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EXCLUSIVE — Iraq’s top judge, Faiq Zidan, who seeks the arrest of former President Donald Trump, confirmed through his spokesperson to Fox News Digital that he has indeed been invited to Washington, D.C. Fox News Digital first broke the story that Zidan had been invited to Washington.

There had been confusion about the controversial judge’s visit to Washington, D.C., when it was revealed that he was to meet with officials at the Department of Justice. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital last week, “The Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan is going to be hosted by the Department of Justice, so we defer to the DOJ to discuss their meetings. We engage with a wide range of counterparts in Iraq, and we value engaging the Iraqi judiciary. The DOJ meets regularly with foreign judicial leaders.”

Yet conflicting with the State Department spokesperson’s statement, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital last Thursday that “Zidan will not be meeting with any DOJ officials.”

On Monday, Zidan’s spokesperson texted Fox News Digital on the WhatsApp messaging service, writing, “His visit to Washington was postponed due to the current war conditions. When he visits Washington, he will hold a meeting with you to clarify many matters that are not clear to American public opinion.”

MYSTERY SURROUNDS VISIT TO DC OF IRAN-BACKED IRAQI JUDGE WHO ISSUED WARRANT FOR TRUMP’S ARREST

Fox News Digital called Zidan’s spokesperson before publication of its first article on his planned visit. She declined to comment on the telephone or via WhatsApp. After Fox News Digital sent the Iraqi spokesperson its published story, she issued the statement that the war in Israel was preventing Zidan from traveling to Washington.

According to a source familiar with Zidan’s invitation to the DOJ, the judge told many U.S. officials that the DOJ invited him to Washington, D.C.

In January, Zidan said that Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council had filed an arrest warrant for Trump with regard to the U.S. targeted killing of Iranian Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, who reportedly oversaw the murders of more than 600 American military personnel in the Mideast.

IRAQ OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO KIDNAPPING OF ISRAELI-RUSSIAN CITIZEN WHO HAS BEEN MISSING FOR MONTHS

According to an article on the website of U.S.-sanctioned Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Iraqi judge said during a meeting earlier this year with the Raisi, “One of the most important examples of judicial cooperation between the two neighboring and brotherly countries is the trial of all those who participated in the terrorist crime of martyring the commanders of fighting against terrorism.”

Zidan’s reported statement was said in a discussion on pursuing “justice for the martyrs Soleimani, al-Muhandis.”

LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER BIDEN OFFICIAL IMPLICATED IN IRANIAN INFLUENCE SCHEME: ‘UNBELIEVABLE!’

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was the head of the pro-Iran Kata’ib Hezbollah militia in 2020. The U.S. military killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis with a lethal drone strike  near Baghdad International Airport.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser for the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, “The Justice Department should be focused on protecting Americans targeted by IRGC assassinations and kidnapping plots, not hosting the IRGC’s man in Baghdad who wants to prosecute Americans for killing terrorists. Zidan should not be allowed in America.”

Michael Knights, a fellow of the Washington Institute who has written about Zidan, told Fox News Digital that “Zidan issued one order after another that has disadvantaged opponents of Iranian militias.”

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Knights said that after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Soleimani and al-Muhandis “were the architects of moving Zidan up through the judicial system. He was running counterterrorism courts so that none of Iran’s friends got prosecuted under Iraqi law.”

The lack of modern judicial norms in Iraq was noted by Knights, who said Zidan “is a supreme court judge who can hire and fire other judges. Iraq has one supreme court judge. He is as powerful as the prime minister of Iraq. He is unelected, installed by Iran and has no term limit.”

Republican presidential candidate former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas is ending his long-shot bid for the White House and endorsing one of his rivals for the GOP nomination.

Hurd, a former CIA spy turned three-term congressman who in June launched an uphill bid for the 2024 Republican nomination announced on social media Monday that “it has become clear to me and my team that the time has come to suspend our campaign.”

He becomes the second Republican presidential candidate to call it quits, following Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, Florida, who dropped out of the race in August.

And Hurd – a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run – endorsed former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

LATEST FUNDRAISING REPORTS COULD BE DEATH KNELL FOR SOME GOP PRESIDENTIAL LONG-SHOTS

“Our nation deserves a leader who can unite us and navigate the complex challenges we face, particularly when it comes to our national security. I believe Ambassador Nikki Haley is the best person in this race to do that,” Hurd wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, and in an email to supporters.

Hurd emphasized that Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the first two years of the Trump administration, “has shown a willingness to articulate a different vision for the country than Donald Trump and has an unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy. I wholeheartedly endorse Ambassador Haley and look forward to supporting her for the remainder of this race.”

HERE’S HOW MUCH FUNDRAISING HALEY HAULED IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS

Responding to Hurd’s endorsement, Haley wrote in a social media posting that “America is at a crossroads and it’s time to come together and make Joe Biden a one-term president. Thank you @WillHurd for your support and confidence. We have a country to save!”

Haley, thanks in part to well received performances in the first two Republican presidential debates, has been rising in the polls and is now second to Trump in some of the latest surveys in New Hampshire – which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nomination calendar – and her home state of South Carolina, which holds the first southern contest.

Hurd, who garnered little support in the GOP nomination surveys, failed to reach the polling and donor thresholds mandated by the Republican National Committee for candidates to make the stage at the debates. 

Hurd, who for part of his tenure in Congress was the only Black Republican in the House, decided against running for re-election in 2020.

THIS IS HOW MUCH DONALD TRUMP HAULED IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS IN FUNDRAISING

He grabbed national attention last year during a well-publicized book tour for “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.” In his book, Hurd urged his party to rethink its style of politics and offered ideas to reform America’s political system and keep the nation competitive against China and other powers. 

Hurd’s book — which is partly a memoir about growing up in Texas with a Black father and White mother and his CIA and congressional careers, and partly a prescription for his party and the country as a whole — appeared to some political pundits as a roadmap for a possible 2024 White House run.

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As he launched his presidential campaign, Hurd took aim at Trump, telling Fox News Digital at the time that “the GOP will continue to lose to Democrats if Donald Trump is the nominee.”

And four months later, as he dropped out of the race, Hurd reiterated that “if the Republican party nominates Donald Trump or the various personalities jockeying to imitate his divisive, crass behavior, we will lose.”

He emphasized that “while I appreciate all the time and energy our supporters have given, it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to consolidate our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President Biden. I urge donors, voters, and other candidates to unite around an alternative candidate to Trump.”

And looking back at his presidential campaign, Hurd highlighted in his statement that “in 14 short weeks, my team and I matched the accomplishments of many of the other candidates in the race who had significantly higher name ID and cash advantage. I am honored to have had the support of the people who made this possible.”

Fox News Paige Dukeman, Mike Emanuel, and James Levinson contributed to this report

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

President Biden was interviewed as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents by Special Counsel Robert Hur, the White House counsel’s office said.

The interview was voluntary and concluded Monday, White House Counsel’s Office spokesperson Ian Sams told Fox News.

“The voluntary interview was conducted at the White House over two days, Sunday and Monday, and concluded Monday,” he said. 

BIDEN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS STORY LIGHTS UP SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘WATCH HOW FAST THIS DISAPPEARS’

The investigation is being led by Hur, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the probe.

“As we have said from the beginning, the President and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation,” Sams said. 

“We would refer other questions to the Justice Department at this time,” he added. 

The interview played out as war broke out in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. Biden was speaking with foreign leaders about the matter and meeting with his national security team. 

LIBERAL MEDIA ROASTED FOR EXCUSING BIDEN DOCUMENT SCANDAL: ‘WHEN WILL THE FBI RAID HIS HOME?’

The probe stems from a batch of records from President Biden’s time as vice president, including a “small number of documents with classified markings,” that were discovered at the Penn Biden Center by the president’s personal attorneys on Nov. 2, 2022. 

