From pardoning Trump to controversial comments, here are the top moments from Nikki Haley’s Iowa town hall


Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley had a number of stand-out moments during her appearance at an Iowa town hall hosted by CNN on Thursday.

Haley addressed how she plans to overtake former President Trump, the clear front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination, as well as addressing recent controversial statements she made on the campaign trail regarding slavery and the Iowa caucuses.

When asked how she planned to overtake Trump, who continues to hold a commanding lead in the polls despite Haley’s recent surge in New Hampshire and Iowa, the former South Carolina governor pointed to how many of the same polls indicate she would triumph in a one-on-one matchup with President Biden.

POLL REVEALS ALARMING LEVEL OF FEAR OF WHETHER 2024 ELECTIONS WILL BE ‘FAIR,’ BALLOT COUNTING ACCURATE

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign town hall in Rye, New Hampshire, January 2, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

“I defeat Biden by 17 points,” Haley said, referencing one recent poll and noting it showed she would perform better than Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another Republican candidate, in a hypothetical November contest against Biden. “If you win by double digits, you go into Washington with a mandate… It is time to move past President Trump.”

Haley argued that “chaos follows” Trump and that she would be the generational leader “that leaves negativity and baggage behind.” However, she later defended her intention to pardon Trump should he be convicted of any crime, and said some of the prosecutions the former president is currently facing in Georgia, Washington, D.C. and New York were “politically motivated.”

“I used to tell him he’s his own worst enemy,” Haley said, after stating that Trump would “have to answer” for some of the charges he faces, but without specifying which ones.

RFK, JR. MEETS REQUIREMENTS TO APPEAR ON FIRST 2024 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT AS CAMPAIGN SEASON HEATS UP

When asked about the worsening crisis at the southern border, Haley called Biden’s handling of the situation was “truly a dereliction of duty,” and slammed his administration’s efforts to combat Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s actions to secure his state from the masses of migrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande.

Former President Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the New York Young Republican Club Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on December 09, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

“Are you kidding me?” she said in reaction to Biden’s efforts to remove razor wire placed at the border to prevent passage. 

Haley added that a Haley administration would implement a national e-verify program to ensure businesses weren’t hiring illegal immigrants, defund sanctuary cities, “once and for all,” reinstate the remain in Mexico policy implemented by Trump, and “catch and deport” rather than “catch and release.”

MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT SAID VOTER ID LAWS ‘ROOTED IN WHITE SUPREMACY’

She went on to praise Abbott’s bussing migrants to sanctuary cities, but avoided giving DeSantis credit for doing the same despite being directly asked. 

Haley was later asked about how she declined to mention slavery as the reason for sparking the Civil War during a town hall event last month. She reiterated that she made a mistake by not mentioning it.

She explained that, as a southerner, she looks past the issue of slavery and race because of its prevalence in southern history and how southerners are exposed to it from an early age, but that she still should have mentioned slavery first.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott looks on during a news conference on March 15, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Continuing on the discussion of race, she touted her handling of the shooting of an unarmed Black man by a police officer in South Carolina in 2015 while she was governor, and noted that riots like those in Ferguson, Missouri that same year didn’t take place because of the relationship building she did with police and the community.

Haley also defended her recent comments on the Iowa caucuses that although the state “starts” the nominating process, New Hampshire will “correct it.” The suggestion lead to sharp criticism from her Republican opponents.

“We banter against each other… It’s what we do,” Haley said. “I think the problem in politics now is it’s too serious and too dramatic.” 

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“I have been coming here for months… You are going to see me fight until the very end of the last day in Iowa,” she said. “If I didn’t love Iowa, I wouldn’t keep coming to Iowa.” 

Said added that she would probably joke about New Hampshire while in Iowa in the coming days.

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



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Watch DeSantis’ top moments on Trump, Biden, immigration from Iowa town hall: ‘Leaders got to lead’


Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touched on a variety of issues during a CNN town hall in Iowa on Thursday night, criticizing former President Trump for failing to follow through on 2016 promises and hitting President Biden’s record.

DeSantis took aim at Trump and told the crowd that Republicans “crashed and burned” in 2022.

“Donald Trump’s handpicked candidates lost because the Democrats have a playbook that they can run,” DeSantis said. “You don’t want it to be a referendum on Trump and the past. You want it to be a referendum on Biden’s failures, on our positive vision for this country. I offer that.”

“You need somebody that can serve two terms. You’re going to go in there as a lame duck president, even if you could get elected,” DeSantis continued. “I don’t think that that’s how it works there. We need a change agent in Washington. We need somebody who’s going to go in there, actually unwind the bureaucracy, which Trump promised to do and didn’t do. We need a president that’s going to stop the border invasion by building a wall, which Trump promised to do but didn’t do.”

DeSantis criticized Trump for running on the same platform he ran on in 2016, without accomplishing his goals as president.

“When I tell you I’m going to do something, you can take it to the bank,” DeSantis said. “I’m going to do it.”

DESANTIS CAMPAIGN ACCUSES HALEY OF ‘INSULTING’ IOWANS BY SAYING NH WILL ‘CORRECT’ CAUCUS RESULTS

DeSantis participated in a CNN townhall in Iowa Thursday. (CNN)

DeSantis also hit Trump on abortion saying “of course” the former president is not pro-life.

“When you’re saying that pro-life protections are a terrible thing, by definition, you are not pro-life. When you say that you want to have a federal law at 18 weeks or 20 weeks that would override a state like Iowa that has enacted, pro-life protections, that would mean more abortions, not less abortions, because very few abortions are happening that late anyways,” DeSantis explained. “So he has flip-flopped on this issue.”

I don’t know if it’s because of political convenience or this is all where he always believed in. But here’s the thing. Some issues are pretty fundamental. How do you flip-flop on something like the sanctity of life?”

DeSantis spoke about the illegal immigration crisis and specifically how fentanyl is pouring across the border and killing Americans.

“How many fentanyl deaths are enough, are we just supposed to sit here and let this happen?” DeSantis said. “I think a president not only has a right, I think you have a responsibility to fight back against these people.”

I am sick and tired of seeing the carnage in this country and in my travels through Iowa I’ve met angel parents, people that have lost kids to fentanyl overdose. And a lot of times these are not drug addicts. These are maybe a college student that is stressed out during exams. So they buy a pill thinking it’s going to help them get through the night and it turns out it’s laced with fentanyl. That could be enough to poison that student to death. And so this is shattering families. It’s shattering communities. The people in D.C., they just shrug their shoulder. They could care less about what’s going on.”

DeSantis touched on the foreign policy record of Joe Biden slamming him for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan which he says sent a clear message to America’s enemies abroad.

OVER 500 ELECTED OFFICIALS HAVE ENDORSED DESANTIS AS PRESIDENTIAL BATTLE HEATS UP AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to members of the media

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to members of the media after an event on Thursday, July 27, 2023 in Chariton, Iowa.  ((Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images))

“How he left Afghanistan was a total disgrace,” DeSantis said. “I mean, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of veterans who’ve served over there. To see all that weaponry and all that stuff over there just taken by the Taliban, 13 people killed, that was humiliating for this country. But that sent a signal to people like Russia, to Iran, that now is the time to be able to start acting out.”

“When I’m president, it’s going to be totally different. You know, we’re going to lay down very clear markers and people are going to know, don’t mess with the USA.”

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Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivers remarks at the 2023 Christians United for Israel summit on July 17, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia.  ((Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))

DeSantis was asked about gay marriage in the context of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently saying that he was wrong about gay marriage in the past.

“I respect the Supreme Court’s decision,” Desantis said. “We’ve abided by that in Florida, even though our [state] constitution defines it as between a man and a woman. But I think what we need to recognize is, you know, you are going to have people try to wield power against our religious institutions and try to marginalize them simply by upholding the biblical definition. And so I’m going to protect those religious institutions to be able to do what has always been done in terms of how they consider marriage as a sacrament.”

DeSantis also touted his ability to work across the aisle, especially in the case of national disasters. He even credited Biden with not politicizing Hurricane Ian, which caused major damage in Florida last September.

NEWSOM, DESANTIS DEBATE GETS HEATED OVER COVID, TAX POLICIES: ‘YOU DID A LOT OF DAMAGE’

As president, when we have these national disasters I don’t care if it’s a Republican governor like Kim Reynolds, who I’m very close with, or a liberal governor like [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, who I’ve got some differences with, when you have these situations, leaders got to lead and you got to put politics aside.”

