NationalWatch

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from any cases related to the 2020 election on Friday following a revelation that an upside-down flag was flown at his home a week after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. 

“Flying an upside-down American flag—a symbol of the so-called ‘Stop the Steal’ movement—clearly creates the appearance of bias,” said Durbin in a statement.

“Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former President’s immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering,” he added. 

ALITO SAYS WIFE DISPLAYED UPSIDE-DOWN FLAG AFTER ARGUMENT WITH INSULTING NEIGHBOR

The outcome of former President Trump’s federal election interference case notably hinges on what the Supreme Court determines about his claim of immunity. 

Durbin claimed, “The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust.”

The Illinois senator called the revelation “further proof” that Congress should institute a code of conduct for the Supreme Court. He urged his colleagues to support the passage of the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act. 

“Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest ethical standards, not the lowest,” he said. 

AOC RIPS FETTERMAN FOR COMPARING HOUSE TO ‘JERRY SPRINGER’ SHOW: ‘I STAND UP TO BULLIES’

Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court for comment from Alito but did not immediately receive a response. 

In the days following the Capitol riot in 2021, in which supporters of Trump sought to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election, the home of Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, was seen flying an upside down American flag, the New York Times reported. The positioning of a flag in such a way is understood to symbolize a nation in crisis, and it was adopted by some following the events of Jan. 6 to express resistance to the results of the 2020 election. 

Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

SEN DURBIN MULLS REVIVING TOOL THAT COULD STYMIE TRUMP NOMINEES IN ANOTHER TERM

Alito recounted the situation to Fox News’ Shannon Bream, telling her that a neighborhood argument began in January 2021 after one resident put up a “F— Trump” sign in close proximity to a school bus stop. 

When his wife spoke to the neighbor about the profane sign, the conversation was not productive, he explained. 

According to the justice, the same neighbor then took the disagreement further, placing a sign that attributed blame for the events of Jan. 6 personally to Martha-Ann. 

NPR CHIEF WORKS TO CLEAN UP PUBLIC IMAGE WITH EXTRA EDITORIAL REVIEW, MEETING WITH GOP SENATOR

Later, during a walk, a resident of the home with the signage started an argument with his wife and called her names, “including the C-word,” he claimed. 

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He explained that her decision to hang the upside down flag on the property was a response to the evolving feud and that it only flew “for a short time.” 

Alito said he didn’t believe it was his place to order his wife against doing this and characterized his neighbors as “very political.” 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., criticized fellow Democrat from Pennsylvania, Sen. John Fetterman, on Friday after he made fun of a House markup that spiraled out of control. 

A late night House Oversight markup for a resolution to hold Biden administration Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress evolved into a shouting match on Thursday, which involved several representatives, including Ocasio-Cortez, and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. 

SEN DURBIN MULLS REVIVING TOOL THAT COULD STYMIE TRUMP NOMINEES IN ANOTHER TERM

Fetterman, who has emerged as a top critic of his own party, likened the display in the House to “The Jerry Springer Show.” The decades-long reality program is described on Apple TV as “Loaded with bleeped profanity and guests who aren’t afraid to embarrass themselves on national TV, ‘Jerry Springer’ features a host who is the anti-Oprah, aiming his show squarely at viewers who rubberneck at traffic accidents.”

NPR CHIEF WORKS TO CLEAN UP PUBLIC IMAGE WITH EXTRA EDITORIAL REVIEW, MEETING WITH GOP SENATOR

“In the past, I’ve described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show,” Fetterman wrote on X. “Today, I’m apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show.”

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

Ocasio-Cortez shot back at the Pennsylvania Democrat, writing, “I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a ‘both sides’ issue.”

“But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. And to the women of Pennsylvania: I’d stand up for you too. Enjoy your Friday,” she continued. 

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

Fetterman’s office told Fox News Digital in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s post, “John responded to an absurd screaming match of personal attacks in an unhinged House committee hearing.”

