NationalWatch

Vice President Kamala Harris, while serving as California’s attorney general, declined to intervene on behalf of efforts by local Native American tribes to protect a sacred burial site from being turned into a wind farm that critics labeled a green energy boondoggle.

California’s Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) voted in 2013 to declare land used for the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility as a “sacred site” after hearing several hours of “emotional” testimony from local Native Americans who, according to East County Magazine, contended “that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management ignored their concerns and its duty to protect a clearly documented sacred site and cemetery in the fast-tracked approval process for the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility.”

Tribal leaders at the time described the Ocotillo wind project as “utter destruction,” “constructed on top of the graves of our ancestors,” and a “violation of trust.”

Local Native Americans argued that the wind facility was built on what is known as the “Valley of the Dead,” which they claimed for over 10,000 years as a site where ancestral remains were buried. While some tribes supported the wind farm, the NAHC voted 4-0 to ask Attorney General Harris to explore legal options.

VP HARRIS RIPPED BY VICTIM OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED UNDER HER PROGRAM OVER RESURFACED SPEECH

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris sat down for an interview on the raunchy “Call Her Daddy” podcast earlier this week.  (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

“I really want to say, ‘Dismantle it and give the land back to the tribes’ . . . I’d like to ask the Attorney General to . . . give this commission more teeth so we could say, ‘Tear that wall down,’” NAHC Commissioner Marshall McKay said at the time.

Then-AG Harris did not step in to take legal action in favor of the activists, instead, Harris’ office “determined that the Native American Heritage Commission has no jurisdiction to bring action in the form of a lawsuit against a federal agency for a project situated on federal land.”

“Further, the Attorney General can no longer represent the Native American Heritage Commission on the Ocotillo Project due to a conflict of interest.”

SWING STATE GOP CHAIR SLAMS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN FOR BEING OUT OF TOUCH ON KEY ISSUE: ‘ABANDONED THIS COUNTRY’

Greenville, North Carolina – October 13: Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Local media described Harris’ actions as having “thwarted” the efforts of the tribes.

“Pattern Energy’s industrial wind facility was built atop lands known as ‘Valley of the Dead’ by Native American tribes for over 10,000 years,” East County Magazine wrote.

“The Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians also objected to the desecration of ancestral remains and persuaded the California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) that the state should take action on their behalf, but those efforts were thwarted by California Attorney General Kamala Harris.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the media before boarding Air Force Two after assessing the Hurricane Helene recovery response in North Carolina on October 5, 2024. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Ocotillo wind farm facility has had a litany of problems including safety issues and shut-downs. Those safety issues included equipment spraying oil across the sacred site, turbines catching fire, and one tower catastrophically losing a blade. In 2021, BLM temporarily shut down the plant after its second tower collapse in five years.

Questions have also been raised whether the wind farm facility has even delivered on its promised green energy benefits after it fell short of its capacity forecast three years in a row and prompting experts to wonder whether the need for the plant was simply “spin.”

“It was heartbreaking to see this project desecrate such a historically and culturally significant landscape, and it’s even worse when you find out that it was built on false claims by the developer, and with the assistance of the BLM. “Anthony Pico, Chairman, Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, said, according to East County Magazine.

“Does economics trump justice in this country? I believe it does, and that profoundly saddens me,’ Pico told commissioners during the showdown. “I cannot understand, we cannot understand, how federal and state institutions who have trusted fiduciary responsibility to Native Americans, allowed the utter destruction of arguably the richest cultural resource in our country in Ocotillo Valley.’”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.

“The Ocotillo Wind facility began operations 12 years ago after it was designated by the U.S. government as a critical resource for protecting the country’s energy security. The vital clean energy facility brought 370 jobs to Imperial County and provides enough clean electricity to provide power for 300,000 Americans each year without any emissions or water use,” a spokesperson for Pattern Energy told Fox News Digital. “Ocotillo Wind uses American-made wind turbines that generated more than $20 million in sales tax revenue for Imperial County and the state of California. Over the first 20 years of operations, Ocotillo Wind expects to generate more than $100 million for local taxing jurisdictions, with Imperial County, Imperial Valley College, and the Imperial Unified School District being significant beneficiaries.”

 “The Ocotillo facility was carefully sited to not directly impact cultural resources while supporting America’s energy needs. During development, the company spent three years carefully planning, listening to the community and addressing feedback through numerous project revisions, which resulted in a final design that received the support of many local residents, officials and Native American Tribes.”

A Florida district judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, halting the state government from threatening to proceed with legal measures against television stations over pro-abortion ads. 

Floridians Protecting Freedom, the pro-abortion collective behind the Amendment 4 Right to Abortion Initiative, which would end Florida’s 6-week abortion ban by enshrining abortion in the state’s constitution, filed its suit against Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and former general counsel to the Florida Department of Health John Wilson earlier this week. 

Amendment 4’s language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

GEORGIA HIGH COURT RESTORES STATE’S 6-WEEK ‘HEARTBEAT’ ABORTION LAW

The suit was spurred after the Florida Department of Health sent letters to television stations broadcasting the pro-abortion ads, wherein the department stated the advertisements were “false” and “dangerous.” The department proceeded to request that the ads be removed within 24 hours, or it would proceed with legal measures.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, the pro-abortion collective behind the Amendment 4 Right to Abortion Initiative, which would end Florida’s 6-week abortion ban by enshrining abortion in the state’s constitution, filed its suit against Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, pictured here, and former general counsel to the Florida Department of Health John Wilson earlier this week. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Floridians Protecting Freedom argued that such a move was a violation of the collective’s First Amendment right to run political advertisements in support of the proposed amendment. 

HOSPITAL THAT DELAYED EMERGENCY ABORTION BEARS BLAME FOR GEORGIA WOMAN’S DEATH, FAMILY’S LAWYER CLAIMS

“While Defendant Ladapo refuses to even agree with this simple fact, Plaintiff’s political advertisement is political speech—speech at the core of the First Amendment,” District Judge Mark E. Walker wrote in the order. 

“The government cannot excuse its indirect censorship of political speech simply by declaring the disfavored speech is ‘false.’ ‘The very purpose of the First Amendment is to foreclose public authority from assuming a guardianship of the public mind through regulating the press, speech, and religion,'” Walker continued, quoting a U.S. Supreme Court opinion.

SUPREME COURT DENIES BIDEN ADMINISTRATION APPEAL OVER FEDERAL EMERGENCY ABORTION REQUIREMENT IN TEXAS

“The fact is, these ads are unequivocally false and detrimental to public health in Florida,” Jae Williams, communications director for the Florida Department of Health, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The media continues to ignore the truth that Florida’s heartbeat protection law always protects the life of a mother and includes exceptions for victims of rape, incest, and human trafficking.”

Lauren Brenzel, campaign director of Yes on 4, called the order a “triumph for every Floridian who believes in democracy and the sanctity of the First Amendment” in a statement released shortly after the order was issued. 

Amendment 4’s language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

“The court has affirmed what we’ve known all along: the government cannot silence the truth about Florida’s extreme abortion ban. It’s a deadly ban that puts women’s lives at risk,” the statement continued. “This ruling is a powerful reminder that Floridians will not back down in the face of government intimidation.”

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT PROPOSES BILL TO CREATE TRAVEL ADVISORIES TO INFORM PREGNANT WOMEN OF STATE ABORTION LAWS

Gov. Ron DeSantis deputy press secretary Julia Friedland told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Surprise, surprise, the most overturned judge on the district court issued another order that excites the press, but these current stories all look past the core issue – the ads are unequivocally false and put the lives and health of pregnant women at risk. Florida’s heartbeat protection law always protects the life of a mother and includes exceptions for victims of rape, incest and human trafficking.”

The order is set to expire on Oct. 29. 