DeSantis’ town hall appearance came less than 2 weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the first contest in the GOP’s 2024 nominating cycle. The Florida governor is currently polling at 18.6% in the Hawkeye State, according to the Real Clear Politics average, which trails Trump who leads at 51.3% and is just ahead of rival Nikki Haley, who sits at 16.1%.



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Prosecutor on Jack Smith team discouraged FBI from investigating Clinton Foundation in 2016


EXCLUSIVE: A top prosecutor on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team discouraged the FBI from pursuing an investigation into the Clinton Foundation in 2016 due to what he viewed as negligible evidence, despite multiple Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign transactions, Fox News Digital has learned.

Ray Hulser, the former chief of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section (PIN), who serves on Smith’s team currently prosecuting former President Donald Trump, was identified as the official who “declined prosecution” of the Clinton Foundation in 2016 in Special Counsel John Durham’s report.

Jack Smith and Trump

Special Counsel Jack Smith is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Former President Donald Trump’s immunity claims in the election interference criminal case against him. (Getty Images)

FBI IGNORED ‘CLEAR WARNING SIGN’ OF CLINTON-LED EFFORT TO ‘MANIPULATE’ BUREAU FOR ‘POLITICAL PURPOSES’

According to the Durham report, in January 2016, “three different FBI field offices, the New York Field Office, the Washington Field Office, and the Little Rock Field Office, opened investigations into possible criminal activity involving the Clinton Foundation.”

The report reveals that the case was opened referring to an intelligence product and corroborating financial reporting that a particular commercial “industry likely engaged a federal public official in a flow of benefits scheme, namely, large monetary contributions were made to a non-profit, under both direct and indirect control of the federal public official, in exchange for favorable government action and/or influence.”

DURHAM FINDS DOJ, FBI ‘FAILED TO UPHOLD’ MISSION OF ‘STRICT FIDELITY TO THE LAW’ IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

The investigation out of Washington was opened as a “preliminary investigation, because the case agent wanted to determine if he could develop additional information to corroborate allegations in a recently-published book, ‘Clinton Cash’ by Peter Schweizer, before seeking to convert the matter to a full investigation,” the report states.

the clintons

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

But the New York and Little Rock investigations included predication “based on source reporting that identified foreign governments that had made, or offered to make, contributions to the Foundation in exchange for favorable or preferential treatment from Clinton.” 

The Durham report revealed that because three different FBI field offices opened investigations related to the Clinton Foundation, there was a “perceived need to conduct coordination meetings between the field offices, FBI Headquarters, and appropriate U.S. Attorney’s offices,” as well as “components” from main Justice Department.

DESPITE ACQUITTAL, DURHAM TRIAL OF SUSSMANN ADDED TO EVIDENCE CLINTON CAMPAIGN PLOTTED TO TIE TRUMP TO RUSSIA

“These meetings likely were deemed especially important given that the investigations were occurring in an election year in which Clinton was a declared candidate for President,” the report states, including details from those meetings.

One meeting detailed in the report took place on Feb. 1, 2016. Present for that meeting were several FBI officials, as well as Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell and Hulser, who, at the time, was Public Integrity Section chief.

Durham interviewed Hulser as part of his investigation. Hulser told Durham that the FBI briefing on the Clinton Foundation was “poorly presented and that there was insufficient predication for at least one of the investigations due to its reliance on allegations contained in a book.” 

“Hulser downplayed information provided by the New York Field Office CHS [confidential human source] and recalled that the amount involved in the financial reporting was ‘de minimis,’” the report states.

However, Durham’s team reviewed the financial reporting to better “understand the allegations.”

John Durham

Special Counsel John Durham testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on June 20, 2023. (Screenshot/House Judiciary Committee)

“The reporting, which in itself is not proof of wrongdoing, was a narrative describing multiple funds transfers, some of which involved international bank accounts that were suspected of facilitating bribery or gratuity violations,” the Durham report states in a footnote. “The transactions involved occurred between 2012 and 2014, and totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The Durham report does not explicitly state the words “Suspicious Activity Report”; however, the activity described is that which would normally be the subject of such reports.

A source familiar with the matter, however, told Fox News Digital that there were multiple SARs filed related to the Clinton Foundation during that time. In 2012, Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state.

Banks have a duty to file SARs, but it is up to the Justice Department to determine if there is any criminality.

Due to the Clinton name, the Clinton Foundation or Clinton-related accounts likely had a “PEP” designation within financial institutions. PEP is short for politically exposed person, meaning the individual, through their prominent position or relationships, could be more susceptible to being involved in bribery or corruption.

The Hunter Biden federal criminal investigation was predicated, in part, by SARs on funds from “China and other foreign nations.” Those SARs have been reviewed as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, led by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

MONEY LAUNDERING INVESTIGATOR WARNED OF HUNTER BIDEN’S ‘UNUSUAL,’ ‘ERRATIC’ PAYMENTS FROM CHINA IN 2018

Meanwhile, the Durham report states that during the February 2016 meeting, Hulser “declined prosecution” of the Clinton Foundation on behalf of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section.

Hulser told Durham during his interview, though, that he “made it clear” that “his decision was not binding on the various U.S. Attorneys’ Offices or FBI field divisions.”

In interviewing another individual present for the meeting, Durham learned that the Justice Department’s reaction to the Clinton Foundation briefing was “hostile.” 

“There are mega indications that the Obama Justice Department slow-walked and discouraged the Clinton Foundation investigation, including discouraging the FBI from pursuing it,” former federal prosecutor and Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy said. 

trump 2024 announcement

Former President Donald Trump. (AP )

With regard to Hulser, McCarthy told Fox News Digital that “it has been obvious from the beginning that the decision by the Biden Justice Department to appoint a special counsel was utterly political and done to create distance between the attorney general and the president from the decision to bring charges against Trump, that Smith has conducted it throughout with an eye on the election calendar.” 

“Nobody should be surprised if people on Smith’s staff have been involved in situations that make it politically conflicting for them to be involved in this,” McCarthy said. 

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from Smith’s investigation related to both Jan. 6 and 2020 election interference, as well as his case related to classified records.

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office declined to comment on this story. 

As for the Clinton Foundation probes, in another meeting in February 2016, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe “initially directed the field offices to close their cases, but following objections, agreed to reconsider the final disposition of the cases.”

James Comey testifies in suit during Senate hearing

Former FBI Director James Comey. (Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

According to current Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate’s interview with Durham’s team, he recalled McCabe stating that the DOJ said “there’s nothing here” and “why are we even doing this?”

FLASHBACK: DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON ‘STIRRING UP’ SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA

At the end of the meeting, it was announced that for “any overt investigative steps to be taken,” McCabe’s approval “would be required.”

Meanwhile, by May 2016, then-FBI Director James Comey directed the FBI’s New York Field Office to “cease and desist” from the Clinton Foundation investigation due to “some undisclosed counterintelligence concern.”

Durham was “not able to determine what the counterintelligence issue raised by Comey was.” 

Andrew McCabe at hearing

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

By August 2016, a meeting was held to direct that the Washington and Little Rock investigations “be closed and consolidated” into the New York investigation. But during the meeting, U.S. attorneys’ offices “declined to issue subpoenas.”

Durham included this information in his report to show “the contrast” between how the FBI handled Clinton matters in comparison to the Trump-Russia probe, known internally as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

“As an initial matter, the NYFO and WFO investigations appear to have been opened as preliminary investigations due to the political sensitivity and their reliance on unvetted hearsay information (the Clinton Cash book) and [confidential human source reporting],” the report states. “By contrast, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation was immediately opened as a full investigation despite the fact that it was similarly predicated on hearsay information.”

John durham special counsel

Special Counsel John Durham. (Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)

Durham added that while the DOJ appeared to have had “legitimate concerns” about the Clinton Foundation investigation occurring so close to the presidential election, “it does not appear that similar concerns were expressed by the Department or FBI regarding the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.” 

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.

Durham found that the FBI “failed to act” on a “clear warning sign” that the bureau was the “target” of a Hillary Clinton-led effort to “manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes” against Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Hulser was the top prosecutor for the government’s 2015 corruption case against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, which was dismissed after a hung jury failed to reach a verdict. He also was involved in the Justice Department’s prosecution of former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who was convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee.





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Fox News Politics newsletter


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

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

What’s Happening? 

