” in the region.

But the statement also said that officials discussed the “benefits” of granting some form of legal status for illegal immigrants already in the U.S., including those protected by the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — an executive order signed by President Barack Obama, which shielded some illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors.

Following reports of data showing migration at the southern border smashed monthly records in December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the Biden administration of “aiding and abetting” drug cartels. 

“We’ve got the Biden administration, as I said, aiding and abetting the cartels, encouraging the cartels to make billions of dollars and to bring as many people here as fast as possible, and as soon as possible,” Paxton told Fox News’ Jason Chaffetz on “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

“That’s what the Biden administration is doing. They’re not just not doing their job, they’re actually encouraging the opposite,” he added. 

Paxton was reacting to questions regarding a 15,000-person migrant caravan currently making its way to the border, in addition to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources telling Fox News last week that migrant numbers at the southern border in December broke records for monthly encounters.

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Ahead of December officially ending, sources said there had been more than 276,000 migrant encounters in the month so far, smashing previous monthly records. Officials anticipate processing 300,000 migrants this month. 

TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW PUSHBACK MARKS LATEST TENSION BETWEEN BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND BORDER STATES OVER CRISIS

Paxton also reacted to the Department of Justice warning Texas leaders on Thursday the state would face legal action if a new immigration law allowing local law enforcement officers to arrest individuals suspected of entering the U.S. illegally is implemented. The law allows state judges to order illegal immigrants to be removed from the country.

“This threat of a lawsuit because we merely want to protect our own citizens from the crime and the cost of illegal immigration, when it’s really their job to do it,” Paxton said of the threat of legal action over the upcoming law. 

TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SIGNS BILL MAKING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A STATE CRIME

Paxton also took issue with mayors of Democrat-led sanctuary cities who have sounded off against the migrant spikes, including blaming Texas for busing migrants to liberal cities, arguing that northern cities are only seeing a fraction of the migrant crisis compared to Texas.

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“All of these cities during the Trump administration created sanctuary cities and discouraged the Trump administration from blocking the border and keeping these illegals from coming across. Now that the Biden administration is allowing them, and they’re getting a few hundred or a few thousand versus the literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions, that the border states are getting. They’re complaining, and it’s a little ironic that … they’re blaming Texas, when all we’re dealing with is a much more significant problem.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House regarding Paxton’s remarks Sunday afternoon. 

When it comes to his approval rating, President Biden ends 2023 where he started the year – firmly in negative territory.

The president stood at 43% approval and 57% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted in mid-December, and he registered below 40% approval in a handful of major polls in the field this month.

Biden’s approval rating stands at 41%-56% as the calendar turns from 2023 to 2024, according to an average of all the most recent national surveys compiled by Real Clear Politics.

The approval rating is a key indicator of a president’s performance, clout and popularity and is a closely watched metric, especially when an incumbent in the White House seeks a second term. The 81-year-old Biden is running for re-election in 2024.

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Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden’s much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer, mainly among unvaccinated people.

The plunge in the president’s approval was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border with Mexico. 

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Biden stands well below where his three most recent two-term predecessors – former Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – stood at this point in their presidencies, as they successfully ran for re-election. 

The only recent president whose approval ratings were nearly as negative as Biden’s current numbers was his most recent predecessor, former President Trump, who was defeated by Biden in the 2020 election.

Trump stood at 45%-53% in a Fox News poll conducted in December 2019, and at 45%-52% on the last day of 2019, according to the Real Clear Politics average at the time.

Trump remains the commanding frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and as the new year approaches, a 2020 election rematch appears likely next November.

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Biden once held the upper hand over Trump in 2024 presidential election surveys, but Trump began enjoying an advantage over his successor in the White House in many polls starting in October.

“Predictions more than a year out tend to look a little different a year later,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said early last month. “Don’t take our word for it: Gallup predicted an eight-point loss for President Obama only for him to win handily a year later.”

Veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse concurred that polls “aren’t necessarily predictive a year out.”

But Newhouse emphasized “that doesn’t mean you ignore these polls and they [Biden’s campaign] do so at their own risk.”

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

Former President Trump holds a commanding lead over the Republican presidential primary field, but as he criss-crosses the nation campaigning in an effort to turn that lead into a secured 2024 GOP nomination, he will also be expected to sit in courtrooms in multiple jurisdictions in defense of his innocence.

Trump, who is the current Republican frontrunner and would even beat President Biden in a head-to-head match-up if the general election were held today according to the latest Fox News Poll, was indicted four times in 2023.

Additionally, the former president is forced to now tackle competing calendars, with critical early state primary election days and trial dates.

