NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., returned fire at Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday after she accused Republicans of “playing politics” with the border crisis.

“Vice President Harris has had three years to secure the border and stop the open flow of illegal immigrants into our country,” Johnson told Fox News Digital.

“Yet, when asked about her solutions, she recommended that Congress grant mass amnesty and spend taxpayer dollars to process – not stop – more illegals. Her ‘solution’ is to spend billions of additional taxpayer dollars and incentivize the lawlessness and chaos.”

WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS

He was responding to a CNN interview Harris gave on Monday, when she urged negotiators working on a border security and immigration deal in Congress to focus on “solutions.” When discussing what those solutions could be, she suggested “meaningful” pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers, as well as “putting resources” toward helping “process people effectively.” 

“This answer from President Biden’s ‘border czar’ is exactly why the administration can’t be trusted to solve the catastrophe they, themselves, created,” Johnson said. “Their idea is to attract millions more aliens, cause more pain, and further surrender America’s national and economic security.” 

‘SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS’: MICHAEL MCCAUL SOUNDS ALARM ON BORDER PATROL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Early on in the Biden administration, Harris was given the task of finding long-term solutions to the worsening border crisis, specifically the root causes of mass migration from Central America. 

However, she has not been seen with Senate and White House negotiators on Capitol Hill in recent weeks, as they work to find a bipartisan compromise. 

Harris declined to directly discuss the current state of those talks. However, when asked about why border security reform has proved evasive for Washington for so many years, she admitted the immigration system is “broken” and pointed out one of the Biden administration’s first bills sent to Congress “included what we must do to create a pathway to citizenship and to put the resources that are needed into the border.”

“But sadly, people on the other side of the aisle have been playing politics with this issue,” she said. 

KEY REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE ‘TRIED FOR TREASON’

When pressed about those solutions, she said, “The solutions include putting resources at the border to do what we can to process people effectively, and putting in place laws that actually allow for a…meaningful pathway to citizenship.”

“I will tell you that the negotiations that are happening right now, I hope are going to be directed at solutions that are genuinely focused on fixing the problem,” Harris said.

Meanwhile, as those talks continue, Johnson and his House GOP conference have been steadfast in pushing for stricter border security measures than the Senate bipartisan talks are likely to produce.

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Johnson has so far advocated for policies similar to H.R.2, the border bill that House Republicans passed in May, which include severe restrictions on asylum, and would reimpose Trump administration-era policies like Remain In Mexico. However, the Democrats who control the White House and Senate have panned the bill as a “nonstarter.”

The number of people encountered at the border between the U.S. and Mexico last month is expected to have exceeded 300,000, an all-time historic high.

Fox News Digital reached out to the vice president’s office for comment.

LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE – South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott, who recently announced his engagement, opened up to Fox News Digital about when he knew his fiancée was the “the one” and spoke about whether he “warned” her that she could potentially be the second lady of the United States one day. 

“To be honest with you, it was probably two weeks in, we were in the kitchen area, and I said to myself, everyone says you’ll know, and I thought that was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m 58 years old. So for 40 years I heard, ‘Oh you’ll just know,’ didn’t believe that at all,” Scott told Fox News Digital in New Hampshire at a rally for former President Trump on Monday night.

“Well, I knew,” Scott said with a smile. “And when you know, you know, call it a day. I was done at two weeks.”

Scott recently announced that he proposed to his girlfriend, Mindy Noce, in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, on Saturday evening.

TIM SCOTT ENDORSEMENT OF DONALD TRUMP LATEST SIGN GOP IS CONSOLIDATING AROUND FORMER PRESIDENT

“Going to the beach and getting on one knee, and asking Mindy to marry me was so much more important than anything else, and I wanted to make sure that that sacred day would not be disturbed by anything political,” Scott said on Fox News’s “Sunday Night in America,” speaking about his discussions with former President Donald Trump for an endorsement.  

As a presidential candidate in the 2024 race, Scott introduced 47-year-old Noce during a debate in November. They reportedly met at church approximately a year ago and bonded over Bible study. 

RON DESANTIS ARGUES TIM SCOTT ENDORSEMENT OF DONALD TRUMP ‘IS A BLOW TO NIKKI HALEY’

Scott, who was in New Hampshire supporting Trump shortly after endorsing him for president, has been rumored to be on the short list of Trump VP candidates and Fox News Digital asked him whether he “warned” Noce that she could be second lady one day.

“I didn’t even warn her that I was going to ask her to marry me,” Scott said. “I did warn her parents, however, two weeks before Christmas, that I was going to pop the question.”

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Scott nodded and smiled when asked if he was “polling 100%” with his fiance.

“I’m going to win this race,” Scott said. “The good news is I get to set the date for the primary, I get to set the date for the wedding, so it’s going to be really good. The good news is the primary is going really well, and I want to thank all my constituents who voted for me. I love you, Mindy.”

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report

Hunter Biden’s lawyer Kevin Morris told congressional investigators that it was the first impeachment of then-President Trump in February 2020 that made it an “emergency” for the president’s son to file his tax returns, according to a transcript of his testimony reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Morris testified behind closed doors at the House Oversight Committee last week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Congressional investigators had discovered an email from Morris in February 2020 citing “political risk” amid the election cycle, when then-former Vice President Joe Biden was a candidate in the Democratic primary.

KEVIN MORRIS GAVE ‘MASSIVE’ FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONCERNS: COMER

The email, which was shown to Morris during his interview, was dated Feb. 7, 2020, and said, “emergency is off for today. Still need to file Monday — we are under considerable risk personally and politically to get the [tax] returns in.”

When asked what the emergency was, Morris pointed to the Trump impeachment, in which Republicans had threatened to call Hunter Biden to testify.

“You know, I believe that, you know, remember that the Trump impeachment process was going on at this time,” Morris said. “And they were waiving around the possibility of calling Hunter…right until the very end. I believe that it wrapped up. I believe that was the…thing prompting us— you know, this is about preparing his tax returns.”

Morris explained that he had just started working with Hunter Biden, a client who was coming in “from addiction stuff.” Morris said “taxes are the most important thing,” adding that it is his “custom and practice to get the taxes straight.”

“It’s a part of— that’s part of recovery, making amends,” he said. “It’s critical.”

FLASHBACK: DEMOCRATS CLASH WITH REPUBLICANS OVER PROSPECT OF CALLING HUNTER BIDEN IN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

When pressed on whether the “political” concerns were due to Biden’s candidacy for office, Morris pushed back, saying “there’s no cardinality between these two things.”

“Personally, he hadn’t filed his taxes. Okay? That’s his personal problem,” Morris said of Hunter Biden. “And then, politically…look, there was an impeachment proceeding going on. His name was and face was everywhere in the world.”

Morris, though, said the “political risk” had nothing to do with Joe Biden’s candidacy for the White House.

Morris testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax liability.

However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says that was a move to “insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability.”