Former President Donald Trump previously called Florida’s proposed amendment “radical” in an interview with Fox News, saying he disagreed with the amendment upon hearing about it. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Former President Donald Trump previously called Florida’s proposed amendment “radical” in an interview with Fox News but also said he believes Florida’s six-week abortion ban is too short.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“You need more time than six weeks. I’ve disagreed with that right from the early primaries,” Trump told Fox News in August. “When I heard about it, I disagreed with it. At the same time, the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation.” 

The House Democrats‘ campaign arm filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Thursday, alleging the agency’s failure to take action has led to Republican candidates using a campaign finance loophole in their television advertisements. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) filed its initial complaint for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief in D.C. District Court, which was first reported by Axios. The DCCC is arguing that Republicans are disguising attack ads paid for by joint fundraising committees as fundraising ventures, therefore circumventing fundraising caps.  

The suit comes after Senate Democrats previously accused Republicans of using the tactic and appealed to the FEC to rule if such a strategy is allowed. The commission voted 3-3 along party lines last week, thus allowing the GOP to continue with its ads. 

FIRST ON FOX: TOP OUTSIDE GROUP BACKING SENATE REPUBLICANS SHOWCASES FUNDRAISING HAUL

“Federal law is clear that party committee expenditures coordinated with candidates are subject to limits. Republican candidates are so cash strapped that they’re now brazenly exploiting a self-created loophole to spend party committee money on candidate ads, well in excess of applicable limits, at the lowest unit charge,” Rachel L. Jacobs, general counsel for the DCCC, told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

The DCCC is arguing that Republicans are disguising attack ads paid for by joint fundraising committees as fundraising ventures, therefore circumventing fundraising caps. (Getty Images)

“Their actions require DCCC and Democratic House candidates to make a choice between engaging in conduct they think is illegal at the risk of getting penalized by the FEC and/or Department of Justice, or being at a competitive disadvantage to their Republican counterparts to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.”

The DCCC is now asking the federal court to rule on whether the practice is illegal ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

FIRST ON FOX: TOP OUTSIDE GROUP BACKING HOUSE REPUBLICANS SETS FUNDRAISING RECORD

FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey told Axios, “I fully expect the FEC to prevail in this frivolous lawsuit. We will see the DCCC in court.” 

The FEC declined to provide additional comment on ongoing litigation when asked for a statement by Fox News Digital. 

In a statement to Axios, National Republican Senatorial Committee General Counsel Ryan Dollar called the suit “a desperate stunt,” saying the television ads were “approved unanimously in 2007 and reaffirmed last week.”

The DCCC is now asking the federal court to rule on whether the practice is illegal ahead of the Nov. 5 election. (Getty Images)

“I’d be curious to hear what Harris Victory has to say about this ridiculous lawsuit, given that they have engaged in these ads themselves,” Dollar told the outlet. 

TRUMP UPS THE ANTE WITH HIS SEPTEMBER FUNDRAISING HAUL

With just a few weeks out from Election Day, Republicans are fighting to maintain control of the House and take over the Senate. The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), the leading outside group supporting House Republicans and closely aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, reported its highest fundraising quarter ever earlier this month, announcing an $81.4 million haul during the July-September third quarter of 2024 fundraising.  

The Congressional Leadership Fund, the leading outside group supporting House Republicans and closely aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, reported its highest fundraising quarter ever earlier this month, announcing an $81.4 million haul during the July-September third quarter of 2024 fundraising. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The CLF also announced at the time that it would be funneling another $11 million in new ad reservations, sharing the news first with Fox News Digital. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Likewise, the Senate Leadership Fund, the leading super PAC supporting Republican incumbents and candidates, announced it hauled in $114.5 million during the same fundraising quarter. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

The judge in former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case on Friday made public more documents from special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president just weeks before the 2024 election. 

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered on Thursday night that additional documents be made public. 

The documents pertain to the appendix of exhibits in the fight over whether Trump has a level of presidential immunity that negates the charges against him.

Donald Trump and Jack Smith  (Getty Images)

Chutkan cited in the order Trump’s claim that the “asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.” 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Fox News’ Julia Johnson, Jake Gibson, David Spunt and Bill Mears contributed to this report. 

Proposition 47, a progressive proposal headed by George Soros-backed Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, could be going down the drain come election night as polling shows a partial-repeal effort has the support of the majority of California voters. 

Gascon’s job, along with other progressive district attorneys who championed Prop. 47 across the state, could also be at risk from voter backlash.

Voter outrage is “sort of a message to [Vice President] Kamala Harris, who was the one that was a big supporter of Prop. 47 by giving it a misleading ballot title,” former Republican Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley told Fox News Digital. 

“So it’s a rejection of her, it’s a rejection of Gascon, who was the official proponent of Prop. 47, and the rejection of Soros-type prosecutors,” Cooley said.

WOKE CALIFORNIA PROSECUTOR ‘IRONICALLY IN CHARGE OF ETHICS’ CHARGED WITH FELONIES

The Manhattan Beach Police Department is asking members of the public to help identify suspected smash-and-grab robbers. (Manhattan Beach Police Department)

Also known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act passed by Californians in 2014, Prop. 47 made theft under $950 punishable by up to six months in jail and reclassified felonies down to misdemeanors “unless the defendant had prior convictions of murder, rape, certain sex offenses, or certain gun crimes.” 

Gascon, who co-authored the ballot measure, sought to rethink tough-on-crime policies and reduce mass incarceration.

But in the last several years, retail chains and mom-and-pop shops have been hit hard by theft, smash-and-grab robberies and organized retail crime gangs. Prop. 36 – titled the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act – seeks to undo portions of Prop. 47 by boosting penalties for some crimes and could increase depending on each category. 

An overwhelming 71% of Californians support Prop. 36, according to a survey last month by the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank.

Harris, who was California’s attorney general at the time of Prop. 47’s passage, has not said whether she supports Prop. 36.

“She paid her dues to the Soros people when she went along with that phony, misleading title of Safe Schools and Neighborhoods Act,” Cooley said of Harris. “That was an incredible lie to the voters, so she paid her dues.”

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has also thrown her support behind Prop. 36, calling it a “meaningful difference for cities across California.” But Gov. Gavin Newsom remains staunchly opposed to the effort, saying it “takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration.”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has also joined the effort to partially repeal Prop. 47. The California District Attorneys Association, the Los Angeles Police Protective League and the California State Sheriffs’ Association all endorsed Prop. 36.

And some Republicans in the state legislature are confident it has enough support to pass.

“Nobody talks about the victims in California,” Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle told Fox News Digital. “The Democrats never talk about them. They talk about the people who they think have been put in jail unfairly, and it’s made it a social justice issue more than just flat-out crime.”

PROSECUTOR SUES LOS ANGELES DA FOR RETALIATION AFTER HE WAS PUNISHED FOR ‘MISGENDERING’ CHILD PREDATOR

George Gascon and Kamala Harris (Fox News Digital photo illustration/Getty Images)

Four years ago, Dahle heavily campaigned for Prop. 20, which was another initiative that sought to repeal Prop. 47, but state voters rejected the measure.

But Prop. 36 may not be headed for the same outcome.

“The big difference in my mind is that the retailers are in the game now,” Dahle said. “They went and got the signatures. They realized that, ‘Hey, we can’t continue to bleed out hundreds of millions of dollars in theft,’ and they’re behind it, and that’s why I think you see the change.”

In Los Angeles, where organized smash-and-grab retail thefts and robberies thrived during the pandemic and its aftermath, law enforcement officers often had their hands tied and described what they called a “revolving door” of arrests.

“Right now, we’re just seeing the revolving door of our officers,” Los Angeles Police Protective League Director Debbie Thomas told Fox News Digital.