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The first trial on the 2024 calendar was supposed to be in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2024, after Special Counsel Jack Smith charged the former president with 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. Those charges stemmed from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The trial was set for March 4 – the day before the March 5 Super Tuesday primary contests, when Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Vermont vote to select a GOP nominee.

However, Smith, earlier this month, asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether Trump can be prosecuted on charges relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Additionally, lawyers for Trump filed a motion urging Judge Tanya Chutkan to pause proceedings against Trump in the Jan. 6 case while his appeal is pending. 

Chutkan said earlier this month that she does not have jurisdiction over the matter while it is pending before the Supreme Court, and she put a pause on the case against the Republican 2024 front-runner until the high court determines its involvement.

It is now unclear when that trial could begin.

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Next on the calendar was the trial stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s yearslong investigation related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Bragg alleged that Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.

That trial is set to begin in New York City on March 25, 2024. However, Bragg said he would be flexible on that date, pending the decision on trial timing in Smith’s Jan. 6 case.

If it does begin on March 25, court proceedings will take place just after the Louisiana primary and ahead of April 2 – when Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin voters hit the polls to select a GOP nominee.

GOP REP ANDY BARR ENDORSES TRUMP FOR ‘STRONG LEADERSHIP BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD’

Meanwhile, Smith also charged Trump out of his investigation into the former president’s alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges out of that probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

Trump was then charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation – an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. Trump pleaded not guilty.

That trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024, ahead of the Kentucky primary on May 21, the Oregon primary on May 25 and New Jersey’s primary on June 4.

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT PROBES INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM STORMY DANIELS TO RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Should Trump solidify his lead in the GOP nomination, he would spend July 15-18 at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee.

However, just weeks later, Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed her trial begin.

Willis charged Trump out of her investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was charged with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

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He pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Fulton County prosecutors have proposed that trial begin on Aug. 5, 2024.

From the slew of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and Hunter Biden to an explosive Senate sex tape, 2023 was not short of political drama as the presidential race ramped up ahead of an election year.

Here is a look back at the political scandals that rocked the country in 2023:

Senate sex tape

A leaked sex tape showing a congressional staffer having sex with another man in a Senate hearing room rocked Capitol Hill in the days leading up to Christmas.

The situation unfolded on Dec. 15, when the Daily Caller published the video with the blurred-out faces of two men engaging in sex in Hart Senate Office Building room 216, a location where several high-profile hearings have taken place in recent years, including Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

SENATE HEARING ROOM SEX TAPE CONTROVERSY EXPLAINED

Posts on social media claimed the alleged staffer worked for the office of Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Less than a day after the story broke, Cardin’s office announced that a legislative aide had been dismissed but did not address reports linking a member of his staff to the sex tape. 

“I was angry. I was disappointed,” Cardin told Fox News on Dec. 18 when speaking about the scandal. “It’s a breach of trust.” 

The year of the indictment

Trump, Hunter Biden, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and now-former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., have all faced their own indictments this year.

Trump was indicted in four separate cases, two on federal charges and two on state charges in New York and Georgia, and he has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. 

Hunter Biden was also indicted this month in California on nine tax charges – three felonies and six misdemeanors – over $1.4 million in taxes he allegedly owed between 2016 and 2019. He previously pleaded not guilty in October to federal gun charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in connection with Special Counsel David Weiss’ years-long investigation.

Menendez, along with his wife Nadine and three New Jersey businessmen, were also charged in a federal bribery scheme on Sept. 23.

Menendez allegedly acted as an agent for the Egyptian government during his time as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez stepped down from the post when the first indictment was unsealed on Sept. 23, but he remains on the committee and has refused to resign from the Senate. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Congress expelled Santos in a House floor vote on Dec. 1 after he was indicted on 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud, and other charges.

He is accused of using campaign funds on a number of luxury goods and treatments such as Botox, pleading not guilty to all charges.

Antisemitism at colleges exposed

Since the Oct. 7 massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists in Israel, Jewish students nationwide have experienced a surge in incidents like vandalism, arson and harassment.

During a congressional hearing on antisemitism on Dec. 5, the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Pennsylvania refused to say whether calls for genocide violated university rules of conduct. 

Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania leaders walked back their statements after widespread public outrage from the political right and left. UPenn President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok resigned amid the backlash.

Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Dec. 13, urging him to take a “comprehensive review” of university harassment policies amid rising antisemitism on college campuses and what she called a “failure” of leadership at those institutions to protect Jewish students.

Republicans have also proposed legislation to defund public universities that do not condemn antisemitism on campus in the wake of Hamas’ attacks.