Morris also admitted to the committee that the “loans” he provided to Hunter Biden do not have to be repaid until 2025, after the next presidential election, and could be forgiven, the committee said.

Trump was acquitted on Feb. 5, 2020 on both articles of impeachment against him — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after being impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

Trump was impeached after a July 2019 phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine — specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings and Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted.

Hunter Biden was quietly under federal investigation, beginning in 2018, at the time of the call — a probe prompted by suspicious foreign transactions. 

Trump’s request was regarded by Democrats as a quid pro quo because millions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen. Democrats also claimed Trump was meddling in the 2020 presidential election by asking a foreign leader to look into a Democratic political opponent.

Republicans had been investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings, specifically with regard to Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. House Republicans, who were in the minority at the time, made several requests to subpoena Hunter Biden for testimony and documents related to the impeachment of Trump and his business dealings that fell at the center of the proceedings. 

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly-lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

“I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion. I’m going to be leaving here in,’ I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018. 

“Well, son of a b—-, he got fired,” Biden said during the event. “And they put in place someone who was solid at the time.”

Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin’s firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

Now, as part of the impeachment inquiry, Republicans are investigating any involvement Biden had in his son’s business dealings.

Republicans obtained an FBI FD-1023 form with a confidential human source detailing allegations made by Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky alleged that he was “coerced” into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get Shokin fired, amid the investigation into his firm. 

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. 

Special Counsel Weiss charged Biden with nine federal tax charges, which break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. 

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Weiss charged Hunter in December, alleging a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.

Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

Weiss also indicted the first son on federal gun charges in Delaware last year. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. His attorneys are attempting to have that case dismissed altogether. 

FIRST ON FOX – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign on Monday will begin promoting a new workout challenge for potential voters, as questions about former President Trump and President Biden’s physical and mental fitness have emerged center stage in the 2024 election contest.

Championing his group of supporters at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, where he sometimes works out, Kennedy is unveiling the AmericaMoves challenge on Monday, encouraging participants to get up and get active for at least 24 minutes of movement a day to kick-start healthier habits for 2024.

With the help of influencers like Devon Levesque, the first human to bear crawl a marathon, and famed physician and author Dr. Mark Hyman, AmericaMoves “has set out to ignite a wellness revolution,” Kennedy’s campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital, adding that the challenge is inspired by RFK Jr.’s own physical regimen.

It comes at a time when Democrat commentators and GOP presidential rival Nikki Haley jumped at the opportunity to criticize the 77-year-old Trump’s mental fitness when he used Haley’s name instead of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s at a New Hampshire rally last week when repeating allegations Pelosi was in charge of security and turned down 10,000 National Guard troops ahead of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

Trump hit back at another rally that he feels, “my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago” – the exact age gap between him and Haley – and went on to call into question Biden’s mental, as well as physical fitness, noting how the 80-year-old president has shorter public appearances and has shown difficulty finding out how to get off stages. 

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

Biden has long-faced criticism for repeated public gaffes, as well as concerns over public falls and trips he has made at speaking events and while boarding Air Force One. Biden’s campaign officials claim the 2024 race “is not going to be about age,” which Trump even echoed, arguing it depends on the person. “It’s not age. Different people, different strokes,” Trump said.  

RFK Jr., who turned 70 on Jan. 17, went viral over the summer in a shirtless video shared on X showing him banging out nearly 10 push-ups. 

“Getting in shape for my debates with President Biden!” he captioned the video, which garnered millions of views in June. 

Fitness influencers and conservative activists championed Kennedy for his physical abilities – and muscular, tan physique – after another video of his bench-pressing skills went viral. Some praised the videos as an inspiration for men especially, while others juxtaposed the display against Biden’s repeated gaffes and public falls and stumbles. 

The AmericaMoves challenge goes live at 9:30 a.m. ET Monday at http://americanmovesav24.org/ and will be promoted by fitness influences for the next two months, RFK Jr.’s campaign says. The campaign is providing a series of activities based on varying fitness levels to encourage Americans to get active, but says the 24 minutes of movement a day can be anything from walking to running to weightlifting to bear crawling to swimming. 

RFK Version

• Leg Press – 5 sets, 15 reps (Set #1 starting with 1 plate on each side; adding 1 plate each side for every consecutive set – ending the last set with 5 plates on each side)
• Pull-ups – 5 sets (First 4 sets are 10 reps; the 5th set will be to failure)
• Bicep Curls – 5 sets, as many reps as possible in 1 minute

Beginner Version

• Squats – 5 sets, 10 reps
• Inverted Row – 5 sets (First 4 sets are 10 reps; the 5th set will be to failure)
• Bicep Curls – 5 sets, as many reps as possible in 1 minute

Bodyweight Version

• Air Squat – 5 sets (Set #1 starting with 5 reps; add 5 reps on each consecutive set – ending last set with 25 reps)
• Superman Holds – 5 sets, 10 reps (holding the last rep of the final set as long as you can)
• Plank – 5 sets, to failure

RFK JR. ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER COLORADO COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM BALLOT: ‘COUNTRY WILL BECOME UNGOVERNABLE’

The challenge is inspired by Kennedy’s own workouts and the fitness enthusiasts who are invigorated by him, according to his campaign. 

Appearing to take a page out of RFK Jr.’s playbook, Vivek Ramaswamy, who suspended his presidential campaign after Trump swept the Iowa caucuses, throwing support behind the longtime GOP frontrunner, notably also went viral for videos working out with his wife in the gym ahead of the first GOP presidential debate in August. Ramaswamy, at age 38, has stressed on the campaign trail that America needs a “new generational leader” and is being floated among a long list of Trump’s potential running mates. 

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A nephew of President Kennedy and son of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, RFK Jr. announced in October that he was ending his Democratic presidential bid and instead launching an independent run. The best-selling author and environmentalist has become a vocal critic of tech and government censorship after initially launching a bid to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination in Boston last April and has criticized Biden for denying him Secret Service protection afforded to other presidential candidates on the campaign trail. 

• Pennsylvania’s Republican Party endorsed Dave Sunday, York County’s district attorney, for state attorney general.
• Dave Sunday secured the endorsement over competitors Craig Williams and Katayoun Copeland, both former federal prosecutors from Delaware County.
• Copeland withdrew her candidacy after Sunday’s endorsement.

Pennsylvania’s Republican Party on Monday endorsed York County’s district attorney, Dave Sunday, for state attorney general out of a three-person field.

The party’s endorsement came the day before candidates could begin collecting the required number of voter signatures to get on Pennsylvania’s primary ballot. State committee members met via video link to vote on Monday evening.

Sunday won the endorsement over state Rep. Craig Williams and Katayoun Copeland, both former federal prosecutors who hail from Delaware County in southeastern Pennsylvania. Copeland has said she would not run against the party’s endorsed candidate and ended her candidacy, a campaign aide said Monday.

