NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was challenged to a primary debate rematch after she skipped a local Democratic debate to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C., her Democratic primary opponent said in comments exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.   

“There is no reason we can’t reschedule the debate,” Fulton County DA candidate Christian Wise Smith said in a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital on Monday. “We are happy to work with her team to do it.”

The Fulton County Democratic Party held its first primary debate on Sunday, but Willis was a no-show, leaving her political opponent to take the stage alone, where he criticized her for hiring a romantic partner for the high-level prosecution of former President Donald Trump in Georgia. 

Wise Smith’s campaign lambasted Willis in the press release for skipping the debate to apparently travel to D.C. for the swanky White House Correspondents Dinner. 

ANTI-TRUMP DA’S NO-SHOW AT DEBATE LEAVES CHALLENGER FACING OFF AGAINST EMPTY PODIUM

“I have enormous respect for Willis’s busy calendar, but ignoring a community-organized event while violent crime escalates, to schmooze with politicos while an ‘SNL’ comedian roasts the entire political process, tells me where her allegiances lie — and it’s not with the voters of Fulton County,” Michael Ceraso, Christian Wise Smith’s communications director, said. 

AFTER JUDGE’S SCOLDING FOR PLAYING ‘RACE CARD,’ FANI WILLIS SAYS SHE’LL ‘TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY’

Social media posts from an independent photojournalist and Black-focused news outlet The Grio on Saturday evening and Sunday showed photos of Willis attending the media event this weekend in Washington, D.C. Local media initially cited Willis’ participation in the second annual “Self Care Fair” with an Atlanta city councilwoman in honor of Crime Victims’ Rights Week on Saturday as reason for skipping the debate on Sunday.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DA’s office Monday for comment, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Wise Smith’s campaign said in the press release that Willis’ office has its hands full with the Trump case, which has left “everyday Georgians trapped in a flawed criminal justice system to fend largely for themselves as the high-profile case gobbles up limited energy and resources.”

“The three biggest issues facing Fulton County residents right now are (1) failure to center victims in criminal prosecutions, (2) ending the school-to-prison pipeline, and (3) curbing mass incarceration,” Wise Smith said. 

JUDGE IN GEORGIA SLAMS FANI WILLIS’ ‘IMPROPER’ CHURCH SPEECH, ‘PLAYING THE RACE CARD’

Willis is the Georgia district attorney who brought forth the election inference case against Trump, charging him and 18 co-defendants with racketeering over allegations they tried to overthrow the 2020 election. Willis became embroiled in controversy when she was accused of having an “improper” relationship with the special counsel she hired, Nathan Wade. 

Willis and Wade both admitted to the affair amid testimony on the matter, but said they only made their relationship official in 2022, after charges were brought against defendants in the Trump case. Witnesses in the case, however, alleged the pair began their relationship before 2022. 

A judge ordered Willis last month to either remove herself from the case or fire Wade, with Wade ultimately resigning. 

“Politics do not keep the families and residents of Fulton County safe. Action does. Unfortunately, our system has over-policed, over-convicted, and over-incarcerated. Yet, I haven’t heard Fani Willis put forth a plan that indicates she’s concerned about the real issues keeping voters awake at night,” Wise Smith added in the press release. 

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

Wise Smith took the debate stage solo on Sunday, where he criticized Willis for hiring a romantic partner for the Trump case. 

“That issue is important to us in Fulton County and a lot of people across the country,” Wise Smith said on the stage, Fox 5 reported.

​​”When you pay one attorney nearly $1 million to handle one case, that leaves the rest of us vulnerable. That hurts everyone in Fulton County,” he added. 

TRUMP BLASTS FULTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS AFTER ROMANTIC PARTNER ALLEGATIONS: ‘TOTALLY COMPROMISED’

Wise Smith did not take issue with Willis prosecuting Trump or the case itself, instead saying Willis has “to do things differently.”

Wise Smith is an attorney, who previously served as an Atlanta city solicitor and Fulton County prosecutor, and describes himself as a “prosecutor with heart.” 

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Willis and Smith will face off in the Democratic primary on May 28. Despite the controversy surrounding the Trump case, local polling shows Willis with strong leads over Smith, Fox 5 reported.  

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has revealed what he says is his path to the White House as he faces increased pressure from the Biden and Trump campaigns targeting what some have described as his “spoiler” candidacy.

“All we need to do is get to 33% to win the election,” Kennedy told Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo last week on his show “World Over,” which appears on EWTN Global Catholic Network.

“You don’t need 50%. It’s a three-way race — and it’s really a five-way race,” he added, referencing independent candidate Dr. Cornel West and Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein.

VOTERS IN MAJOR SWING STATE SOUND OFF ON TRUMP TRIAL: VIDEO

Kennedy told Arroyo he was already close to that 33% “in a bunch of states,” appearing to cite internal polling, and argued he has an advantage over President Biden and former President Donald Trump when it came to young voters.

According to a number of recent public polls, Kennedy is polling better than any third-party candidate has since Texas businessman Ross Perot’s back-to-back White House runs in the 1990s, and is doing particularly well with voters under the age of 35. He is, however, still trailing Trump and Biden in the demographic.

A Quinnipiac poll released last week found Kennedy with 16% support overall, with Trump and Biden each at 37%. He pulled significant support from Trump and Biden with voters aged 18-34, garnering 19% support, but still trailed the former president (34%) and president (30%).

BLACK REPUBLICAN WHO SHUNNED DEI BY IDENTIFYING AS ‘AMERICA’ SAYS DEMS’ ‘FREE PASS’ TO MINORITIES IS OVER

The same poll taken last fall showed Kennedy leading Trump and Biden with voters aged 18-34, getting 39% to their 27% and 32% respectively. However, that poll did not include West and Stein.

One former Bernie Sanders pollster, Ben Tulchin, recently sounded the alarm over Kennedy pulling so much young support from Biden. Last week, he told The New York Times he was worried about Biden’s chances of winning re-election because of Kennedy’s appeal to the demographic, as well as Latino voters.

“Young voters and Latinos respond really well to a hard-edge economic populist message — and that is not Biden’s message,” Tulchin said. “They’re dissatisfied about the political and economic status quo. And I see in that mind-set the potential opening to support a third-party candidate,” he said.

WHITE HOUSE DENIES SECRET PLOT TO OUST KARINE JEAN-PIERRE AS BIDEN FACES MORE BAD NEWS

To prevent that from happening, the Democratic National Committee launched an effort to silence the threat to Biden’s re-election from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, in the form of a team that is expected to actively combat them with legal challenges and opposition research.

Likewise, Trump recently railed against Kennedy as a “wasted protest vote” in a post on Truth Social, and his campaign has launched a website targeting the latter as “radical f—–g Kennedy,” describing him as a “friend of left-wing extremists.”

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Additionally, Biden appeared alongside six members of Kennedy’s family as they endorsed him over their own, a clear snub in conjunction with the DNC’s efforts.

Both sides have also accused Kennedy of being a “plant” in order to help boost the other side, something he vehemently denies.

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

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged several questions during a press briefing on Monday, regarding the responses of many universities in the U.S. as anti-Israel protests, which sometimes turn violent, continue to flare up.