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The Wall Street Journal recently warned that antisemitism exposed on college campuses across the country is just one sign of the “deeper rot” caused by anti-American and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion “DEI” policies at these universities.

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller, Chad Pergram, Adam Sabes, Chris Pandolfo, Kristine Parks, Brooke Singman, Liz Elkind and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report. 

Former President Trump’s campaign team released a new nickname for fellow Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley on Friday, calling her “Nikki New Taxes.”

In the missive entitled “KISS OF DEATH: Nikki New Taxes”, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung blasted the former South Carolina governor for allegedly having a “troublesome record.”

“The truth is finally coming out about Nikki Haley’s troublesome record showing her total disdain for the working-class and a willingness to sellout to lobbyist parasites,” the letter read. “She pushed for a WHOPPING 60% increase in the state gas tax in South Carolina after promising voters she would never do so.”

“She also voted for an unconscionable 20% increase in the state sales tax, making her the enemy of the working-class and an ally of lobbyist cronies taking advantage of impressionable politicians looking for their approval,” Cheung added.

MAINE GOP STATE LAWMAKER MOVES TO IMPEACH STATE SECRETARY OVER TRUMP BALLOT REMOVAL

Haley and Trump have often been at odds on the campaign trail, despite Haley serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under his watch.

During a sit-down interview on ABC’s “This Week” earlier in December, Haley criticized American media for being “obsessed” with Trump.

“The thing is, normal people aren’t obsessed with Trump like you guys are,” Haley said to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “The normal people care about the fact that they can’t afford things. They feel like their freedoms are being taken away. They think government is too big. I know you all want to talk about every single word he says and every single tweet he does.”

COLORADO TO INCLUDE TRUMP ON 2024 BALLOT AS STATE GOP APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT

Haley added that she and the former president have their disagreements, but said that she had “a good working relationship” with him.

“Anti-Trumpers want me to hate him, pro-Trumpers want me to love him, but this is where I stand. There are things I agree with the president on…I don’t agree with the fact that, yes, we had a good economy while he was there, but he put us $8 trillion in debt that our kids are never going to forgive us for,” she explained.

“I don’t agree with how he handles national security,” Haley added. “He focused on trade with China, but he did nothing about the fentanyl flow. He did nothing about the fact that fentanyl has killed so many of our Americans.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Haley’s campaign team for a response, but has not heard back.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

The home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was “swatted” Friday evening, police confirmed Saturday.  

Maine State Police responded after an unidentified man lied about having broken into the house. 

Bellows and her family were away at the time of the hoax call. 

The incident comes after Bellows disqualified former President Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot late Thursday, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection” over his alleged incitement of the Jan. 6 riot. 

MAINE GOP STATE LAWMAKER MOVES TO IMPEACH STATE SECRETARY OVER TRUMP BALLOT REMOVAL

Bellows made the ruling after some state residents, including a bipartisan group of former lawmakers, challenged Trump’s position on the ballot.

“Swatting” is when someone calls the police under dangerous false pretenses to trigger a law enforcement response, especially a SWAT team to a location. 

Some swatting calls in the past have ended in the victim being killed. An Ohio man was sentenced to prison in 2019 after a Kansas man he swatted was accidentally killed by police. 

On Saturday, Bellows called the swatting call “unacceptable” in a lengthy statement on Facebook. 

HOW RECENT ‘SWATTING’ CALLS TARGETING OFFICIALS MAY PROMPT HEAVIER PENALTIES FOR HOAX POLICE CALLS

“Thank you for the messages of love and support,” she wrote. “I’ve been moved by every one and especially by those from friends and loved ones who disagree with my decision but have reached out to express love and respect.”

Bellows added that her staff had faced “unacceptable” and “non-stop threatening communications” on Friday after her decision. “It’s designed to scare not only me but also others into silence, to send a message. I am so grateful to have such an amazing team of employees at the Department of Secretary of State. [Her husband] Brandon and I are grateful for incredible, dedicated support from law enforcement in this time.” 

Maine State Police said officers investigated Bellows’ home at her request and nothing suspicious was found. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

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On Christmas Day, Republican U.S. Reps. Brandon Wiliams of New York and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia were also the targets of swatting calls. 

Then on Tuesday, Republican state Rep. Kevin D. Miller of Ohio reported that he was swatted.

The decision to avoid a second trial charging Sam Bankman-Fried with a conspiracy to make unlawful political donations and bribery of foreign officials has many conservatives up in arms.