TRUMP TO HEADLINE ‘MOMENTOUS’ NRA EVENT AHEAD OF KEY PRIMARY SHOWDOWN

Pennsylvania’s office of attorney general played a critical role in court defending Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential battleground against repeated attempts to overturn it in state and federal courts by Donald Trump’s campaign and Republican allies.

Democrats are facing a five-way primary for an office that will be open after next year.

The Democrats running are Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, state Rep. Jared Solomon of Philadelphia, former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former federal prosecutor Joe Kahn and Keir Bradford-Grey, the former head of Philadelphia’s and Montgomery County’s public defense lawyers.

PRESIDENT TOUTS ‘BIDENOMICS’ IN PENNSYLVANIA THE SAME WEEK THOUSANDS OF JOBS SLASHED ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS

The attorney general’s office has a budget of about $140 million annually and plays a prominent role in arresting drug traffickers, fighting gun trafficking, defending state laws in court and protecting consumers from predatory practices.

No Republican has been elected attorney general since 2008. Candidates must file paperwork by Feb. 13 to appear on the April 23 primary ballot.

The current officeholder, Michelle Henry, is filling the last two years of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s second term as attorney general and doesn’t plan to run for the office. Shapiro nominated Henry, his top deputy, in January when he was sworn in as governor.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office says it is investigating a robocall with a fake voice of President Biden urging voters there not to participate in Tuesday’s presidential primary and instead “save” their votes for November. 

The message, which White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday is “indeed fake and not recorded by the president,” was allegedly sent out Sunday, though it is unclear how many people may have received the call. 

“Although the voice in the robocall sounds like the voice of President Biden, this message appears to be artificially generated based on initial indications,” the Attorney General’s Office said. “These messages appear to be an unlawful attempt to disrupt the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and to suppress New Hampshire voters. 

“New Hampshire voters should disregard the content of this message entirely,” it added. 

NANCY MACE ENDORSES TRUMP OVER HALEY 

The date that New Hampshire set for its primary Tuesday is out of compliance with the DNC’s 2024 presidential nominating calendar. Holding an unsanctioned primary means President Biden is not on the New Hampshire ballot, but Granite State Democrats have launched a write-in campaign in an attempt to prevent an electoral embarrassment for the president as he runs for a second term in the White House. 

“What a bunch of malarkey. You know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election,” the voice says in a recording of the message obtained by NBC News. “We will need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket. Voting this Tuesday only enables Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday.” 

DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH RON DESANTIS’ RUN FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION? 

The Attorney General’s Office said “The message appears to have been ‘spoofed’ to falsely show that it had been sent by the treasurer of a political committee that has been supporting the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary write-in efforts for President Biden.  

“The message’s content directed recipients who wished to be removed from a calling list to call the number belonging to this person,” it continued. 

Jean-Pierre also said Monday that “the president has been clear that there are risks associated with deepfakes; fake images and misinformation can be exacerbated by emerging technologies. 

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“And that’s why this president has directed the Department of Commerce through the AI Safety Institute at National Institute of Standards and Technology to help develop clear watermarking and content standards,” she added. 

Katie Dolan, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is challenging Biden in the Democratic primary, said Phillips’ team was not involved and only found out about the deepfake attempt when a reporter called seeking comment.

“Any effort to discourage voters is disgraceful and an unacceptable affront to democracy,” Dolan said in a statement. “The potential use of AI to manipulate voters is deeply disturbing.”

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Nikki Haley, telling supporters at a rally in Salem, New Hampshire, on the eve of the first primary in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said that “we’ve got a lot on the line here.”

Former President Trump, a couple of hours later and some 60 miles north of Haley in Laconia, New Hampshire, emphasized to the crowd at his rally that “tomorrow is the day that each and every one of you is going to cast the most important vote of your entire life.”

After a convincing 30-point victory in Iowa’s low-turnout GOP presidential caucuses a week ago, Trump is aiming for an encore performance in the Granite State as he tries to bring the Republican nomination race to an early ending.

For Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, the New Hampshire primary may be her best and possibly last chance to slow down or derail the former president’s march towards renomination.

HALEY PLEDGES ‘I’M IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL’ IN RACE AGAINST TRUMP

Haley was down by double digits in most of the final public opinion surveys to the former president, who is the commanding frontrunner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run.

Pointing to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of his campaign on Sunday – which left Trump and Haley as the last major Republican candidates in the GOP race – Trump highlighted that “now we’re down to two people. And I think one person will be gone probably tomorrow…now is the time for the Republican Party to come together.”

HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS SUPPORTERS

However, New Hampshire – where independent voters who make up roughly 40% of the electorate can vote in either major party’s contest and have long played an influential role in the state’s storied presidential primary – may be fertile ground for Haley.

The final surveys indicated Trump dominating among registered Republicans, with Haley grabbing majority support among independents. However, there are likely more Republicans than independents who will vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

Haley, publicly brushing off the polls, made a last minute pitch, telling her supporters to “go to the polls tomorrow and take five people with you.”

DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DESANTIS CAMPAIGN

Haley also pledged in a couple of Fox News interviews that she’s moving on to her home state regardless of her finish in New Hampshire. South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary is the next major contest on the GOP nominating calendar following Tuesday’s showdown in New Hampshire.

“This is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. The political and media elite say everybody needs to coalesce around Donald Trump,” Haley told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Monday in Franklin, New Hampshire. “We don’t believe in coronations in this country. We believe in democracy. I’m in this for the long haul.

Longtime New Hampshire-based Republican strategist Dave Carney said the Granite State is Haley’s “only shot.”

“We have a highly educated, high-income electorate. We’re one of the few primaries that allow independents to vote. And if she can’t make it here, she can’t make it anywhere,” argued Carney, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns.

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Mike Biundo, another Republican consultant who’s based in New Hampshire, noted that “Nikki Haley is fully committed to this state. It is her best and only opportunity to challenge Donald Trump, given our state’s significant undeclared voting population.”

Carney said “all indications are that Trump is going to dominate the election.”

“But New Hampshire voters have a history of breaking late,” Carney added. “And polling in the New Hampshire primary, because of independents, is particularly difficult.”

Biundo, a veteran of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign who was consulting for Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy this cycle, predicted that “facing a potential embarrassing defeat in her home state of South Carolina, I anticipate that a double-digit loss in New Hampshire will force Haley to withdraw from the race by Friday.”

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

Three California Democrat candidates for U.S. Senate took aim at the lone Republican on stage during the state’s first debate of the blanket primary season.

“Once a Dodger, always a Dodger,” Rep. Katie Porter quipped after accusing Steve Garvey, a legendary former baseball player in the state who split time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres and the debate’s lone Republican representative, of dodging questions about whether he supports former President Trump during Monday’s primary debate.

Porter was joined by Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., in taking shots at the political newcomer, who has been evasive about who he plans to vote for in the 2024 presidential election.