During the markup, Crockett asked Greene, “Do you know what we’re here for?”, which prompted the Georgia Republican to retort, “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”

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

Ocasio-Cortez immediately sought to have Greene’s response taken down, calling for a point of order and calling the remark “absolutely unacceptable.”

When Greene asked, “Are your feelings hurt?”, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Oh girl, baby girl! Don’t even play!” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office for a response to AOC’s post.

Photos have captured Donald Trump and his wife Melania appearing together Friday at their son Barron’s high school graduation in Florida during a break in the former president’s New York criminal trial. 

Barron is one of 116 seniors at the Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach that received their diplomas Friday, according to The Palm Beach Post. 

Images show Trump and Melania in attendance to watch Barron walk across the stage. 

The 18-year-old has been attending Oxbridge Academy since Trump left the White House in 2021, The Palm Beach Post reports. 

THE BLUE STATES TRUMP AIMS TO TURN RED IN NOVEMBER 

Trump had been pushing for weeks to attend his son’s high school graduation. The judge presiding over his criminal trial in Manhattan, Judge Juan Merchan, had left the decision on whether to allow Trump to attend in limbo. 

Merchan ultimately granted Trump’s request to attend Barron’s graduation, but he denied Trump’s request to attend arguments at the Supreme Court on April 25 regarding the matter of presidential immunity. 

“Barron’s a great student and he’s very proud of the fact he did so well and was looking forward for years to having his graduation with his mother and father there,” Trump said before Merchan granted his request to miss a day in court for the “scam trial.” 

Oxbridge Academy describes itself as a “premier, independent, co-educational college-preparatory school located on a beautiful 54-acre campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.” 

KAMALA HARRIS ACCEPTS INVITATION TO DEBATE TRUMP VP PICK 

“Founded in 2011 by philanthropist William I. Koch, Oxbridge Academy empowers students in grades 6-12 providing an outstanding education through a distinctive curriculum, an enriching environment, and an expert faculty helping them navigate their educational journeys with agility, confidence, and purpose,” it says on its website. 

“Annual graduating classes receive 100% acceptance to four-year colleges and universities, with 50% attending a top 100 U.S. university or a top 50 liberal arts college,” it adds. 

During proceedings at the hush money trial in New York City on Thursday, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, answered numerous questions related to his time working for Trump, including whether he had hoped to secure a role at the White House in the Trump administration, how Trump reacted to the initial story of his and Stormy Daniels’ alleged sexual encounter, and whether he believed he played a role in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment of Trump. 

Cohen said he “took some credit” for the 34-count indictment waged against Trump, who he once admitted to referring to as “dumb*ss Donald.” 

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Cohen’s testimony is expected to resume Monday when the court reconvenes at 9:30 a.m. ET. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Kyle Morris contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: The wife of Sam Brown, a Republican Senate candidate and wounded war veteran left with life-altering scars, is coming to her husband’s defense over “vile” attack ads being run by his primary opponent.

Amy Brown, often seen alongside her husband on the campaign trail, is arguing that ads running across Nevada by Dr. Jeffrey Gunter’s campaign accentuate Sam Brown’s scars, which were caused by an IED explosion during a 2008 deployment to Afghanistan that left his face severely burned.

“Our family embraces Sam’s scars as a physical testament to his strength through adversity and sacrifice for our country. Sam bravely fought through not just an IED attack that nearly took his life, but the agonizing process of physical recovery that included over 30 painful surgeries,” she told Fox News Digital.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN HIGH ON DOJ’S MARIJUANA SHIFT, ‘SMOKES’ TRUMP FOR INACTION DURING HIS TERM

“He overcame it all and bears the scars to prove it. It’s disgusting and inexcusable that someone claiming to be a doctor would attack a veteran’s physical disfigurement in general, but to do it for political purposes is especially low and vile,” she added.

The ads being run by Gunter, a dermatologist who served as former President Trump’s U.S. ambassador to Iceland, dub Brown as “Scam Brown,” and “the newest creature to emerge from the swamp,” referencing what it says are his close ties to Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, an establishment Republican.