Colleges from coast to coast, including many Ivy League schools like Columbia, Yale, Harvard and Penn, have seen dayslong protests on campuses, with students demanding their schools completely divest from Israel as the death toll in Gaza continues to increase.

One reporter on Monday asked Jean-Pierre whether President Biden or anyone else in the White House had spoken with leadership at Columbia University, and if the president was happy with how school administrators are handling the situation.

“The president has always been clear that while Americans have the right to peacefully protest…he stands squarely, squarely against any rhetoric, violent rhetoric, any hate, hate threats and physical intimidation and hate speech,” she said, adding there is no place for antisemitism on college campuses or anywhere else. “It is a painful moment, we get that. But it is a painful moment that Americans are dealing with, and free expression has to be done within the law. And, you know, we’re going to continue to be very clear about that.”

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS FAIL TO REACH DEAL, PRESIDENT ASKS CAMP TO ‘VOLUNTARILY DISPERSE’

The press secretary did not answer the question about whether Biden was satisfied with how universities are handling the situation. And that was not the only question she dodged.

Jean-Pierre was asked if the White House thought it was fair that protesters at Columbia or other schools were being threatened with probation or other disciplinary actions, and whether students should leave a protest before a deadline being given by university personnel at Columbia.

To both questions, Jean-Pierre said she would not comment.

VIRGINIA TECH POLICE PHYSICALLY CARRY AWAY ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS AMID EFFORT TO RESTORE PEACE ON CAMPUS

“These are institutions. Some of them are private, some of them are public, and it is up to their leadership, university leadership and colleges, to make that decision,” she responded to the first question.

She nearly echoed her response to the second question.

“I’m just not going to comment on leadership at colleges and universities….that’s for them to decide,” Jean-Pierre said. “We’ve been very clear.”

TRUMP SAYS 4 WORDS ABOUT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AS ARRESTS SKYROCKET

Other topics that were dodged included whether the White House was concerned about safety at graduations; the response of the Biden administration to the use of police force in some of the college protests; the Biden administration’s reaction to the repercussions of the protests and how they have impacted students on campuses in terms of the University of Southern California canceling graduation and George Washington University moving exams; and if the White House supported having antisemitism monitors on campus.

In nearly every response, Jean-Pierre stuck to the message that Biden is in favor of peaceful protests and condemns antisemitism and any form of hate.

But this is nothing new.

CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY REVEALS ‘TRUE COST’ OF ANTI-ISRAEL MOB THAT TOOK OVER ACADEMIC BUILDINGS

On Sunday, the White House remained silent on if the administration plans to bar student protesters from eligibility for student loan forgiveness programs. One thing Biden campaigned on in 2020 was forgiving student loan debt, pledging to cancel at least $10,000 per borrower back in 2020.

While Biden denounced the protests, he came under criticism last week for also condemning those “who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

“I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I have set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians,” Biden told reporters this month. 

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Critics have compared it to Trump’s remarks in 2017, following a two-day riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, when White nationalists descended on the city. Trump said at the time that the violence had “no place in America,” while adding there was “blame on both sides” and “very fine people, on both sides.”

Emma Colton of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

RENO, Nev. – Voters in one major swing state were not happy when asked about their views on former President Donald Trump’s ongoing criminal trial in New York City as well as the multiple other prosecutions he faces.

Most of those voters, who Fox News Digital spoke to at a campaign event for Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown in Reno, Nevada, said they believed Democrats contrived the legal efforts against Trump in order to meddle in this year’s presidential election, which a number of recent polls suggest will be trouble for President Biden.

“I’ll tell you right now, I am so upset, all I want to do is cry. I feel it’s a sham. It’s a kangaroo court. They’re trying to keep him off the campaign,” one voter told Fox. Another argued the trial was “politically motivated,” and that they were “going after” Trump in order to “stop Biden from getting kicked out of the White House.”

BLACK REPUBLICAN WHO SHUNNED DEI BY IDENTIFYING AS ‘AMERICA’ SAYS DEMS’ ‘FREE PASS’ TO MINORITIES IS OVER

“It shows how the Democrats are using our political system in the wrong way,” another voter said.

A recent Quinnipiac poll found a plurality of voters (46%) said they believed Trump did something illegal regarding the 34 falsification of business records charges he is fighting in the trial, something one voter conceded when telling Fox there were people on “all sides” of the issue.

The poll also found a close 45% believe Trump did not do anything illegal, but that same voter said he believed there was a majority in Nevada who “will elect him from prison” if he’s convicted.

WHITE HOUSE DENIES SECRET PLOT TO OUST KARINE JEAN-PIERRE AS BIDEN FACES MORE BAD NEWS

“I believe it’s a smokescreen. I believe it’s a ploy to keep the focus on him and not on the horrible way that our government is being run by a president that should not be there,” another voter said. 

“It’s a crime in itself what they’re doing to him, but it’s only making people more sure of who they’re going to vote for. I think it’s turning people back to Trump,” she added.

Other voters described Trump’s trial as a “fiasco,” “a big joke,” “a slippery slope” and “a waste of money.”

REPUBLICAN MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT IN PUSH TO GROW GOP SUPPORT FROM ONCE-SOLID DEM VOTING BLOC

The anger over Trump’s trial comes as Biden was smacked with more bad news on Sunday in the form of a CNN poll that found him trailing the former president 49%-43% in a head-to-head matchup.

The poll found the lead for Trump grew to nine points (42%-33%) when including independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (16%) and Dr. Cornel West (4%) and Green Party candidate Jill Stein (3%).

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Nevada is likely to be one of the most closely watched states this election cycle with a Senate seat crucial to both parties on the line, and its six electoral votes possibly becoming a deciding factor in what is shaping up to be a close race for the presidency.

Elections analysts rate the state’s Senate race as either a tossup, “tilt Democratic” or “leans Democratic.”

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

Republicans are significantly more enthusiastic about the 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump than either Democrats or independent voters, according to a new national poll.

And a survey released Monday by the Monmouth University Polling Institute also spotlights that enthusiasm among all registered voters in the Biden-Trump rematch — while remaining well under 50% — has jumped 12 points over the past year – to 39%.

“Enthusiasm for a 2020 rematch has increased slightly now that these two candidates are the presumptive nominees. But most voters are not looking forward to November,” Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray highlighted.

But the poll points to a glaring partisan divide in enthusiasm.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Sixty-three percent of Republicans questioned said they were very or somewhat enthusiastic about the second straight face-off between the Democratic incumbent in the White House and his GOP predecessor.

That figure plunges to 36% among Democrats surveyed, and down to 27% among independents.

The poll is also the latest national survey to point to a close contest between Biden and Trump. Forty-four percent said they will definitely or probably support Trump in the presidential election, with 43% saying the same thing about Biden.

Forty-nine percent offered that they would definitely not vote for the president, with 48% saying the same thing about the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

Eighteen percent of those questioned said that they would definitely or probably cast a ballot for Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic.  