– Expect more Epstein documents to drop…

– Biden mocked over migrant crisis comments

– Haley won’t rule out being Trump’s Vice President

5 revelations

A federal court in New York unsealed dozens of documents relating to sex trafficker and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Here are five takeaways from the release: 

1. ‘He likes them young’ – Epstein allegedly talked about former President Clinton’s tastes

2. Bounties for disproof – In a typo-filled email to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein offered a “reward” for any of Virginia Giuffre friends and family who could disprove Giuffre’s allegations

3. Dinner and a show – one alleged victim described David Copperfield, who was himself once accused of sexually assaulting a teen model, as a friend of Epstein who performed at the financier’s home

4. Royal connections – she also alleged that Prince Andrew groped her while she was sitting in his lap with a Prince Andrew puppet

5. Trumped – Epstein once said he’d call up Donald Trump (before he was president) when his flight had to be rerouted to Atlantic City because it couldn’t land in New York, according to court testimony

Bill Clinton with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Clinton White House at an event that took place in 1993 for donors to the White House Historical Association. (Mega)

Tales from the Campaign Trail

CLINTON CONNECTION: Top deputy for Special Counsel Jack Smith helped scuttle FBI investigations into the Clintons …Read more

‘TOO DISTASTEFUL’ FOR SOME: Ex-Obama campaign manager calls for liberal voters to sabotage GOP primary …Read more

SENATE SUPPORT: GOP lawmakers throw support behind Trump in Colorado ballot dispute …Read more

ONE AND DONE: North Carolina shuts out Democratic primary challengers, makes Biden only candidate on ballot …Read more

‘BANK YOUR VOTE’: RNC launches ‘Bank Your Vote’ websites in 16 languages in all 50 states ahead of primaries …Read more

‘I’M IN’: Georgia Republican senator joins race for congressional seat …Read more

GOING ON ATTACK: Biden looks to double down on Jan. 6 attacks against Trump after ‘Bidenomics’ struggles …Read more

NOT HAPPY: Union boss meets privately with Trump, vexing liberals …Read more

IOWA DUST-UP: DeSantis accuses Haley of ‘insulting’ voters ahead of first 2024 caucus …Read more

White House

‘SECURE THE BORDER’: Biden mocked or saying ‘We gotta do something’ when asked about migrant crisis …Read more

DISSENTING LETTER: Biden campaign staffers issue letter protesting Israel-Hamas war, call for cease-fire, end of aid to Israel …Read more

LOSING GROUND: House GOP majority to shrink again in time for potential government shutdown showdown …Read more

Across America

‘DIDN’T DO IT’: Ex-Michigan House speaker aides plead not guilty to embezzlement …Read more

‘THREATENING CALLS’: Florida man arrested for threatening to kill Eric Swalwell and his kids …Read more

OIL BAN: New Mexico lawmakers consider ban on oil and gas production near schools …Read more

SOUND OF SILENCE: Obama’s support not enough to keep Claudine Gay as Harvard president …Read more

CALIFORNIA EXODUS: California exodus continues as U-Haul moving list reveals large net loss for fourth year in a row …Read more

IMMIGRATION BATTLE: DOJ sues Texas in battle over immigration law …Read more

HE’S BACK: Scandal-ridden Andrew Gillum re-emerges with podcast after political career fell apart …Read more

PARTY IN ‘PERIL’: Democratic Party’s appeal to young voters ‘in ruins,’ liberal columnist warns …Read more

DEATH PENALTY CONTROVERSY: UN experts look to stop Alabama from carrying out first US nitrogen gas execution …Read more

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



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Colorado voters seeking Trump ballot ban file response in effort to speed up Supreme Court decision


Colorado voters seeking to remove former President Trump from their state’s GOP primary ballot responded Thursday to the former president’s appeal, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to disqualify him from appearing on the ballot for another term.

“The Court should decline Trump’s invitation to second-guess the Colorado Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Colorado Election Code,” the court filing said.

The Supreme Court originally gave the Colorado voters until Feb. 5 to file their response to Trump’s appeal, but the voter plaintiffs want the court to hear and decide the issue quickly.

The justices have not decided whether they will expedite consideration of the Colorado voters’ appeal.

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO KEEP NAME ON COLORADO BALLOT

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York

Former President Trump asked the justices on Wednesday to reverse the Colorado state supreme court’s ruling to disqualify him from the Republican primary ballot for allegedly engaging in an insurrection. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura/File)

On Wednesday, Trump asked the justices to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling to disqualify him from the Republican primary ballot for engaging in an insurrection.

In a statement to Fox News, Trump’s team said that if he is prevented from being on the Colorado ballot, it would be the first time in history such a thing has happened.

GUNMAN ARRESTED AFTER BREACHING COLORADO SUPREME COURT, HOLDING GUARD AT GUNPOINT: COPS

“Over 74 million Americans voted for President Trump in the 2020 general election, including more than 1.3 million voters in the State of Colorado,” Trump’s team said in a statement.

colorado supreme court outside

The Colorado Supreme Court in Denver is shown on Dec. 20, 2023. (Getty Images)

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“Yet, on December 19, 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ordered President Trump removed from the presidential primary ballot — a ruling that, if allowed to stand, will mark the first time in the history of the United States that the judiciary has prevented voters from casting ballots for the leading major-party presidential candidate.”





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Poll reveals alarming level of fear over whether 2024 elections will be ‘fair,’ ballot counting accurate


A new poll released Thursday revealed an alarming level of fear among Americans over whether the 2024 elections will be “fair” and if ballots will be counted accurately.

According to the Suffolk University/USA Today poll, 46% of registered Republicans said they had no confidence ballots would be accurately counted and reported after people across the country head to the polls in November.

When narrowed to those supporting former President Donald Trump, who argued the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from him, 52% said they lacked confidence ballots would be counted accurately.

RFK, JR. MEETS REQUIREMENTS TO APPEAR ON FIRST 2024 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT AS CAMPAIGN SEASON HEATS UP

Pennsylvania mail-in ballots

Chester County, Pennsylvania, election workers process mail-in and absentee ballots at West Chester University in West Chester on Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

The poll found a stark divide, however, when it came to registered Democrats, 81% of whom said they were “very” confident the 2024 elections would be “fair.” Just 14% of Republicans felt the same.

MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT SAID VOTER ID LAWS ‘ROOTED IN WHITE SUPREMACY’

It also found a large majority of voters (83%) worried about “threats to democracy,” but they are divided over what they see as the actual threat.

A plurality of 18% said Trump was the greatest threat, while 10% pointed to government corruption and dysfunction and 8% cited immigration and open borders.

Former President Trump looking into the crowd.

Former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

When asked which party was more responsible for threatening democracy, voters were split with 40% blaming Democrats and 40% blaming Republicans.

A 59% majority said it was “appropriate” for those participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol to face criminal prosecution, while 32% said it was inappropriate and should be reversed.

Fewer Americans, however, placed blame for the riot on Trump nearly three years later. Forty-three percent said the former president bore “a lot of blame,” down from 48% in 2021. Twenty-eight percent of Americans in both years said Trump wasn’t to blame at all.

BIDEN CONTINUES BLEEDING SUPPORT FROM KEY VOTER GROUPS AS DEMS SOUND ALARM OVER 2024: POLL

U.S. Capitol protests on January 6

Americans loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Concerning prosecutions against Trump in Georgia, Washington, D.C., and New York, 52% said they were appropriate, a majority driven by the 96% of Democrats who agreed. Forty-three percent said the prosecutions were inappropriate and should be reversed, a number driven by 85% of Republicans who agreed.

Independents were largely split 48%-42% that the prosecutions were appropriate, with 9% undecided.

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Trump held a slight edge (44%-43%) over President Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, but that lead grew to 39%-37% when voters were asked about a third-party option (17%).

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



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Haley faces backlash from caucus goers after telling NH voters to ‘correct’ Iowa caucus


Former Ambassador Nikki Haley is facing criticism from her GOP opponents and some Iowans on the ground over a comment she made to a New Hampshire audience suggesting Iowa “starts” the election process and New Hampshire will “correct it.”

Campaigning in Milford, New Hampshire, Wednesday, Haley told the large crowd listening to her that “we have an opportunity to get this right. And I know we’ll get it right, and I trust you. I trust every single one of you. You know how to do this. You know Iowa starts it. You know that you correct it.”

That comment didn’t sit well with some Iowa caucus-goers leaning toward Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Rooted out of our history of hard-working Iowans, Iowa has always been a pulse of the nation, where the term heartland comes from,” Mark Putney of Fayette County, Iowa, said in response to Haley’s remark. 

CHRISTIE SAYS HE WOULD ‘ABSOLUTELY’ SUPPORT DESANTIS OR HALEY, BUT INSISTS HE’S NOT DROPPING OUT OF 2024 RACE

Nikki Haley at campaign event

Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley holds a town hall meeting March 9, 2023, in Nevada, Iowa.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“Nikki Haley’s comments are an insult to Iowans like myself who take pride in being the first-in-the-nation caucus. The next president must be someone who appreciates Iowans, not belittles us due to her poor performance in the race.”