“They’ll respond to radio calls, and they can arrest somebody up to three times and shift the same officers because of this blanket policy of not holding people that commit under $950 of theft accountable for their actions,” said Thomas, who is also a Los Angeles Police Department officer. “They’re the ones that are praising George Gascon in the penitentiaries.”

EMBATTLED PROSECUTORS GASCON, FOXX ENDORSE HARRIS, SAY TRUMP ‘WOULD MAKE US ALL LESS SAFE’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Thomas said the shift to supporting a repeal effort for Prop. 47 is indicative of other shifts in ideology among some voters, including that of the “defund the police” movement.

“I think that people are more than fed up with the lack of support that they’ve seen,” Thomas said. “Defund the police does not work.”

“It’s just nice to see people starting to wake up and realize that it’s a ‘yes’ to Prop. 36, and also ‘yes’ to Nathan Hochman, who’s currently running for L.A. County district attorney,” he added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

If voters pass Prop. 36 in November, offenders of the law will have to serve out their sentences in state prison “regardless of criminal history.”

Fox News Digital did not hear back from either Gascon’s office nor the Harris campaign by publication deadline.

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

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican opponent Sam Brown sparred on a range of topics Thursday night during their one and only face-off for the crucial battleground state of Nevada. 

The debate, hosted by KLAS, touched on the issues from immigration to abortion to recent UFO investigations.  

Both candidates were asked about immigration – a top election issue for voters across the nation this cycle.

When asked if he supported mass deportations, an idea floated by former President Donald Trump, Brown said that he supported “securing our border on day one” and backs the former president’s policies on the issue.

SENATE HOPEFUL SAM BROWN, TULSI GABBARD SHOW SUPPORT FOR NEVADA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM AMID SJSU TRANS DRAMA

Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-NV) walks to the weekly Senate policy luncheon on June 25, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Tom Brenner)

The Republican took a swing at Rosen on the issue, saying the senator’s “own neighborhood has more security than our border.”

When asked about the border, Rosen said she supported passing bipartisan border legislation and claimed that Trump is playing “political football” with the issue.

The candidates were also questioned on UFOs and whether they support more transparency on unidentified flying objects, with the debate hosts noting that Nevada is home to many claims of such sightings.

‘HAS DONE NOTHING’: GOP SENATE HOPEFUL RIPS DEM OPPONENT FOR NOT HOLDING BIDEN-HARRIS ACCOUNTABLE ON KEY ISSUE

“I think I’m just as curious as anyone. I’d love to know what’s going on,” Brown said. “I’m not sure I fully trust Congress to figure this out. Maybe Elon Musk can.”

Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown attends a Hispanic roundtable with Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump at Beauty Society on Oct. 12, 2024 in North Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller)

Rosen, who is seeking a second term in the Senate this cycle, said she thinks “its important that we do our independent investigation.”

The candidates sparred on the issue of energy.

Brown tied energy and the economy together, suggesting that Rosen is prioritizing green energy projects that are raising costs.

The Democratic senator, however, touted the green energy policies passed under her leadership.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, speaks during a news conference on June 16, 2023 at the East Vegas Library. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Brown said that he would not vote for any national abortion ban and that he supports Nevada’s current state law on the issue.

When asked if she supports any limits on abortion, Rosen said “I support Roe v. Wade.”

The debate wrapped with questions on the issue of biological males competing in women’s sports. On Wednesday, Brown joined players on the Nevada Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team who refused to play against the San Jose State Spartans over the program’s biological male player. 

“I can tell you that all student athletes deserve to have a fair competition and a level playing field,” Rosen said, adding that she supports “parents, coaches, and the governing leagues,” deciding whether biological males should compete in women’s sports.

GOP Senate candidate Sam Brown, left, poses with Nevada’s Sia Liilii and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, right. (Sam Brown Campaign)

Brown called Rosen’s response “shameful.”

“What we just heard was a politician say that she does not have enough knowledge on this issue,” the Republican said. “I will not support biological males competing in women’s sports.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The candidates did not butt heads the entire night, both agreeing on their support for no taxes on tips, Israel’s right to defend itself and affordable housing.

The judge in former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case ordered more documents to be revealed from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president just weeks before the 2024 election. 

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered on Thursday night that additional documents be made public. 

HARD-LINE GOP EFFORT TO DECENTRALIZE SENATE LEADER AUTHORITY DASHED BY MCCONNELL ALLY

Donald Trump, left, and Jack Smith, right (Getty Images)

The documents pertain to the appendix of exhibits in the fight over whether Trump has a level of presidential immunity that negates the charges against him. 

‘DESPICABLE HUMAN BEING’: MCCONNELL’S 2020 THOUGHTS ON ‘SLEAZEBALL’ TRUMP REVEALED IN NEW BOOK

Chutkan cited in the order Trump’s claim that the “asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.” 

HARRIS BARNSTORMS WISCONSIN IN 1-DAY SWING STATE TOUR TARGETING YOUNG VOTERS

A court sketch depicts former President Donald Trump’s legal representation appearing before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington D.C. on Friday, August 11, 2023. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)

According to the judge, while there is a public interest for courts to avoid involving themselves in elections, “it is in fact Defendant’s requested relief that risks undermining that public interest.”

STRIKING BOEING WORKERS BOO AFTER DEMOCRATIC SEN. MARIA CANTWELL CRITICIZES TRUMP

Trump’s team has criticized the release of documents before the election. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute — or appear to be — election interference,” she argued. 

She added that the court would continue keeping political considerations out of decisions, despite the defense’s request. 

LAKEN RILEY ACT SPONSOR BLASTS BILL CLINTON’S CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA STUDENT’S DEATH

Smith was appointed special counsel in the Trump investigation. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Any argument about ‘what needs to happen before or shouldn’t happen before the election is not relevant here,'” Chutkan wrote. 

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

Georgia Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson, a strong proponent of Supreme Court reform, says term limits for the justices is a way to eliminate “the possibility of long-term rot and decay” that he argues is present on the high court now. 

“Term limits is a way of creating a process that eliminates the possibility of long-term rot and decay due to corporate corruption on the court that we have now with no means of being able to correct it other than impeachment and conviction of a justice,” Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday.

“And if you could not impeach and convict Donald Trump, you’re certainly not going to be able to remove a corrupt Supreme Court justice from office when he or she is doing the bidding of the right-wing forces that put them there in the very beginning.”

Johnson, a ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, previously teamed up with Democrats in both the House and Senate to propose court reform bills in an effort to both expand the court and impose term limits on the justices. During Congress’ most recent session, Johnson introduced the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act (TERM) that would impose 18-year term limits on justices.

LEAD COUNSEL HITS NEW DEM EFFORT TO ‘DELEGITIMIZE’ SUPREME COURT AMID SENATOR’S REPORT ON KAVANAUGH PROBE

Georgia Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson says term limits for Supreme Court justices is a way to eliminate “the possibility of long-term rot and decay.” (DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In May 2023, Johnson joined Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as Democrat Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Cori Bush, D-Miss., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in reintroducing the Judiciary Act of 2023 that would expand the Supreme Court to a 13-justice bench. The nine-justice court currently has a conservative supermajority.

“We want to prevent this kind of rot and decay from ever overtaking a Supreme Court again,” Johnson said. “And term limits would enable that to happen.”

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON SAYS SUPREME COURT’S PUBLIC PERCEPTION AS TOO POLITICAL IS ‘PROBLEMATIC’

Johnson went on to say that justices with lifetime tenure become “unaccountable, and they can do whatever they want,” calling the bench “a club of kings and queens who can do whatever they want to do simply because they serve in a third co-equal branch of government.”

President Biden released a statement in late July delineating three specific Supreme Court reforms, one of which called for Congress to approve term limits. Vice President Harris said in a statement that reforms were being proposed because “there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court.” (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Biden previously voiced support for such reform, releasing a statement in late July delineating three specific reforms, one of which called for Congress to approve term limits. Vice President Harris echoed Biden’s sentiments, saying in a statement that reforms were being proposed because “there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court.”