Federal prosecutors said Friday that they do not plan to proceed with a second trial against Sam Bankman-Fried, citing public interest in a speedy resolution of the case that has seemingly irritated those who were hoping to see the disgraced FTX founder prosecuted to the fullest extent.

In a Friday letter filed in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors said they do “not plan to proceed with a second trial” as “much of the evidence that would be offered in a second trial was already offered in the first trial and can be considered by the Court at the defendant’s March 2024 sentencing.”

“Given that practical reality, and the strong public interest in a prompt resolution of this matter, the Government intends to proceed to sentencing on the counts for which the defendant was convicted at trial,” the prosecutors added.

SAM BANKMAN-FRIED WILL NOT FACE A SECOND TRIAL, U.S. PROSECUTORS DECIDE

The decision by prosecutors not to hold a second trial against Bankman-Fried quickly drew backlash from those who had followed the case.

“So we won’t know which politicians he bribed or who’s campaigns he influenced? That collective sigh of relief you are hearing is from the DEEP STATE,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., wrote in a Friday night post to X.

Conservative commentator John Cardillo also weighed in on the announcement from prosecutors, accusing the Department of Justice of shielding Democrats from being named as recipients of Bankman-Fried donations.

“Sam Bankman-Fried will not face second trial,” Cardillo wrote in an X post. “DOJ is protecting his Dem donation recipients.”

CryptoLaw founder John Deaton, who has consistently commented on Bankman-Fried’s case, slammed the decision by prosecutors as a “disgrace.”

“The DOJ has shown again, that it is NOT an independent agency,” Deaton said on X. “Who is the Attorney General protecting?”

SAM BANKMAN-FRIED REPORTEDLY USED POUCHES OF FISH AS PAYMENT FOR HAIRCUT IN JAIL

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk also commented on the prosecutors’ move to not hold a second trial for Bankman-Fried, insisting that the case has “became too high-profile for the DOJ to completely ignore.”

“The SBF case became too high-profile for the DOJ to completely ignore, but they made sure laundering $100 million of customers’ money to Schumer, Biden, and McConnell and other dark money groups would never blow back on the ‘elite.’ Trump faces 700 years in federal prison, but America’s uniparty cabal just gave themselves a get out of jail free card. You’re witnessing DC corruption in realtime,” Kirk wrote in a social media post.

Weighing in on the matter, Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg said, “Making bribes with stolen money is fine as long as that money is going to U.S. politicians.”

“SBF donated $100 million during the 2022 midterms, pouring tens of millions into dark money groups with customers’ funds,” Rugg wrote on X. “Some of these groups were linked to Senate leaders including Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer.”

FTX FOUNDER SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’S BIGGEST FEAR IN JAIL REVEALED BY AUTHOR

Rugg’s post to social media also included a clip that appeared to show Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., blowing Bankman-Fried a kiss during one of their encounters.

In 2021 and 2022, Bankman-Fried donated nearly $38 million to various candidates and PACs, mainly giving his cash to Democratic candidates and left-wing groups, according to Federal Election Commission filings (FEC). 

The majority of his political givings went to the Protect Our Future PAC, a group founded in January 2022 that is dedicated to boosting candidates who are committed to preventing future pandemics.

Bankman-Fried, who was accused of stealing from customers of his now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, has been incarcerated since August when a judge revoked his bail for alleged witness tampering. He was found guilty earlier this month on seven federal charges, and his sentencing is slated for March 28.

Bankman-Fried made headlines at the beginning of the trial when he appeared in court with a cleaned-up look, sporting a trimmed-up coif and a suit after ditching the longer hairstyle and casual clothes he had become known for as CEO at FTX.

Prosecutors accused Bankman-Fried, who founded and controlled both FTX and sister hedge fund Alameda Research, of misappropriating and embezzling billions of dollars in FTX customer deposits, scheming to mislead investors and instructing other executives at his businesses to do the same.

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In the trial, he faced two counts of wire fraud and five conspiracy counts. The charges combined amount to a maximum sentence of 110 years behind bars, but sentencing guidelines may call for far less than that.

Prosecutors said in their letter Friday that much of the evidence presented during the first trial would have been repeated at a second. They noted that since they “proved that the defendant engaged in a scheme to make unlawful campaign contributions, the Court may consider this scheme as relevant conduct at the defendant’s sentencing.”

Prosecutors also said they were prevented from including the unlawful campaign contributions charge because the extradition agreement with the Bahamas to arrest Bankman-Fried did not include that count.

FOX Business’ Breck Dumas, Suzanne O’Hallora, and Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.

U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed an argument disputing President Trump’s claim to presidential immunity amid his 2020 election interference case.

CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane published the documents on Saturday. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia earlier in the day.