“Support for Kennedy is not particularly strong even among voters who dislike both Biden and Trump. If he can’t score a decisive win with these voters, it’s unclear what role he can play in this election other than as a spoiler,” Murray highlighted. “The poll results suggest that the Kennedy effect is minimal. If the current situation holds, he would play a spoiler role only in a very close contest. Of course, everything is lining up for this election to be just that.”    

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Inflation (38%) and economic growth and jobs (37%) top the list of most important issues in the presidential election, according to the poll, followed by immigration (33%) and abortion (33%).

Immigration (56%) and inflation (53%) are the top ranking issues for Republicans when it comes to shaping their vote in the presidential election, while abortion (44%) is the most prominent issue for Democrats.

“When partisan voters name their top issues in this election, it is not about weighing the candidates’ positions. It’s more about which issues are motivating them to get out to vote. You have to focus on the small group of voters who are up for grabs to see which issue may actually sway voters. In this case, it appears to be inflation,” Murray noted.

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted April 18-22, with 808 adults nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

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

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published new guidance that details how an employer could be found liable for harassment if they require an employee to use a bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex, sparking backlash. 

“Women’s sex-based rights in the workplace are under attack—and from the EEOC, the very federal agency charged with protecting women from sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination at work. In its new harassment guidance, the Commission formally takes the position that for both private companies and federal employers, harassing conduct under Title VII includes ‘denial of access to a bathroom or other sex-segregated facility consistent with [an] individual’s gender identity,’” EEOC Commissioner Andrea Lucas said in a comment provided to Fox News Digital. 

The new guidance published on Monday, “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace,” outlines that “sex-based harassment” includes “intentional and repeated use of a name or pronoun inconsistent with the individual’s gender identity.”

“Harassment, both in-person and online, remains a serious issue in America’s workplaces. The EEOC’s updated guidance on harassment is a comprehensive resource that brings together best practices for preventing and remedying harassment and clarifies recent developments in the law,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows in a press release Monday. “The guidance incorporates public input from stakeholders across the country, is aligned with our Strategic Enforcement Plan, and will help ensure that individuals understand their workplace rights and responsibilities.”

PROMINENT US FIRMS FACE ALLEGATIONS OF WORKFORCE DISCRIMINATION OVER DIVERSITY EFFORTS

 Sex-based harassment would also include “the denial of access to a bathroom or other sex-segregated facility consistent with the individual’s gender identity,” the document goes on to say.

“As we commemorate this year’s 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the guidance will help raise awareness about the serious problem of harassment in employment and the law’s protections for those who experience it,” said Burrows in the press release. 

FEDERAL COMMISSIONER FIRES BACK AT MARK CUBAN FOR DIVERSITY CLAIM, DELIVERS WARNING ABOUT DEI: ‘MORE PROBLEMS’

The EEOC had announced last year that it would update its guidance to include sexual orientation and gender identity, which sparked backlash from state attorneys general. 

US JUDGE’S SCHOOL PRIVACY RULING ALLOWS TRANSGENDER BATHROOM USE BASED ON GENDER IDENTITY 

Lucas, who was appointed to the EEOC by then-President Trump in 2020, continued in her statement that “the EEOC ignores biological reality.”

“Relatedly, the Commission declares that harassing conduct includes ‘repeated and intentional use of a name or pronoun inconsistent with [an] individual’s known gender identity.’ The Commission’s guidance effectively eliminates single-sex workplace facilities and impinges on women’s (and indeed, all employees’) rights to freedom of speech and belief. In issuing this guidance, the EEOC ignores biological reality; dismisses the sex-based privacy and safety needs of women; disregards decades of safeguarding principles for women and girls; and fundamentally betrays its mission,” she continued. 

“Biological sex is real, and it matters. Sex is binary (male and female) and is immutable.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House Monday for comment on the matter. 

With just over six months to go until Election Day, two new polls are spelling trouble for President Biden as he faces off against former President Trump in a 2024 rematch.

Biden trails Trump by six points, according to a CNN national survey.

And new numbers from Gallup indicate Biden had the lowest approval rating during the first quarter of his re-election year of any president in the past 70 years.

Trump leads Biden 49%-43% among registered voters in a head-to-head matchup, according to the CNN poll. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

And in a five-person race, the survey indicates Trump topping Biden 42%-33%, with Democrat turned independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at 16%, independent progressive candidate Cornell West at 4%, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 3%.

The CNN survey stands out from other national polls also conducted in mid-April by Quinnipiac University, Marist College, NBC News, and the New York Times/Siena College, which indicated a much closer contest between the Democratic incumbent in the White House and his Republican predecessor.

Trump, a longtime vocal critic of CNN, took to social media to write, “GOOD POLL NUMBERS, FROM CNN OF ALL PLACES”

Americans have a tendency to view past presidencies with more favorability over time, and that appears to be the case with Trump, whose combustible tenure in the White House ended over three years ago.

The CNN survey suggests that 55% of Americans now say they view Trump’s presidency as a success, with 44% seeing it as a failure, down 11 points from a CNN poll conducted soon after Trump left office and also following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

According to the new survey, 61% rate Biden’s presidency so far as a failure, with 39% calling it a success.

“Opinions about the first term of each man vying for a second four years in the White House now appear to work in Trump’s favor, with most Americans saying that, looking back, Trump’s term as president was a success, while a broad majority says Biden’s has so far been a failure,” CNN spotlights.

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Biden remains deeply underwater in the new poll, with a 40% approval rating and 60% giving the president a thumbs down on the job he’s doing in the White House.

According to Gallup, Biden averaged a 38.7% job approval rating during his 13th quarter in office, which began on Jan. 20 and ended on April 19.

“None of the other nine presidents elected to their first term since Dwight Eisenhower had a lower 13th-quarter average than Biden,” Gallup highlighted in their poll.

Of the four other presidents who had approval ratings under 50% in the first quarter of their re-election year, according to Gallup polling – Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump – only Obama won a second term in office.

The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from April 18-23, with 1,212 adults questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

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

Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ political opponent debated with an empty podium after Willis skipped the county’s first Democratic Party debate, local reports show. 

Willis is the Georgia district attorney who brought forth the election inference case against former President Trump, charging him and 18 co-defendants with racketeering over allegations they tried to overthrow the 2020 election. Willis became embroiled in controversy when she was accused of having an “improper” relationship with the special counsel she hired, Nathan Wade. 

A judge ordered Willis last month to either remove herself from the case or fire Wade, with Wade ultimately resigning. 

The Fulton County Democratic Party held its first primary debate on Sunday, but Willis was a no-show, leaving her political opponent to take the stage alone, where he criticized his fellow Democrat for hiring a romantic partner for the high-level case. 

ERIC TRUMP WARNS BRAGG, WILLIS ‘WANT TO TORTURE MY FATHER’ BUT NO ONE ‘IS BELIEVING IT’

“That issue is important to us in Fulton County and a lot of people across the country,” Smith said on the stage, Fox 5 reported. 

​​”When you pay one attorney nearly $1 million to handle one case, that leaves the rest of us vulnerable. That hurts everyone in Fulton County,” he said.