Brenda Sandburg of Benton County, Iowa, said, “As an Iowan and a caucus-goer” she is “offended but not surprised.

“Nikki Haley has shown herself to be completely out of touch with rural America, and she has no business being President of the United States.”

“I am sick of elitist politicians who think they know better than the people who they are supposed to serve,” Lori Tiangco of Polk County, Iowa, said. “It’s Ms. Haley who needs to be corrected, not us, and our voices will be heard on Jan. 15.” 

EX-OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER URGES LIBERAL VOTERS TO SUPPORT NIKKI HALEY TO SABOTAGE TRUMP

Nikki Haley

Former Ambassador Nikki Haley (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

DeSantis addressed the issue in a radio interview with KFAB Thursday.

“I think it was incredibly disrespectful to Iowans to say somehow their votes need to be, quote, corrected,” DeSantis said. “I think she’s trying to provide an excuse for her not doing well. You know, her allies and her have spent a huge amount of money here. 

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“A lot of this money is coming from liberal donors on Wall Street and California. These are people that have supported Liberal Democrats in the past, and they’re gravitating to Nikki Haley because they know she’s not going to change anything in Washington. 

“She’s been governor for six years. What achievements did she have in South Carolina? Literally nothing. Her main achievement was being the No. 1 Republican governor for bringing Chinese investment into her state. It’s a huge contrast to a leadership of Gov. Reynolds or myself. But I thought what she said to Iowans was very disrespectful.”

Ron DeSantis in Iowa

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters March 10, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, the Haley campaign pointed to reactions from Iowa caucus-goers supporting Haley who were unfazed by the “lighthearted joke.”

“It was a lighthearted joke playing up the rivalry between Iowa and New Hampshire,” Austin Harris, an Iowa state representative, said. “Her opponents are clearly desperate because she is rising in the polls, and they’re terrified. So, they will grasp at anything.”

“This is what we like about Nikki – she’s a real person, she’s not scripted,” Emily Schmitt, general counsel at Sukup Manufacturing, said. “If her opponents are attacking her based on an offhand remark, that’s more proof of what we already knew, that she’s got the momentum and the support of Iowans.”

“The media outrage on this – like most things – is completely detached from reality on the ground in Iowa,” Iowa state Sen. Chris Cournoyer said. “Nikki Haley continues to win over caucus-goers ahead of Jan. 15.  She’s done over 70 town halls in the state, taking questions directly from folks. The bottom line, Haley is positioned to do very well on caucus day.”

Haley is polling at 16.1% in Iowa with about two weeks before the Iowa Caucus, which puts her in third place behind former President Trump at 51.3% and DeSantis at 18.6%.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report



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Utah State Senator announces bid for Congress


FIRST ON FOX – Republican Utah state Sen. Mike Kennedy is launching a bid for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District to replace GOP incumbent John Curtis, who is running to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate. 

Utah’s 3rd District covers part of Salt Lake City and includes the cities of Orem and Provo. The seat was previously held by former Congressman Jason Chaffetz until 2017. Later that year, Curtis won the seat in a special election. 

The district is a Republican stronghold. Former President Trump won the district with over 56% of the vote in 2020 and Curtis won by over 45% in 2022.

UTAH REPUBLICAN ANNOUNCES BID TO REPLACE ROMNEY AFTER SAYING HE WOULD NOT ENTER RACE AMID UNFINISHED WORK

“I came from poverty, single-parent home, a free lunch kid in high school and never had anything that wasn’t,” said Kennedy. “For a fellow like me to not only have a chance to get a great education, but also to serve the people of the great state of Utah… I am so impressed with the people in the great state of Utah. They’re outstanding people.”

State Sen. Mike Kennedy

(Kim Raff/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Kennedy, a family medicine doctor and attorney, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018 in the Beehive State against Mitt Romney. Kennedy secured the most votes in the Utah State Republican Convention, but ultimately was defeated by Romney in the Republican primary. 

Utah lawmaker Mike Kennedy

During his time in the Utah state Senate, Mike Kennedy helped pass legislation fighting COVID mandates and transgender minor surgeries. (Fox & Friends/Screengrab)

However, Kennedy tells Fox News Digital that there is no bad blood. “Party infighting is more selfish than selfless,” said Kennedy. He also said that he will “work with anybody who’s got a good idea, who’s willing to look to the future and make it better for all of us.”

STATE OF THE RACE: TOP 5 SENATE SEATS HELD BY DEMOCRATS MOST LIKELY TO FLIP IN 2024

During his time in the Utah state Senate, Kennedy helped pass legislation fighting COVID mandates and transgender minor surgeries. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Kennedy returned to his role as a family doctor, spending months caring for patients and conducting his own research on COVID-19.

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“The COVID crisis – and being a doctor dealing with sickness on a regular basis, it was a very good spot for me to be on,” said Kennedy. “As far as the response that the state of Utah had to go, we’re able to balance the important issues associated with health and preserving life, but not destroying livelihoods at the same time.”

Roosevelt Mayor Rod Bird Jr. is also running for Utah’s 3rd District. Former Utah state Rep. Chris Herrod and state auditor John Dougall are considering running. The primary election will be held June 25 and the general election is Nov. 4. 

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



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Trump team hits Haley over past comments declaring people shouldn’t call illegal immigrants ‘criminals’


A group allied with former President Donald Trump has set its sights on fellow Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley as she’s climbed in the polls, most recently hitting her over past comments in which she said people should not call illegal immigrants “criminals.”

On Wednesday night, the MAGA War Room, which is associated with MAGA Inc., posted a video clip of Haley at a 2015 Aspen Institute event where she made the remarks while serving as South Carolina’s governor. 

“I think that what we have to remember, and I have always believed, is that we are a country of laws, that’s what makes us strong,” Haley said during the panel. “We have to always be a country of laws. So it’s incredibly frustrating for a lot of people when they see the illegal immigrants being able to come across. It really is astonishing that after all of these years, D.C. hasn’t figured out how to build a wall. It really is, after all of what they spend.”

NIKKI HALEY’S BOOK CONFESSION ABOUT CHANGING HUSBAND’S NAME RESURFACES: ‘HE LOOKS LIKE A MICHAEL’

“Having said that, we are a country of immigrants,” she continued. “I am a proud daughter of Indian parents that reminded us every day how blessed we are to live in this country. They resent when people come here illegally. But let’s keep in mind, these people that are wanting to come here, they want to come here for a better life, too. They have kids, too. They have a heart, too. So, we don’t need to be disrespectful. We don’t need to talk about them as criminals — they’re not. They’re families that want a better life, and they’re desperate to get here. What we need to do is make sure that we have a set of laws that we follow, and that we go through with that.”

AnnMarie Graham-Barnes, a Haley campaign spokesperson, fired back at the pro-Trump group, saying Haley has a history of being tough against illegal immigration.

“She passed one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration bills in the country in 2011 when Trump was still a Democrat,” Graham-Barnes told Fox News Digital. “She has also said she has a different style and approach from Trump and doesn’t always agree with his incendiary language. Trump should spend more time explaining why he never fulfilled his signature promise to build a wall instead of desperately trying to mislead voters with lies.”

FIRST ON FOX: HALEY MORE THAN DOUBLES HER FUNDRAISING WITH A $24 MILLION HAUL THE PAST THREE MONTHS

Trump and Haley

Former President Trump and Nikki Haley in New Hampshire (AP)

GOP presidential rival Vivek Ramaswamy took to X on Wednesday to say that he “strongly disagree[s]” with Haley’s position.

Haley signed an immigration law in 2011 requiring police “to check the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest for another reason and suspect may be in the country illegally,” the Associated Press reported at the time. 

Haley has faced fire from her Republican primary rivals on several issues, including her cozy relationship with China as the governor of South Carolina, and greater scrutiny from individuals in the media as she’s risen in polls in recent weeks. 

Also on Wednesday, an excerpt from her 2012 book “Can’t Is Not an Option” resurfaced in which Haley recounted how she modified how people refer to her now-husband, Michael Haley. The post racked up nearly 7 million views on X.

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Haley has experienced momentum in the polls in recent months on the heels of well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. She leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican nominating calendar.

She also aims to make a fight of it in Iowa, where the latest polls suggest she is pulling even with DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House bid.

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

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.