The documents were found in a locked closet while preparing to vacate office space at the center, which the president used from mid-2017 until he began the 2020 campaign. The National Archives were notified of the finding and took possession of the documents on Nov. 3, 2022, Sauber said. 

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Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team negotiated with lawyers for then-President Donald Trump for an interview but Trump never sat for one. His lawyers instead submitted answers to written questions.

President George W. Bush sat for a 70-minute interview as part of an investigation into the leak of the identity of a CIA operative. President Bill Clinton in 1998 underwent more than four hours of questioning from independent counsel Kenneth Starr before a federal grand jury.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

One thing to watch for as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pursues the Speakership:

There is still an outstanding lawsuit filed against Ohio State University by a number of former varsity athletes – including wrestlers – stemming from a sexual abuse scandal which goes back decades. They are listed as “John Does.” Ohio State previously argued that the statute of limitations had run out. But a federal court disagreed. The Supreme Court refused to reconsider the case earlier this year. That allowed the case to proceed.

TRUMP ENDORSES JIM JORDAN FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ‘COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’

Jordan is not named in the suit as a defendant and has never been accused of alleged sexual abuse. But the plaintiffs intend to call all possible relevant Ohio State employees from the timeframe of the alleged abuse. That could help them determine potential culpability for allowing the abuse to continue after being made aware of it. 

The question is whether Jordan – as a possible Speaker of the House – could be called away for days if not longer for a deposition in the case. 

USER’S MANUAL TO THE EFFORT BY SOME GOPERS TO RETURN MCCARTHY TO THE SPEAKERSHIP

Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State from 1987-1995.

Dr. Richard Strauss is a former Ohio State athletics department doctor who died in 2005. Scores of former OSU varsity athletes have accused Strauss of sexual abuse. 

HOW THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS COULD EXPEDITE THE ELECTION OF A HOUSE SPEAKER

Multiple former wrestlers – including Dunyasha Yetts and Mike DiSabato – contend that Jordan was aware of the abuse by Strauss against wrestlers and never did anything about it. Jordan was repeatedly denied that he saw abuse or had abuse reported to him by his wrestlers. He has reiterated those denials earlier this summer.

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One alleged victim alleges that Jordan was aware of inappropriate behavior exhibited in a shower by Strauss toward a wrestling referee. Legal documents appear to allege that Jordan dismissed the complaint by the referee.

If Jordan is deposed, it is unsure who would pay the legal bills on Jordan’s behalf. One source suggested it might be the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). Jordan is not known for having a robust campaign war chest. He has not demonstrated the fundraising prowess of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Former President Trump will not visit Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with congressional Republicans as they consider a next speaker of the House, a source familiar with the 2024 GOP front-runner’s plans told Fox News Digital.

The former president told Fox News Digital last Thursday that he would visit Washington, D.C., and Capitol Hill to take part in a House Republican Conference as members considered who would become the next speaker of the House, following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

A source familiar, though, told Fox News Digital on Monday that the president’s plans had changed, and he will no longer visit Washington or Capitol Hill to take part in those discussions or the House GOP candidate forum set to begin Tuesday evening. 

Trump, early Friday morning, endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to serve as House speaker.

TRUMP EXPECTED TO VISIT CAPITOL HILL NEXT WEEK AMID HOUSE SPEAKER RACE: SOURCES

Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is up against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., for the role.

Meanwhile, Trump, last week, said he would accept a short-term role as speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as a “unifier” for the Republican Party until lawmakers reach a decision on who should take on the post.

McCarthy was removed as speaker of the House last Tuesday after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a measure against him known as a motion to vacate, accusing him of breaking promises he made to win the speaker’s gavel in January.

“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer term, because I am running for president.” 

TRUMP WOULD ACCEPT HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FOR A ‘SHORT PERIOD’ WHILE REPUBLICANS DECIDE ON A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT

“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion – I’m not doing it because I want to – I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” Trump said.

Trump did not specify who had asked him, although a number of GOP lawmakers have said he is their preference for speaker.

Trump stressed that if Republicans cannot come to a consensus, he would take the speakership for a short “30, 60 or 90-day period.” 

“I would only do it for the party,” he said, emphasizing that his focus is on his presidential campaign. 

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Back in January, as the House considered who should become the speaker after Republicans took the majority in the chamber, Gaetz opted not to vote for McCarthy or Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, who was floated as an option, but voted instead for the former president.

When Gaetz’s name was called during the seventh round of voting, he responded: “Donald John Trump.” 

WOLFEBORO, N.H. — Former President Donald Trump on Monday took aim at his successor in the White House, blaming President Biden for this weekend’s deadly attack by Hamas on Israel.

Trump, in a speech in the crucial early voting state of New Hampshire, claimed that “the atrocities we are witnessing in Israel would never have happened if I was president.”

And the former president, who is running for the White House a third straight time, charged in a campaign trail appearance that “Joe Biden betrayed Israel.” 

Trump and many of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination have been blasting Biden and his administration since Hamas militants, supported by Iran, on Saturday launched the deadliest attack on Israel in decades. Hamas’ surprise early morning assault on Israel during a major Jewish holiday resulted in over 800 Israelis dead and over a hundred, including the elderly, women and children, abducted and taken back to Palestinian-controlled Gaza as hostages.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF ISRAEL’S WAR WITH HAMAS

President Biden has repeatedly decried what he calls the “unconscionable” attack by Hamas and has pledged that the U.S. will make sure Israel has “what it needs to defend itself.”

The president on Saturday emphasized that the U.S. “stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist assaults. Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop. There’s never a justification for terrorist attacks and my administration’s support for Israeli’s security is rock solid and unwavering.’’

But the Republican criticism of the president centers on a recent $6 billion transfer to Iran, a complex deal announced by the Biden administration in September to release five U.S. citizens detained in Iran. Roughly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets that were being held in South Korea were transferred to an account in Doha, Qatar, as part of the deal to free the hostages.  

AT LEAST NINE AMERICANS KILLED IN HAMAS DEADLY ASSAULT ON ISRAEL: STATE DEPARTMENT

The Biden administration has pushed back on GOP criticism by insisting that none of the funds transferred have been spent to date.

But Republicans claim that the deal — and the funds — helped fuel the Hamas assault on Israel.

Trump, in his nearly hour-and-a-half-long speech, reiterated points he first made at a campaign event in Iowa on Saturday in slamming Biden. He repeatedly charged that Biden is an “incompetent president.” And he argued that “less than four years ago, we had peace in the Middle East with the historic Abraham Accords. Today we have an all-out war in Israel, and it’s going to spread very quickly. What a difference a president makes.”

In blaming Biden for the Iranian-supported attack by Hamas on Israel, Trump touted that as president he “reduced the Iranian economy” and “withdrew from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, imposed the toughest ever sanctions on the regime, and imposed a strict travel ban to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country.”

“Now they’re pouring into our country. They’re pouring into our country. Joe Biden undid it. He ended it all and gave billions and billions of dollars to the world’s top sponsor of terror, tossing Israel to the bloodthirsty terrorists and jihadists,” Trump argued.

LIVE UPDATES: AT LEAST 800 ISRAELIS DEAD IN HAMAS ATTACKS

And he vowed that “as president, I will once again stand strongly with the state of Israel, and we will cut off the money to the terrorists on day one.”

The former president addressed supporters at an event in a theater in Wolfeboro, in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. It was Trump’s first visit in two months to the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

It was Trump’s first trip back to New Hampshire since headlining an event at Windham’s high school on Aug. 8. 

Trump, who is the commanding front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, hasn’t spent nearly as much time in the Granite State compared to his rivals for the GOP nomination.

But Trump retains a large double-digit lead over his Republican rivals in New Hampshire, as well as in Iowa, which leads off the Republican nominating calendar, and South Carolina, the first Southern contest in the primary and caucus schedule.

WHERE TRUMP STANDS IN THE LATEST POLLS IN THIS KEY PRIMARY STATE

When it comes to the all-important ground game efforts in New Hampshire, Trump’s campaign touts that “we are miles ahead of everyone else.”