JUSTICE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON SAYS SHE WOULD SUPPORT AN ‘ENFORCEABLE CODE’ OF ETHICS FOR THE SUPREME COURT

Johnson said he has yet to have direct conversations with Harris about implementing such reforms in anticipation of the vice president possibly winning the Oval Office in November, but he said she is “aware of the challenge that we face.”

“She’s supportive of efforts like my legislation,” Johnson said. “So I look forward to having future conversations with, hopefully, President-elect and future President Kamala Harris and her team.”

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

Johnson argued that justices with lifetime tenure become “unaccountable, and they can do whatever they want.” (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Johnson acknowledged that proposals to reform the court would face an uphill battle toward enactment, with the congressman foreseeing the Senate blocking the measures with a filibuster.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We’re in it for the long haul, and however long it takes, this legislation will be there for consideration,” he said.

With 18 days left before Nov. 5, Louisiana, Hawaii and Washington each kicked off the 2024 election Friday, and residents in those states can now begin early voting. 

Here is everything you need to know to cast a ballot in these states.

How to vote in Louisiana

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Louisiana.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION SUES DHS FOR DOCUMENTS THAT SAY ‘HARRIS’ AND ‘BORDER CZAR’

Voting by mail

Louisiana has begun absentee voting. Residents do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. State officials must receive a ballot request by Nov. 1, and that ballot must be delivered to the parish registrar by Nov. 4.

Early in-person voting

Louisiana counties offer early in-person voting beginning Friday, and it continues through Nov. 1.

Voter registration

Online voter registration in Louisiana closed Oct. 15, while in-person and mail voter registration closed Oct. 7.

Louisiana is among the last states to begin early voting for the 2024 election. (Getty Images)

How to vote in Hawaii

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Hawaii.

Voting by mail

Hawaii has begun absentee voting. Friday is the deadline for voters to receive their mail ballot packet, and those ballots must be delivered to election officials by Nov. 5.

Residents do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. 

TIM WALZ’S SELECTION AS HARRIS RUNNING MATE DRAWS SKEPTICISM, EVEN AMONG ANTI-TRUMP FIGURES

Early in-person voting

Some Hawaii counties offer early in-person voting beginning Oct. 22, but it varies by location. Check the state’s website for more information.

Voter registration

Hawaii residents can register to vote by mail through Oct. 28. They can register in person or online at any point through Election Day.

Fifteen states have started or expanded their early voting programs this week. (Fox News Digital)

How to vote in Washington

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Washington.

Voting by mail

Washington began absentee voting on Friday. Residents do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. State officials will begin actively sending ballots to eligible voters on Friday, and ballots must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

VANCE PRAISED FOR ‘ABSOLUTE FIRE’ TAKEDOWN OF HARRIS-WALZ ‘TAG TEAM’ RIOT ENABLERS: ‘MAKE AMERICA BURN AGAIN’

The vast majority of U.S. states now offer some form of early voting. (Fox News Digital)

Early in-person voting

Washington offers early in-person voting beginning Friday, and it continues through Election Day.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Voter registration

Washington residents can register to vote by mail or online through Oct. 28. They can register in person at any point through Election Day.

As the 2024 election showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump reaches the home stretch, Harris will team up next week with arguably the two most popular Democrats in the country.

The Harris campaign announced on Friday that the vice president will join former President Barack Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, for get-out-the-vote events in two of the seven crucial battleground states – Georgia and Michigan.

According to the campaign, Harris will team up with the Obamas in Georgia on Thursday, Oct. 24. Early voting kicked off in the key southeastern battleground earlier this week and instantly set a new record.

Harris advisers also said that the vice president will join forces again on the campaign trail in Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 26, the day that early voting gets underway statewide in the crucial Great Lakes battleground.

CAMPAIGN BATTLE BETWEEN THE BILLIONAIRES: MARK CUBAN AND ELON MUSK HIT THE TRAIL FOR HARRIS AND TRUMP

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama appear on stage in between their addresses on the second night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ilinois, on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

This will be the first time that Harris has teamed up with either Obama on the campaign trail since she replaced President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket nearly three months ago. 

KAMALA HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH THESE ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICANS 

The Obamas – longtime friends of Harris – officially endorsed her for president in July, five days after Biden’s blockbuster announcement that he was dropping his re-election bid and backing his vice president.

The former president and former first lady made the case for Harris during back-to-back headlining addresses at the Democratic National Convention in August in their hometown of Chicago.

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 10, 2024. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki (REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki)

And the former president hit the campaign trail for Harris a week ago, in Pennsylvania – which is arguably the most crucial of all seven battleground states that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential election. 

The former president is scheduled to return to the campaign in the coming days, with stops in Tucson, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Detroit, Michigan, and Madison, Wisconsin. 

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION

With a razor-thin margin of error race for the White House, both the Harris and Trump campaigns are scrambling to win over and turn out voters as early in-person, absentee, and mail-in balloting is now under way in roughly 40 states across the country.

The Harris campaign aims to use these campaign events to boost voter enthusiasm among the vice president’s supporters in order to get out the vote ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5, as well as to boost volunteer engagement to help voter turnout.

(Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, like members of the military or people with illnesses. Many states expanded eligibility in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in-person.

That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in-person and 41% voting by mail.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Early voting remained popular in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot before Election Day.

Fox News Digital’s Kellianne Jones and Rémy Numa contributed to this report. 

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

CHARLEROI, PA., A small Pennsylvania town has been thrown into a national conversation about immigration into the U.S, after former President Trump pointed to it as a victim of mass Haitian migration –with some residents saying they believe the town is now backing the former president in November.

“The small 4,000-person town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, have you heard of it?” Trump said in September in Tucson, Arizona. “What a beautiful name, but it’s not so beautiful now. It has experienced a 2,000% increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris.”

Charleroi, in Washington County, is a small town by the Monongahela River, that has seen a significant influx of immigrants — particularly from Haiti — in recent years. But the extent of that influx is disputed. 

TRUMP SOUNDS ALARM ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERERS: ‘A LOT OF BAD GENES IN OUR COUNTRY’ 

The town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania. (Adam Shaw/Fox News Digital)

Some officials and residents say that talk of them being overwhelmed is overstated. They say that the numbers have been increasing, but it isn’t the 2,000% Trump spoke of. Officials say the last census showed around 700 Haitians in the town of 4,000. They also say that they are helping revitalize a town, finding employment including at a nearby food processing plant.

“This has been taking place since like 2015,” Charleroi Borough Manager Joe Manning told Fox News Digital. “The way it’s been portrayed that this was some unexpected surge in illegal immigrants is not the case. First of all, they’re all here legally, and there’s been no disruption to the community or anything like that.”

“Everybody thinks that because of what’s been said, that our lives have been upended in some way. And that’s just not the reality,” he said.

He acknowledged that there were some who were upset by the change: “But by and large, the community, they just live and let live.”

Others disagreed.

NEW POLL REVEALS TRUMP HAS SIGNIFICANT LEAD ON IMMIGRATION, BORDER SECURITY IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE

“The Haitian invasion,” resident Kevin Armstrong, whose house sported enormous pro-Trump banners, said. “It’s sad, they’ve taken over our town.”

Armstrong said his car insurance had been increased due to the number of uninsured drivers in the area. He also said he was pleased that former President Trump mentioned Charleroi.

“That was amazing. I mean, for the president of the United States to recognize a small town like this and what’s going on, it’s bigger than me and you. That’s at the highest level in the land right there. And for him to notice that or for him to hear about that and bring it up into a speech, that’s huge.“

Jeannine Motycki, however, told Fox News Digital that Trump “embellished just a tad.”