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GOP challenger to Sen. Bob Casey recounts IDF visit, deems Israel-Hamas war ‘test’ for American leadership


Dave McCormick, a Republican candidate vying to oust longtime Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., described to Fox News Digital his visit with IDF forces upon returning from a brief 36-hour trip on the ground in Israel, deeming the experience a testament to the need for “solidarity” after Hamas’ October 7 attack as the conflict poses a serious “test” to American leadership. 

McCormick, a West Point graduate, combat veteran and Bronze star recipient, told Fox News Digital by phone he was still digesting what he deemed an “emotional” day and a half spent visiting an Israeli community along the Gaza border where dozens were killed on October 7, as well as meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. 

He recounted the “emotionally wrenching” experience of meeting with the families of Israeli hostages alongside his wife Dina Powell McCormick, a former deputy national security adviser in former President Trump’s administration who worked on the Abraham Accords. 

“We have six daughters between us – that, just putting ourselves in their shoes and listening to their stories,” McCormick said. “Today is, I believe, day 90 of the hostages being gone. And these are families that are just still trying to figure out, you know, the possibilities of getting their loved ones home.” 

RUSSIA MOVES FORWARD WITH IRAN DEAL TO PURCHASE BALLISTIC MISSILES, REPORT SAYS

McCormick and his wife speak with IDF officials

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick in Israel. (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

McCormick said they also watched the IDF compilation of the Hamas attack footage, which he says “highlights the incredible evil – evilness and viciousness – of Hamas, and just reinforces the obvious: Hamas has to be eradicated.”

“There’s no living side by side with this kind of evil, genocidal behavior,” he added.

Recounting meetings with IDF officials, he said, “We literally looked over the shoulder and saw how some of those military operations are working and just the level of precision and care going into trying to minimize innocent casualties from innocent civilians.” 

“Seeing it firsthand just absolutely reinforced the need for solidarity on behalf of America, solidarity with the Jewish people in Israel, solidarity with the forces of good versus evil, solidarity and standing against this horrific, horrific genocidal attack. And then also, just the necessity of eradicating Hamas,” McCormick said. “You hear some of the dialogue here in America and you know, there’s no two sides of this story. There’s only pure evil that needs to be eliminated. And then you can’t possibly live side by side with a group of people that orchestrated this kind of horrific attack. So those were the two takeaways – solidarity and the need to support Israel in its steps she’s taking to eliminate Hamas altogether.” 

McCormick in Israel

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick views photo evidence of Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel. (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

Also referencing the rise in antisemitism in the United States since October 7, as well as the congressional testimonies of the presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT failing to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews on their campuses, McCormick argued that the Israel-Hamas war serves as an “inflection point” and test to the morals of American life. 

McCormick at scene of Hamas attack

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick visited an Israeli community devastated by Hamas. (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

“This is a moment. It’s a test. It’s sort of an inflection point in both what’s going on in America, but what’s going on in the world. And it’s a moment where there’s a need for leadership to stand up with complete moral clarity on what’s going on and why America needs to play a very active leadership role in the world,” McCormick told Fox News Digital. 

MCCORMICK LANDS MAJOR ENDORSEMENT THAT COULD PREVENT ANOTHER CHAOTIC SENATE PRIMARY IN PENNSYLVANIA

McCormick and Israeli officials

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick meets with Israeli officials.  (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

“We’ve had a progressive ideology that sort of hijacked some of the underlying principles of what makes America special, the notion of meritocracy, the belief that America has been a force for good in the world, and we’ve had very weak leadership that hasn’t been able to step up and call balls and strikes on what’s right and what’s wrong,” McCormick said of the United States. “And my opponent, Bob Casey, has been a very clear example that he hasn’t demonstrated moral clarity. He hasn’t stepped up and been willing to call out members of his own party, people like Summer Lee who he’s endorsed, or CAIR, the organization that he had been very strongly supportive of that has come out with such antisemitic behavior.”

McCormick in Israel with rainbow

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick sees a rainbow on Israel trip.  (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

Fox News Digital reached out to Casey’s office for comment, but they did not immediately respond. The senator did issue a statement on Oct. 7 saying that the U.S. “must stand with Israel and its right to self-defense.” He also sent a letter to the leaders of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee in December calling for additional funding for the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights so they can address rising levels of antisemitism.

McCormick, however, charged that Casey “wasn’t quick to call out” the three college presidents who are “educating some of our best and brightest.” He also accused the Democrat of supporting the Obama and Biden administrations’ policies that he said weakened the United States’ position in the Middle East. 

Dave McCormick at Western Wall

Dave McCormick visited the Western Wall in Israel. (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

“The original sin as it relates to what’s going on in the Middle East with Israel is the treatment of Iran,” he said. “And this, you know, began under the Obama administration. That sort of weakness and complicity has carried through the Biden administration, and it’s been wholeheartedly supported every step of the way with Bob Casey and three votes, different votes for in support of the Iran deal.”

McCormick with IDF

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick meets with IDF officials.  (Dave McCormick Campaign / Fox News Digital)

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McCormick added that U.S. leadership must “start with the recognition that Iran is at the core of promoting this dangerous ideology and underwriting terrorist groups around the Middle East.” 

Those groups include Hamas and Hezbollah, who continue to attack Israel, as well as Houthis in Yemen who have attacked vessels in the Red Sea.

“So I think that’s the moment we’re in and that’s the need for leadership, the need for clarity of right versus wrong,” McCormick said. “Of America – what’s special about America with all its dark chapters, what makes America the best, most unique country in the world and the most exceptional country in the world.”



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White House silent as oil production reaches record, environmentalists call for green energy


The White House was silent this week when asked about the increasing levels of crude oil production in the U.S. even as President Biden continues to push an aggressive green energy agenda.

Field production of crude oil hit 13.3 million barrels per day in late December, the highest level ever recorded, according to the latest data published by the Energy Information Administration. However, the White House failed to respond to multiple Fox News Digital inquiries and address the figures in light of its climate agenda.

“From day one, my administration has taken unprecedented climate action. We’re working with everyone from mayors to county officials to entrepreneurs to academics; business leaders, labor leaders, Tribal leaders,” Biden remarked in a November speech about climate change. “We’re focused in all parts of America: cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural communities and Tribal Nations.”

“We’re just getting — and we’re just getting started. And we really are. We’re just getting started,” he added. “All told, my Investing in America Agenda and those bold climate laws are the most au—ambitious in American history.”

ALASKAN NATIVE AMERICANS UNLEASH ON BIDEN ADMIN’S CLIMATE AGENDA: ‘COMMUNITIES AND CULTURE ARE AT RISK’

President Biden pictured next to an oil drilling rig in a photo illustration.

President Biden pictured next to an oil drilling rig in a photo illustration. His administration has attempted to restrict oil and gas drilling on federal lands. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Prior to December, the previous oil production of 13.1 million barrels a day was set in March 2020 during the Trump administration and shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced drilling to  decline substantially. The Trump administration pushed various policies to encourage fossil fuel development.

However, shortly after taking office, Biden immediately took steps to curb oil and gas production on federal lands, issuing a moratorium on all new fossil fuel leasing, a move he promised as part of his climate-focused campaign platform. But in June 2021, after the administration was sued by a group of state attorneys general, a federal court struck the moratorium down. It was permanently struck down in August 2022.

OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS PERMITTING PLUMMETS TO 2-DECADE LOW UNDER BIDEN

Following the court rulings, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that her agency would again proceed with fossil fuel leasing. The DOI then modified the federal oil and gas leasing program in April 2022 and ultimately held the administration’s first onshore lease sales months later. The agency was subsequently sued by environmental groups for holding the sales in a case that remains ongoing.

But the administration has pursued a pared-back oil and gas leasing program despite a legal requirement to hold quarterly lease sales. DOI was sued by energy industry groups led by the Western Energy Alliance and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, despite holding the sales in 2022, not regularly holding sales in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act.

The Department of the Interior’s five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program schedules just three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029, marking the lowest number of sales ever included in such a plan, which the agency is mandated to issue periodically. (Gary Tramontina/Corbis via Getty Images)

In addition, the administration finalized the most-restrictive offshore oil drilling plan in U.S. history last month. Under the final five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, the federal government will hold just three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029, marking a stark departure from plans finalized under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Biden has also signed legislation earmarking billions of dollars for green energy development and issued various goals for replacing fossil fuels with alternatives across sectors as part of his effort to curb global warming.