“We’ve been just hammering it as far as grassroots is concerned,” Steve Stepanek, the Trump campaign’s senior adviser in New Hampshire, told Fox News.

The Trump campaign announced its New Hampshire grassroots leadership team in late June. It included 10 county chairs, four city chairs, and over 200 town chairs.

“We’ve been doing a ton of door knocking, a ton of phone calls,” said Stepanek, who is a former state representative and 2016 Trump campaign co-chair in New Hampshire who went on to chair the state GOP until early this year. “Getting a huge response, especially on the doors.”

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The Trump campaign would be expected to brag about efforts in the state that gave the then-first-time candidate his initial victory in the 2016 cycle, boosting him toward the GOP presidential nomination and eventually the White House.

But even a neutral observer sees strength in Trump’s ground game.

Greg Moore, a veteran conservative activist in New Hampshire and longtime state director for Americans for Prosperity, tells Fox News that “there’s no question that Donald Trump has a robust organization here in New Hampshire.”

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

The Biden administration is potentially failing to track millions of migrants who have illegally crossed the southern border as monthly encounters continue to skyrocket, according to an interim report assembled by GOP House Judiciary Committee staff.

According to the sprawling 61-page report — shared with Fox News Digital and which cites new information obtained by the Judiciary Committee — the number of illegal immigrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border exceeded 2.2 million in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2023. Additionally, the data further shows the federal government has “no confirmed departure” for more than 2.4 million migrants encountered since January 2021.

“Because of the unprecedented border crisis, some Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been forced to abandon arrests and removals of aliens, including criminal aliens, to process the illegal aliens who have arrived at the southwest border,” the report states. “Meanwhile, the Biden Administration’s own policies and so-called enforcement ‘priorities’ have contributed to reduced arrests and lower removals of aliens.”

“The Committee and Subcommittee will continue to conduct oversight of the Biden Administration’s radical, open-borders immigration policies,” it adds. “This interim staff report highlights the failures of President Biden’s immigration agenda and helps to inform the House on legislative reforms to secure the border, reform immigration law, and end the far left’s policy incentives driving the crisis at the border.”

TED CRUZ SAYS HISTORIC SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE UNTIL THERE IS A ‘NEW PRESIDENT’

The Judiciary Committee report shows southwest border encounters surpassed 100,000 for the 31st straight month in August, meaning that figure has been reached every month since President Biden took office in early 2021. Border data seen by Fox News Digital separately showed that border encounters swelled to more than 260,000 in September, an all-time record.

The report also includes data showing, since January 2021, more than 1.7 million known “gotaways” have evaded U.S. Border Patrol and escaped into the interior of the United States while potentially millions more unknown “gotaways” have also escaped into the country. A so-called “gotaway” is a migrant observed making an unlawful entry into the U.S., but is not apprehended.

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS AS IMMIGRATION SURGES

Additionally, the report highlights that, overall, under Biden’s presidency through the end of March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reported more than 5 million border encounters. Of those encounters, a staggering 2.46 million had “no confirmed departure” from the U.S., meaning the migrant “likely remains” in the country.

“This so-called report is full of lies from House Republicans who continue to play politics while sabotaging President Biden’s work to ramp up enforcement and personnel at the border,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The statement added that the president has requested $4 billion from Congress months ago to deploy thousands more troops and border agents to the border, install new support officers with new equipment, and fund “new detection technology” to intercept the flow of fentanyl across the border.

“House Republicans have refused to act on this request and provide DHS the tools to safely and humanely manage the Southwest Border, they have been pre-occupied posturing and bickering,” the spokesperson continued.

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Since May 12, when the Title 42 public health order was lifted, the administration has “removed or released” nearly 300,000 migrants, adding that there have been more than 3.6 million repatriations and expulsions since January 2021, the spokesperson said.

When migrants are released into the interior of the United States, the government’s processing for their cases can take up to eight years. While the Biden administration proposed a rule to speed up processing by allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers adjudicate claims, that proposal was indefinitely paused earlier this year.

A group of Republicans are calling for the Biden administration to allow the public additional time to voice concerns with a proposal to release grizzly bear populations in a federally managed forest area in northern Washington.

Led by Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., the six GOP lawmakers asked Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams and National Park Service (NPS) Director Charles Sams in a letter Friday to extend the public comment period on the proposal to 180 days. They also requested the agencies host additional in-person meetings with community members that would be impacted by the proposal.

“Time and again, northern Washingtonians have expressed their deep concerns about the introduction of grizzlies into the North Cascades, as they are a danger to the safety of their communities,” Newhouse said in a statement. 

“Despite this opposition, the Biden administration is set on moving forward with the introduction of these apex predators against the will of locals,” the Washington lawmaker continued. “That’s why I’m joining with my colleagues to demand an extension of the public comment period on this proposed relocation of bears so that the Washingtonians impacted by this have adequate time to review and respond.”

WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS BIDEN WILL SIGN BIPARTISAN BILL REVERSING HIS OWN ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN ON HUNTING

Late last month, the FWS and NPS unveiled a joint proposal to reintroduce grizzly bears throughout North Cascades National Park in Washington near the U.S.-Canada border. The proposal included three options, two that would involve actively restoring populations of the threatened apex predator species and one “no action” alternative that would maintain current management practices.

As part of the proposal, the federal government would release up to seven grizzly bears annually into the North Cascades ecosystem over the course of the next five to 10 years. The administration’s goal would be to establish a population of roughly 200 bears in the coming decades.

BIDEN’S WAR ON HUNTING FACES BLOWBACK FROM REPUBLICANS, SPORTSMEN GROUPS

According to NPS, grizzly bears occupied the North Cascades and served as an “essential part of the ecosystem” for thousands of years. However, in the 20th century, as a result of aggressive hunting practices, the species was driven into near extinction and the last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the North Cascades ecosystem was in 1996.  

“If this part of our natural heritage is restored, it should be done in a way that ensures communities, property, and the animals can all coexist peacefully,” Hugh Morrison, the regional FWS director, said in a statement on Sept. 28.

In their letter Friday, the GOP lawmakers said the federal government is “once again circumventing state law and attempting to move forward with the introduction of grizzlies.”

Plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades dates back to the Obama administration. Then, after significant state opposition led by Newhouse, the Trump administration concluded that grizzly bears would not be restored in the ecosystem. 

BIDEN ADMIN IS RUSHING TO INDUSTRIALIZE US OCEANS TO STOP CLIMATE CHANGE: ‘ENVIRONMENTAL WRECKING BALL’

Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt noted in July 2020 that grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction and that his agency could manage populations across their existing range.

But late last year, following extensive litigation from environmental groups, the Biden administration announced it would again review whether to move forward with restoration, a process that led to the proposal last month.

“We have previously provided extensive comments opposing grizzly bear reintroduction into our local communities,” the commissioners of Chelan County, Washington, which is located near North Cascades, wrote to the NPS in December. “We continue to oppose grizzly bear reintroduction given the likely negative impacts to public safety, economic development, recreation opportunities and the overall livelihood of our rural communities.” 

“The federal agencies leading this effort have generally failed to address these concerns and have failed to engage in any meaningful way Chelan County and other neighboring counties in the proposed grizzly bear restoration area,” they added in their letter.

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Republican Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee; Russ Fulcher of Idaho; Cliff Bentz of Oregon; Harriet Hageman of Wyoming; and Matt Rosendale of Montana joined the letter.

The NPS and FWS didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley brought in over $11 million in fundraising the past three months as she runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, her campaign confirmed to Fox News on Monday.

The haul by Haley – a two-term governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in then-President Trump’s administration – during the July-September third quarter of 2023 fundraising was an increase from the $7.3 million she raised during the April-June second quarter.

With just over three months to go until the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating calendar, the Haley campaign touted that they had $11.6 million cash on hand in their coffers as of the beginning of the month, including $9.1 million of which can be spent in the presidential primaries.