The ads use imagery typically seen in a campaign attack ad with unflattering photos and angles of the candidate being attacked and also include additions that make Brown’s skin look scaley. National Republicans backing Brown say, this time, the attack ads go too far.

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

“It is absolutely disgusting that former Democrat Jeff Gunter is mocking the wounds of a veteran who was injured while serving our country. Something is seriously wrong with this guy,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) communications director Mike Berg told Fox News Digital.

Gunter responded to the criticism by telling Fox News Digital the ads were about Brown’s ties to the Washington, D.C., “swamp,” hence the politicians featured in one of the ads alongside Brown also having scaly looking skin with images of dripping mud on the screen.

“The only wound rightfully criticized is selling out to the swamp. As the son of a veteran, I deeply respect those who serve. As a doctor, I’ve treated severe injuries and know how wounds can be used as a crown or a crutch. I refuse to judge people based on appearances, a tactic often used by the left,” Gunter said. 

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Gunter pointed to Brown using his own injuries in his campaign message, including calling himself “Burning Man,” frequently referencing the attack that caused his wounds, and using “the same photos repeatedly.”

“Showing someone’s photo in an ad isn’t an attack. This is a desperate measure from Sam Brown’s imploding campaign. While he served with honor, he now prioritizes D.C. lobbyists and the political elite over Nevada’s working families,” Gunter said. “Candidates aren’t immune from criticism, and hiding from accountability isn’t what Americans want in their lawmakers.” 

The heated battle between Gunter and Brown escalated last month when the former announced he would be spending millions to ramp up his campaign to become the Republican nominee, including attacks against Brown. That prompted the Brown campaign and the NRSC to take up their own attacks, with the latter viewing the former solider as the best chance to take on incumbent Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen in November.

The primary will be held on Tuesday, June 11.

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

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., signaled his willingness to discuss bringing back a past Senate norm of allowing home state senators to nix judicial nominees they take issue with, as the potential of former President Trump being elected once again in November has become more evident. 

During a recent Judiciary Committee mark-up, Durbin responded to Republican frustrations over their inability to prevent certain circuit court judicial nominees in their state or region from moving forward, due to a lack of consideration for “blue slips,” or the approval or opposition of home state senators. 

The informal tool was routinely honored by the committee chairman for decades before the courtesy ceased to be offered in 2017. 

“I’m ready to open this conversation and dialogue on a bipartisan basis,” Durbin said last week. 

NPR CHIEF WORKS TO CLEAN UP PUBLIC IMAGE WITH EXTRA EDITORIAL REVIEW, MEETING WITH GOP SENATOR

“If we are going to do anything in blue slips on circuit court judges, I think there is one premise. We should do it prospectively, not knowing the outcome of an election that may change the presidency or may not,” he explained. 

As the blue slip discussion is renewed, some have claimed Democrats are worrying about the fate of judicial nominations under another potential Trump term. Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations to former Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, called the idea “nonsense.”

“Durbin fears Trump will win back the White House and Republicans will win back the Senate in November,” he said.

“On the surface, it seems that Democrats are preparing to lose the majority and the White House,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, a former top spokesman to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference, who likened it to an “insurance policy.” 

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

Durbin did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

As chairman, Grassley broke with a yearslong practice of honoring his fellow senators’ blue slips during the Trump administration. He moved forward in 2017 with an appellate court confirmation hearing over the objections of then-Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.

Grassley suggested at the time that Democrats were using the blue slip rule as a substitute for the filibuster, rather than for serious concerns. 

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

The Iowa senator, who would be expected to be judiciary chairman once again if Republicans take the majority in November, may not be as interested in re-instating the rule as some other GOP lawmakers. 

“The blue slip process is a courtesy – not a rule – extended at the discretion of the Judiciary chairman,” said a Grassley spokesperson.

“The vast majority of chairmen over the past century have allowed hearings on circuit court nominees without blue slips returned,” the spokesperson added. 

Carrie Severino, the president of the Judicial Crisis Network, similarly noted the rule “has not been an absolute bar to considering the nominee.”