The town of Charleroi has seen an influx of Haitian migrants. (Adam Shaw/Fox News Digital)

“If we had a 2,000% influx, the streets would be lined. We don’t have that many homes, we don’t have that much land.”

VANCE, WALZ SPAR ON IMMIGRATION DURING VP DEBATE: BEEN TO THE BORDER ‘MORE THAN OUR BORDER CZAR

But she said there had been issues: “We do have a very diverse culture clash, it’s not a Haitian issue, it’s a culture issue in my opinion.”

“Do I think it’s destroyed the town? No, I think personally it has destroyed more of the locals in town with their ways of thinking. They’re not conforming to our culture, that’s a fact, they have their own culture and they still live by their culture,” she said.

“There’s so much hate here, and racism runs rampant,” she added.

Another woman pointed to the number of local businesses immigrants opened, and said that Trump’s comments had divided the town, saying “it seems there’s now a divide in our town, even more so than there was before.”

Many who spoke to Fox News Digital were happy to speak at length about their grievances, but were not prepared to give their full names — concerned about being targeted by neighbors or employers.

But some complaints were similar to those in Springfield, Ohio, which too was the focus of the effects of mass migration in September. Residents Fox spoke to mentioned bad driving as a regular feature in the town, as well as the pressure on social services including on schools.

“More than probably half of the population here is them now at this point?” one resident with Trump paraphernalia outside her house said. “So if there’s only so many houses, so many resources in any town, of course, they’re going to be affected. So that’s the other thing…there’s been multiple burglaries, robberies, accidents, constantly, sirens going off all the time, people having car accidents, driving the wrong way, going the wrong directions down one way roads.”

Another resident described it as “chaos.”

Charleroi is a small town in Pennsylvania. (Adam Shaw/Fox News Digital)

“It’s like playing dodgeball with your car every day because you don’t know you have to stop everywhere you’re on because you don’t know if they’re going to stop when they’re coming on a road. You got to look both ways on a one-way street because you don’t even know.”

However, the town’s police say that there has not been an increase in 911 calls or reported traffic accidents in recent years, with both numbers staying relatively stable.

“I would have to say that out of our call volume, [immigrants] may be 10 to 15% of our call volume, and the rest of that’s all, you know, the homegrown Americans that you’re dealing with,” Police Chief Chad Zelinsky told Fox News Digital.

“Call wise, they’re no different than than anyone else. And our numbers haven’t gone up because of them,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The political leanings of the town are clearly now towards the former president. While there were a handful of Harris-Walz signs, they were significantly outnumbered by Trump-Vance signs — including mockups of Trump as Rambo and anti-Biden signs with expletives.

Manning said the county as a whole is turning Republican.

“As far as how the town leans, a lot of the folks on council are Democrats, I think we have maybe three Republicans, but Washington County itself has turned very much Republican so I would fully expect that the vote in November is going to go Republican.”

Others said they believed the town was firmly in the Trump camp.

“Oh it’s definitely Trump, “laughed Motycki, a former borough council member, when asked who she thought the town was voting for. She said the town traditionally was more Democratic. “I don’t see too many Harris supporters. There’s not many.”

Another local, who said his name was Dave, was confident that the migrant issue was having an effect: “Absolutely it’s having a political effect. I haven’t seen many Walz-Harris signs anywhere. I mean, I’ve seen a few here and there, but for every Harris sign I see, I see 10 to 15 Trump signs.”

Just weeks before a presidential election in which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., endorsed former President Trump, excerpts from a new book about the longtime Republican leader reveal a fiery McConnell’s thoughts on the now-GOP presidential nominee, including that he was “not very smart, irascible, [and] nasty.”

Despite the quotes from him over the last several years outlined in the biography, McConnell told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Whatever I may have said about President Trump pales in comparison to what JD Vance, Lindsey Graham, and others have said about him, but we are all on the same team now.”  

In “The Price of Power,” the leader is quoted saying, “I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be criticized by than this sleazeball,” in 2022, as Trump continued to attack his wife, former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, calling her “Coco Chow.” 

McConnell provided a series of oral histories for the forthcoming book by Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of the Associated Press. 

HARRIS BARNSTORMS WISCONSIN IN 1-DAY SWING STATE TOUR TARGETING YOUNG VOTERS

McConnell’s disparaging remarks about Trump, left, over the years were revealed in excerpts of a forthcoming book. (Reuters)

In the minority leader’s quotes revealed in the book, he doesn’t hold back, reportedly slamming Trump as “stupid,” “erratic,” a “despicable human being,” and a “narcissist.” 

Despite their publicly strained relationship during and after Trump’s time in office, McConnell announced in March his endorsement of the former president, noting that he “earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee.” 

STRIKING BOEING WORKERS BOO AFTER DEMOCRATIC SEN. MARIA CANTWELL CRITICIZES TRUMP

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House following President Donald Trump’s signing of the executive order supporting the transition of active duty service members and military veterans into the Merchant Marine, Monday, March 4, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Further, when Trump met with Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C., over the summer, he and McConnell shook hands. 

In the weeks after the 2020 presidential election and before the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, McConnell said, “It’s not just the Democrats who are counting the days” until Trump is no longer president. 

LAKEN RILEY ACT SPONSOR BLASTS BILL CLINTON’S CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA STUDENT’S DEATH

He further praised the “good judgment of the American people” for voting Trump out in 2020.

Trump and McConnell had a publicly strained relationship.  (Reuters)

“They’ve had just enough of the misrepresentations, the outright lies almost on a daily basis, and they fired him,” he said, according to the excerpt. 

SENATE DEMS TARGET BLACK VOTERS WITH NEW AD AS HARRIS’ SUPPORT FALLS SHORT

McConnell additionally blamed Trump for the House Republicans losing the majority in the lower chamber in the 2018 midterm elections. He “has every characteristic you would not want a president to have,” he said.

In 2022, the Kentucky Republican reflected on Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims, which continued to repeat. McConnell lamented, “Unfortunately, about half the Republicans in the country believe whatever he says.” 

McConnell slammed Trump as ‘despicable,’ according to the book. (Reuters)

The Trump campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Senate minority leader announced in February that he would not seek the position again in the next Congress. Reigning since 2007 as Republican leader, McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in the chamber’s history. 

After the presidential election next month, the Republican senators and likely GOP senator-elects will vote in a secret ballot to decide on the next leader. The announced candidates are Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state attorney general does not have the authority to strip residents with felony criminal records of their right to vote, a major decision that could allow thousands of new voters to participate in the November elections – and have a possibly decisive sway in its outcome.

The court’s unanimous decision restores the right to vote for Nebraska residents with felony criminal records upon completion of their sentence, doing away with a two-year waiting period that had been in place for the last two decades.

The decision comes months after the Nebraska high court heard arguments in the case, which sought to restore voting rights for residents with felony criminal records in the state. 

Lawmakers had included the new voting rights provision in a state law, LB 20, earlier this year. However, that right was invalidated by Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who ruled in July that the law violated the Nebraska constitution and its separation of powers, under which they said only the state Board of Pardons has the authority to restore such rights. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska immediately sued to overturn the decision, noting that if upheld, it could have restricted up to 7,000 residents in the state from voting in the November election.

FLURRY OF PRE-ELECTION LEGAL CASES IS NOW ‘STANDARDIZED’ STRATEGY, EXPERTS SAY

A pedestrian passes by the Nebraska State Capitol on Oct. 26, 2023 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The court declined to weigh in on the merits of the case on Wednesday. 

Rather, the judges simply stated that Hilgers and Evnen had failed to meet the burden of proof required for defining the law as “unconstitutional,” and ordered Evnen to “remove any disqualification on registration he has imposed that is not contained within L.B. 20.”

Evnen agreed to comply, saying in a statement that his office is “following the requirements of the decision.” 