BIDEN ADMIN HOLDS 73 MILLION-ACRE LEASE SALE AFTER APPEALS COURT STEPS IN

“President Biden is working overtime to speed the shift to clean energy,” Josh Axelrod, a senior advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s nature program, told Fox News Digital. “His administration has sparked a heartland manufacturing renaissance with clean energy at its core. It’s creating jobs, making the country more energy secure and strengthening the domestic supply chain for the building blocks of a modern economy.”

“Big Oil, meanwhile, exploits a deck stacked in its favor to bank short-term profits by tying us all to the fuels of the past,” he continued. “That business model has to change. This administration’s focus on clean energy policy can bend the curve in the right direction. There’s obviously a lot of work still to do to make that happen.”

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks behind microphone at event

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks at an event to celebrate the designation of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument on April 14, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

He added that the United Nations recently agreed to phase down fossil fuel production in the coming decades but noted that the U.S., Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and the 16 other top energy-producing nations plan to extract twice as much oil, gas and coal by 2030 “as a climate-safe world can tolerate.” 

Axelrod urged Big Oil to recognize “the sun is setting on fossil fuels and find its place in a clean energy, fossil-free future.”

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“Oil drilling is one of the reasons we lose two football fields worth of wild lands every minute,” Lisa Frank, the executive director of Environment America’s Washington legislative office, told Fox News Digital. “Large swaths of the United States, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Grand Canyon, are too special to drill or mine.”

“Environment America applauds President Biden’s actions to protect these unique places for wildlife and for generations to come,” Frank said. “At the same time, we’re still drilling for more oil on U.S. lands and in our oceans. When we drill, we spill, so the sooner we can switch to clean, renewable energy, the better.”



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Trump targets Haley in New Hampshire during final weeks before primary


Former President Trump’s campaign launched an ad in New Hampshire attacking former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Thursday.

The ad is the first time Trump has gone after Haley on New Hampshire airwaves, and it comes just weeks ahead of the state’s January 23 primary. The ad largely seeks to connect Haley’s positions with those of President Biden.

It argues that there are “confirmed warnings of terrorists sneaking in through our southern border.”

“Yet Haley joined Biden in opposing Trump’s visitor ban from terrorist nations. Haley’s weakness puts us in grave danger. Trump’s strength protects us,” it continues.

NIKKI HALEY’S BOOK CONFESSION ABOUT CHANGING HUSBAND’S NAME RESURFACES: ‘HE LOOKS LIKE A MICHAEL’

Nikki Haley s

Former President Trump’s campaign launched an ad in New Hampshire attacking former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Thursday. (Fox News)

Haley has risen significantly in polls in recent weeks, with several surveys showing her eclipsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in the race. Trump, however, maintains a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

Haley’s campaign issued an extensive response to Trump’s ad on Thursday, rebutting each point made in the 30-second block. They argued that the two central claims in the ad – that Haley opposed Trump’s border wall and his so-called “Muslim ban” – are lies.

“Haley supported banning travel for people from countries with serious terrorist activity, but opposed religious tests. Trump himself dropped his support for a Muslim ban that was widely panned as unconstitutional in favor of a travel ban from countries posing a national security risk. The Supreme Court upheld the third version of Trump’s ban specifically because “the text says nothing about religion,” Haley’s campaign wrote.

HALEY’S MOMENTUM IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE APPEARS TO BE PAYING OFF

Haley’s team pointed to her comments on the border wall, saying she never opposed the building of the wall, but she did oppose the wall being the only solution.

“Don’t say you’re just going to build a wall. Because a wall is not going to do it. You’ve got to have commitment of ground troops, equipment, money, all of that to bring it together. Then you’re being serious about tackling illegal immigration,” Haley’s team wrote.

“All the lame nicknames in the world don’t change the fact that Donald Trump is clearly terrified of Nikki Haley’s momentum,” Haley communications director Nachama Soloveichik said in a statement. “Nikki passed one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration bills in the country back when Trump was still a Democrat. Trump should spend more time explaining why he never fulfilled his signature promise to build a wall instead of desperately trying to mislead voters with easily debunked ads.”

CHRIS CHRISTIE VOWS ‘I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. SO LET’S BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT THAT’

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Nikki Haley appears to be pulling ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis to take second place in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. ((Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))

The ad buy comes as most eyes remain focused on Iowa, where GOP voters will make their choice on January 15. Fox News will also be hosting town halls on women’s issues with Haley and DeSantis on January 8 and 9.

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Fox will also hold a town hall with Trump on January 10.

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



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Trump files ‘powerhouse’ motion calling for Special Counsel Jack Smith to be held in contempt of court


Former President Trump’s attorneys filed what his campaign called a “powerhouse” motion on Thursday calling for a federal judge to hold Special Counsel Jack Smith in contempt of court for allegedly “repeatedly violating” a stay order in his 2020 election investigation.

Smith’s case against Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner, is on pause as Trump’s attorneys appeal the case, and argued that presidential immunity protects him from being prosecuted. The trial had been set to begin on March 4. 

“The Stay Order is clear, straightforward, and unambiguous,” Trump attorney John Lauro wrote in the filing Thursday. “All substantive proceedings in this Court are halted. Despite this clarity, the prosecutors began violating the Stay almost immediately.” 

JACK SMITH DISPUTES TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY CLAIM IN APPEALS COURT

Jack Smith and Trump

Former President Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith. Smith is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Trump’s immunity claims in the election interference criminal case against him.  (Getty Images)

Lauro said within the first five days of the court pausing proceedings, Smith’s team “served thousands of pages of additional discovery, together with a purported draft exhibit list.” 

“Through counsel, President Trump advised that he rejected the prosecutors’ unlawful productions, that their actions violated the Stay Order, and that he would seek relief if their malicious conduct continued.” 

Lauro also said Smith filed an “expansive motion in limine less than 10 days later,” which he said “teems with partisan rhetoric, including false claims that President Trump ‘propagates irrelevant disinformation’ both ‘within the courtroom’ and ‘outside of it.’”

SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO ISSUE EXPEDITED RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE

Lauro also said that motion “mirrors the Biden administration’s dishonest talking points, asserting, again falsely, that President Trump was responsible for the events of January 6, 2021, when in truth he called for peaceful and patriotic assembly and protest.” 

“In this manner, the prosecutors seek to weaponize the Stay to spread political propaganda, knowing that President Trump would not fully respond because the Court relieved him of the burdens of litigation during the Stay,” Lauro wrote. “Worse, the prosecutors have announced their intention to continue this partisan-driven misconduct indefinitely, effectively converting this Court’s docket into an arm of the Biden campaign.” 

Lauro argued that Smith and federal prosecutors should be held in contempt of court, be required to “immediately” withdraw their motion in liming and “improper” productions, and be forbidden from submitting further filings during the stay. Lauro also said they should assess “monetary sanctions in the amount of President Trump’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in responding to the prosecutors’ improper productions and filings.”

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

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital that Trump has “filed a powerhouse motion to hold Crooked Joe Biden’s henchman, Deranged Jack Smith, in contempt of Court for repeatedly violating the stay order in the Washington DC J6 Witch Hunt.”

“Smith was ordered to not take any further action in the trial court until the Presidential Immunity issue is resolved, which should be a full dismissal of this ‘case’ because President Trump was carrying out his duty as President to investigate the Rigged and Stolen 2020 Presidential Election,” Cheung said. “Rather than respect the rule of law, Jack Smith unilaterally decided to disobey the stay order and continue with his harassing litigation, all done in order to keep parroting the pathetic Biden Campaign’s corrupt talking points in the name of election interference.”

Cheung explained that, “as a result, President Trump is seeking to hold Deranged Jack in contempt of Court.”

“No prosecutor is above the law,” Cheung said.

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Trump, in August, pleaded not guilty in federal court to all four federal charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

Smith filed an argument disputing Trump’s claim to presidential immunity in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected Smith’s appeal to expedite their assessment of the immunity claim before it went fully through a federal appeals court. Trump’s legal team asked the court to deny Smith’s request.





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Biden to double down on Jan. 6 attacks on Trump as ‘Bidenomics’ message deflates


President Biden’s campaign is doubling down on Jan. 6-related attacks against former President Trump in the coming weeks following the poor performance of the White House’s “Bidenomics” messaging.

Biden will launch the new wave of attacks on Friday, framing Trump as a threat to democracy during a speech at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Senior campaign officials highlighted the location’s connection with George Washington and Trump’s attempts to cling to power, contradicting Washington’s willingness to step down from office, according to Axios.

“Over the last three years, MAGA Republicans haven’t shied away from the Big Lie — they’ve doubled down,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told NBC News.