ADAM SCHIFF ENDORSED FOR SENATE AS ‘TEAM PLAYER’ BY LA TIMES: ‘PRACTICED IN THE ART OF COMPROMISE’

The jabs came as Garvey looked to gain momentum in California’s blanket Senate primary, which in March will send the top two candidates to a runoff in November’s general election.

Garvey, who used several baseball references throughout the evening, accused his opponents of engaging in identity politics and likened their behavior to the infamous Houston Astros cheating scandal.

“You’re banging on that trash can, just like the Astros did,” Garvey said as all three of his opponents took shots in his direction.

ADAM SCHIFF FACT-CHECKED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER CLAIMING HOUSE SPEAKER COUNTS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORAL VOTES

Schiff currently leads most of the polling in the race, while Garvey, Porter and Lee have fought to position themselves in second place. Only two of the candidates can move on to November’s general election, regardless of party.

Porter and Lee also sought to highlight their progressive credentials in the dependably blue state, attacking Schiff as a Washington and corporate insider.

“Representative Schiff may have prosecuted big oil companies before he came to Congress, but when he got to Congress he cashed checks from companies like BP, from fossil fuel companies,” Porter said of Schiff during one exchange on climate change. “I have delivered results on climate in my few years in Congress.”

That attack earned a quick retort from Schiff, who argued Porter had no problem accepting his financial support during her own run for office.

“First of all, I gave that money to you, Katie Porter… and the only response I got was thank you,” Schiff shot back. “At the end of the day, it’s about what have you gotten done? I didn’t hear anything from Representative Porter about anything she’s actually accomplished. I’ve taken on oil companies and prosecuted them. I’ve gotten mass transit built. I’ve worked on bipartisan legislation to expand open space. At the end of the day, what California needs more than anything else is not more talking points. They need action, and they need action in particular on climate.”

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The four candidates are looking to fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who passed away last year after serving in the Senate for three decades.

Voting in California’s primary closes on March 5, with voting centers opening for early in-person voting on Feb. 24. California residents can also vote by mail, with ballot drop-off locations opening on Feb. 6.

I could give you 30 different reasons why Ron DeSantis flamed out before today’s New Hampshire primary.

Plenty of media folks are delighting in kicking him when he’s down – worst campaign of all time and so on – and his relentlessly negative coverage, augmented by his own mishandling of the media, is a factor.

WHY DESANTIS CANCELING SUNDAY SHOWS (INCLUDING MINE) LED TO HIS QUITTING THE RACE

But it comes down to something more existential.

One exchange on my show, about Donald Trump, has stuck with me.

I was talking about both MSNBC and CNN dumping out of Trump’s Iowa victory speech, and the former president declaring this was so unfair that NBC and CNN (which does not have a federal license) should be taken off the air.

Now I agree with Trump on the substance–and so does new CNN boss Mark Thompson, who told his staff the network should have carried more of the speech, according to the New York Times–but not on the remedy. Networks shouldn’t be kicked off the air because a president doesn’t like the coverage. 

I asked my liberal “Media Buzz” guest, Leslie Marshall, about Trump’s threat, and she said his supporters “want to be entertained by him using nicknames for everyone,” or in the case of mocking Nikki Haley’s Indian name, “racial shading.”

BRET BAIER: WORDS BETWEEN TRUMP AND HALEY WILL LIKELY GET ‘UGLIER’

Trump, like him or loathe him, is an entertainer. He’s got that New York timing. He may ramble, but he puts on a show. What journalists hear as authoritarian language, dictator for one day, his loyalists view as shtick.

When Trump was indicted four times, media types called him a threat to democracy, but it boosted him in the polls.

For the record, Marshall said later that “Ron DeSantis clearly does not have that likability factor.”

Now you can call the Florida governor a hard worker, a policy wonk, a committed conservative with a strong record in his state. But he’s a serious and sober guy, not particularly entertaining, and he doesn’t like talking about himself, for instance that he served in the military in Iraq. 

One thing DeSantis and Haley, who is a very disciplined, stick-to-the script campaigner, is that neither has much of a sense of humor. Neither one is “entertaining.”

Now the counter-argument here is that government is serious business, that this isn’t a vaudeville show and policies affect all Americans. But first you have to win an election, and making a connection with the voters has always been crucial, especially in the television age.

UNDECLARED NH VOTERS CAN ATTEND THE GOP OR DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY: SHANNON BREAM

Meanwhile, with Haley trailing Trump by double digits in most polls, the media are now focusing on whether the former president, at 77, is mentally confused. This is an obvious attempt to even the scales a bit with President Biden, who has long been known for gaffes and traces of a stutter but has at 81 clearly appeared more frail and sometimes mixed-up than three years ago.

So now there’s a concerted effort, especially on some MSNBC shows, to paint Trump as losing it as well.

Past glitches – such as saying Obama when he meant Biden, saying Biden could be starting World War II – didn’t get much traction.

But when Trump, at some length, mentioned Nikki Haley’s name three times and then said she was responsible for security on Jan. 6 and turned down his offer of 10,000 soldiers, he was clearly talking about Nancy Pelosi. (She disputes that story, by the way.)

And that obvious misstatement gave Haley an opening to question his “mental fitness,” more sharply than in her standard riff about not wanting two 80-year-olds running for president.

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This is the kind of aggressive attack that Haley should have been making long before the final weekend before the voting. She said yesterday that the entire “media elite” was urging her to back out.

Just when the primary finally gets entertaining, Haley, the last woman standing, is still trailing Trump by double digits in most polls – and this feels like too little too late.

A top Republican committee is moving to defend its state majorities while looking to reclaim others from Democrats and detailed their operations in a memo provided to Fox News Digital.

Within the memo, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) outlined its 2024 objectives and plans to push back against the “onslaught of liberal spending from the far left.” The group believes President Biden’s low popularity provides an opening for them to accomplish their goals.

“Building upon the success of our Absentee Ballot and Early Voting (AB/EV) program during the Virginia state elections, we have strategically refined our operations recognizing the urgency to effectively mobilize low-propensity voters and counter potential Democratic gains,” the RSLC wrote in its memo.

“The aftermath of the Virginia elections not only provided a snapshot into the influx of outside spending that will define 2024, so much that it surpassed our entire cycle budget within a month, but it revealed the Democrats’ advantage in newly redrawn maps that provided their candidates with a D +4.2% edge,” the memo states. “In response, we recognized the potential impact of a turnout operation targeting low-propensity voters to mobilize and win in these slim-margin districts that will make or break majorities this year.”

DEMOCRAT LAWMAKERS SOUND THE ALARM OVER BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN: ‘NOT REAL COMFORTABLE’

The RLSC’s 2024 plan includes zeroing in on 33 seats that will determine “control of the nation.” 

There are 85 of 99 state legislative chambers up in 2024, and 33 of which are expected to determine which party is in the driver’s seat for the next couple of years.