“There are people who are trying to make this into more of a norm than it ever was,” she claimed. “Only a couple [of] Judiciary Committee chairs in history actually treated this really strict[ly].”

According to Ryan Owens, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the decision “highlights the uncertainty going into the election and likely Democratic weakness. It’s unclear who will hold the White House in 2025.”

He noted that Durbin’s willingness to consider re-instituting the rule “appears to be a recognition that his party is limping into the election and Trump very well could win.”

If accepted, “Durbin’s offer may help Democrats slow a Trump presidency,” he explained. 

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

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pleaded with his Democratic counterparts to support bringing the rule back as well as deferring to significant concerns aired by home state senators during the markup. “I think that most Democrats realize if the election were held today, Donald J. Trump would be president” and Republicans could score the majority in the Senate, he explained.

“And they’re giving me nothing to motivate me to look out for them when the tables are turned next year,” he said. 

There is notable disagreement between Democratic and Republican senators over which people and what party is responsible for the rule no longer being honored. Democrats have pointed to Grassley’s move on circuit court nominees, but Republicans believe the trajectory started years earlier. 

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked his colleagues if they could at least agree that former Democratic leader Sen. Harry Reid charted such a trajectory when he got rid of the filibuster for most executive nominations. 

However, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., refused to agree. “No, I think the blue slip is a completely different thing,” he maintained. 

Tillis stressed to his fellow committee members that Reid’s action and Grassley’s are “intrinsically linked.”

In fact, Tillis told Fox News Digital in an interview that it truly was triggered by an event in 2003. “Chuck Schumer made a conscious choice of breaking away from the norms of the Senate and using the filibuster to start holding judges up,” he said. 

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Sen. Chuck Schumer notably broke with tradition to begin blocking judicial nominees that otherwise enjoyed majority support by using the filibuster at the time. 

A spokesperson for the majority leader from New York told Fox News Digital, “Senate Republicans ended the blue slip for circuit court nominations under Donald Trump,” in reference to Grassley’s decision.

Despite bipartisan interest, “it feels unlikely that they’re going to come to a resolution before the election,” Bonjean said of the fate of the blue slip’s return. 

Owens noted that “politicians are always skeptical of proposed ‘truces’ when offered by parties in weak positions.” 

FIRST ON FOX: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is launching a “game-changing” new tool designed to help Republican candidates up and down the ballot communicate with voters ahead of the 2024 election.

The GOP committee announced the launch of VotePro on Friday, a new “one-stop shop” for Republican committees and candidates to customize websites and develop easy-to-use resources for voters.

The “fee-free” tool will allow Americans to complete various tasks that guarantee they are election day ready, including portals to “register to vote, check voter registration status, request a mail ballot, commit to vote early in person or on Election Day, find their Early Vote location, find their Election Day voting location,” according to a press release shared first with Fox News Digital.

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said that the new system will “turn out the vote like never before.”

OHIO PURGES ‘NON-CITIZENS’ FROM STATE VOTER ROLLS, CALLS ON BIDEN ADMIN FOR DATA AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTION

“As a grassroots leader and former State Chairman, I know that delivering vital resources across the Republican ecosystem will help us turn out the vote like never before in November,” Whatley said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital. “No matter how Republicans decide to cast their ballot—in person, by mail, early, or on Election Day—we will urge Republicans to lock in their vote for President Trump.” 

FOX NEWS POLL: ABORTION, ECONOMY, AND BORDER SECURITY ARE TOP DEAL-BREAKERS IN 2024 ELECTIONS

The RNC is hunkering down in their support for former President Trump, noting that the tool will be used to aid his third presidential bid.

Susie Wiles, Trump campaign senior advisor, also said that the tool will play a major role in the former president’s 2024 campaign.

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“The Trump Campaign and RNC are partnering like never before to spread President Trump’s message far and wide,” Wiles said in a statement alongside the launch Friday. “President Trump has a proven track record of energizing voters and getting them to the polls. Tools like VotePro are a game-changing addition to our arsenal for translating this red-hot momentum into votes cast.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to debate former President Donald Trump’s eventual pick for his running mate. 