“With our counties across the state, we are working to ensure that those who were made eligible to register to vote under LB 20 may now do so,” he added.

 The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska praised the court’s decision Wednesday and urged all voters to check their registration status to ensure eligibility.

The court’s ruling comes at a crucial time for Nebraska, whose voter registration deadline ends in just one week.

 CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION

A unanimous ruling by the Nebraska Supreme Court opens up the vote to a few thousand ex-felons in the Cornhusker State just weeks ahead of Election Day. (iStock)

It could also have a major impact on the results of the election, including the neck-and-neck presidential race and tight down-ballot races in Congress.

Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district is something of an anomaly. That is partly due to its unique system of assigning Electoral College votes. Though Nebraska is a Republican-led state, it is one of just two U.S. states whose electoral votes are assigned at the district level, with the remaining two votes assigned to the candidate who wins the majority.

Besides Nebraska and Maine, other states rely on the “winner take all” system to assign their electoral votes.

Additionally, its voter base is a solid-purple demographic that has voted for both former President Donald Trump and President Biden, respectively, in the last two presidential elections. Before then, Sen. Mitt Romney won the district during his 2012 bid for president, and former President Barack Obama captured the vote in 2008.

Down-ballot races are also expected to be tight.

Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican, is facing a tough reelection bid this year, while Republican Rep. Don Bacon is fighting off state Sen. Tony Vargas, a Democrat, to keep his House seat.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Now, with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a dead heat, it is possible that the district could have more sway than ever in deciding the next president.

In such a tight election, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District “could decide who the eventual winner will be,” Jimmy Keady, president of JLK Political Strategies, a national Republican consulting firm, told Fox News Digital last month. 

EXCLUSIVE: The majority of county sheriffs in battleground state Pennsylvania endorsed former President Trump on Thursday, saying they are “confident in his leadership and ability to safeguard our country.” 

Fox News Digital obtained a letter signed by 49 of the 67 county sheriffs in the state, who said Trump is the best candidate to support law enforcement and secure the border.

“As elected law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we consistently hear two messages from our constituents and neighbors: that they want safe communities for their families and children, and that they oppose radical defund-the-police agendas by career politicians,” they wrote. 

“That is why we are proudly standing with President Donald J. Trump and wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy for President of the United States.” 

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS LOSES HER LEAD AND A NEW ELECTORATE EMERGES

Former President Trump gestures at a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Arena in Prescott Valley, Arizona, on Sunday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The county sheriffs said that “even before” Trump was a candidate for office, he “stood shoulder-to-shoulder with police and law enforcement.”

“He is the only candidate who has supported and continues to support law and order, law enforcement, and our duty to serve our communities and keep them safe,” they wrote. “This is most evident with our Southern Border.” 

FETTERMAN ADMITS ELON MUSK ‘ATTRACTIVE TO A DEMOGRAPHIC’ DEMOCRATS ‘NEED’ TO WIN PENNSYLVANIA

The county sheriffs pointed to the unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants through the U.S. southern border under the Biden-Harris administration and stressed that “immigration is not only a border-state issue.”

The county sheriffs pointed to the Trump administration, where they said the U.S. had “a secure border and proper enforcement of our immigration laws.” 

“World leaders respected President Trump, and border crossings fell,” they wrote. “Without his strong leadership, our border has been swung open — open to thousands of border crossers each day and unimaginable quantities of lethal drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine that are pouring right into Pennsylvania communities, bringing crime and devastation to countless families.” 

The county sheriffs said Trump “understands that we cannot have a functioning country without borders.” 

Former President Trump addresses the crowd at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS ‘OUT-MESSAGING’ HARRIS: ‘I GET MORE FROM COLBERT’

“He understands the destruction that an open border has brought to our country, our commonwealth, and our communities,” they continued. “He understands the critical role that law enforcement plays in maintaining safety, stability, law and order. And that’s why we are confident in his leadership and his ability to safeguard our country.”

They added: “We know that President Trump backs the blue, and we are proud to back him as the 47th President of the United States of America.” 

INEFFECTIVE PLANNING, LACK OF CONNECTIONS HAS DEMS ON EDGE IN ‘KEY’ BATTLEGROUND OF PENNSYLVANIA: REPORT

The counties represented by the sheriffs endorsing Trump include Adams, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Montour, Northumerland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland and York.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

According to the Fox News Power Rankings as of Thursday, the race in Pennsylvania between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is a toss-up. 

In September, the Harris-Walz campaign touted the endorsements of 101 law enforcement officials of varying ranks in states across the country.

Conservatives and critics on social media dragged Vice President Kamala Harris over her “cringe” pre-recorded video message that was broadcast to the audience of the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday evening after she skipped attending the event in-person. 

“Kamala Harris releases her pre-recorded video for the Al Smith dinner in New York that she didn’t show up for. Comedian Jim Gaffigan made fun of the Vice President after the crowd gave a dismal applause once it ended. Cringe,” Trending Politics co-owner Colin Rugg posted on X of Harris’ video. 

The Al Smith Dinner is a bipartisan charity dinner that has grown to become a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons, as the nominees for both political parties have historically attended the event to trade barbs with one another in a light-hearted manner. 

Harris skipped the event – the first time a nominee has done so since failed Democratic nominee Walter Mondale in 1984 – and instead sent dinner organizers a video to broadcast to the audience. The video also featured comedian Molly Shannon as she reprised her “Saturday Night Live” character Mary Katherine Gallagher, a quirky Catholic student. Former President Donald Trump attended the event and was the featured speaker. 

HARRIS TO VIRTUALLY ATTEND CATHOLIC CHARITY DINNER THAT RIVAL TRUMP IS HEADLINING

An video of US Vice President Kamala Harris is playing on screen as former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump, Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan, Majority Leader of the US Senate Chuck Schumer and many politicians attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“I just want to say that I’m Catholic, and tonight is one of the biggest dinners next to the Last Supper,” Shannon, dressed as Mary Katherine Gallagher, told Harris in the video. 

“It is a very important dinner, and it’s an important tradition that I’m so proud to be a part of,” Harris responded, before Shannon delivered her character’s hallmark odd behavior of sticking her hands under her armpits and smelling them. 

“Is there anything that you think that maybe I shouldn’t bring up tonight?” Harris asked. 

“Well, don’t lie. Thou shall not bear false witness to thy neighbor,” Shannon responded. 

“Indeed. Especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris said in a dig at Trump. 

COMEDIAN JIM GAFFIGAN TAKES SURPRISING SHOTS AT HARRIS FOR SKIPPING ‘CATHOLIC MET GALA’

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 17: Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on a prerecorded video message during the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on October 17, 2024 in New York City.  Comedian Jim Gaffigan is the Master of Ceremonies at the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. The dinner, a white-tie charity event that benefits Catholic charities, is known for political figures poking fun at one another. The foundation honors the late Alfred E. Smith, former governor of New York and America’s first Catholic presidential nominee. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Shannon’s character advised Harris to not “say anything negative about Catholics,” before asking her: “Does it bother you that that Trump guy insults you all the time? Because it really bothers my friends and me.”

“Oh, Mary Katherine, it’s very important to always remember. You should never let anyone tell you who you are. You tell them who you are,” Harris said. 

Critics, including those on the Trump team, lambasted the video on social media. 

KAMALA HARRIS PLANS TO SKIP HISTORIC AL SMITH DINNER DESPITE LONG-STANDING TRADITION

The emcee of the dinner, comedian Jim Gaffigan, even quipped after the video was shown to the audience that he was unsure if attendees were supportive of her video and message.

“I don’t even know what that noise you’re making is,” Gaffigan said. “Something like ahhhhh.” 

“As I watched that, I couldn’t help but think of: Now I know how my kids felt when … I FaceTimed into a piano recital they were at,” he continued. 