The intent of the filing was to ask for the “review of the order of the district court (Chutkan, J.) denying his motions to dismiss based on Presidential immunity and principles of double jeopardy.”

“Immunity from criminal prosecution would be particularly dangerous where, as here, the former President is alleged to have engaged in criminal conduct aimed at overturning the results of [an] election,” Smith wrote in the filing.

SPECIAL COUNSEL IN TRUMP CASE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, FORMER REAGAN AG SAYS

“A President who unlawfully seeks to retain power through criminal means unchecked by potential criminal prosecution could jeopardize both the Presidency itself and the very foundations of our democratic system of governance,” the special counsel added.

The document also accused Trump of “conspir[ing] to use knowingly false claims of election fraud with the goal of overturning the legitimate results of that election and disenfranchising millions of voters.”

TRUMP CALLS CLAIMS HE’S A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY A ‘HOAX,’ SAYS BIDEN IS THE REAL THREAT: ‘I WILL SAVE DEMOCRACY’

“For the foregoing reasons, the Court should affirm the district court’s order denying the defendant’s motions to dismiss on Presidential immunity and double-jeopardy grounds,” the conclusion read. “For the reasons given in the Government’s motion to expedite appellate review, including the imperative public importance of a prompt resolution of this case, the Government respectfully requests the Court to issue the mandate five days after the entry of judgment.”

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“Such an approach would appropriately require any party seeking further review to do so promptly,” the conclusion added.

This breaking news story is developing. Check back with us for updates.

Fox News Digital’s Lillian Le Croy contributed to this report.

A recent study found that a small fraction of American journalists are Republicans.

The study from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications found that just 3.4% of American journalists identify as Republicans, with another 36.4% identifying as Democrats.

Based on an online survey of 1,600 U.S. journalists conducted in early 2022, the study is part of a series of research from over the years that examines journalists’ “perspective on the work, professional attitudes, and ethics,” according to the study.

The first-of-its-kind study, which made its debut in 1971, has witnessed a dramatic shift in the percentages of Republican and Democratic journalists over the years.

VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS BELIEVE MEDIA INCREASING COUNTRY’S POLITICAL DIVIDE: POLL

The initial study from 52 years ago revealed that 35.5% of respondents said they were Democrats, 25.7% said they were Republicans and 32.5% said they were Independents. The percentage of people who refer to themselves as Democrats and independents has varied over the years, with those identifying as Democrats hitting a high of more than 44% in 1992.

The 2022 study showed an all-time high for those who are independents at more than 51%, up a point and half from the same study conducted in 2013.

As for those who identify as Republicans, the percentage total has slowly dwindled, with the only exception being a less than 2% increase between the 1992 and 2002 studies.

In 1982, 11 years after the first study was conducted, 18.8% of respondents said they were Republican, compared to 38.5% who said they were Democrats and 39.1% who said they were independents.

The 2013 study found that a little more than 7% of American journalists were Republicans, compared to 28.1% of Democrats at the time.

POLLSTER SHOCKED HALF OF AMERICANS BELIEVE NATIONAL MEDIA AIMS TO MISLEAD: ‘PRETTY STRIKING’

The findings from the new study appear to show how out of touch some journalists may be with American voters, according to other polls released this year.

As for Americans overall, a November Gallup poll found that 29% consider themselves Democrats, 29% consider themselves Republicans, and 40% consider themselves independents.

A poll released earlier this year also found that nearly three-quarters of Americans believe the media is increasing polarization in the U.S. and that only 16% of adults have a “great deal” of trust and confidence in the news media.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights survey found that 74% of overall adults believed the news media was increasing the political divide in this country.

“Is the news media doing more to increase political divisions in the United States, decrease political divisions, or does it not have any impact?” the poll asked adults 18 years or older.

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Nearly three-quarters responded with “increase/a lot,” 18% said the media had “no impact” and 6% responded that media decreased polarization “a little.”

Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

The Maine official who moved to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot on Thursday visited the White House this year to meet with President Biden and previously referred to the Electoral College as a “relic of white supremacy.”

On two separate occasions this year — once in March and another time in June — Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, was invited to the White House, according to White House visitor logs.

Bellows’ first trip came after she was invited to attend a Women’s History Month event held on March 22 at the White House, where she met with Biden and snapped a photo with him.

Bellows took to social media to share the photo she took with Biden at the March event and described the “amazing” experience she had meeting the president.