WITH EYE TOWARD 2024 ELECTION, REPUBLICANS MAKE BIG PUSH FOR EARLY VOTING IN 2023

The memo’s strategy pinpoints that “Republicans must flip 7 seats across 3 states to get back to control of 60 state legislative chambers, while Democrats must flip 33 seats across 5 states to have a simple majority of state legislative chambers.”

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) also has a target map that they will use as a blueprint to try to capitalize on the “momentum” they built in 2022 and 2023 and “will aggressively defend our new majorities and mount competitive challenges in vulnerable GOP chambers that we have an opportunity to take back.” Their website says they will be targeting states where “Republicans’ toxic brand of MAGA extremism has made them increasingly unpopular with voters,” saying their “best chances to flip chambers are in” the Arizona House and Senate, New Hampshire House and Senate, and Pennsylvania Senate.

They will also be making “strategic chamber investments” in Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The Republican committee identified three states with the greatest opportunity for Republican flips: Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. 

The 2024 presidential election will also play a key role in determining which states and races will be of highest play. 

With this in mind, the committee highlighted that Democrat spending is going to increase in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin – states that are key in the upcoming Senate, congressional and presidential elections.

State races in Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky and Nebraska will also be on the RLSC’s radar, but “these states will not alter the balance of top of the ticket races.”

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Democrat-led California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington are expected to remain heavily blue, but the committee plans to chase every opportunity for GOP expansion within the states.

A judge on Monday ordered court records of the divorce proceedings of a special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, who is handling the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, be made public and delayed the decision on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will be deposed. 

Cobb County, Georgia Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson ruled that he was vacating a previous order that kept records of the divorce proceedings sealed. That is what attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman, had asked the court to do. 

“I find that the prior order, although it was by consent parties, was not properly entered because uniform’s superior court rules require a hearing to be had. We can find no evidence that any such hearing was ever had so I’m going to grant the motion, vacating the consent order sealing the record. And I’ll do that today. I have your written order,” Thompson said. The judge then said Merchant could be dismissed from the hearing. 

Thompson later addressed Cinque Axam, a lawyer for Willis, saying the court would not yet decide on whether the Fulton County DA will be deposed. Willis’ deposition was originally set for Tuesday, but the judge said he first wants to hear from Nathan Wade on allegations of an extramarital affair directly during an evidentiary hearing in the divorce case set for Jan. 31. 

FANI WILLIS’ PROSECUTOR, ALLEGED ROMANTIC PARTNER NOT ‘QUALIFIED’ TO HANDLE TRUMP ELECTION CASE: LEGAL ANALYST

“It seems to me that Mr. Wade would be the first and best source of information on what his income has been and how he’s been spending it. And that he would have firsthand knowledge of whether he’s engaged in an extramarital affair,” Thompson said. “Only after I hear what Mr. Wade has to say, do I think I can make a determination of whether the proposed deponent has any unique knowledge about these issues, because once again, this is a math problem, and we need to find a solution to.” 

“So with all that being said, I’m not prepared. Mr. Axam, to grant your protective order. But since the deposition is set for tomorrow and our first evidentiary hearing is set for the 31st, I will issue a stay,” the judge continued. “And I will stay the deposition until I’m in a better position to make a determination of whether the proposed deponent would have any unique knowledge, unique being the key word there, that is not possessed by Mr. Wade himself.” 

A motion filed last week by the defense attorney in the election case alleges that Willis was involved in a romantic relationship with attorney Nathan Wade. 

FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ATTEMPTS TO QUASH SUBPOENA RELATED TO ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

Axam wrote in a filing Thursday that lawyers for Wade’s wife, Joycelyn Wade, served a subpoena to the district attorney last week. 

The filing says that the subpoena is being sought “in an attempt to harass and damage” Willis’ professional reputation and accuses Joycelyn Wade of having “conspired with interested parties in the criminal Election Interference Case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass, and oppress” the district attorney.

The attempt to question Willis is “obstructing and interfering” with an ongoing criminal case, Axam wrote in the court filing Thursday seeking to quash the subpoena.

Andrea Hastings, a lawyer for Joycelyn Wade, said they want to help her “resolve her divorce fairly and privately.” 

In a response filed Friday, Hastings wrote that Nathan Wade has taken trips to San Francisco and Napa Valley, Florida, Belize, Panama and Australia and has taken Caribbean cruises since filing for divorce and that Willis “was an intended travel partner for at least some of these trips as indicated by flights he purchased for her to accompany him.”

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The filing includes credit card statements that show Nathan Wade, after he had been hired as special prosecutor, bought plane tickets in October 2022 for him and Willis to travel to Miami and bought tickets in April to San Francisco in their names. Joycelyn Wade’s filing says she is seeking to question Willis about “her romantic affair” with Nathan Wade, saying there “appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship.”

Trump and 18 allies were indicted in Georgia over their alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, with prosecutors using a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a “criminal enterprise” to keep him in power.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she’s going to New Hampshire to support former President Donald Trump ahead of the first-in-the-nation primary election on Tuesday.

Greene announced on social media that she is heading to the Granite State to support Trump in his push for the top of the GOP ticket in 2024, proclaiming the former president will have an “historic” win.

“I’m so excited to be heading to The Granite State today to support President Trump in the first in the nation primary!” Greene wrote on Monday. “Tomorrow’s victory will be historic!”

TRUMP VS HALEY: WHERE THEY STAND IN THE GOP PRIMARY BATTLE AND HOW THEY MATCH UP WITH BIDEN

“Live Free or Die!!” she added, quoting the New Hampshire state motto.

Greene’s name has been thrown around in recent years as a potential running mate for Trump as he vies for his second term.

However, Trump has not made a decision on who will be joining him on his 2024 ticket.

Still, speculation has been fueled by the Georgia Republican’s appearances at Trump’s rallies, and she has been a top surrogate for the president before.

Greene’s travel comes before the critical New Hampshire primary election.

The GOP primary field has dwindled down to two major names, Trump and his former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign on Sunday.

Trump and Haley are both campaigning hard ahead of Tuesday’s primary, and a win for either of them is crucial.

If Trump wins, he will likely solidify himself as the GOP nominee for president in 2024, setting up a rematch with President Biden.

However, should Haley win, it creates a chink in Trump’s armor and allows for a narrative boost to the former South Carolina governor.

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Trump, who is running a third straight time for the White House, stands at 57% support in a daily tracking poll released on Monday by Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 in Boston, with Haley at 38%. Both candidates received two-point bumps with the departure of DeSantis, who was a distant third in New Hampshire in the single digits.

Fox News Digital reached out to Greene and Trump’s campaigns for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed reporting.

SALEM, N.H. – Nikki Haley, on the eve of New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, telling the overflow crowd in this border town with Massachusetts that “it’s almost Election Day. This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

“We’ve got a lot on the line here,” she emphasized.

With hours to go until the polls open, the former two-term South Carolina Gov. who later served as U.N. ambassador in Donald Trump’s administration was down by double digits in most of the public opinion surveys to the former president, who is the commanding front-runner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run.