HALEY ON THE RISE IN THIS KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE: POLL 

The Haley campaign also touted “an explosion in donor interest,” with nearly 40,000 new contributors in the third quarter

“We have seen a big surge in support and have real momentum,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. “Nikki is emerging as the candidate who can move America beyond the chaos and drama of the past and present, and we have the resources we need to do it.”

THIS IS HOW MUCH DONALD TRUMP HAULED IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS IN FUNDRAISING

Haley has seen her standing in the polls rise over the past couple of months, thanks in part to well-regarded performances in the first two presidential nomination debates. She is now in second place in the Republican nomination race in some of the latest surveys in New Hampshire, which votes second in the primary and caucus schedule, and her home state of South Carolina, which holds the first southern contest.

Haley’s fundraising, while robust, pales in comparison to the whopping $45.5 million the Trump campaign said that he hauled in during the third quarter.

The former president’s political team also reported over $37.5 million in their campaign coffers as of the end of last month. Trump is the commanding front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in both fundraising and polling as he makes his third straight White House run.

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

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign last week reported a $15 million fundraising haul over the past three months. Those figures, however, were down from the $20 million he brought in during the second quarter of fundraising, and DeSantis had only $5 million cash on hand in funds that could be spent on the presidential primaries.

Presidential candidates have until Oct. 15 to file their third quarter reports with the Federal Election Commission.

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

FIRST ON FOX – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, appears to be upping his fundraising as he builds resources towards his bid for re-election next year to a third six-year term in the Senate.

The conservative firebrand lawmaker brought in $5.4 million during the July-September third quarter of 2023 fundraising, according to figures shared first with Fox News on Monday morning.

Cruz’s haul is up from the $4.4 million he raised during the April-June second quarter of fundraising and the $1.8 million he brought in during the first three months of 2023. It is also a significant increase from the $3.5 he raised during the third quarter of 2017, the similar fundraising quarter during his 2018 re-election campaign.

The Cruz campaign says they entered October with over $6.7 million cash on hand in their coffers. 

TEXAS: THE RED STATE DEMOCRATS CONTINUOUSLY DREAM OF TURNING BLUE, BUT KEEEP FALLING SHORT

They noted that they had over 34,000 donors, including 10,000 new contributors, spotlighting that the senator’s average contribution during the quarter was $40.30 and consisted of donations from Texans in 240 out of the state’s 254 Texas, and from supporters in all 50 states.

“The momentum and excitement to re-elect Senator Ted Cruz could not be more tangible. With $5.4 million raised in Q3, we are seeing more and more Texans animated to re-elect Ted Cruz and ensure that Texas remains the nation’s model state for conservative values and ideas. Democrats better gear up, because Senator Cruz is ready for a hell of a fight to keep Texas, Texas,” Cruz spokesperson Nick Maddux emphasized in a statement to Fox News.

BLUE TO RED: FOUR SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP TO WIN THE MAJORITY IN 2024

Cruz has said that his re-election bid next year for a third term representing Texas is “going to be a firefight.” And there’s already a large field of Democrats gunning to win their party’s nomination and face off with him in 2024.

Cruz, who narrowly defeated then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke in a hard-fought 2018 Senate battle, touted in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this year that after former President Donald Trump, “there is no Republican in the country that Democrats hate more than me.” 

He highlighted that it is “something I wear as a badge of honor. There is no Republican that they would like to beat more than me.”

Cruz was dramatically out-raised in that 2018 showdown by O’Rourke, and Rep. Colin Allred, the most prominent of the Democrats running to take on Cruz, topped the senator by nearly $2 million during second quarter of 2023 fundraising. 

Allred has yet to announce his third quarter fundraising. Candidates for the Senate have until Oct. 15 to file their reports with the Federal Election Commission.

The Cruz campaign announced their third quarter haul and cash on hand as a combined total of money raised across three fundraising entities: Ted Cruz for Senate, which is the senator’s reelection campaign committee; Ted Cruz Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee; and Jobs, Freedom & Security PAC, a leadership political action committee. The leadership PAC cannot spend funds directly on Cruz’s reelection.

Senate Democrats are defending their fragile 51-49 majority in next year’s elections.

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Republicans need a net gain of either one or two seats in 2024 to win back the majority — depending on which party controls the White House after next year’s presidential election. 

The math and the map favor the GOP, as the Democrats are defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs, including three in red states and a handful in key general election battlegrounds such as Pennsylvania

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

A former Trump-era adviser to the U.S. ambassador to Israel is calling on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to resign after she “embarrassed herself” while responding to the terrorist attacks on Israel.

In an early morning post to social media on Sunday, Aryeh Lightstone, who served as a senior adviser to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman from 2017 to 2021, took aim at Whitmer for her comments following the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.

“I have been in touch with communities impacted by what’s happening in the region. It is abhorrent. My heart is with all those impacted. We need peace in this region,” Whitmer wrote on X, with no mention of Israel.

“I hosted you for Thanksgiving in Israel just a few years ago. I am embarrassed for you and by you & disappointed that I opened my home and my family to you,” Lightstone responded to Whitmer.

GOV. WHITMER ROASTED OVER SLOW, ‘GOBBLEDEGOOK’ RESPONSE TO HAMAS ATTACKS ON ISRAEL: ‘SAY THEIR NAMES’

Elaborating on his comments, Lightstone — who’s in Israel witnessing the conflict as it unfolds — told Fox News Digital he was shocked by the “fraudulent nature” of Whitmer’s response.

“The job of a leader is to know the difference between right and wrong. The job of a politician is apparently to say nothing, and she demonstrated that she’s a politician,” he said.

“She watched this happen in real time. And to watch women and children be kidnapped and raped and murdered, and to not be able to say something? She should resign immediately,” Lightstone said of Whitmer.

Lightstone said he hosted Whitmer, her husband, and 25 other Michigan residents at his home in Israel for a Thanksgiving meal in 2019, when the governor had the opportunity to witness first-hand the ongoing conflict taking place in the country.

“She was in Israel. She saw what happened. She went to the border. She saw the people,” he said. “I’m a Republican… but she wanted a place for Thanksgiving and every American should have a place to go for Thanksgiving. So I welcomed her into my home and I invited 25 Michiganders at my expense to host them.”

Lightstone said he and the governor spoke about the U.S.-Israel relationship and ways to strengthen it.

Following the pushback she received from the tweet, Whitmer made another post on Saturday in which she included Israel’s name.

“The images that continue to come out of Israel on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War are devastating. The loss of lives in Israel –children and families – is absolutely heartbreaking and appalling,” the governor said in her follow-up post on X. “There is no justification for violence against Israel. My support is steadfast.”

VIDEOS OF HAMAS BRUTALITY TOWARD ISRAELIS EERILY REMINISCENT OF ISIS TACTICS

Asked about Whitmer’s follow-up tweet, Lightstone said he believes she only shared it because she was “embarrassed for herself.”

“There’s only two sides of this. There’s a right side and a wrong side. She chose the wrong side,” he said. “I don’t think she’s a bad person. I just think she’s a politician.”

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

During his conversation with Fox, Lightstone also underscored his work to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship while serving with Friedman. Specifically, he touted the Abraham Accords, which were negotiated by the Trump administration and first signed in 2020. The agreements secured diplomatic relations between four Muslim-majority countries with Israel, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

“Israel is resilient, Israel is strong, but Israel is going through the worst day in its history. Saying anything short of that is mischaracterizing the day. It’s the worst day in Israel’s history,” Lightstone said.

“Israel has never asked for and never will ask for a single American troop on the ground here,” he added, highlighting the need for other means of support for Israel. “Every one of these people chanting ‘death to Israel’ finishes the sentence with ‘death to America.'”

Lightstone also attempted to throw cold water on reports that suggested Israel was not united in its efforts to combat terrorists in the region.