MAINE GOP STATE LAWMAKER MOVES TO IMPEACH STATE SECRETARY OVER TRUMP BALLOT REMOVAL

“Birthday jaunt to DC for a Women’s History Month event at the White House yesterday and walking around today,” she added in the post to Facebook at the time, according to the Washington Free Beacon, the initial outlet to report on Bellows’ trips to the White House.

Bellows’ March trip to the White House was also promoted by the secretary of state’s office in a press release earlier this year, in which she said it was “an honor to join” Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other female leaders from across the country.

“It was an honor to join President Biden, Vice President Harris and amazing female leaders from around the country to celebrate Women’s History Month at the White House yesterday,” Bellows said at the time. “I hope to someday see the last of the ‘firsts’ like myself, but as we continue to see these groundbreaking leaders in new positions of power, I look forward to celebrating them as part of our nation’s history.”

Bellows’ second trip came on June 6, when she traveled to the White House with more than a dozen others to meet with Justin Vail, a special assistant to Biden. That trip, according to social media posts by others who made the journey with Bellows, appears to have been organized by Issue One Reform, which describes itself as “the leading crosspartisan political reform group” in D.C. that works to “unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.”

Responding to a June 8 post to X from Dustin Czarny, a Democrat who made the trip and serves as the Onondaga County elections commissioner and the Democratic Caucus chair of the New York State Elections Commissioner Association, Bellows wrote, “Yes! That was such a powerful part of our trip to DC. Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisan elections officials united on issues of protecting election workers and finding critical election infrastructure.”

Bellows, who represented Maine’s 14th district in the state Senate for roughly four years, has served as the Secretary of State for Maine since 2021.

Shortly after taking office, Bellows penned an op-ed for a progressive platform known as the Democracy Docket. In her writing, titled “Voting Rights for Our Neighbors Matter As Much as Our Own,” Bellows touted her efforts to make “voting more accessible” and said she sought the position of secretary of state in Maine because she “was truly frightened for our democracy” following the 2020 presidential election.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT FROM MAINE RIPS STATE’S DECISION TO TAKE TRUMP OFF BALLOT

Bellows also took aim at the Electoral College in her column, claiming it is “the relic of white supremacy” that prevents voters from being represented fairly.

In her ruling to disqualify Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot, Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that bars people who have “engaged in insurrection” from running for elected office without two-thirds congressional approval.

The clause was originally meant to bar former Confederate soldiers and officers from holding positions in the U.S. government or military.

It was also referenced by Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 ruling last week similarly barring Trump from that state’s primary ballot. The decision was challenged by the Colorado GOP, setting up a battle before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bellows’ affection for Biden and Harris and disdain for Trump is no secret.

In an October 2020 post to social media, Bellows said she was “excited to vote for Biden and Harris.” Before that, in October 2020, Bellows questioned on social media whether the “obsession” with 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was because people “just can’t deal [with] the magnitude of fears of what Trump presidency brings.”

Bellows has faced backlash over her decision to remove Trump from the state ballot from multiple Republicans and those within her own party, including Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.

“I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection. I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States,” Golden said Thursday night. “However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.”

Bellows defended her move while responding to Golden’s criticism during a CNN interview on Friday.

“I reviewed Section Three of the 14th Amendment very carefully and determined that Section Three of the 14th Amendment does not say ‘conviction,’ it says ‘engage,'” Bellows said.

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“And, let’s go back and keep in mind that the events of January 6, 2021, were unprecedented and tragic,” Bellows continued. “This was an attack, not only on the Capitol and the government officials, the former vice president, members of Congress, but an attack on the rule of law.”

“And the weight of evidence that I reviewed indicated that it was, in fact, an insurrection,” she added. “And Mr.  Trump engaged in that insurrection under Section Three of the 14th Amendment.”

Bellows’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Houston Keene and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says the time for Americans to address systemic racism is long gone, and that racism has dwindled to near irrelevance in the U.S.

Ramaswamy made the comments during a campaign stop in Iowa on Friday, telling his audience that contemporary efforts to combat systemic racism are only worsening the issue. Rev. Samuel Ansong asked how the U.S. should grapple with the issue if not in the form of affirmative action and other similar programs.

“Was there a time and place for correcting for those past injustices? Yeah, it was like in 1870,” Ramaswamy responded, according to the Des Moines Register.

Ramaswamy reportedly added that affirmative action and DEI programs were “anti-American at their core” and “inherently divisive.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT FROM MAINE RIPS STATE’S DECISION TO TAKE TRUMP OFF BALLOT

“But at a certain point in time, I think that what you would think of as racism in this country — or you can fill in the blank, sexism or any other -ism or form of discrimination — it gets to be small enough, not to be zero, but small enough that the best thing we can do is let it atrophy to irrelevance,” Ramaswamy added.