TRUMP APPLAUDS CATHOLIC GROUP’S MULTI-MILLION ANTI-HARRIS CAMPAIGN APPEALING TO CHURCH FAITHFUL

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 17: New York state Gov. Kathy Hochul and comedian Jim Gaffigan attend the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on October 17, 2024 in New York City. Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump was the featured speaker with Gaffigan as the Master of Ceremonies at the the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. The dinner, a white-tie charity event that benefits Catholic charities, is known for political figures poking fun at one another. The foundation honors the late Alfred E. Smith, former governor of New York and America’s first Catholic presidential nominee. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (getty images)

Supporters of Harris lauded the video on social media as a “must watch,” while others commended her for skipping the dinner. 

Former President Donald Trump took shots at Harris during his remarks, including her absence at the historic dinner. 

 Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump and Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan (L) attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“If you really wanted Vice President Harris to accept your invitation, I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed. She would have been guaranteed,” Trump jabbed at Harris, citing her promotion of a bail fund during the riots of 2020. 

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his fist as he and his wife Melania Trump attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“I must say I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith dinner. I’d really hoped that you would come, because we can’t get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy,” Trump joked at another point.

Harris wrapped up her video on a serious note, including invoking the Gospel of Luke. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The Gospel of Luke tells us that faith has the power to shine a light on those living in darkness, and to guide our feet in the path of peace. In the spirit of tonight’s dinner, let us recommit to reaching across divides, to seek understanding and common ground. And in honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country, and in each other,” she said. 

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

Comedian Jim Gaffigan took surprising digs at Vice President Kamala Harris for skipping the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday, instead opting to send a pre-recorded video message to be shown at the bipartisan and light-hearted Catholic charity event. 

“You know, this event has been referred to as the Catholic Met Gala. Twenty-two percent of Americans identify as Catholic. Catholics will be a key demographic in every battleground state,” Gaffigan, the emcee of the charity dinner, said Thursday. 

“I’m sorry. Why is Vice President Harris not here?” he continued, with some of the audience jeering. “I mean, consider this. This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York City. This is a layup for the Democratic nominee. I mean, in her defense, I mean, she did find time to appear on “The View,” Howard Stern, Colbert and the long time staple of campaigning, the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. You know what I think it is? I think she doesn’t like me.” 

In another jab at Harris and the Democratic Party, the comedian joked about the political “coup” against President Biden over the summer, when the 46th president dropped out of the presidential race amid mounting calls from members of his own party to exit the race amid concerns over his mental acuity. 

TRUMP SPEAKS AT ANNUAL AL SMITH DINNER, HARRIS SENDS PRE-RECORDED VID

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 17: New York state Gov. Kathy Hochul and comedian Jim Gaffigan attend the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on October 17, 2024 in New York City. Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump was the featured speaker with Gaffigan as the Master of Ceremonies at the the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. The dinner, a white-tie charity event that benefits Catholic charities, is known for political figures poking fun at one another. The foundation honors the late Alfred E. Smith, former governor of New York and Americas first Catholic presidential nominee. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (getty images)

“The Democrats have been telling us Trump, Trump’s reelection is a threat to democracy. In fact, they were so concerned of this threat, they staged a coup. Ousted their democratically elected incumbent, and installed Kamala Harris,” Gaffigan said. 

“In other words, all her dreams have come true.” 

HARRIS TO VIRTUALLY ATTEND CATHOLIC CHARITY DINNER THAT RIVAL TRUMP IS HEADLINING

Harris is the first presidential candidate in 40 years, outside of 2020’s virtual dinner during the pandemic, to not physically attend the Catholic charity event. Failed Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale in 1984 was the last nominee to skip the event. 

Harris’ snub of the historic Catholic charity event irked New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the host of the dinner, on his podcast this week. 

“This year will be imbalanced because sadly, Kamala Harris isn’t coming,” Dolan said on his podcast Tuesday. “It’s a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is civility, patriotism, humor. It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his fist as he and his wife Melania Trump attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on sending a pre-recorded video message for the event, but did not receive a reply. The campaign previously told Fox News that Harris was skipping the event to focus on campaigning in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday. 

KAMALA HARRIS PLANS TO SKIP HISTORIC AL SMITH DINNER DESPITE LONG-STANDING TRADITION

“The Vice President is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election. Her team also told the organizers that she would very much like to attend their event as President. This would make her one of the first sitting Presidents to attend,” the campaign said. 

 Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump and Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan (L) attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Harris recorded a video that was aired during the dinner, in which she was joined by comedian and actress Molly Shannon. During Shannon’s days as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” she played a Catholic student named Mary Katherine Gallgher, a role she reprised for the video. 

TRUMP APPLAUDS CATHOLIC GROUP’S MULTI-MILLION ANTI-HARRIS CAMPAIGN APPEALING TO CHURCH FAITHFUL

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 17: Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on a prerecorded video message during the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown on October 17, 2024 in New York City.  Comedian Jim Gaffigan is the Master of Ceremonies at the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. The dinner, a white-tie charity event that benefits Catholic charities, is known for political figures poking fun at one another. The foundation honors the late Alfred E. Smith, former governor of New York and America’s first Catholic presidential nominee. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“So tell me something, I’m giving a speech. Do you have some thoughts about what I might say tonight?” Harris asked Shannon. 

“Don’t lie. Thou shall not bear false witness to thy neighbor,” Shannon responded. 

“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris said in a jab at Trump. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Al Smith dinner was launched in 1946, and has raised millions of dollars for charities supporting women and children. It has since grown to become a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons. The dinner is named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who served as the 42nd governor of New York. He ran for president as a Democrat in 1928. 

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

On the first day of early voting in North Carolina, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz hit the campaign trail in Durham on Thursday evening, making a personal revelation about his mother.

During his campaign rally, Walz said that his mother has to wait for her social security check every month to feed herself.

According to Forbes, Walz has an estimated net worth of over $1 million.

Walz has spent the better part of his career in the public service sector. He was a former public school teacher and Army National Guardsman who served six terms in Congress before becoming the governor of Minnesota in 2019. 

TRUMP-VANCE TICKET HAS DONE COMBINED 81 INTERVIEWS SINCE AUGUST COMPARED TO 44 FOR HARRIS-WALZ

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign event Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis.  (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

“We are all products of our past. When you grow up a middle-class kid in Oakland or in Butte, Nebraska, you care about Social Security,” Walz said.

Walz continued, claiming Donald Trump and all his “rich friends” don’t care or even worry about Social Security. 

“When my mom looks for that Social Security deposit to be made in her bank account, that’s how she’s going to feed herself. That’s how she’s going to get things done. He [Trump] doesn’t give a damn if his Social Security check comes or not,” Walz claimed. 

‘MAN ENOUGH’ VIDEO SUPPORTING HARRIS MOCKED AS ‘THE CRINGIEST POLITICAL AD EVER CREATED’

Tim Walz said his mom depends on her Social Security check each month to feed herself. Walz himself is worth an estimated $1 million. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Walz also touted that a hundred million Americans under Kamala Harris as president would see a tax cut, adding that he passed the largest tax cut in Minnesota history, not for the rich, but for the middle class. 

“The one thing we understand about this is the economy works best when it’s fair, and it’s focused on the middle class,” Walz said. 

Walz, who was joined by former President Bill Clinton, has another campaign event in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This is his third campaign visit to the Tar Heel state as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

TIM WALZ BACKPEDALS STATEMENT THAT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE ‘NEEDS TO GO’

Tim Walz is worth an estimated $1 million, according to Forbes. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

After doing just one joint interview in the first three weeks of her campaign, Harris and Walz have stepped up their media appearances in recent weeks to more match those of their Republican counterparts.