“It was reported that in the last nine months that Israel is deeply divided. Israel is not deeply divided. Israel is fully and totally united,” he said. “The people of the United States of America, I believe, strongly love Israel.”

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He also noted that there “can be no whataboutism” about the situation taking place in Israel.

“There is no parallel. This is not a competition between two sides that both have merit. One is a side of animals and the other is the side of democracy. This is the clearest distinction I’ve seen in my life since 9/11,” he said.

Fox News’ Landon Mion and Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE — The Department of Justice (DOJ) was slated to roll out the welcome mat in October for an Iraqi judge who issued an arrest warrant for former President Donald Trump because he ordered the assassination of a global Iranian terrorist responsible for the murders of more than 600 American military personnel, according to the U.S. government.

Fox News Digital exclusively learned last week through a source with first-hand knowledge of his travels that the alleged pro-Iran regime jurist, Faiq Zidan, was set to visit the DOJ.

Yet after a flurry of Fox News Digital press queries to the DOJ within a 24-hour period, the DOJ ostensibly and dramatically backtracked on its invitation to Zidan.

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News on Thursday, “Zidan will not be meeting with any DOJ officials.”

When asked about the visit prior to cancellation, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement on Wednesday, “The Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan is going to be hosted by the Department of Justice so we defer to the DoJ to discuss their meetings. We engage with a wide range of counterparts in Iraq and we value engaging the Iraqi judiciary. The DOJ meets regularly with foreign judicial leaders.”

IRAQ SEVERS DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH SWEDEN OVER ANTI-QURAN DEMONSTRATION AS PROTESTERS STORM BAGHDAD EMBASSY

According to a separate source familiar with the Zidan’s invitation to the DOJ, the judge told many U.S. officials the DOJ invited him to Washington, D.C. The appearance of working at cross-purposes between the State Department and DOJ suggests there may have been tension over the invitation to Zidan due to his pro-Iranian regime rhetoric and conduct.

In January, Zidan said that Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council filed an arrest warrant for Trump with regard to the targeted killing of Iranian Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the head of the pro-Iran Kata’ib Hezbollah militia in 2020.

Iranian regime-controlled outlets and other news organizations quoted Zidan, who declared that Trump confessed to his “crime” with respect to the assassination of the “Leaders of Victory.” According to the U.S. government, terrorists loyal to the IRGC’s Soleimani murdered more than 600 American military personnel in the Middle East. The U.S. and European Union designated Soleimani a terrorist.

Congressional letters sent to President Biden in 2023 expressed alarm about Zidan. Just last month, three influential congressmen wrote Biden: “We urge you to make every effort to end the unacceptable treatment of Iraqi Kurds and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) by Iran-aligned elements in Iraq.”

The letter noted, “You are well aware of the role the U.S. played in supporting the Iraqi people as they developed a constitution in 2005 that established the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has served as one of the United States’ most reliable partners in the Middle East, yet is being economically strangled, politically and legally pressured, including reportedly by Faiq Zidan, President of the Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq, and militarily threatened by Iran and Iran-backed elements in Baghdad.”

IRAN OFFICIAL ADMITS COUNTRY’S ROLE IN TERROR BOMBING THAT KILLED 241 US MILITARY MEMBERS 

There are various anglicized spellings of Zidan’s name, including Zaydan. The KRG is widely considered the only free region of Iraq and the most important ally of America in modern Iraq.

The letter was signed by congressional representatives Michael Waltz, R-Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Joe Wilson, R-S.C. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department about the September letter.

Another letter in February sent by Waltz asked Biden, “Have the State or Treasury Departments has determined whether Faiq Zaydan, the President of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, meets the criteria for sanctions for gross human rights, acting as a foreign agent, corruption, and material support as defined by the Global Magnitsky Act and E.O. 13818.” The Magnitsky Act allows the U.S. government to sanction foreign officials engaged in severe human rights abuses. Executive Order 13818 freezes the property of individuals who have committed serious human rights violations.

IRAQ OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO KIDNAPPING OF ISRAELI-RUSSIAN CITIZEN WHO HAS BEEN MISSING FOR MONTHS

Naz Durakoğlu, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, answered the February letter on behalf of the White House in a letter dated March 22. Durakoğlu, whose office is part of the State Department, wrote, without naming the judge, “The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to vigorously implementing our visa restrictions and sanctions programs, including those related to Iran and those related to corruption. The State Department and Department of the Treasury actively review cases and apply these authorities to designate persons and entities globally. We do not comment on potential future visa restrictions or sanctions.”

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital they do not comment on correspondence between congressional representatives and the State Department.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the National Security Council for a comment. The NSC referred Fox News Digital to the DOJ.

Prior to the Thursday’s disclosure that the DOJ pulled the plug on its meeting with Zidan, a number of Iraq experts weighed in on the planned DOJ meeting with Zidan.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser for the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, “The Justice Department should be focused on protecting Americans targeted by IRGC assassinations and kidnapping plots, not hosting the IRGC’s man in Baghdad who wants to prosecute Americans for killing terrorists. Zidan should not be allowed in America.”

Michael Knights, a fellow of the Washington Institute who has written about Zidan, told Fox News Digital that “Zidan issued one order after another that has disadvantaged opponents of Iranian militias.”

Knights said that after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Soleimani and al-Muhandis “were the architects of moving Zidan up through the judicial system. He was running counter-terrorism courts so that none of Iran’s friends got prosecuted under Iraqi law.”

The lack of modern judicial norms in Iraq was noted by Knights who said Zidan “is a supreme court judge who can hire and fire other judges. Iraq has one supreme court judge. He is as powerful as the prime minister of Iraq. He is unelected, installed by Iran and has no term limit.”

LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER BIDEN OFFICIAL IMPLICATED IN IRANIAN INFLUENCE SCHEME: ‘UNBELIEVABLE!’

Knights pointed to an example of Zidan’s alleged human rights violations involving the case of an American citizen who was detained last year in Iraq because he was investigating Zidan’s reported misconduct. He said that “Zidan broke numerous Iraqi laws by detaining the U.S. citizen” who was tortured physically and mentally. The American was incarcerated for 11 weeks before Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell helped secure their release.

Knights said the U.S. government should “absolutely” sanction Zidan for human rights abuses. And he noted, “What it [DOJ] should not be doing is inviting him to the country to congratulate him on the great job he is doing.” Such a visit to the DOJ would have only empowered Zidan and his pro-Iran regime activities in Iraq, Knights added.

Entifadh Qanbar, the president of the Kurdish Protection Action Committee (KPAC) in the U.S., told Fox News Digital that Zidan is a “dangerous person.” Qanbar, who worked as a civil engineer in Iraq, said, “It is a disaster” that the DOJ invited Zidan because “he has no morals and sold himself to the Iranians. Whatever the Iranians tell him to do, he does. He issued an arrest warrant against Trump.”

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Qanbar said that after Iranian-backed militias killed 800 Iraqis in 2019, Zidan did not convict any of the killers and that Iranian militias bragged about it.

Fox News Digital spoke to Zidan’s representative on the telephone, and she asked for a written WhatsApp press query. Zidan did not respond to the Fox News Digital WhatsApp media query.

Fox News Digital also sent press queries to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Washington.

Former President Donald Trump returns to New Hampshire on Monday for his first visit in two months to the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican presidential nominating calendar.

Trump will headline a campaign event at the Kingswood Art Center in Wolfeboro, in the state’s lakes region. The former president may very well make another stop after his event in Wolfeboro.

It’s Trump’s first trip back to New Hampshire since headlining an event at Windham’s high school on August 8. 

While the former president hasn’t spent nearly as much time in the Granite State compared to his rivals for the GOP nomination, Trump remains the commanding front-runner in the latest Republican presidential primary polls in New Hampshire.

HERE’S HOW MUCH MONEY TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN HAULED IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS

And when it comes to the all-important ground game efforts, his campaign touts that “we are miles ahead of everyone else.”