He went on to argue that current efforts to combat so-called systemic racism do more harm than good by drawing attention to race and highlighting divisions.

The exchange comes as Ramaswamy and the other GOP 2024 hopefuls are in the home stretch for the presidential primary in Iowa on Jan. 15.

BLACK VOTERS SAY THEY’RE TURNING AWAY FROM ‘WEAK’ BIDEN IN 2024: ‘HE DIDN’T CHANGE ANYTHING’

Former President Donald Trump holds a massive lead over his competitors in national polls, though candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Ramaswamy have invested a huge effort into swaying Iowa voters specifically.

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Nevertheless, a Fox Business poll of Iowa Republicans found that Trump has a lead of 34 points as of mid-December.

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 in November.

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.

MANCHIN SPARKING MORE 2024 SPECULATION WITH UPCOMING TRIP TO KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE

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.

“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,” Bergstein added, pointing to what he called “unpopular Republican incumbents.”

Texas and Florida, where respective incumbent Sens. 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 raised 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.

In April, 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 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 in 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 is not expected to face any serious Democratic primary challenge, is the son of a popular former governor.

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Republicans appear united behind Dave McCormick, who is 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 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 lawmakers are criticizing President Biden for vacationing in the Caribbean with his family while the crisis at the southern border threatens to spiral out of control. 

Biden is ringing in the New Year on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He arrived Wednesday as strained discussions over how to handle the record number of illegal immigrants crossing the border continue in Washington.

Border towns and sanctuary cities like New York City are seeing their infrastructures buckle under the surge of people. Sources told Fox News there have been more than 276,000 migrant encounters in December so far, already making it the highest month on record.

“President Biden’s entire presidency has been a vacation from reality — 760,000 illegal immigrants have been encountered at the border since October,” Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., chairman of the House GOP Policy Committee, told Fox News Digital.

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“This is intentional and tells the American people everything they need to know. President Biden has no desire to stop it. He will continue to vacation while the border burns because this is the outcome he wants.

“President Biden’s dereliction of duty is on full display while he sits on the beach and ignores the thousands of illegal immigrants invading our country daily,” Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “America as we know it will be unrecognizable unless this administration comes to the table, starts enforcing the laws and stops the flow of illegal immigrants.”

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Rep. Mark Alford, R-Texas, said Biden and his officials “should be ashamed” at the state of the U.S. migrant crisis.

“Every month, we continue to see record-breaking encounters at our southern border. Instead of pursuing solutions, Joe Biden is spending time on vacation,” Alford told Fox News Digital. “Mr. President, the world is watching. They see that our borders are in shambles and your administration has zero intention of course correcting.”

Another Texas Republican quipped that Biden “might not see the problem from the beaches” but that it’s always present in the Lone Star state.

“Texans are enduring some of the highest numbers of illegal crossings on record while the White House and Senate Democrats refuse to take action,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

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Since the new fiscal year began Oct. 1., there have been more than 760,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, making the first quarter of fiscal 2024 the highest quarter on record. Meanwhile, there have been 82,000 known getaways since Oct. 1. 

It caps a year at the southern border when multiple records have been repeatedly smashed with Border Patrol consistently overwhelmed by the numbers it is seeing.

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Republicans have blamed the surge on the policies of the administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies, while the administration says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge and needs more funding and immigration reform legislation from Congress.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News’ Griff Jenkins contributed to this report

Climate activists in the U.S. and across the world increased the intensity and number of disruptive protests staged in public places as they repeatedly called for governments to phase out fossil fuels in an effort to combat global warming.

Protesters calling for climate action frequently blocked busy roads, interrupted sporting events and concerts, forced government officials to cut events short and vandalized public buildings, storefronts and famous artwork in museums. 

Many of the activists engaging in those activities have received funding from groups like the California-based Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) which has, in turn, raised millions of dollars.

“Climate Emergency Fund is proud to support some of the boldest, bravest climate activists in the world who are not just fighting but are winning,” Margaret Klein Salamon, CEF’s executive director, told Fox News Digital last month. “Throughout history, organized, passionate and dedicated people have awakened the public’s conscience to injustice and achieved change that was once considered impossible.”

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“That’s why the Climate Emergency Fund supports activist organizations that engage in nonviolent protest and civil disobedience worldwide,” she said. “We are experiencing global catastrophic climate events, and they are accelerating – from the months-long summer heat waves in Europe to record-low levels of Antarctic sea ice to ocean temperatures that topped 100 degrees off the coast of Florida.”

Here are five of the most disruptive protests staged by activists in 2023.