Biden has given speeches on the anniversary of Jan. 6 in both 2022 and 2023, but he refrained from mentioning Trump either time. He is expected to take a different approach on Friday.

NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CANDIDATES HAVE BEEN FINALIZED; A TRUMP CHALLENGE IS ON APPEAL

President Joe Biden

President Biden’s campaign is doubling down on Jan. 6-related attacks against former President Trump in the coming weeks following the collapse of the White House’s “Bidenomics” messaging. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Biden’s campaign is mirroring the pivot with a new ad focusing on Trump and January 6.

RFK JR WARNS AGAINST TRUMP BALLOT NIXES, SAYS DEMOCRATS RISK TURNING HIM TO ‘MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE’

“All of us are being asked right now: What will we do to maintain our democracy?” Biden says in the ad. “History is watching. The world is watching. And most important, our children and grandchildren will hold us responsible.”

“This ad serves as a very real reminder that this election could very well determine the very fate of American democracy,” Rodriguez told reporters.

Capitol riot

President Biden has given speeches on the anniversary of Jan. 6 in both 2022 and 2023, but he refrained from mentioning former President Trump either time. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

The switch in messaging comes after the White House’s “Bidenomics” campaign sputtered with voters amid still-rising inflation.

BIDEN’S HOMETOWN REVEALS HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’

Biden had abandoned using the term in speeches by the end of November, following a chorus of criticism from within his own party.

“Whoever came up with the slogan Bidenomics should be fired,” one anonymous Democratic strategist told NBC at the time. “It’s probably the worst messaging you could ever imagine.”

Donald Trump wearing a red make america great again hat

Former President Trump’s campaign is enjoying a boost in support among Republicans due to the legal cases against him. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is cruising going into the Republican primaries, gaining momentum in large part due to the criminal cases against him and recent state decisions to remove him from primary ballots.



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Trump holds private meeting with top union boss


Former President Trump privately met with a top union boss on Wednesday, less than two weeks before the critical Iowa caucus.

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien thanked Trump for the sit-down in a statement the union posted late Wednesday night.

“There are serious issues that need to [be] addressed to improve the lives of working people across the country, and the Teamsters Union is making sure our members’ voices are heard as we head into a critical election year,” O’Brien said. 

“We thank the former President for taking time during this private meeting to listen to the Teamsters’ top priorities.”

NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CANDIDATES HAVE BEEN FINALIZED; A TRUMP CHALLENGE IS ON APPEAL

Trump, Sean OBrien

Former President Trump, left, met with Teamsters boss Sean OBrien on Wednesday, the union said.

O’Brien said there would be a roundtable with “rank-and-file” union members and the former president later in January.

A statement from the Teamsters posted on X said the union leader and Trump discussed “an in-depth and productive discussion on worker issues most important to the Teamsters Union.”

People on the left immediately criticized O’Brien for the meeting.

Utah state Senator Nate Blouin posted on X, “I know some Teamsters who probably aren’t real happy about this.”

REPUBLICANS WARN BIDEN ADMIN’S FOREIGN FARM WORKER RULE IS ‘GIVEAWAY TO BIG LABOR’

Green New Deal spokesperson Prerna Jagadeesh said on the social platform, “This is the kind of photo that comes back to bite you. There’s a way to respect that some members support Trump without platforming a union-busting, right-to-work-supporting fraud like him.”

President Biden scored the Teamsters’ endorsement in his 2020 race against Trump, but despite touting himself as the “most pro-union president in American history,” they have made clear they will not just hand it over again.

RFK JR WARNS AGAINST TRUMP BALLOT NIXES, SAYS DEMOCRATS RISK TURNING HIM TO ‘MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE’

Trump has been courting the union vote in his re-election bid, visiting Detroit late last year to meet with striking autoworkers instead of participating in the second Republican primary debate. 

President Joe Biden

The Teamsters endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden over then-President Trump in 2020. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Teamsters have been meeting with 2024 presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle, as the massive workers union mulls who to throw its considerable weight behind.

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O’Brien and others met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Marianne Williamson, Cornel West and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., last month.

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Trump for more details on the meeting with O’Brien but did not immediately hear back.



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RNC launches ‘Bank Your Vote’ websites in 16 languages across all 50 states ahead of GOP primaries


EXCLUSIVE: The Republican National Committee this week launched websites in all 50 states and in more than a dozen different languages to encourage and educate GOP voters on how to vote by mail and vote early, Fox News Digital has learned.

Republicans last year launched its “Bank Your Vote” initiative, which focuses on pre-Election Day voting to build on absentee returns and early in-person voting. The effort is expected to “encourage, educate and activate Republican voters on when, where and how to lock in their votes as early as possible” through in-person voting, absentee voting and ballot harvesting where legal.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel American flag

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel (RNC)

RNC TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PUSHING REPUBLICANS TO VOTE EARLY IN 2024

This week, the RNC rolled out websites in all 50 states and in 16 languages to continue the RNC’s investment and outreach to minority communities. The languages include Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Navajo, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Yiddish.

Former President Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump speaks at a campaign event, Dec. 19, 2023, in Waterloo, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

RNC officials said the websites would not only inform voters but also help them to request a ballot online or by mail, register to vote, check their registration, find their early voting location or even to find their polling place on Election Day.

Officials said that as the election year progresses, additional features will be added to the websites to “empower” voters to “bank their vote.”

Ron DeSantis

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Election 2024 DeSantis)

“When Republicans vote early, we win. ‘Bank Your Vote’ will be instrumental in getting Republicans to vote early or by mail to beat Biden and secure Republican victories up and down the ballot,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel told Fox News Digital. “Every candidate, campaign and committee now has the ability to educate, empower and turn out Republican voters early to victory.”

Last year, the RNC rolled out a video to promote the “Bank Your Vote” effort, featuring endorsements from some 2024 GOP candidates, including former President Trump, who leads the Republican primary by a massive margin.

RNC LAUNCHES ‘BANK YOUR VOTE’ AD BLITZ AHEAD OF DEBATE TO PUSH REPUBLICANS TO VOTE EARLY IN 2024 ELECTIONS

Meanwhile, Fox News Digital has learned that ahead of the primaries, the RNC has hired political staff in 15 battleground states, including important House and Senate states, which they have identified as New York, California and Montana.

Haley speaks at New Hampshire campaign event

Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The RNC’s political team is focusing on a “data-driven ground game to grow” the party through voter registration efforts and minority outreach and to turn out Republican voters through door knocks, phone calls and volunteer recruitment.

Additionally, the RNC has Election Integrity directors in 15 states. The RNC established a full-time Election Integrity Department as a permanent part of the RNC’s infrastructure.

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“We will continue to file key lawsuits, hire in-state election integrity directors and counsels in our target states, and continue to recruit and train tens of thousands of poll watchers and poll workers,” an RNC official told Fox News Digital.

side-by-side of Christie and Ramaswamy

GOP presidential contenders former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (Getty Images)

The RNC is currently engaged in more than 70 lawsuits in 20 states across the country, with 42 of those lawsuits focusing on safeguarding mail voting.

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





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Georgia State Sen. Mike Dugan enters congressional race


  • Georgia State Sen. Mike Dugan, a Republican, has entered the race for the open congressional seat in the 3rd Congressional District.
  • The seat became available after four-term incumbent Drew Ferguson announced in December that he would not seek reelection.
  • Dugan, who has been in the state Senate since 2012, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to raise campaign contributions.

A Georgia state senator is joining the race for an open congressional seat.

Mike Dugan, a Carrollton Republican, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday to start raising campaign contributions for the 3rd Congressional District.

The seat is opening up because four-term incumbent Drew Ferguson announced in December that he would not seek reelection. The solidly Republican district hugs the Georgia-Alabama state line as far south as Columbus and includes some areas south of Atlanta as far east as Barnesville and Griffin.

GEORGIA GOP REP. DREW FERGUSON TO DEPART CONGRESS IN 2024, OPTING OUT OF REELECTION BID

Dugan was first elected to the state Senate in 2012 and said he would resign Thursday, which would trigger a special election for his seat.

Mike Dugan speaks

Georgia Sen. Mike Dugan, R-Carrollton, speaks to the media while surrounded by other Senate leaders, on Jan. 13, 2020, in Atlanta. On Jan. 3, 2024, Dugan announced that he would resign his state Senate seat to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. House in Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District.

“It is time to get back to a government that works for the people, and I would be honored to be the voice that represents Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District,” Dugan said in a statement.