But Haley pledged in interviews with Fox News Digital and on Fox News’ “The Story” that she’s moving on to her home state regardless of her finish in New Hampshire. South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary is the next major contest in the GOP nominating calendar following Tuesday’s showdown in New Hampshire. 

HALEY VS. TRUMP: WHERE THEY STAND IN THE FINAL POLLS AHEAD OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY

“This is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. The political and media elite say everybody needs to coalesce around Donald Trump,” Haley told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Monday in Franklin, New Hampshire. “We don’t believe in coronations in this country. We believe in democracy. I’m in this for the long haul.” 

HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS SUPPORTERS 

And hours earlier, in a Fox News Digital interview ahead of her Sunday night rally in Exeter, New Hampshire, Haley said she’s”absolutely” continuing on the campaign trail to South Carolina.”

“I can’t wait to make sure that we go and have that homecoming. And then I’m going to fight every day to earn their support. South Carolinians are smart. They’re tough. They expect you to do your homework,” she emphasized. “But I’ve won there twice. I know what it takes to do that and we’ll do it again.”

Campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Saturday that Haley will hold a large event in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, the same day that the campaign will launch a $4 million statewide ad blitz.

Trump scored a convincing victory in last Monday night’s low-turnout Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar. He grabbed 51% of the vote, 30 points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who narrowly edged out Haley for second place.

DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DESANTIS CAMPAIGN

But DeSantis, a distant third and hovering in the single digits in New Hampshire polling, dropped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Trump, leaving the former president and Haley as the remaining two major candidates in the 2024 Republican race. 

The former president predicted another major win on Tuesday, telling supporters at a rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Sunday night that “I think we’re going to have the same kind of result here as we did last week in Iowa.”

However, New Hampshire — where independent voters who make up roughly 40% of the electorate can vote in either major party’s contest and have long played an influential role in the state’s storied presidential primary — may be fertile ground for Haley.

The latest surveys indicate Trump dominating among registered Republicans, with Haley grabbing majority support among independents. However, there are likely more Republicans than independents who will vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

Veteran New Hampshire-based Republican consultant Jim Merrill told Fox News that DeSantis’ departure from the race “narrows Haley’s margin for error here. Many, if not most, of DeSantis voters are going to migrate over to Trump. And so it’s critical for her to do well in New Hampshire to give her some momentum heading into South Carolina.”

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Mike Dennehy, another longtime New Hampshire-based GOP strategist, was more blunt.

“I think it puts a nail in her coffin,” he said of Haley. “I don’t think she’ll be able to keep under 50%. And I think there’s a very good chance that Trump hits 60% on Tuesday, which will signal the end of the Haley campaign and virtually seal the deal for the Trump nomination.”

Haley, publicly brushing off the polls, made a last minute pitch, telling her supporters at the primary eve event in Salem to “go to the polls tomorrow and take five people with you.”

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

Critics are heaping scorn on a Supreme Court decision Monday allowing Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas had installed to stem the tide of illegal crossings. 

Texas had installed the roughly 30 miles of concertina wire along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border near Eagle Pass. The razor wire had been at the center of an escalating standoff between the Biden administration and the state over immigration enforcement.

The deciding vote was cast by Justice Roberts, while Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh were in the dissent. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, also sided with the majority. 

None of the justices provided an explanation for their 5-4 vote. 

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER HIT RECORD 302K IN DECEMBER, SOURCES SAY

The Justice Department has argued the barrier impedes the U.S. government’s ability to patrol the border, including coming to the aid of migrants in need of help.

Gov. Abbott said the fight was “not over.” 

“Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent to the illegal crossings Biden encourages,” he said. “I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Administration from destroying our property.” 

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the SCOTUS ruling “extremely disappointing and frustrating.” He singled out Chief Justice Roberts for siding “with the liberals on the Court on this import border issue.” 

“Our country is being invaded by millions, including terrorists, dangerous criminals, and smugglers bringing in fentanyl that kills Americans every day. Justice Roberts did not explain his vote.” 

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina blamed the Biden administration’s policies for creating the “illegal immigration crisis.” 

“But this is beyond inaction,” he said. “President Biden is actively aiding and abetting the largest southern border invasion our country has ever seen.” 

TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida questioned how there could be “a ‘border security deal’ with a Biden administration that just went all the way to the Supreme Court to stop border security?” 

During a Monday night appearance on the Ingraham Angle, Rubio called for an overhaul of the asylum process, saying it was being “abused.” 

“The laws have to be executed by the executive branch,” Rubio said. “The laws have not changed from the time Trump was president to the time Biden became president. What changed was the way the law was applied and executed.” 

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky called on Congress to step in. 

“You know who could fix this – literally overrule the Supreme Court and the White House on the Texas v Biden dispute? Congress,” he said. “In fact, it was explained to a group of us by Justice Scalia during breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club. He told us to quit funding things we don’t like.” 

The Texas GOP, meanwhile, urged Texans to tell Gov. Abbott “to stand firm and the feds to come and cut it!” 

The White House has applauded the Supreme Court’s decision. White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said the razor wire had “prevented frontline personnel from performing vital federal functions and interfered with their ability to address urgent humanitarian situations and enforce our laws.”

MIGRANT CARAVAN FROM HONDURAS DISSOLVES BEFORE REACHING US BORDER, GUATEMALA SAYS

“Texas’ political stunts, like placing razor wire near the border, simply make it harder and more dangerous for frontline personnel to do their jobs. Ultimately, we need adequate resources and policy changes to address our broken immigration system,” he said. 

“That is why on his first day in office, President Biden presented Congress with a comprehensive immigration reform plan and that is why he is working to find a bipartisan agreement with Congress that includes additional resources and meaningful policy reforms.”

A DHS spokesperson said enforcing immigration is a federal responsibility. 

“Rather than helping to reduce irregular migration, the State of Texas has only made it harder for frontline personnel to do their jobs and to apply consequences under the law,” the spokesperson said. “We can enforce our laws and administer them safely, humanely, and in an orderly way.” 

But the Border Patrol Union rejected the Supreme Court decision. 

Gov. Abbott had authorized the wire as part of aggressive measures to curb illegal crossings from Mexico. A federal appeals court last month forced federal agents to stop cutting the concertina wire.

REPUBLICANS PROBE DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER ROLE IN HOUSING MIGRANTS ON FEDERAL LANDS

The concertina wire stretches for roughly 30 miles near the border city of Eagle Pass, where earlier this month the Texas Military Department seized control of a city-owned park and began denying access to Border Patrol agents.

Eagle Park has become one of the busiest spots on the southern U.S. border for migrants illegally crossing from Mexico. Abbott has said Texas won’t allow Border Patrol agents into Shelby Park anymore, having expressed frustration over what he says are migrants illegally entering through Eagle Pass and then federal agents loading them onto buses.