1. Music festival protest dispersed at gunpoint

In August, police officers in northern Nevada were filmed dispersing a group of climate protesters who were causing a massive traffic jam on the road leading into the Burning Man festival. The chaotic scene escalated when an officer drew his gun in an effort to get the activists to move away from the road.

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“We are not violent! Please … we have no weapons at all, we are environmental protesters!” a woman yelled as another activist was handcuffed.

The activists staged their protest in front of a sign that said “Burners of the World Unite.” Some members of the protest chained themselves to a trailer parked on the road.

“People are getting hurt because of climate change. Look at what happened in Maui, look at what is happening right now in Canada,” an activist told frustrated bystanders.

“Get out of the way!” a woman responded. 

“We got to get through, help us, we got s— to do!” a man in a cowboy hat added as he tried to dismantle the trailer. 

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2. U.S. government officials face string of protests: ‘Close the f—ing door’

President Biden, multiple cabinet officials and other senior government officials all attended events that climate protesters attempted to — and in some cases successfully did — shut down.

In September, Biden was heckled during a speech in Arizona honoring the late Sen. John McCain. The president told the protesters to “shush up” and added “democracy’s never easy as we just demonstrated.”

Weeks later, in October, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was chased from an event in Baltimore after more than a dozen activists stormed the stage where he was speaking, yelling slogans.

“Your DOT just approved the Seaport Oil Terminal, a project that will have 80 coal plants’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions and will worsen air quality in areas that already live in cancer clusters,” one of the activists told Buttigieg on stage. 

“This is about environmental racism, and it’s about climate impacts this project will have. Will you commit to stopping these projects?”

“I get the urgency. By the time my kids are old enough to ask, we’re going to have a really good answer to get out of climate change,” he responded.

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Activists also disrupted events earlier in the year hosting Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and senior White House climate adviser John Podesta. And Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has been interrupted on multiple occasions by protests.

“Close the f‑‑‑ing door,” Powell appeared to mutter during a November protest in which activists stormed a room where he was delivering remarks.

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3. U.S. Open semifinal disrupted, delayed

Protesters in September forced the U.S. Open semifinals match in New York between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova to be briefly delayed. The activists caused a disturbance from their seats by chanting for policies that “end fossil fuels.”

One of the protesters even glued himself to the ground.

New York Police Department officers soon responded and forcibly removed the activists. However, the match delay lasted about 49 minutes.

“Following the first game of the second set in the Gauff-Muchová match, play was halted due to a protest conducted by four spectators,” the United States Tennis Association said in a statement.

“Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident. The fourth protester affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl. Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium,” the statement added. “The four protesters were taken into NYPD custody.”

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4. Civil War memorial honoring African American soldiers defaced

In November, a climate activist with a far-left advocacy group smeared red paint on an exhibit honoring an African American regiment that fought during the Civil War during a protest at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The member of Declare Emergency, a group that calls for an immediate end to fossil fuel production and reliance, vandalized a wall in the West Building gallery of the Washington, D.C., museum that houses the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, officials told Fox News Digital. Using red paint, the activist wrote, “Honor Them,” and explained President Biden could honor Black Civil War soldiers by declaring a climate emergency.

“We should honor them by carrying on their work,” the activist said in a statement. “So, I say, ‘Joe Biden must declare a climate emergency’ in their honor because the great majority of the people who are being harmed by the climate emergency now and who will be harmed in the future are people who look like the soldiers of the Massachusetts 54th.”

“The 54th fought in the Civil War. In the war being waged on humanity now the effects are coming down first and hardest on the most vulnerable people,” he added. “In this undeclared war, the weapon is greenhouse gasses. Children dying of dehydration and starvation in parts of Africa today are being killed by carbon put into the earth’s atmosphere by oil and gas executives in order to make money.”

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The activist was removed from the gallery by law enforcement minutes after he vandalized the exhibit, according to video of the protest captured by independent filmmaker Ford Fischer of the independent media outlet News2Share. A spokesperson for the National Gallery of Art later confirmed the protester was arrested and that an investigation into the matter was underway. 

5. Washington, D.C., drivers become irate as their commute is blocked 

And one of many roadway disruptions quickly became heated in late August in Washington, D.C., when commuters began screaming at activists, according to video captured by News2Share.

“I want to go to work! I want to go to work!” one of the commuters screamed.

“You don’t give a f—!” another commuter added.

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“Get the f— out of here! We have to go to f—ing work! We’ve got kids to feed!” a third person yelled.

The protesters, who were calling for President Biden to declare a “climate emergency,” were eventually taken away by police officers who handcuffed them.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Greg Norman contributed to this report.