FANI WILLIS SHOULD FACE GAG ORDER IN TRUMP ELECTION CASE, SAYS LEGAL ANALYST

Smith did not take issue with Willis prosecuting Trump or the case itself, instead saying Willis has “to do things differently.”

Willis did not attend the debate event, which was sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club, to co-host the second annual “Self Care Fair” with an Atlanta city councilwoman in honor of Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Willis is also focusing on the continued prosecution of Trump, Fox 5 also cited as to why she was not present for the debate. 

AFTER JUDGE’S SCOLDING FOR PLAYING ‘RACE CARD,’ FANI WILLIS SAYS SHE’LL ‘TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY’

Fox News Digital reached out to Willis’ media team for additional comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a response. 

Willis and Smith will face off in the Democratic primary on May 28. Despite the controversy surrounding the Trump case, local polling shows Willis with strong leads over Smith, Fox 5 reported.  

The Democratic champion of the primary will compete against a Republican challenger on Nov. 5. 

JUDGE IN GEORGIA SLAMS FANI WILLIS’ ‘IMPROPER’ CHURCH SPEECH, ‘PLAYING THE RACE CARD’

Willis and Wade both admitted to the affair amid testimony on the matter, but said they only made their relationship official in 2022, after charges were brought against defendants in the Trump case. Witnesses in the case, however, alleged the pair began their relationship before 2022. 

Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee said last month that there was a “significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team,” but did not find an “actual conflict of interest in this case through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor.” McAfee ruled that either Willis step aside from the case or Wade be fired. Wade resigned last month. 

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

Willis has brushed off criticisms of her affair with Wade, touting herself late last month as the only district attorney with the “courage” to prosecute Trump. 

TRUMP BLASTS FULTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS AFTER ROMANTIC PARTNER ALLEGATIONS: ‘TOTALLY COMPROMISED’

“There’s one district attorney in the state – and really around the country – that has had the courage to do this, and she continues to do it,” Willis told FOX 5 Atlanta last month. “The case landed in Fulton County, not by anything that I did, but by the actions of others, and when a case lands in my jurisdiction, I’m going to prosecute it, and that’s the end of that.” 

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Trump, meanwhile, has slammed the case as a “witch hunt” that is led by a “totally compromised” district attorney. 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of Republican senators shared concerns over ideological bias at National Public Radio (NPR), with the organization’s controversial CEO Katherine Maher following high-profile criticism from former senior editor Uri Berliner, who recently resigned from his role citing her “divisive views.” 

“We have deep concerns regarding the editorial direction under NPR’s national leadership,” wrote a group of Republicans in a letter on Monday led by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

In the letter, also signed by Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Eric Shmitt, R-Mo., they stressed that NPR’s “National leadership has allowed and cultivated an environment where ideological bias not only creeps in but takes center stage.”

TIM SCOTT SAYS BIDEN IS ‘WILLING TO TANK’ ECONOMY BY GETTING RID OF TRUMP TAX CUTS

Berliner first penned his essay for the Free Press on April 9, discussing why he believes the institution has lost public trust. He detailed his criticisms of the coverage of various 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 actually began in a lab in China and was leaked. 

The 25-year NPR veteran further revealed that his research found there were “87 registered Democrats” in editorial roles in NPR’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and no Republicans. 

According to the senators, the ideological homogeneity at NPR is not just disappointing, but amounts to “an ethical failure.”

DEM SENATE CANDIDATE ELISSA SLOTKIN’S ‘SMALL CONSULTING BUSINESS’ MAY HAVE NEVER BEEN ACTIVE

The “decidedly left-leaning editorial stance” at the publication is a serious threat to “the integrity and diversity of thought,” they added. 

“If NPR’s goal was to become an echo chamber, mission accomplished. But as a publicly funded entity, you are responsible for providing impartial coverage that accurately informs all Americans, regardless of political affiliation,” the letter continued. 

TOP SENATE DEM CALLS FOR PROBE INTO MUSLIMS PROSECUTED BY DOJ FOR ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS

In closing, the Republicans called on Maher to begin a “course correction” to remedy the exposed lack of diversity at NPR. 

Maher has come under particular scrutiny due to her lack of editorial background, as well as her opinionated and overwhelmingly Democratic personal views, which she has publicly shared on social media over time. In 2020, she criticized news outlets for their coverage of looting during the riots following the death of George Floyd. “I mean, sure, looting is counterproductive. But it’s hard to be mad about protests not prioritizing the private property of a system of oppression founded on treating people’s ancestors as private property,” she said at the time. 

JEWISH DEMOCRAT CALLS OUT BERNIE SANDERS OVER OPPOSITION TO ISRAEL AID: ‘NOW DO ANTISEMITISM’

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NPR did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

In the wake of Berliner’s public criticism of his then-employer, several Republican lawmakers have renewed calls to restrict funding of the organization that provides grants for NPR, giving the outlet federal money. Blackburn recently revealed she is looking at legislative options with the intent of introducing a bill to address funding for NPR, and there are multiple measures in the House already looking to do so. 

Former President Trump weighed in on Monday about the anti-Israel demonstrations that are roiling U.S. college and university campuses.

While the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee is not due in the courtroom on Monday, he spent his morning on Truth Social weighing in on his trial. His posts also included a post about the students who are protesting Israel’s war with Hamas, the terror group that governs Gaza.

“Stop the protests now!!!” Trump said in an all-caps post.

The post comes as the number of students and antisemitic agitators arrested at the nationwide demonstrations approached 900 since New York police removed an anti-Israel protest encampment at Columbia University on April 18. 

VIRGINIA TECH POLICE PHYSICALLY CARRY AWAY ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS AMID EFFORT TO RESTORE PEACE ON CAMPUS

The students are protesting the rising death toll in Gaza amid Israel’s effort to eradicate Hamas, which carried out the deadliest attack in the country’s history on Oct. 7, 2023. The subsequent war has resulted in more than 34,000 deaths, mostly civilian women and children.

The anti-Israel groups are calling on their respective colleges and universities to end any investments in companies that support Israel’s military and their actions in Gaza. Students have remained on campus despite several schools demanding they cease their encampments.

Trump’s comment on Monday morning came amid other posts about “Crooked Joe Biden,” who he called the “worst president in the history of the United States.” Trump also addressed the various lawsuits he is facing, which the Republican candidate described as “election interference.”

TRUMP, DESANTIS MEET PRIVATELY FOR SEVERAL HOURS IN MIAMI

Hundreds of protesters were arrested at various college campuses across the U.S. on Saturday, Sunday and into Monday morning as the disruptive demonstrations continued over the weekend. 

About 275 people were arrested on Saturday at Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and others.

Police in riot gear arrested approximately 102 students at an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, police removed masked protesters and arrested more than 100 people at Washington University in St. Louis, including students and university employees.

Late Sunday and into Monday morning, campus police at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, physically carried some protesters from an encampment and arrested them.

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The nationwide campus protests have surged since students at Columbia University, widely seen as the epicenter of the current protests, formed an encampment by pitching tents at the heart of campus. They have vowed to stay put until the university divests from Israel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Biden administration is silent on whether students carrying out anti-Israel protests spiraling on college campuses nationwide will be barred from student loan forgiveness programs that have canceled billions of dollars in debt under the 46th president. 