Abbott also has authorized installing floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers to arrest and jail thousands of migrants on trespassing charges. The administration also is challenging those actions in federal court.

In court papers, the administration said the wire impedes Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river and that, in any case, federal immigration law trumps Texas’ own efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country.

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Texas officials have argued that federal agents cut the wire to help groups crossing illegally through the river before taking them in for processing.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

MANCHESTER, N.H. – On the eve of New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, several voters in Manchester said they had no desire to see former President Trump return to the Oval Office.

“Anybody but Trump,” Clayton said with a laugh.

AFTER TRUMP’S BIG IOWA WIN, LIBERAL JOURNALISTS TARGET GOP’S EVANGELICAL BASE: ‘THE MASK IS ENTIRELY OFF’

Polls show the former president with double-digit leads over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley among likely Republican voters. But a recent Marist College survey suggests Haley would perform better against President Biden in a general election in the Granite State.

Brian from Manchester said he originally planned to vote for Chris Christie, but will vote for Haley since the former New Jersey governor dropped out.

“It’s a vote not for her so much, but it’s against Trump,” he told Fox News.

‘ANYBODY BUT TRUMP’: NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS SOUND OFF AHEAD OF REPUBLICAN PRIMARY:

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton narrowly edged-out Trump in the 2016 election. In 2020, Biden beat Trump by about 7%.

Jessie was still trying to decide who to vote for, a difficult choice since her number one priority is a ceasefire in the Middle East.

“Unfortunately there is not a candidate that supports that right now,” she said.

HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS VOTERS 

The economy was a top priority for several voters Fox News spoke with.

“It’s just crazy, the average American is living day-to-day, paycheck-to-paycheck,” Anna said.

Irene, the only voter Fox News interviewed who said she would support Trump, said immigration was among her top priorities.

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“Close the border,” she said. “I’m a legal immigrant from Germany so I really believe this country is wonderful … the only way to get in here is through legal immigration.”

Trump is expected to hold a last-minute rally Monday night in Laconia alongside his former opponents South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Click here to hear more from New Hampshire voters.

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

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Donald Trump was endorsed by one of the nation’s largest Catholic advocacy groups as the New Hampshire primary clock ticks closer to midnight.

Fox News Digital has learned that CatholicVote is throwing its hat behind Trump for president, giving the former president their endorsement.

Additionally, CatholicVote is encouraging approximately 137,000 Catholic voters in New Hampshire to vote for Trump during Tuesday’s presidential primary.

TRUMP TO BE JOINED BY SCOTT, RAMASWAMY, BURGUM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE RALLY AS A ‘SHOW OF FORCE’ THE GOP IS ‘UNITED’

CatholicVote president Brian Burch told Fox News Digital that the organization has “remained neutral” in the primary up until now, because they thought there were “a number of viable and compelling candidates in the race.”

“But the number of candidates has dramatically winnowed over the last week, and we are now in a two-person race,” Burch said. “And we think at this point it is important that Catholics start to begin to rally around President Trump.”

“Not only would he be a far better choice over Nikki Haley, he is the choice that Americans need in November,” Burch continued. “And Catholics… will play a critical role in this election, and the fate of our Catholic way of life is really at stake in this election.”

Burch said the endorsement of Trump isn’t “some big gamble,” saying that Americans “watched him” for four years and touting the former president’s record of judicial appointments.

Burch also highlighted the “kinds of people” Trump “surrounded himself with,” as well as the former president’s “courage.”

“And I think we came to realize that, of all the virtues necessary [to be president], that courage is essential. Many candidates come and go and check boxes on certain policies and issues, especially on the campaign. But what separated President Trump, I think, from a lot of leaders was his courage to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences might be.”

CatholicVote said it will be emailing and texting approximately 137,000 Catholic voters in New Hampshire to mobilize them behind Trump.

“ALERT: Catholics across New Hampshire are uniting behind Donald Trump! America’s largest Catholic advocacy org just announced they have endorsed President Trump because he cares about people like us, and will lead the way once again,” the text, obtained by Fox News Digital, reads.

“Don’t let the media decide this election,” it continues. “President Trump needs your vote TODAY!”

Trump’s endorsement by the Catholic advocacy group comes as he seeks a rematch with President Biden, who is Catholic. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on the endorsement.

CatholicVote’s endorsement of Trump comes hours before New Hampshire flexes its political muscle as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary election.

The GOP side of the race has whittled down to just two major candidates — Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley — after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign on Sunday.

Biden, however, is in a uniquely sticky situation going into Tuesday.

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Drama between his campaign and the Granite State over where the first Democratic primary will be held has culminated with the president being left off the primary ballot in New Hampshire.

Biden is now having to turn to a write-in campaign to try and win the contest.

Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake picked up two more Senate GOP endorsements in her bid to defeat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., in what’s anticipated to be one of 2024’s closely contested races.

Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., endorsed former President Donald Trump’s surrogate in the Arizona race in a campaign news release. 

“If I learned anything from my 40 years of coaching football, it was the value of teamwork,” Tuberville said in a statement. “And if I’ve learned anything during my time in the Senate, it’s that America needs more common-sense conservatives willing to go against the grain in Washington, DC, and fight to take our freedoms back. Kari Lake is just the teammate I need beside me in the United States Senate. That’s why she has my complete endorsement.”

Lake said in a statement that she and Tuberville are “cut from the same cloth” and “share the relentless drive to save our country.”

“And he needs more America First Senators to take the field alongside him and win this country back,” she said.

KARI LAKE PICKS UP FIRST MAJOR ENDORSEMENT IN RACE TO FLIP ARIZONA SENATE SEAT RED

Marshall said in a statement that Lake is “a straight shooter who will work tirelessly to secure our border, protect our constitutional rights, rein in inflation, and support law and order.”

“For these reasons and a litany of others, I am honored to endorse her candidacy for the U.S. Senate,” he said.

In a statement, Lake said Marshall “understands, like I do, the need to help women, save babies, and empower families.”

“In the Senate, I will work with him on improving our healthcare system, championing strong agriculture policies, securing America’s border and defending our 2nd amendment. I am proud to have his endorsement to be the next U.S. Senator from Arizona,” her statement read.

The two lawmakers join the third ranking GOP senator, Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who threw their support behind Lake in December. 

KARI LAKE GETS ANOTHER BIG BOOST WHILE GOP INCREASINGLY SEES HER AS STANDARD-BEARER FOR MAJOR SENATE SEAT FLIP

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Lake’s only major opponent in the Republican primary is Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. 

The conservative firebrand gained national attention in her 2022 gubernatorial bid in Arizona, making Trump’s voter fraud allegations a key campaign issue. Lake lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs. 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with the Biden administration in a case involving a razor wire fence along Texas’ border with Mexico. 

The court’s decision allows Border Patrol agents to cut concertina wire that Texas had installed along the border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues. 

The roughly 30 miles of wire had been installed as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s broader fight with the administration over immigration enforcement and attempts to stem the historic flow of migrants across the border since Biden’s term began.