Harris accepted an invitation to debate Trump’s eventual vice-presidential pick during the summer, offering July 23 and August 13 as options.

Trump is expected to announce his vice-presidential pick during the GOP convention, which begins on July 15. 

TRUMP ACCEPTS BIDEN OFFER TO DEBATE HIM IN JUNE AND SEPTEMBER

“I don’t say anything is 100%, but you’re getting pretty close,” Trump said of selecting his running mate. “I’ll be doing it in Milwaukee. We’re going to have a great time.”

An official with the Biden campaign told Politico they “look forward to the Trump campaign accepting one of these dates so that the full debate calendar for this campaign can be set.”

The debate will be broadcast by CBS News and hosted inside the network’s studios.

WHY BIDEN DID THE DEBATE THROWDOWN, TRUMP AGREED, AND THE RISKS FOR EACH SIDE

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the Biden-Harris campaign proposed that the first debate be in late June, after Trump’s New York criminal trial is likely to be over and after Biden returns from meeting with world leaders at the G-7 Summit. 

A second presidential debate would occur in September prior to the beginning of early voting.

The Biden-Harris campaign asked that the debates occur inside a TV studio, with microphones that automatically cut off when a speaker’s time limit elapses. 

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The letter also asked that the debates involve just the two candidates and the moderator — without “an in-person audience with raucous or disruptive partisans and donors” that Trump feeds on. 

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

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

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was in New York for various events when he reached out to former President Trump to inform him he would be at the Manhattan courthouse, where Trump’s criminal trial was taking place the very next morning.

Johnson made the decision himself and contacted Trump directly, a source close to the speaker told Fox News Digital. Multiple people said he rode with Trump in his motorcade on Tuesday morning.

“I came here… today on my own to support President Trump because I am one of hundreds of millions of people and one citizen who is deeply concerned about this, so I’m glad to be here,” he told reporters afterward.

Johnson was the highest-ranking federal lawmaker to show up at Trump’s criminal proceedings so far – a public symbol of the staunch alliance the two have built since Johnson became speaker after a tumultuous series of events in October.

SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘ATROCITIES’ AGAINST TRUMP AT MANHATTAN HUSH MONEY TRIAL

Multiple people close to Trump and Johnson told Fox News Digital that they speak frequently, with one GOP lawmaker estimating they talk “at least weekly” but added “it depends on the issue.”

The source close to Johnson told Fox News Digital that the speaker keeps Trump in the loop on the major moves being made in the House of Representatives.

Those same allies stressed that the relationship, a close one for an elected congressional leader and their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, is positive for both the House and the GOP as a whole.

“It helps both sides. It helps the House, but it also helps the party, because you’re coming in from two different directions at the same general goal,” Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., who previously served in Trump’s Cabinet, told Fox News Digital.

Zinke said Trump and Johnson have a very good working relationship, arguing their “uniquely different” personalities make for a good match.

SPEAKER JOHNSON TO ATTEND TRUMP TRIAL IN MANHATTAN IN SHOW OF SUPPORT

“I think they both understand that unity of effort is required, and it has to be a cordial relationship… I think there’s a realization that if we hold the House, that would be an imperative for the America First agenda,” Zinke said. “You have a 100% New Yorker with high elbows and a lot of bravado. And then you have a Louisiana son of a firefighter that is kind and low-key. So maybe it’s a good match.”

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital, “President Trump, behind the scenes and in public, speaks well of [Johnson]. I think, like a lot of people, he trusts him.”

Meuser added, “[Trump] thinks he could probably improve in certain areas. As I’ve said, some of those bills, I just think we should have fought harder for. But I think they really have a special relationship.”

Indeed, Trump has exercised his powerful influence to help Johnson out of legislative jams before – like expressing public support against GOP rebels’ threats to oust the speaker from leadership, and showing tacit support for Johnson’s plan on foreign aid.