“We say justice, you say how. Burn Tel Aviv to the ground,” protesters have chanted on Columbia University’s campus in recent days. “Hamas we love you. We support your rockets, too,” other chants have included. 

Colleges from coast to coast, including some of the nation’s most elite schools – including Harvard, Yale, Penn, Berkeley and others – have seen days’ long protests on campuses, where students demand their schools completely divest from Israel as the death toll in Gaza increases.

The protests come following terrorist organization Hamas launching war in Israel on Oct. 7, which initially fanned the flames of antisemitism on campuses in the form of protests, menacing graffiti and students reporting that they felt as if it was “open season for Jews on our campuses.” The protests have now heightened to the point where Jewish students are warned to leave campus for their own safety. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Sunday asking if the administration plans to bar student protesters from eligibility for student loan forgiveness programs, but did not receive a response. Biden, in part, campaigned in 2020 on forgiving student loan debt, including pledging to cancel at least $10,000 per borrower back in 2020. 

BIDEN ONCE RIPPED ‘ANTISEMITIC BILE’ BUT NOW FACES OWN ‘CHARLOTTESVILLE MOMENT’

IVY LEAGUE ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS’ PROTESTS SPIRAL INTO ‘ACTUAL TERROR ORGANIZATION,’ PROFESSOR WARNS

Last year, the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s plan to give up to $20,000 in debt relief per person, though the administration has remained committed to canceling debt through other avenues, including through established relief programs. As of this month, the administration has forgiven roughly $153 billion in debt among about 4.3 million Americans, the Department of Education detailed in a press release on April 12 after the administration announced $7.4 billion in additional student loan debt relief for more than 200,000 borrowers. 

Fox News Digital asked the administration if they are weighing whether to bar anti-Israel protesters on campuses from such relief programs, but did not receive a response. Fox Digital also asked if the administration is weighing such an option, if students would be barred based on arrests or through college and law enforcement investigations. 

UT AUSTIN SUSPENDS PRO-PALESTINIAN STUDENT GROUP AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST

The anti-Israel protests intensified this month, including when the NYPD arrested more than 100 protesters on Columbia’s campus, and a school rabbi warned students last week to leave campus “as soon as possible,” noting that “what we are witnessing in and around campus is terrible and tragic.”

“The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy,” Rabbi Elie Buechler wrote to students last weekend. “It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved.”

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MOVES TO HYBRID LEARNING ON MAIN CAMPUS AMID ANTISEMITIC PROTESTS

A Columbia professor argued in comments to Fox Digital last week that student groups supporting anti-Israel protests had “crossed the line” and morphed into becoming “actual terror” organizations. He specifically pointed to an incident on Columbia’s campus earlier this month when a protester was seen holding a sign reading, “Al-Qasam’s (sic)next targets,” while pointing at a group of Jewish students who were singing and waving Israel’s flag. Al-Qassam is the military wing of Hamas.

Protesters across many of the campuses have established encampments on campus, dubbed titles like the “Gaza Solidarity encampment” or the “liberated zone,” which hearken back to 2020’s “cop free zones” in cities such as Portland and Seattle during the raging defund the police and BLM riots that year. 

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JILL STEIN AMONG 100 ARRESTED PROTESTING AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Arrests for the protests are mounting, with more than 100 protesters arrested at Boston’s Northeastern University on Saturday. The school said protesters were heard using antisemitic slurs, including “Kill the Jews.” Dozens more were arrested on Emory’s campus in Atlanta last week, including an economics professor, with police allegedly using tear gas and Tasers on the crowds. 

All in, more than 200 protesters were arrested on Saturday alone on campuses stretching from Arizona State University to Northeastern, the New York Post reported. 

As the protests intensify and video footage of the scenes spread on social media, critics have slammed debt bailouts under the Biden administration. 

“Your tax dollars at work,” State Auditor of Mississippi Shad White posted on X last week. “No more DEI (which is feeding this antisemitism). No more student debt bailouts. Fix our universities.” 

White’s comment came in response to popular conservative X account “End Wokeness” posting footage of protests on Columbia’s campus last week, captioning the video: “This is the scene at Columbia University right now. A literal cult is occupying the campus. Remember: We all paid their student debt.” 

“IDEA: If a student is arrested in an illegal protest or at least arrested for attacking police he is no longer eligible for student loan relief – he’s got to pay back his loans in full – no forgiveness,” conservative X account Amuse posted while tagging Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. 

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS NATIONWIDE FUELED BY LEFT-WING GROUPS BACKED BY SOROS, DARK MONEY

“Supposedly ‘peaceful’ pro-Palestinian protesters outside Columbia University calling for the end of Israel. Remember, your tax dollars are going to forgive the student debt for these people,” publication Conservative Brief posted on X Friday.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for the presidential election, has repeatedly slammed Biden as being responsible for the protests, calling the demonstrations and antisemtism a “disgrace.” 

“What’s going on at the college level… Columbia, NYU and others is a disgrace. And it’s really on Biden,” Trump said on Tuesday morning outside the Manhattan courtroom where he is facing 34 charges of falsifying business records in a case he’s calling a “witch hunt.” 

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS IN SEATTLE DELAY CAMPUS ENCAMPMENT AFTER BEING CALLED OUT FOR LACK OF DIVERSITY: REPORT

“He’s got the wrong words. He doesn’t know who he’s backing. And it’s a mess. And if this were me, they’d be after me, they’d be after me so much, but they’re trying to get him a pass. And what’s going on is a disgrace to our country. And it’s all Biden’s fault, and everybody knows it. He’s got no message, he’s got no compassion and doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Trump continued, adding Biden is the “worst president in the history of our country.”

Biden has denounced the protests, but came under criticism last week for also condemning those “who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.” 

“I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I have set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians,” Biden told reporters this month. 

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Critics have compared it to Trump’s remarks in 2017, following a two-day riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, when White nationalists descended on the city. Trump said at the time that the violence had “no place in America,” while adding there was “blame on both sides” and “very fine people, on both sides.”

EXCLUSIVE: A Black Republican running for Congress is declaring an end to what he describes as Democrats’ historic “free pass” to minority voters.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Missouri state Rep. Justin Hicks, who became known last year for defiantly declaring he identified “as an American” during a heated debate with Democrats on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), said minority voters are beginning to wake up to the “false promises” fed to them by the opposite party.

Hicks, a candidate for Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District, answered “I do” when asked if he had noticed the often talked about shift in support from minority voters toward former President Donald Trump and away from President Biden.

WHITE HOUSE DENIES SECRET PLOT TO OUST KARINE JEAN-PIERRE AS BIDEN FACES MORE BAD NEWS

“The Democrats have had a free pass with a lot of minority groups, but I think a lot of the minority groups are starting to realize that the Democrats have, pretty much, false promises that they’re giving them,” he said, adding that “Republican values,” such as limited government, lower taxes, and “allowing you to live your life,” were resonating with people from all different groups.

“I think, come November, we’re going to see a big shift when it comes to minority groups,” he said.