In court papers, the Biden administration argued that the wire impedes Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river and that, in any case, federal immigration laws trumps Texas’ own efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country. 

In a 5-4 vote Monday, the justices granted an emergency appeal from the Biden administration, which has been in an escalating standoff at the border with Texas and had objected to an appellate ruling in favor of the state.

SENATOR HAWLEY INTRODUCES BILL TO SLASH DHS FUNDING OF ‘LIBERAL PROPAGANDA’

The deciding vote was cast by Justice Roberts, while Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh were in the dissent. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, also sided with the majority.

No justice provided an explanation for their vote. 

Most of the razor wire is deployed in the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass. It is owned by the city but was recently seized by the State of Texas. Federal Border Patrol agents have been blocked from the park since then, a move the Border Patrol Union publicly supports.  

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The litigation is one of several legal challenges in federal court by the Biden administration over Texas’ border enforcement policies, including floating barriers in the Rio Grande as well as trespassing arrests and incarceration of illegal immigrants by the state.. Those cases have yet to reach the Supreme Court. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Former President Donald Trump on Monday said the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, “would not have existed” if then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., accepted his “offer” for security in the days leading up, and that the more than 100 files deleted by Democrats “exonerated” him “completely.” 

Trump was reacting to an exclusive Fox News Digital report revealing that the former House Select Committee on Jan. 6, led by Democrats, deleted 117 encrypted files from its probe just days before Republicans took over the majority of the House of Representatives.

HOUSE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE DELETED MORE THAN 100 ENCRYPTED FILES DAYS BEFORE GOP TOOK MAJORITY: SOURCES

“The whole Committee of Political Operatives, Thugs, and Misfits was a SCAM set up to injure and defeat your Favorite President, Donald J. Trump,” Trump posted on his Truth Social, reacting to the revelations. “They’ve deleted and destroyed almost everything, because it exonerated me completely, and was very bad for Crazy Nancy Pelosi and other Fascists and Communists.”

“It showed that Pelosi was in charge of Security at the Capitol, and she rejected my offer of 10,000 Soldiers or National Guard Troops prior to January 6th,” Trump continued. “Had she accepted, January 6th would not have existed!”

Trump has claimed since 2021 that days before the Capitol riot, he suggested deploying the National Guard to the Capitol due to intelligence the government was receiving regarding activities on Jan. 6.  Trump has said Pelosi had authority over the Capitol, and he suggested National Guard troops deploy “three days in advance.” Trump said “she turned it down.”

“The mayor of D.C. gave us a letter saying that she turns it down. OK, we have it. Nancy Pelosi also was asked, and she turned it down. The police commissioner of Capitol police …” Trump said in an NBC interview last year. “Wait, a minute,” he pressed on, “Capitol police said that he wanted it, and Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t accept it. She’s responsible for Jan. 6.”

“Nancy Pelosi’s responsible, and the Jan. 6 Committee refused to interview her,” he said.

Pelosi’s office replied at the time, saying: “As our office has said before, the former president’s allegations are completely made up,” a representative for Pelosi told Fox News Digital.

“As numerous independent fact-checkers have confirmed, Speaker Pelosi did not plan her own assassination,” the spokesperson added.

The House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee is leading an investigation into Jan. 6, 2021, led by Chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga. The panel is investigating the security failures on that day, as well as the “actions” of the former select committee investigating the Capitol riot.

Loudermilk last week told Fox News Digital his investigation had entered a “new phase” with renewed support from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has committed additional resources to the panel’s investigation.

Sources familiar with Loudermilk’s investigation told Fox News Digital that, per House rules, the former select committee, which was chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., was required to turn over all documents from its investigation to the new, GOP-led panel, after Republicans secured the majority of the House of Representatives following the 2022 midterm elections.

Sources told Fox News Digital that Thompson had told Loudermilk that the select committee would turn over four terabytes of archived data, but that the new committee only received approximately two terabytes of data.

HOUSE INVESTIGATION INTO ‘WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6’ ENTERING ‘NEW PHASE’ WITH SPEAKER JOHNSON SUPPORT

Fox News Digital has learned that Loudermilk’s committee hired a digital forensics team to scrape hard drives to determine what information they were not given.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter Loudermilk sent to Thompson, requesting access to recovered digital files by his forensic team.

The forensics team, according to sources familiar with their search, determined that 117 files were both deleted and encrypted. Sources said those files were deleted on Jan. 1, 2023 – just days before Thompson’s team was required to transfer the data to the new committee.

Fox News Digital has learned the forensics team has recovered all 117 deleted and encrypted files. Now, Loudermilk is demanding answers and passwords to access the data. 

“As you acknowledged in your July 7, 2023 letter, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (Select Committee) did not archive all Committee records as required by House Rules,” Loudermilk wrote. “You wrote that you sent specific transcribed interviews and depositions to the White House and Department of Homeland Security but did not archive them with the Clerk of the House.”

REP. LOUDERMILK BLASTS JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE FOR TARGETING HIM: ‘THERE IS A WAR ON THE TRUTH IN THIS COUNTRY’

Loudermilk added that Thompson also “claimed that you turned over 4-terabytes of digital files, but the hard drives archived by the Select Committee with the Clerk of the House contain less than 3- terabytes of data.”

Loudermilk explained that after a forensic analysis of the data and archived hard drives, he was able to recover “numerous digital records from hard drives archived by the Select Committee.”

“One recovered file disclosed the identity of an individual whose testimony was not archived by the Select Committee,” Loudermilk wrote. “Further, we found that most of the recovered files are password-protected, preventing us from determining what they contain.”

Loudermilk asked that Thompson provide him “a list of passwords for all password-protected files created by the Select Committee” so that his committee can “access these files and ensure they are properly archived.”

Meanwhile, Loudermilk also penned letters to White House general counsel and the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, requesting “unedited and unredacted transcripts” of White House and DHS testimony to the former select committee. 

Loudermilk’s committee knows the transcripts of these interviews exist, but said they were not turned over by the Thompson-led committee. 

Loudermilk demanded the White House and DHS comply with his request by Jan. 24.

“It’s obvious that Pelosi’s Select Committee went to great lengths to prevent Americans from seeing certain documents produced in their investigation. It also appears that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney intended to obstruct our Subcommittee by failing to preserve critical information and videos as required by House rules,” Loudermilk told Fox News Digital. 

“The American people deserve to know the full truth, and Speaker Johnson has empowered me to use all tools necessary to recover these documents to get the truth, and I will.”

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Johnson endorsed the investigation, telling Fox News Digital that “the January 6 Committee was a partisan exercise determined to prove a political narrative regardless of the facts.” 

“Rather than delivering transparency and focusing on security failures, the Committee obfuscated facts and hid evidence,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “I applaud Chairman Loudermilk and fully support the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight’s efforts to present clarity, not theater, to the American people about exactly what occurred that day.”