Johnson, for his part, has vehemently defended Trump amid his criminal trials and even recently floated defunding Special Counsel Jack Smith. 

TRUMP REBUKES MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’S FAILED ATTEMPT TO OUST SPEAKER: ‘NOT THE TIME’

That support extends behind closed doors as well – Johnson touted Trump’s poll numbers in critical swing states during a members-only House GOP Conference meeting on Wednesday morning, multiple people said.

And while he was not the first House GOP leader to endorse Trump’s re-election, his decision to do so was swift and, like much of Johnson’s political calculus surrounding the ex-president, appears to have been a unilateral decision.

Ahead of his November CNBC interview when Johnson made news by endorsing Trump, the source close to him recalled it was suggested that the speaker wait until his political team could put together a formal rollout. 

But Johnson argued that it made no sense to wait because he already supported the ex-president’s re-election, the source said, and then caught staff off guard when he told “Squawk Box,” “I’m all in for President Trump.”

Multiple lawmakers categorized Trump and Johnson’s relationship as a productive but working one – the GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital said they started out at “nearly zero” – but the source pushed back, citing a recent interview in The Atlantic where Johnson said Trump called him the day after Johnson had to abruptly leave a meeting because his sons had almost drowned.

JOHNSON WARNED AGAINST MAKING ‘SIDE DEALS’ WITH GOP REBELS: DON’T ‘GREASE A SQUEAKY WHEEL’

“President Trump heard about it somehow – miraculously, this never made the news,” Johnson had said. “He was just so moved by the idea that we almost lost them… and we talked about the faith aspect of that, because he knows that I believe that, you know – that God spared the lives of my sons. That’s how I understand those events, and we talked about that.”

Trump also had a good relationship with Johnson when the latter was part of Trump’s impeachment defense team in 2020, the source said.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, another staunch Trump ally, told Fox News Digital, “I think it’s a healthy relationship. I think they both respect each other. And they don’t always agree, but who does? But you know, I think that they’ve got a relationship where they can get together in person or get on the phone and talk about stuff and come up with a common plan, a common strategy.”

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Rep. Andy Barr, of Kentucky, another Republican close to both, said their relationship was “very beneficial” to both sides.

“A lot of credit [goes] to both gentlemen for recognizing that they need each other. We need to collaborate and not just politically, but we want to have an effective first 100 days. We want to grow our majority, take back the White House and flip the Senate, and we want to be ready day one,” Barr said.

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

Former President Trump is attending youngest son Barron Trump’s high school graduation in Florida on Friday, a break from his criminal trial in New York City.

Barron Trump, 18, will graduate from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday. The graduation ceremony is private. 

Barron Trump will go to college, but it is unclear which university he has selected. The former president has previously floated the possibility of his son attending his own alma mater, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Tiffany Trump also graduated. Eric Trump attended Georgetown University.

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

The former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee had been pushing for weeks to attend his son’s high school graduation. The judge presiding over his criminal trial in Manhattan, Judge Juan Merchan, had left the decision on whether to allow Trump to attend in limbo.

Court meets every day, except on Wednesdays, and Trump has been required to attend each day of his criminal trial stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He maintains his innocence.

Merchan ultimately granted Trump’s request to attend Barron’s graduation, but he denied Trump’s request to attend arguments at the Supreme Court on April 25 regarding the matter of presidential immunity.

MELANIA TRUMP LAUNCHES JEWELRY LINE TO HONOR MOMS AHEAD OF MOTHER’S DAY, RAISE FUNDS FOR FOSTER KIDS

“Barron’s a great student and he’s very proud of the fact he did so well and was looking forward for years to having his graduation with his mother and father there,” Trump said before Merchan granted his request to miss a day in court for the “scam trial.”

Former first lady Melania Trump told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview last month that nothing makes her prouder than the relationship she has built with Barron.

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Meanwhile, the trial is expected to resume on Monday with continued cross-examination of the prosecution’s star witness, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

It’s been more than a half century since a Republican won Minnesota in a presidential election, but former President Donald Trump says he’s got “a really good shot” of breaking the losing streak this November in his 2024 rematch with President Biden.