Dugan rose to Senate majority leader in 2019, but lost a 2022 bid to become president pro tem, the top post elected by the members. That left his influence downgraded, and Dugan expressed unhappiness with how Carroll County was split in the special redistricting session that ended in December.

Dugan is a former Army Ranger and paratrooper who retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2008 after more than 20 years of service. More recently he has worked as a construction contractor.

GEORGIA PLAINTIFFS CRITICIZE PROPOSED VOTING DISTRICT MAPS AS ‘MOCKERY’ OF FEDERAL LAW

The Republican field in the race already includes state Rep. David Jenkins of Grantville, a farmer and retired Army helicopter pilot; Jim Bennett, a party activist from Carroll County who has criticized Ferguson as insufficiently conservative; and Michael Corbin, who previously ran for Congress in Gwinnett County.

Other Republicans who could run include state Sen. Matt Brass of Newnan; former state Rep. Philip Singleton of Sharpsburg; state Sen. Randy Robertson of Cataula; Brian Jack, a former White House political director for President Donald Trump and former aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; and Chris West, who lost a bid for southwest Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District in 2022 to longtime Democratic incumbent Sanford Bishop. West recently moved from Thomasville to Newnan.

Democrat Rodney Moore is also running.

The congressional primary is May 21, and a runoff for the Republican nomination would be June 18 if needed. The general election is Nov. 5.



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GOP senators throw weight behind Trump in Colorado ballot dispute


A Republican Senate group weighed in to support former President Trump in his effort to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove his name from the state’s primary ballot on Wednesday.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, chaired by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., argued that the court overstepped its authority in its December ruling. Trump himself has appealed the issue to the Supreme Court of the United States.

“Even if the Colorado Supreme Court were correct that President Trump cannot take office on Inauguration Day, that court had no basis to hold that he cannot run for office,” the committee said in its court filing.

Last month, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, overturned a lower court ruling that allowed Trump to appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate. In their opinion, the justices on the state’s high court wrote that Trump “incited and encouraged” the use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021, when many of his followers stormed the U.S. Capitol.

GUNMAN ARRESTED AFTER BREACHING COLORADO SUPREME COURT, HOLDING GUARD AT GUNPOINT: COPS

Donald Trump

A top Republican Senate group weighed in to support former President Donald Trump in his effort to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove his name from the state’s primary ballot on Wednesday. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

In a Wednesday filing, Trump’s lawyers urged the high court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court ruling and “return the right to vote for their candidate of choice to the voters.”

POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP

Supreme Court outside view

In Wednesday’s filing, Trump’s lawyers urged the high court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling and “return the right to vote for their candidate of choice to the voters.” (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The words from Trump’s legal team echoed arguments from Justice Carlos Samour, one of three Democrat-appointed justices on the Colorado court who dissented from the decision.

DEMOCRATS DROP ‘BIDENOMICS’ AS SOME VOTERS COMPLAIN IT’S ‘TONE-DEAF’: REPORT

“The decision to bar former President Donald J. Trump — by all accounts the current leading Republican presidential candidate (and reportedly the current leading overall presidential candidate) — from Colorado’s presidential primary ballot flies in the face of the due process doctrine,” Samour wrote at the time.

Steve Daines Montana

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., chairs the top Senate campaign committee and threw the organization’s support behind Trump in the Colorado ballot dispute. (Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

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“Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past — dare I say, engaged in insurrection — there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office,” he added.

Trump has also received an endorsement from Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., though Daines is the only member of GOP Senate leadership to endorse the former president.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report



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Haley pushes back but does not categorically rule out being Trump’s running mate


Nikki Haley says derogatory suggestions in recent weeks by two of her top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination that she’s hoping to serve as former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate are a clear signal they are “losing.”

But Haley, the former South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, once again passed on an opportunity to categorically deny she would join Trump on the Republican ticket should the former president win the party’s nomination.

In a Fox News Digital interview Tuesday ahead of a town hall in New Hampshire, Haley reiterated she is running to win.

“I have said from the very beginning I don’t play for second. It’s offensive for anybody to think that I would do all of this to play for second. And so I have said that. I will continue to say that. If people aren’t satisfied with that, I don’t know what else to say,” Haley said.

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Nikki Haley pushes back against claims from DeSantis and Christie that she aims to serve as Trump's running mate

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a town hall in Rye, N.H., Jan. 2, 2023. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Haley has surged in the polls over the past month in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar. And in Iowa, whose Jan. 15 caucuses lead off the Republican schedule, Haley’s pulled even with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind Trump, who remains the frontrunner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run.

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In recent weeks, DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who’s in third place in the latest polls in New Hampshire, have taken aim at Haley for not being vocal enough in her criticism of Trump. Both candidates have argued Haley has an ulterior motive.

“She will not answer directly, and she owes you an answer to this: Will she accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump? Yes or no?” DeSantis said at a town hall in New Hampshire last month.

Ron DeSantis turns up the volume on Donald Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, headlines a town hall in Concord, N.H., Dec. 15, 2023. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

“I can tell you under any circumstance, I will not accept that because that’s not why I’m running,” the Florida governor added. “I’m running for the nomination and to be president.”

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The DeSantis campaign last month launched a website with a URL of trumpnikki2024.com, which included a video suggesting Haley may serve as Trump’s No. 2 in the general election.

Christie, on multiple occasions over the past month, including a town hall in New Hampshire and in a CBS News interview, has emphasized that, “Ron DeSantis and I have both ruled out accepting the vice presidency from Donald Trump. Nikki Haley has not.”

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie says 'it’s disappointing' he didn't get New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu's endorsement but 'it doesn’t change my strategy here one bit'

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, headlines a town hall in Londonderry, N.H., Dec. 13, 2023.  (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

“That’s why she’s not saying strong things against Donald Trump,” Christie argued.

Haley has frequently repeated that she is not running for second place in the GOP 2024 presidential primary.

And early last month, when a voter at a town hall in Iowa pressed Haley on whether she’d settle for the vice presidential nomination, Haley shook her head and made a throat-slashing gesture.

This week, when asked about the attacks from Christie and DeSantis, Haley told Fox News, “They’ve criticized me for everything. Let’s be clear. That’s what happens when you’re losing.

“We’ve got a race to win. We intend to win it. We’re going to do it fair and square and, at the end of the day, we’re going to make sure America is strong.”

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



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New Hampshire lawmakers tackle leftovers while looking forward


Concord, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire lawmakers started the new year with old business Wednesday, taking up hundreds of bills left over from 2023. But they also looked ahead to the rest of 2024, with some Democrats demanding action on gun control and Republicans describing an agenda focused on the economy, public safety and other priorities.

Republicans hold a 14-10 majority in the Senate. But the GOP advantage in the House remains slim enough that like last year, Democrats could outnumber Republicans on any given day depending on attendance. Currently, there are 198 Republicans, 194 Democrats, three independents and four vacancies.

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Before their sessions began, Democrats from both chambers held an outdoor news conference to outline a package of bills aimed at preventing gun violence. After the fatal shooting of a New Hampshire Hospital security officer in November, Republicans agreed to work with Democrats on a bill that would ensure that those who are involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals cannot purchase or possess firearms until it is determined that they are no longer a danger to themselves or others. But Democrats want to go further with legislation related to background checks, extreme risk protection orders, imposing waiting periods before gun sales and establishing a voluntary waiver of the right to purchase weapons.

NH Legislature

The closely-divided NH Legislature is currently considering a series of bills that did not win approval earlier in the session.

“There are those in Concord in the building behind us who say that New Hampshire doesn’t have a gun problem, that we’re the safest state in the nation. And even that we’re lucky to live in a state that just happens to have some of the weakest gun laws in the country,” said Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth. “What I say to that is, tell that to the victims and their families. While no series of laws can ever completely stop gun violence and suicides, there are simple, sensible ways we can reduce the level of risk.”

At a separate news conference, Senate Republicans said their focus is maintaining the “New Hampshire advantage,” GOP shorthand for low taxes and a prosperous economy.

“It is vitally important, in my opinion and in all of our opinion, that we protect hard-working men and women from higher taxes, allow small businesses to thrive and maintain our really – compared to other states – good economic status,” said Senate President Jeb Bradley.

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Beyond that, Republicans will focus on public safety – including bail reform, protecting the northern border and increasing penalties for drug trafficking and other crimes, said Sen. Sharon Carson. “Empowering parents,” expanding school choice, improving access to mental health treatment and protecting New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary also will be priorities, she said.

The House, meanwhile, voted Wednesday to move the state primary from September to August to lengthen what is one of the nation’s shortest general election windows. Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a similar bill in 2021.



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