The struggle against racialized politics has been an ongoing battle for Hicks, who serves as the only non-White Republican in the Missouri House and has faced what he described as harassment from Democrats in the chamber because of his race.

He detailed the instance last year in which he received applause during a floor debate on a bill opposing state funds for DEI initiatives after he refused to give in to efforts by a Democrat to get him to name the ethnicity he identifies as. 

“I identify as an American,” he said proudly.

REPUBLICAN MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT IN PUSH TO GROW GOP SUPPORT FROM ONCE-SOLID DEM VOTING BLOC

The exchange still rings loudly in Hicks’ mind. 

“It was a shocker. It took me back when that question was asked to me, because that’s not the country I fought for,” he told Fox, alluding to his time in the U.S. Army and deploying to the Middle East.

“That’s not the country that I fight every single day to ensure that we protect — one where we’re identifying each other based on arbitrary lines such as the color of your skin, or how you look, instead of who you are as in your character,” he added.

Hicks joined the Army at 18 years old and served for six years, an experience he says shaped his political views, and showed him the importance of building America’s military and maintaining its standing in the world.

“We really are a beacon of hope for so many different countries out there, and we have to remember that. I think we fail to realize that, as Americans, a lot of times, we get so caught up in what’s going on inside the country that we don’t actually look outside and see how blessed we are,” he said. 

NEW POLL REVEALS HOW VOTERS’ VIEWS ON ABORTION HAVE CHANGED AS DEMS SEEK TO MAKE ISSUE A CENTRAL 2024 THEME

“We need to ensure that we’re protecting those things … making sure that we’re funding the military appropriately, making sure that we’re pushing back against a lot of the aggression that’s going on with China right now,” he added.

Hicks said his top priority, if elected, would be to advocate for a balanced budget in order to alleviate inflationary pressures on Americans, and avoid “passing the buck” of extravagant debt to younger generations. 

Included in that is his 1-year-old daughter, Liberty, who he credited as the main reason he decided to run for Congress.

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“The America that she’s growing up in is one where we have a lot of selfish leaders here in Congress that care more about doing political theater than actually delivering results here for Americans … where our freedoms are in jeopardy a lot of times, and many aspects that make us uniquely American are in jeopardy,” he said. 

Hicks faces a crowded Republican primary field, including two well-funded Republicans in Bob Onder and Kurt Schaefer. The winner of the primary is widely expected to win the November general election as analysts rate the race as either “solid” or “safe” Republican.

The primary will be held on Aug. 6.

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

The House of Representatives is back in session for four weeks straight on Monday after a brief recess — and for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., it will be the start of a legislative sprint with one less reliable House GOP vote.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who was regarded as a rising Republican star, shocked even some of his colleagues when he announced last month that he would leave Congress before the end of his term. The House announced his official departure on Friday.

Due to the timing of his retirement, his seat will not be filled until the next congressional term in January 2025.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE CALLS JOHNSON’S FOREIGN AID PACKAGE HIS ‘3RD BETRAYAL’ OF AMERICAN PEOPLE

Johnson’s public remarks and even leadership decisions have reflected that he’s keenly aware of the historically slim two-seat margin he’s been dealing with. 

It’s likely to get even smaller sometime over the next several weeks — at least for a time. 

The special election to replace retired Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., in New York’s 26th Congressional District is Tuesday. The heavily urban seat skews in favor of Democrats; President Biden won the Buffalo-area district by nearly 30 points in 2020.

House GOP leaders are expected to get some relief in late May, when two Republicans running to replace ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., face-off in a special runoff election. McCarthy left the House at the end of last year, but no candidate was able to secure a majority vote in the March race to replace him — by California state law, it triggers a runoff.

3RD REPUBLICAN CALLS FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON’S OUSTER OVER $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN

But if Higgins’ old seat stays in Democratic hands, it’s likely Johnson will have to navigate at least part of this four-week stint with just a one-vote majority. That means he’d only be able to lose one Republican lawmaker on any party-line vote.

A House GOP aide who spoke with Fox News Digital, however, downplayed potential concerns. They argued that Johnson has already successfully ushered through most critical legislation coming in the near future, save for the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the deadline for which is May 10.

“Absent the FAA reauthorization, which will pass later this year, Speaker Johnson has done the job entrusted to him,” the House GOP aide argued. 

TENSIONS ERUPT ON HOUSE FLOOR AS CONSERVATIVES CONFRONT JOHNSON ON $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN

“While his majority may shrink with another GOP resignation, he’s already won the tough legislative battles. Any dysfunction moving forward falls squarely on those who refuse to govern and prefer to complain.”

The aide was referencing members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies, who have wielded outsized influence over the House GOP’s thin majority by voting in small blocs to kill or block Republican leaders’ legislation in protest of their handling of critical matters like government spending and foreign aid.

The group has already signaled that they’re putting up a fight over another coming legislative battle — funding the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. 

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The Freedom Caucus put out a statement earlier this month demanding that any funding allocated by Congress be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, and that the funds would solely focus on bridge reconstruction.

It’s not immediately clear when a funding bill could take shape or how much leverage conservatives have, given the strong bipartisan support it’s expected to receive. But GOP rebels are expected to give Johnson a hard time if he tries to pass it through traditional mechanisms that rely solely on party-line votes.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met privately in Miami, Florida on Sunday, a Republican with knowledge of the meeting confirmed to Fox News.

During the several-hour long meeting, DeSantis agreed to help Trump as the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee tries to close his fundraising gap with President Biden in their 2024 election rematch, the source confirmed.

DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected in 2022 before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has built up a formidable network of wealthy donors who could be helpful to Trump as the general election campaign heats up.

News of the meeting was first reported by the Washington Post, which said the get-together between the two rivals was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate broker known to both Trump and DeSantis.

RFK JR. CHALLENGES TRUMP TO DEBATE AFTER ‘DEMOCRAT PLANT’ ACCUSATION

The meeting appears to be the first time DeSantis and Trump have spoken, let alone met in person, since the governor ended his White House bid in January, after a disappointing second place finish in the Iowa caucuses, far behind Trump.

The former president and his allies spent nearly a year attacking DeSantis as the two squared off for the GOP nomination that also included other contenders.

DeSantis and Trump did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on the matter.

TRUMP’S LAST GOP RIVAL LANDS NEW GIG AFTER FAILED 2024 PRESIDENTIAL BID

DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign just two days ahead of the New Hampshire primary and has since endorsed Trump. But to date, DeSantis hasn’t campaigned on behalf of Trump.

During a February call with supporters, the governor took aim at Trump and his top political advisers.

“I think he’s got people in his inner circle who were part of our orbit years ago that we fired, and I think some of that is they just have an ax to grind,” DeSantis said at the time.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? TRUMP’S FORMER OPPONENTS LINING UP NEW JOBS AFTER FAILED 2024 PRESIDENTIAL BIDS

Responding, top Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita called DeSantis a “sad little man.”

While many on Trump’s team and in his wider political orbit detest DeSantis, the former president may be more forgiving, if it benefits him.

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Trump said in January after DeSantis endorsed him that he would “officially retire” the derogatory “Ron DeSanctimonious” nickname he used repeatedly to attack the Florida governor for nearly a year.