The former president heads to the reliably blue state on Friday, to headline the Minnesota GOP’s annual Lincoln Reagan fundraising dinner.

Trump lost Minnesota by just 1.5 points in his 2016 presidential election victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. But four years ago he lost the state to President Biden by more than seven points in his unsuccessful re-election campaign.

“We think we have a really good shot at Minnesota,” Trump emphasized in a Wednesday interview with KSTP, a local TV station in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. “We have great friendships up there.”

FIRST ON FOX: TOP JEWISH GOP GROUP STEPS UP FUNDRAISING FOR TRUMP AMID ANTI-ISRAEL COLLEGE CAMPUS PROTESTS 

Trump added that he’s “worked hard on Minnesota” and that “Tom Emmer is very much involved,” as he pointed to the House majority whip.

Emmer, who will join Trump at the state GOP gala, is chairing the Trump campaign in Minnesota even though the former president and his allies helped sink Emmer’s bid last autumn to become House speaker.

As the Trump and Biden campaigns prepare for battle in seven crucial swing states that decided the 2020 election (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which were narrowly won by Biden, and North Carolina, which Trump carried by a razor-thin margin) and will likely once again in the 2024 rematch, both campaigns see opportunities to expand the map.

WARNING SIGNS FOR TRUMP, BIDEN, AS THE CAREEN TOWARDS DEBATES 

Two weekends ago at a closed-door Republican National Committee retreat for top-dollar donors that was held at a resort in Palm Beach, Florida, senior Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and veteran pollster Tony Fabrizio spotlighted internal surveys that suggested both “Minnesota & Virginia are clearly in play.”

In both states, Donald Trump finds himself in positions to flip key electoral votes in his favor,” the survey, which was shared with Fox News, emphasizes. 

And both states have sizable populations of rural white voters without college degrees who disproportionately support the former president.

Biden’s campaign disagrees that either Minnesota or Virginia are up for grabs.

While noting that they are “not taking any state or any vote for granted,” Biden campaign battleground states director Dan Kanninen told reporters last week that “we don’t see polls that are six or seven months out from a general election, head-to-head numbers certainly, as any more predictive than a weather report is six or seven months out.”

Kanninen highlighted that the campaign has teams on the ground in both states engaging voters.

“We feel strongly the Biden-Harris coalition in both Minnesota and Virginia, which has been strong in the midterms and off-year elections, will continue to be strong for us in the fall of 2024,” he added.

And Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt, pointing to the president’s current fundraising dominance and ground-game advantage in the key battlegrounds, argued that “Trump’s team has so little campaign or infrastructure to speak of they’re resorting to leaking memos that say ‘the polls we paid for show us winning.'” 

But Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who launched a longshot and unsuccessful primary challenge against the president, insists that “Minnesota’s in play.

Phillips, in an interview this week on Fox News’ “Special Edition,” argued that Minnesota’s “like a lot of states that I think a lot of my fellow Democrats don’t want to confess is the reality… I’m telling my Democratic colleagues who are supporting President Biden, myself included, that there’s a lot of work to do.”

This is the second straight election where Trump aims to flip Minnesota.

At a late September 2020 rally in northern Minnesota, Trump boasted of the crowd size and insisted “this is not the crowd of somebody that’s going to finish second in this state to Sleepy Joe,” a derogatory term he used for Biden.

While Trump’s campaign looks for opportunities to expand the map in Minnesota and Virginia, Biden’s campaign appears to be eyeing swing state North Carolina as well as Florida. 

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Trump carried the Sunshine State by less than four points in 2020, but two years ago Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP Sen. Marco Rubio each won re-election by nearly 20 points.

LaCivita argued the Biden campaign was playing “a faux game” in both states, but insisted that Trump has a “real opportunity in expanding the map in Virginia and Minnesota.”