“We’ve been just hammering it as far as grassroots is concerned,” Steve Stepanek, the Trump campaign’s senior adviser in New Hampshire, told Fox News.

WHERE TRUMP STANDS IN THE LATEST POLLS IN THIS KEY PRIMARY STATE

The Trump campaign announced their New Hampshire grassroots leadership team in late June. It included 10 county chairs, 4 city chairs, and over 200 town chairs.

“We’ve been doing a ton of door knocking, a ton of phone calls,” said Stepanek, who is a former state representative and 2016 Trump campaign co-chair in New Hampshire who went on to chair the state GOP until early this year. “Getting a huge response, especially on the doors.”

The Trump campaign would be expected brag about efforts in the state that gave the then-first-time candidate his initial victory in the 2016 cycle, boosting him towards the GOP presidential nomination and eventually the White House.

LATEST FUNDRAISING REPORTS COULD BE DEATH KNELL FOR SOME GOP PRESIDENTIAL LONG-SHOTS

But even a neutral observer sees strength in Trump’s ground game.

Greg Moore, a veteran conservative activist in New Hampshire and longtime state director for Americans for Prosperity, tells Fox News that “there’s no question that Donald Trump has a robust organization here in New Hampshire.”

“When you run multiple times, one of the big benefits is you build up a strong list of people and strong relationships with people that you can go back and tap in the future. Trump’s rivals, other than Gov. Christie, don’t have that advantage. They started from scratch. And for those folks, they have to start building at a level that’s a lot lower than what Donald Trump began with.”

While the Trump campaign in New Hampshire appears to be firing on all cylinders, Moore also complimented the operations supporting first-time candidate and multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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“Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign as well as the Ron DeSantis aligned super PAC Never Back Down are building up robust campaign operations that can really support what they’re trying to accomplish,” he said.

But with just three and a half months to go until the likely date of the New Hampshire primary, Moore warned that “some of the other campaigns are starting late and it’s going to create a real challenge going forward, trying to position themselves to get out their message and start building that authentic grassroots. That’s critical as we get closer to the primary election. You need a strong foundation.”

Pointing to past cycles, he said “we’ve seen through the years many of these candidates who may be riding a national wave because of some publicity, when it actually becomes crunch time, those candidates frequently don’t fare as well as the candidates who built out robust grassroots capability.”

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

It has now been more than 24 hours since Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists invaded areas of southern Israel, killing hundreds and wounding thousands, and two former presidents have been silent.

As of midday Sunday, no social media account, presidential library or foundation associated with Democratic former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had commented on the conflict taking place in Israel.

The Clinton Foundation, though it has posted online since the conflict intensified over the weekend, has also yet to say anything about the situation. Similarly, the social media accounts belonging to Clinton did not comment on the attacks against Israel.

Despite former President Clinton’s silence, former first lady Hillary Clinton released a statement Sunday evening, saying “My prayers are with everyone affected by the horrific attacks by Hamas in Israel. The United States stands in strong support of our ally, today and every day.”

ISRAEL DECLARES WAR AFTER HAMAS SURPRISE ATTACK, LAUNCHES RETALIATORY AIRSTRIKES IN GAZA

Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have also been silent about the attacks. No statement, thus far, has been issued by the Obama Foundation and the social media accounts for both Obamas have not commented on the matter.

“Not one word from Obama, and why is that? Is he too busy? Or simply indifferent? Or could it be that, having given millions to Iran, he is privately celebrating his role in taking Israel down a notch,” conservative author Dinesh D’Souza questioned in a post to X.

Despite the silence from the Obamas and former President Clinton, former Presidents Donald Trump and George W. Bush both issued statements – either through their own means or entities associated with them – condemning the attacks on Saturday.

Trump, who maintained a good relationship with Israel during his tenure in the White House, called the attacks a “disgrace” and insisted that Israel should defend itself with “overwhelming force.”

GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DECLARE SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS ASSAULT: ‘JOE BIDEN FUNDED THESE ATTACKS’

“These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force. Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.

“We brought so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again,” he added.

The George W. Bush Presidential Center also issued a statement on the matter and “strongly” condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks on Israel that claimed scores of innocent civilians.

“We urge the United States and our allies to stand unequivocally with Israel, its government and people, and support Israel’s right to defend itself against these threats,” the center added. “Attacks on free and democratic states anywhere are attacks on all of us, whether in Israel, Ukraine, or elsewhere.”

The Carter Center released a statement on the matter late Sunday evening, saying it “strongly condemns the targeting of Israeli and Palestinian civilians and calls for genuine dialogue as well as international collective action to halt hostilities in the region.”

“Our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the tragic loss of innocent lives on all sides of the conflict. We urge all parties to prioritize the protection and well-being of civilians by refraining from actions that target residential areas,” the center continued. “The Carter Center acknowledges the profound historical and religious significance this region holds for all parties involved. The fundamental human rights of all residents of the region must be protected, land claims and security concerns addressed, and the sanctity of Muslim and Christian holy sites preserved. In addition, it is crucial to recognize the complex dynamics of this situation, including the ongoing occupation.”

The center also called on “the international community to engage actively in building peace in the region.”

“The urgency for a robust and renewed peace process has never been greater,” the center added. “There is not a military solution to the crisis – only a political one. We implore the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and reinvigorate a credible process that brings peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians while safeguarding the lives of all civilians.”

Israel’s security cabinet officially declared war Saturday night after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise barrage of thousands of rockets into southern Israel, killing hundreds and wounding thousands, according to Israeli media.

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Israeli soldiers battled Hamas fighters in the streets of southern Israel a day after Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists invaded the area and launched rockets from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 600 Israelis and wounding at least 2,000 others.

Israeli forces launched retaliatory strikes against Hamas terrorists in Gaza on Sunday, while also trading fire with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in the north.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, was criticized on social media for not saying enough in her statement about the attack against Israel by Hamas terrorists.

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the governor said she spoke with “communities impacted by what’s happening in the region,” but failed to mention “Israel” by name.

“I have been in touch with communities impacted by what’s happening in the region. It is abhorrent. My heart is with all those impacted. We need peace in this region,” Whitmer wrote.

The post drew criticism for her omission of Israel’s name, as the country faces ongoing attacks from Hamas militants.

‘SQUAD’ DEMS FACE BACKLASH FOR ‘CEASEFIRE’ AFTER ISRAEL ATTACKS: ‘CAN’T MERELY CONDEMN TERRORISM’

“Say their names…Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists. I know this is hard for rich, white liberals like yourself,” NewsBusters managing editor Cutis Houck replied.

Fox News Radio host Guy Benson called the governor’s statement “Weak.”

Richard Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence under former President Trump, said the post was “pathetic” and asked why Whitmer would not express support for Israel.

“This is a pathetic statement,” he wrote. “Why can’t you say you support Israel? This is the Left in America. Wise up.”

In another reply, Grenell said to the governor, “This could be about Hawaii. You have terrible instincts.”

Aryeh Lightstone, who served as senior advisor to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman during the Trump administration, said he is embarrassed for Whitmer and is disappointed that he once hosted her for Thanksgiving in Israel.

“Dear @GovWhitmer I hosted you for Thanksgiving in Israel just a few years ago. I am embarrassed for you and by you & disappointed that I opened my home and my family to you,” Lightstone wrote.

BIDEN ADMIN ‘UNEQUIVOCALLY’ CONDEMNS TERROR GROUP HAMAS, SAYS US ‘STANDS WITH ISRAEL’

Many of the replies under Whitmer’s post asked her to state the region and communities she was referring to.

Following the pushback, Whitmer made another post in which she included Israel’s name. She said the loss of lives in the country is heartbreaking, and condemned the violence against Israel.

“The images that continue to come out of Israel on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War are devastating. The loss of lives in Israel –children and families – is absolutely heartbreaking and appalling,” the governor said in her follow-up post on X. “There is no justification for violence against Israel. My support is steadfast.”