A defiant Kristi Noem hit back at critics following outrage over her upcoming memoir that reveals she once killed a dog. 

“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back. The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem began in a social media post published Sunday on X. 

“The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did,” Noem continued. 

Outrage spread across social media platforms late last week after the Guardian reported on an excerpt of Noem’s upcoming memoir, “No Going Back,” which is set to be released on May 7. The excerpt detailed Noem describing taking her 14-month-old female dog Cricket to a “gravel pit” near her farm and shooting her because it was “less than worthless,” “untrainable” and had killed and eaten several chickens. 

SOCIAL MEDIA DISTURBED BY GOV. NOEM’S STORY ABOUT SHOOTING HER 14-MONTH-OLD DOG: ‘NOT NORMAL’

She explained that Cricket had ruined a pheasant hunt when she went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” 

“It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done,” she continued. In the book, Noem also described killing a “nasty and mean” goat at the same gravel pit, according to the report. 

KRISTI NOEM SHARES VISION FOR AMERICA IN NEW BOOK AMID SPECULATION ABOUT RUNNING AS TRUMP’S VP

The report garnered pushback online, from both Democrats and conservatives, who appeared shocked and outraged over the killing of the dog. 

“Omg – now my blood is boiling. Remember, I’m a country boy who lives on a ranch . There’s a huge difference between putting an old horse down who is suffering, than shooting a 18 month dog for being untrainable. But then to plug your book at the end,” wildly popular conservative X account Catturd tweeted. 

“Seriously, is it just me? [I’m[sic] have no words,” he added.

New York Post columnist Miranda Devine commented, “No. Not normal. Shameful.”

“Anyone who has ever owned a birddog knows how disgusting, lazy and evil this is. Damn,” Democratic Montana gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse posted. 

Noem has been floated as a potential running mate in former President Trump’s effort to regain control of the White House come November. Critics, however, speculated the controversy over killing her dog may have ended her career in politics. 

BLUE STATE GOVERNORS SHARE PICS OF THEIR DOGS TO DUNK ON GOV. NOEM’S STORY OF SHOOTING HER OWN DOG

Noem initially addressed the controversy on Friday, posting on X that her family loves animals, “but tough decisions” are often made on farms. 

SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. NOEM SEEKS TO BOLSTER TEXAS SECURITY EFFORTS AT US-MEXICO BORDER

“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years,” she posted, while encouraging people to purchase her memoir for “real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping.”

On Sunday, Noem said she does not shy away from difficult decisions, and believes “people are looking for leaders who are authentic.” 

“What I learned from my years of public service, especially leading South Dakota through COVID, is people are looking for leaders who are authentic, willing to learn from the past, and don’t shy away from tough challenges. My hope is anyone reading this book will have an understanding that I always work to make the best decisions I can for the people in my life,” she said. 

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“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor. As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way,” she concluded. 

The Biden administration is denying there was a secret internal plot to get rid of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a scheme first reported Thursday by The New York Post.

Deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates forcefully rejected claims from multiple sources with knowledge of the plans, which included longtime Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn, supported by White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, recruiting prominent outside Democrats to urge Jean-Pierre to voluntarily make her exit. 

“Not only are these claims wildly false, but the reality is the polar opposite. Karine was never approached by anyone with such a message. She spends four hours preparing every day. And neither Jeff nor Anita did any such thing; both have been unflinchingly supportive of her,” Bates told The Post.

REPUBLICAN MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT IN PUSH TO GROW GOP SUPPORT FROM ONCE-SOLID DEM VOTING BLOC

According to The Post’s sources, Jean-Pierre’s bosses were unhappy with her habit of reading prepared answers directly from her binder, which they viewed as falling short of making an adequate case for President Biden as he prepared to launch his re-election campaign.

“Every press secretary uses the binder. Why is she being singled out?” Bates added.

One of the sources told The Post that the effort included having outside people Jean-Pierre knew and trusted convince her it was the right time to move along, and that it would make sense for her career to leave at around the same tenure as previous secretaries — about a year and a half.

The other source told The Post, “Jeff and Anita were trying to find Karine a graceful exit” in an effort to avoid removing her against her will. 

NEW POLL REVEALS HOW VOTERS’ VIEWS ON ABORTION HAVE CHANGED AS DEMS SEEK TO MAKE ISSUE A CENTRAL 2024 THEME

“There’s a huge diversity issue, and they’re afraid of what folks are going to say,” the source said, adding that although at least one person from outside the administration spoke to Jean-Pierre, that the plan had not yet, and was unlikely to, lead to her departure.

“She has been pretty consistent in telling people from the minute she got the job that she was going to stay through the election,” the source said. “I think Karine has decided to stay come hell or high water and that’s that.”

Both sources went on to tell The Post that the press secretary relied too much on her notes to be able to provide the quick-thinking pushback needed in the role, with one arguing she “doesn’t have an understanding of the issues,” despite Jean-Pierre thinking that she’s “doing an amazing job.”

A February report by NBC News detailed a job offer Jean-Pierre received and rejected in December from EMILYs List, a pro-abortion group, and, according to an email shared with The Post, Dunn appeared to have accepted that same month that Jean-Pierre wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

NEW POLL SHOWS BIDEN’S 2024 LEAD VANISHING WITH TRUMP ON TRIAL

“KJP isn’t going anywhere, so this is a ridiculous piece,” Dunn wrote in the email to a Washington Post reporter regarding a separate piece.

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

The White House’s denial concerning Jean-Pierre comes as Biden received more bad news about his re-election bid.

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A new CNN poll released Sunday found former President Trump holding a continued advantage (49%-43%) in a head-to-head matchup, with that lead growing to nine points (42%-33%) when including independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (16%) and Dr. Cornel West (4%), as well as Green Party candidate Jill Stein (3%).

Additionally, 55% said they saw Trump’s presidency as a success, but 61% said they saw Biden’s presidency as a failure.

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

A Wisconsin man who has been charged with making a bomb threat against the office of a Republican Senate candidate has donated to the campaign of the candidate’s Democratic opponent.

Joseph Quade, 72, was charged with making terrorist threats after sending a message to the Wisconsin campaign office of Eric Hovde, warning that it “might blow up” in an April 4 email, according to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal.

“Hey (EH), you think your building might blow up tomorrow? I don’t think you should have any of your people come to work,” read the message, according to the report, which added that the message was sent in a voice memo attached to an email.

BOMB THREATS PROMPT EVACUATIONS OF GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN SEVERAL STATES, BUT NO EXPLOSIVES FOUND

Quade reportedly later told police that he did not remember sending the message, but admitted that he can get “a little political” when he drinks and there was a chance he was responsible for the threat.

Hovde, a Wisconsin businessman, is seeking to unseat incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. According to Federal Elections Commission data reviewed by Fox News Digital, Quade was a financial backer of the Baldwin campaign, making two donations of $25 and one of $50 to support the senator’s re-election bid. His most recent donation, for $25, was on Dec. 29.

Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a Baldwin campaign spokesperson said that “violence has no place in our politics and anyone who threatens violence has no place in our campaign.”