Trump’s stop in Minnesota comes a week after he held a large rally in Wilwood, New Jersey, a red bastion in an overwhelming blue state where no Republican has carried the state in a presidential election in over three decades. Trump lost the state to Biden by 16 points four years ago.

“We’re going to win New Jersey,” Trump vowed at the rally.

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

Catholic groups and other conservative organizations are going after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra after a GOP lawmaker accused him of withholding federal funds from hospitals that do not perform transgender surgeries on religious grounds.

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., clashed with Becerra at a heated House hearing on Wednesday, demanding that he commit to not blocking federal dollars from doctors or hospitals “that refuse to provide the gender-affirming care that you’re mandating if it violates their religious beliefs.”

“You’re going somewhere completely different. First, you’re talking about how a doctor should have the rights to not offer particular care. Then you stretch it out to provide for the system-wide services… very different,” Becerra said in a clip later shared by Miller.

Miller replied, “You’ve put out this guidance and doctors do need to know what are you going to do if they refuse to provide this care?”

CHRISTIAN EX-TEACHER SUES CALIFORNIA DISTRICT AFTER REFUSING TO HIDE KIDS’ GENDER TRANSITIONS FROM PARENTS

“A doctor, if that doctor has religious objections, that doctor under these rules is not required to offer the care,” Becerra said, adding doctors “don’t get federal funding.”

When Miller pressed him about the faith-based hospitals where many doctors work, he said, “If a health care facility is violating the law and not providing the service they’re required to, they are not entitled to the resources.”

Becerra told Miller earlier in the exchange, “If a provider for religious reasons objects, they are not forced to provide any particular service.”

But Miller posted on X after the hearing, “After attempting to lie, HHS Secretary Becerra says the quiet part out loud. Joe Biden’s government will withhold funds from religious hospitals that refuse to provide sex-change operations for young children.”

SURFING ORGANIZATION PULLS ABOUT-FACE ON TRANS INCLUSION AFTER PRESSURE FROM CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION

CatholicVote President Brian Burch told Fox News Digital, “Secretary Becerra has made a career of targeting Catholics. Now, in his disdain for faith-based health care institutions and medical professionals, including the numerous Catholic hospital systems across the country, he is threatening the care of millions of Americans.”

“This administration has done more harm to the Catholic faith and religious Americans than any which has preceded it. It is time for the American people to take a stand against this administration’s overt hostility toward institutions of faith. November can’t come soon enough,” he said.

Solidarity HealthShare President Chris Faddis said the recent HHS rule, which prohibits health programs that get federal dollars from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age or sex, including whether a patient identifies as LGBTQ+, confirms “our grave concern that his agency has no intention of honoring the empty promise to protect religious freedom”

PROMINENT US FIRMS FACE ALLEGATIONS OF WORKFORCE DISCRIMINATION OVER DIVERSITY EFFORTS

“These rules mandate gender transition surgeries even when it violates the faith of religious doctors and health care systems, not to mention their best medical judgment,” Faddis said.

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Katy Talento, executive director of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries and a former Trump administration health adviser, said the rule would force hospitals to provide transgender surgeries “or else lose access to federal funding to care for the poor and elderly, such as Medicaid and Medicare.”

“Instead of helping young people embrace how God created them as male or female, the Biden administration wants to permanently alter their bodies and force sterilization in many cases. Not only should hospitals use all available legal options to fight back, but Americans more broadly must wake up to this wicked agenda and roundly reject this wicked gender ideology at every turn,” said Walker Wildmon, vice president of the American Family Association.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BIDEN ASSERTS EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER RECORDINGS FROM CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS PROBE

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

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

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

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

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

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REBUKED FOR DELAY TACTICS IN BIDEN-HUR TAPES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What’s happening? 

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

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

– Biden camp agrees to debate between Kamala and Trump VP

Biden exercises privilege to prevent release of Hur audio

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

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

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

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

White House

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

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

Capitol Hill

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

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

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

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

Tales from the Campaign Trail

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Across America

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

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

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wade subsequently resigned from his post as special prosecutor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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