The replies said the follow-up was an improvement from her initial post, but that Whitmer still needed to state that Hamas terrorists were responsible for the attack.

“And who were the people who did this? Say their name[s]. Coward,” Houck wrote.

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“Your support is so steadfast you couldn’t state it the first time around and had to be twitter shamed into a second statement,” said Stephen L. Miller, contributing editor at The Spectator.

More than 300 people were killed and more than 1,800 people were wounded in the violence in Israel stemming from the attack by Hamas.

The measure used to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last week is now one of the main points of contention in the battle to replace him.

McCarthy became the first speaker in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives to be removed from the role after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a motion to remove him last week.

The 200-year-old parliamentary rule, known as a motion to vacate, triggers a chamber-wide vote on whether to oust the legislative body’s leader. 

According to the terms of a deal McCarthy made in January to win the gavel, the threshold for triggering a motion to vacate was brought down to just one House member, far below the party-majority needed under Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“For me, one of the things they have to do is, they have to agree to put a change in the rules that won’t allow what happened [on Tuesday] to happen again,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital earlier this week when asked what he needs in order to support a new candidate for speaker.

GOP LAWMAKERS DENY REVENGE PLAY AGAINST PELOSI WITH OFFICE EVICTIONS AFTER MCCARTHY OUSTER

“If somebody’s not going to agree to do that, then they’re not going to have my vote.”

The pragmatic Main Street Caucus also came out with a statement calling the motion to vacate a “chokehold” on Congress.

“The ability for one person to vacate the Speaker of the House will keep a chokehold on this body through 2024,” the group said in a statement. “Personal politics should never again be used to trump the will of 96 percent of House conservatives. Any candidate for speaker must explain to us how what happened Tuesday never happens again.”

WHO IS PATRICK MCHENRY, SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE OF HOUSE FOLLOWING MCCARTHY’S OUSTER?

The topic was also a central point of conversation in Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan’s meeting with the Main Street Caucus last week, sources told Fox News Digital. Jordan, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., are currently vying to be the next House Speaker. 

Fox News Digital was told that Jordan suggested he would be amenable to raising the threshold if a majority of the Republican conference was open to it. 

Even national GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called for reforming the motion to vacate in a Fox News interview, stating, “We cannot have another chaotic turnover of speaker before next year’s election and think it’s not gonna impact our results.”

WHAT DOES MCCARTHY’S REMOVAL MEAN FOR BIDEN INVESTIGATIONS, DAILY FUNCTIONING OF THE HOUSE? EXPERTS WEIGH IN

But not everyone is on board. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, a member of the hardline-right House Freedom Caucus, defended it in a lengthy X post.

“With a narrow majority, clearly enough people had grievances to continue taking down rules and party line votes in perpetuity. Had the motion to table prevailed, Congress would have had more turmoil for longer. This reveals the pragmatic reality of the MTV,” Davidson argued. “Congress ought not fear the MTV. The MTV allows the debate and resolution. “

The influential right-wing group Club For Growth also indicated it would oppose any House Speaker candidate seeking to change the rules.

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“Club for Growth will oppose any candidate for Speaker of the House who supports a return to Pelosi’s rules, especially her rule change against vacating the chair which stood for more than 200 years,” Club For Growth President David McIntosh wrote on X.

“The House was meant to act as a democratic body, not at the whims of one person’s self-interested agenda.”

House Republicans are meeting on Monday and Tuesday and then are expected to hold elections on their new candidate for speaker on Wednesday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced another round of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees to a floor vote as the president is moving to name lower court judges on a par with his predecessor. 

Biden has gained confirmation of 144 federal judges, including his Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. 

That’s roughly tied with where Trump was by fall of 2019, his third year in office, said Curt Levey, president of the Committee for Justice. Trump finished out his term having appointed more than 230 lower court judges, in addition to three U.S. Supreme Court justices.

“There is a good chance that Biden will be edging Trump out on lower court judges,” Levey told Fox News Digital. “Trump prioritized circuit court judges over district court judges. Biden is a little behind Trump on the circuit court judges.” 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS KEY BIDEN ADMIN ASYLUM RULE AT CORE OF POST-TITLE 42 STRATEGY

Biden made his 38th round of judicial nominations, as the Senate Democratic majority pushes to impact lower courts in the face of Republican appointees holding a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court. The lower court nominees were a mix of state judges, prosecutors, and public defenders.

A public defender, Richard Federico, was among the judges that advanced in committee on Sept. 28 despite sparking some controversy at his confirmation hearing. Biden nominated Federico to be a judge on the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 

During the hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questioned Federico about his defense of a Kansas man convicted in a child pornography case in which Federico asked for a 105-month sentence, well below the federal sentencing guidelines range of 210 months to 240 months, or up to 20 years. He ultimately got 13 years.

“You have to make moral judgments as a defense attorney, wouldn’t you agree?” Hawley asked. 

Federico answered, “Yes.”

Federico has been a lawyer for the Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas since 2017. Before that, Federico was an assistant federal public defender for the District of Oregon from 2015 to 2017. He has also been a Navy Judge Advocate General officer.

BIDEN JUDGE WITHDRAWS NOMINATION AFTER DEMOCRATS FAIL TO FIND THE VOTES: ‘WAKE-UP CALL’

Hawley followed up: “As his attorney, you can do whatever you want. But you are asking here for a lifetime appointment. So, I think it’s entirely appropriate we ask you about your judgment… Do you think the sentence that you recommended does justice to his victims?”

Federico first responded, “Senator, I could not agree more about the problem.”

Hawley kept trying to get him to answer in a more specific, yes, or no, but Federico said, “ultimately it’s the court that decides.” As Hawley kept pressing the nominee, Federico answered, “Senator, again, it wasn’t my decision as to his ultimate sentence.”

Also in the Sept. 28 meeting, the Judiciary advanced the nomination of Joshua Kolar, a federal magistrate judge in Indiana, to the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. But he had bipartisan backing, including from Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. 

While several district court judges are pending confirmation, among those who sparked Republican attention was California Superior Court Judge Eumi Lee–who Biden nominated to be a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed Lee about her 2010 law review article on gender and prisons. 

BIDEN’S ‘MOST RADICAL’ JUDGES COULD ‘DELIVER THE LEFT’S POLICY PREFERENCES,’ JUDICIAL WATCHDOGS WARN

“In that article, you argued that male prisoners should be allowed to claim they are transgender in order to be assigned to a female prison, didn’t you?” Kennedy asked. 

Lee replied, “That was an article that originated from a symposium, which I just moderated the panel, and then summarized for the symposium edition the different arguments and issues that were raised.”

Lee was a law professor at the University of California College of Law, San Francisco from 2005 to 2018. 

“Do you think that a male prisoner convicted in a court of law, final judgment, should be allowed to claim that he is transgender in order to be assigned to a female prison?” Kennedy asked. 

Lee replied, “The issue of assigned facilities and such, is one that is being actively litigated in California and may come before me.”

Kennedy shot back, “Now all of a sudden you can’t answer. You answered it in your law review article.”

Kennedy went on to point out that Lee was one of the founders of the Gender and Sexuality Law Journal at Georgetown University. Lee was a 1999 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. 

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Past cases or writings are less of a problem than the Biden administration’s criteria for selection of judges, said Levey of the Committee for Justice. He said Biden has prioritized diversity and backgrounds in liberal activism over other important qualifications.

“I’m more concerned about Biden appointing open activists to the bench,” Levey said. “Past Democratic presidents appointed typical Democrats to the bench who were lower court judges or law professors. Biden has appointed activists who have worked for the ACLU, the NAACP, the Brennan Center, and other groups.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says he believes the only way for the ongoing migrant crisis to be fixed will be via a new president in the White House who can reverse the “lawless” approach of the Biden administration.

“I believe the only way to solve this crisis is through a new president who’s actually willing to follow the law,” Cruz told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Cruz spoke as the ongoing crisis at the southern border, now into its third year, has hit record highs. Sources told Fox News there were over 260,000 migrant encounters in September — marking an all-time record.

Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for the ongoing crisis, arguing that the rollback of Trump-era policies fueled the crisis. Cruz cited three moves by the Biden administration in 2021 for causing the crisis: The ending of border wall construction; the broader use of “catch-and-release”; and the ending of the Remain-in-Mexico policy, in which migrants were held in Mexico for their asylum hearings.

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS AS IMMIGRATION SURGES

He pointed to the consequences for his home state of Texas.

“South Texas is in an absolute state of crisis. The jails are overflowing, the hospitals are overflowing, the schools are overflowing. And throughout Texas, we’re seeing the very real human consequences of Joe Biden and the Democrats’ open borders,” he said.

He also noted criticism the administration has received from Democratic officials, including in New York City — where officials have declared themselves overwhelmed at the more than 110,000 migrants they have seen come into the city. Cruz said those numbers are eclipsed by the numbers border communities are seeing. He noted one day in which Eagle Pass, Texas — which has a population of around 28,000 people — saw 4,000 migrant encounters.

“That is 14% of the entire population of the city coming in a single day. The comparable number to New York City would be 1,260,000 illegal immigrants crossing into New York City in a single day. If 110,000 is a crisis, what do you think over a million would be?” he asked. “That is happening throughout our southern border.”

The administration has repeatedly denied that its policies are to blame for the ongoing crisis. Officials have said they are dealing with a Hemisphere-wide challenge and that its policies of expanding lawful migration pathways, targeting root causes and reinstating “consequences” for illegal entry are working. It has also touted an increased number of returns since the ending of Title 42, claiming more have been returned than in the same period in 2019.

The administration has also called on Republicans to provide more funding to the southern border as requested by the administration, while also passing comprehensive immigration reform legislation to fix what it says is a “broken” system.

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Republicans have introduced, and passed in the House, their own border security and asylum overhaul. Cruz introduced the Senate version of that legislation, and says that Congress should pass it “immediately.”

He also says the crisis could be solved if instead of releasing migrants into the interior, the administration deports them instead. But he says he does not believe that will happen, arguing that the Biden administration has been more radical than even the Obama administration.

“[Former President Barack] Obama generally followed the law on immigration, which meant the Obama administration deported millions of people. If you remember, the left wing got very angry with him and called him the deporter in chief,” he said.

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“What Joe Biden is doing has never happened in the history of our nation. He’s simply ignoring the law, is defying the law brazenly,” he said. “And as long as you have a president, as long as you have a chief executive who ignores the law, it doesn’t matter what laws are on the books. If you have a president that is willing to defy the law and you have a corrupt corporate media that is willing to cover for his illegal conduct, as long as this lawless administration remains in power, this crisis will continue, and I believe it will continue to get worse.”

“Squad” House Democrats known for criticizing the state of Israel faced massive backlash from conservatives online over their milquetoast statements following Hamas’s deadly surprise attack on Israel.

Several members of the informal progressive caucus published statements on Saturday condemning the violence and calling for the conflict to de-escalate.

Of the “Squad” members, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., has been silent on the attack on Israel.

‘SQUAD’ DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR END OF ISRAEL’S ‘GAZA BLOCKADE’ AS HE CONDEMNS HAMAS TERROR ATTACKS

Fox News Digital reached out to Tlaib’s office for comment on the deadly surprise terrorist attack on Israel but did not receive a response.

Meanwhile, “Squad” queen Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called for a “ceasefire and de-escalation” after the surprise terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.

“Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms,” the New York Democrat said.

“No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region,” Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) continued.

“An immediate ceasefire and de-escalation is urgently needed to save lives,” she added.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., — who has a history of controversial statements about Israel — condemned “the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas.”

“Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we’ve seen, which we cannot allow to continue,” Omar said.

“We need to call for deescalation and ceasefire,” she continued. “I will keep advocating for peace and justice throughout the Middle East.”

FOX & Friends Weekend co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy criticized Omar in a response to her statement, saying the congresswoman “will never acknowledge that there was peace in the Middle East [and] Europe when Trump was in office.”

Conservative commentator John Hasson also blasted Omar over her tweet.

“Notice how she only condemns the acts against ‘children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed.'” Hasson wrote. “She’s implying that attacking/killing IDF forces is fine.”

In 2021, Omar landed in hot water with senior members of her own party as well as her opponents when she compared America and Israel to murderous terrorist groups Hamas and the Taliban, saying the two democracies have committed “unthinkable atrocities.”

“We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,” wrote Omar. “I asked [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] where people are supposed to go for justice.”

Additionally, during a 2021 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Omar said the fighting stopping wasn’t enough and that the U.S. was “underwriting crimes against humanity” through support for Israel and that there needed to be “accountability for every war crime committed.”

Amid the 2021 conflict, Omar also accused Israel of engaging in “terrorism” through their airstrikes that tragically killed civilians in the Gaza Strip.

“Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid,” Omar wrote on Twitter.

In 2019, during her first term in office, Omar came under fire for a since-deleted tweet from 2012, where she wrote “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”

Omar said the “unfortunate words were the only words” she could “think about expressing at that moment” while referring to the Israeli armed forces’ 2012 operation against Hamas in Gaza. She also defended the comments while speaking to comedian Trevor Noah on “The Daily Show.”

Omar, who previously has expressed regret over that tweet, responded by saying she had to “take a deep breath” and “understand where people were coming from and what point they were trying to make.”

Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley tweeted these “devastating attacks on Israelis are deeply alarming and my heart breaks for the victims [and] their loved ones.”

“We need an immediate ceasefire & de-escalation. It is long past time to stop this cycle of violence [and] trauma, and work toward a just [and] lasting peace in the region,” Pressley wrote.

Conservative commentator known online as Comfortably Smug criticized the “Squad” in a response to Pressley’s tweet.

“The squad telling Israel to stand down after it was attacked and hundreds of its citizens were massacred,” he wrote. “Incredible.”

New York Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman took to social media Saturday to call for an end to the Gaza blockade and condemned the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

“I strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas and am saddened by the loss of precious lives, especially on the holy day of Simchat Torah,” Bowman said in a statement, which was shared to social media.

“We need a way to end this deadly violence that is killing and traumatizing generations of Israelis and Palestinians alike — including the blockade of Gaza,” he added. “I have been to the Gaza border and know that Israelis and Palestinians are constantly living in fear. We must work harder to ensure peace in the region.”

As new developments are made, Bowman, who made headlines recently after he pulled a fire alarm in Congress amid a vote to keep government open, said he and his team will be monitoring the situation closely, “especially since several of our Westchester service members are in the area of attacks.”

Conservative radio host Jason Rantz tweeted that “Bowman can’t merely condemn terrorism.”

“He has to include his ignorant criticism of Israel,” Rantz said.

Bowman has been criticized for his position toward Israel, and was one of nine progressives who voted against a resolution affirming Israel was not a racist or apartheid state earlier this year.

In recent weeks there have been protests in Gaza backed by Hamas against economic blockade of the region, which leaders described as aggressive.

“If there’s to be an explosion, let it be against the party that created these conditions, which is the (Israeli) occupation,” senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said earlier this wee, Reuters reported.

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Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists invaded areas of southern Israel as rocket barrages launched from the Gaza Strip struck the area on Saturday, killing over 200 Israelis. 

A senior Hamas military commander, Mohammad Deif, announced the start of the operation in which he called on Palestinians everywhere to attack the Israelis, saying in a broadcast on Hamas media that the group launched 5,000 rockets. He called the attack “the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth.”

Local Israeli media reported that at least 100 people have been killed in the wide-ranging assault, while Gaza health officials say that 198 Palestinians have died in Israeli air strikes made in response to the Hamas attack. Hospitals are treating at least 985 wounded people, including 77 who were in critical condition, the Associated Press reported based on public statements and calls to hospitals.

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris contributed reporting.