POLICE INVESTIGATE BOMB THREAT AT BWI AIRPORT TERMINAL, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY: REPORTS

“We will be donating this individual’s contributions to charity,” the spokesperson, Andrew Mamo, said.

Wisconsin, one of the country’s most important battlegrounds in 2024, will play an outsized role in determining the balance of power in Washington in November. Baldwin, who is seeking her third term, won her 2018 re-election bid by just under four percentage points and holds a similar lead in recent polling over Hovde, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.

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Quade faces a maximum of 3.5 years in prison if convicted. His next court appearance is set for May 2.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer brushed off calls that Justice Sonia Sotomayor should step down from the bench, saying she is a “spring chicken.”

“I think anybody can say what he wants, you know. And I was 83 years old, just about I think, when I retired. But Justice Sotomayor is not, she is a spring chicken,” Breyer told Fox News host Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.”

There have been calls in recent months, including in op-eds such as the one published in the Atlantic, that Sotomayor retire under the Biden administration. The recent push for the justice to resign comes ahead of the presidential election, with left-leaning pundits and academics arguing President Biden and the Democrat-controlled Senate could approve a candidate before the presidential election. 

“I think there is a difference. She is a spring chicken and I’m an old rooster. There we are. But people can say what they want. The decision about what to do is up to the judge,” Breyer said. 

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

“You can stay there until you are 150 years old if you want,” he said of the lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court. “But in my mind, at least there did come a time and I guess 83, 84, 85 – I don’t know exactly how many 80s you want in there – but it’s time for another person,” he said. 

Sotomayor is 69 years old and has served on the court since 2009, when President Barack Obama appointed her to the position following the retirement of Justice David Souter at the age of 69. Sotomayor, who has Type 1 diabetes, is the oldest liberal-leaning Supreme Court justice, but younger than both Justice Samuel Alito, 74, and Justice Clarence Thomas, 75, who are both conservative. 

FORMER JUSTICE BREYER THROWS COLD WATER ON THEORY DOBBS LEAK CAME FROM A JUSTICE: ‘I’D BE AMAZED’

Liberal pundits argue that if Sotomayor does not retire under the Biden administration, Republicans could take control of the White House and Senate following the election, meaning Sotomayor would have to remain on the bench until Democrats resume control to ensure a liberal-leaning justice is nominated, or risk losing the seat to a new, younger conservative justice if presumed GOP nominee Donald Trump takes the White House. 

Breyer also reflected on his friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia in his interview with “Fox News Sunday,” despite the two having wildly different legal opinions. The interview comes as Breyer touts his new book, “Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism,” which is critical of conservative justices for their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

FORMER SCOTUS JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER CALLS DOBBS RULING LEAK ‘UNFORTUNATE’ IN NEW INTERVIEW

Breyer is a pragmatist, meaning he views laws as being created by specific social contexts, while textualism interprets laws and the Constitution based on its “plain meaning,” not its intent, law definitions show. 

Breyer said that years ago, he and Scalia, a conservative stalwart who identified as a textualist, visited students in Lubbock, Texas, at a football stadium where the two justices debated legal opinions while illustrating to students the pair were still close friends despite the ideological differences. 

BREYER WAS RELENTLESSLY BULLIED BY THE LEFT TO GET OUT BEFORE REPUBLICANS SEIZE THE SENATE

“They’d never seen a Supreme Court judge, and we talked about it, and before you know it… it was clear to them, we liked each other. It was also clear we didn’t agree. So I said, ‘Look, this document, written more than 200 years ago, 1788, 1789.’ I’d say, ‘Look, hey, things have changed. The values don’t change. The freedom of speech stands for certain values, but what it’s applying to changes.’ So I say, you know, ‘Nino, George Washington did not know about the internet,'” he recounted. 

“And Nino says, ‘I knew that,’” Breyer recounted of his debates with Scalia, whom he affectionately calls “Nino.” Scalia suddenly died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 79. 

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“So he says, ‘Stephen, the problem with your approach, looking at these different things is it’s too complicated. It’s too complicated. You’re the only one who can do it.’… But then I say to him, ‘If we follow your approach, we’ll have a Constitution that no one would want.’ And so there you have the essence of the argument,” he added. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to former President Trump’s allegations he is a “Democrat plant” and would be a “wasted protest vote,” challenging the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to a debate. 

“When frightened men take to social media they risk descending into vitriol, which makes them sound unhinged,” Kennedy wrote in an X post on Saturday afternoon. “President Trump’s rant against me is a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims that should best be resolved in the American tradition of presidential debate. President Trump, who has proven himself the most adept debater in modern American political history, should not be panicked to meet me on that stage.” 

RFK Jr. said he will prove Trump “betrayed the hopes of his most sincere followers,” arguing the former president “promised to end the Ukraine war and then colluded with Speaker Johnson and President Biden to fund it.” Kennedy Jr. also said Trump “let Big Pharma and his corrupt bureaucrats run roughshod over him as President,” and “promised to cut the deficit and ran up the biggest debt in history.”

“He promised to run the government like a business and then closed down our businesses. He promised to drain the swamp and then filled his administration with swamp creatures,” RFK Jr. said. “He promised to protect our rights and then torpedoed the Constitution.”

TRUMP ACCUSES RFK JR. OF BEING A ‘DEMOCRAT PLANT’ AND ‘WASTED PROTEST VOTE’

“Instead of lobbing poisonous bombs from the safety of his bunker, let’s hear President Trump defend his record to me mano-a-mano by respectful, congenial debate,” Kennedy concluded.

Trump’s 2020 campaign notably called out Biden’s “bunker” strategy, condemning how the Democrat largely stayed away from the campaign trail and ducked the public eye while running for president. 

Kennedy’s challenge came after Trump blasted the independent presidential candidate on TRUTH Social.

“RFK Jr. is a Democrat ‘Plant,’ a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, get Re-Elected,” Trump wrote in a series of posts earlier Saturday. “A Vote for Junior’ would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him.”

RFK JR.’S RUNNING MATE AN ‘UNKNOWN QUANTITY’ WITH ‘DEEP POCKETS’ AS GOP, DEMS FEAR SPOILER CAMPAIGN: EXPERTS

Trump charged that RFK Jr. “is totally Anti-Gun, an Extreme Environmentalist who makes the Green New Scammers look Conservative, a Big Time Taxer and Open Border Advocate, and Anti-Military/Vet.” 

“His Radicalized Family will never allow him to be a Republican, and his Chief ‘Funder’ is the V.P. Candidate that nobody ever heard of, except her ex-husband, who’s been stripped of a big chunk of cash,” Trump continued, taking a swipe at Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan. 

Trump said that while living in New York at the same time as Kennedy, he watched the former Democrat convince former Gov. Andrew Cuomo “to make environmental moves that were outright NASTY,” noting that upstate New York “was not allowed to drill or frack as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and others ripped off New York Energy,” causing energy costs in upstate New York and New England to skyrocket. 

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“His Views on Vaccines are FAKE, as is everything else about his Candidacy. Let the Democrats have RFK Jr. They deserve him!” Trump said.