Walz joined “Fox News Sunday” for the second straight week on Sunday, Oct. 13, and he also did interviews last week with Jimmy Kimmel and the “Smartless” podcast. He’s also spoken to Pennsylvania and Arizona news stations in the past week, in addition to an extended interview on ABC News.

Walz spoke with Georgia, Wisconsin and North Carolina TV stations in recent weeks. He spoke with MSNBC and ABC after last month’s presidential debate, and he was interviewed by Michigan station Fox 17.

Walz has also spoken to radio stations in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Walz was previously mocked for a comment he made during a speech in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at a September rally when he told attendees “we can’t afford four more years of this.” 

Although Walz may have been referring to gun violence or Trump’s rhetoric when he cited “four more years” of an issue, his statement led conservative commentators to roast the Minnesota governor on social media for what appeared to be a criticism of the Biden administration.

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis, Brian Flood and David Rutz contributed to this report. 

The 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner kicked off on Thursday evening, which will spotlight former President Trump during the bipartisan political event that typically adds a bit of levity to the campaign trail each presidential election cycle. 

Trump and former first lady Melania Trump were welcomed to the event just after 8 p.m., with Trump shaking hands with other high-profile guests, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Comedian Jim Gaffigan is serving as the emcee of this year’s dinner, and 

The Al Smith dinner was launched in 1946, and has raised millions of dollars for charities supporting women and children. It has since grown to become a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons. The dinner is named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, Al Smith, who served as the 42nd governor of New York. He ran for president as a Democrat in 1928. 

Other attendees of the event include, Attorney General Letitia James – an outspoken critic of Trump who slammed him as a “con man” while campaigning for the AG job in 2018 – former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and others. 

HARRIS TO VIRTUALLY ATTEND CATHOLIC CHARITY DINNER THAT RIVAL TRUMP IS HEADLINING

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his fist as he and his wife Melania Trump attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

This year’s Al Smith dinner, however, is set to be a bit different from previous years, as Vice President Kamala Harris is skipping the in-person event and sending a pre-recorded video to be broadcast to the audience instead. The 2020 Al Smith dinner was also different from previous election years, as it was held virtually amid the pandemic’s lockdowns and social distancing requirements. 

“VP Harris will appear via a pre-recorded message,” the communications director for the Archdiocese of New York, Joseph Zwilling, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. 

Harris’ snub of the historic Catholic charity event irked New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the host of the dinner, on his podcast this week. 

“This year will be imbalanced because sadly, Kamala Harris isn’t coming,” Dolan said on his podcast Tuesday. “It’s a shame because the nature of the evening is to bring people together. The nature of the evening is civility, patriotism, humor. It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a campaign stop.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on sending a pre-recorded video message for the event, but did not receive a reply. The campaign previously told Fox News that Harris was skipping the event to focus on campaigning in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday. 

KAMALA HARRIS PLANS TO SKIP HISTORIC AL SMITH DINNER DESPITE LONG-STANDING TRADITION

Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to speak at “We the People: An Audio Townhall With Kamala Harris and Charlamagne tha God” in Detroit on Tuesday. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

“The Vice President is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election. Her team also told the organizers that she would very much like to attend their event as President. This would make her one of the first sitting Presidents to attend,” the campaign said. 

The event this year will instead focus on Trump’s in-person remarks, as well as Harris’ video — not the typical speaker schedule that spotlights the presidential candidates from both political parties while they lob lighthearted jabs at each other. 

 Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump and Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan (L) attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Prior to the event, Trump lambasted Harris on Truth Social for not appearing in-person and suggested it could cost her the Catholic vote. 

“Just found out that Lyin’ Kamala is doing a video message tonight instead of being at the Al Smith Dinner. She shouldn’t be allowed to do a video message. Kamala should be there like almost every other Presidential Candidate in their History, except Walter Mondale, who lost 49-1. They didn’t give me the option of a video message, nor would I have done it. This is very disrespectful to everyone involved. She should be here, or lose the Catholic Vote!” Trump posted. 

TRUMP APPLAUDS CATHOLIC GROUP’S MULTI-MILLION ANTI-HARRIS CAMPAIGN APPEALING TO CHURCH FAITHFUL

Hillary Clinton speaks with Donald Trump while attending the Al Smith charity dinner on Oct. 20, 2016, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Trump has attended the event each election year since 2016, when he and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traded barbs that drew roaring laughter and some jeers from the crowd. 

“It’s great to be here with a thousand wonderful people, or, as I call it, a small intimate dinner with some friends. Or as Hillary calls it, her largest crowd of the season,” Trump quipped during his 2016 remarks. 

CARDINAL DOLAN ‘UPSET’ THAT HARRIS SKIPPING AL SMITH DINNER 

“People look at the Statue of Liberty and they see a proud symbol of our history as a nation of immigrants. A beacon of hope for people around the world. Donald sees the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4. Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair,” Clinton joked amid her remarks. 

Trump has celebrated his third return to the dinner as the GOP’s presidential nominee, while also taking a shot at Harris for skipping attending the event.

MORNING GLORY: WHY IS KAMALA HARRIS SKIPPING THE AL SMITH DINNER IN NEW YORK CITY?

“It will be an honor to attend the SOLD OUT 79th ANNUAL AL SMITH DINNER on October 17th in New York. It will be great to see so many wonderful people there, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. We know the Spirit of Al Smith, the first Catholic Nominee of a Major Party, and John F. Kennedy, the FIRST Catholic President, will be in the room with us that night,” Trump posted on Truth Social last month. 

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Screenshots/Univision)

“It was a virtual event in 2020, and I was delighted to speak to our Catholic friends that day and, of course, it was a HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL evening in 2016 when we were there in person with Crooked Hillary Clinton. The reviews of my remarks were TREMENDOUS. It’s sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend. I don’t know what she has against our Catholic friends, but it must be a lot, because she certainly hasn’t been very nice to them, in fact, Catholics are literally being persecuted by this Administration. Any Catholic that votes for Comrade Kamala Harris should have their head examined,” he added. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Dolan said he anticipates the dinner to raise roughly $9 million, which will be given to various charities to assist women and children in need, as part of the Church’s pro-life mission, according to a press release from the foundation. 

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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan includes bringing Ukraine into NATO and replacing U.S. troops with battle-hardened Ukrainian troops at outposts throughout Europe.

Zelenskyy pitched the plan to the Ukrainian parliament Wednesday, seeking peace through greater help from Ukraine’s western allies. 

His request includes an invitation to NATO, the international group formed as a way to counter Russia that President Vladimir Putin views as a threat to his nation’s existence. 

Many believe Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 due to the threat of an expanding NATO. Putin has long said he will not entertain peace talks until Ukraine ceases its bid to become a part of the NATO alliance. 

UKRAINE DEFENSE MINISTER CONFIDENT CAN REPLENISH TROOPS BUT IN NEED OF WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT FROM ALLIES

If Ukraine is not allowed into NATO, it may begin to pursue nuclear weapons, according to Zelenskyy. 

“In a conversation with Donald Trump, I told him it comes to this,” Zelensky said in Ukrainian while speaking to the European Council in Brussels.

“The outcome is either Ukraine will be a nuclear power — and that will be our protection — or we should have some kind of alliance. Other than NATO, today we don’t know of any effective alliances.”

He offered to have Ukraine take charge of European security and kicking out U.S. forces, thanks to its war-hardened military. 

“If the partners agree, we envisage replacing certain military contingents of the U.S. armed forces stationed in Europe with Ukrainian units. After the war,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukrainians have proven that they can be a force that Russian evil cannot overcome.”

Zelenskyy’s victory plan includes bringing Ukraine into NATO. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

The U.S. has around 100,000 troops stationed across Europe. 

In Ukraine, where manpower is in short supply, the average age of frontline soldiers is 43. The dire need for fresh recruits has led military recruitment officers to raid concert halls, bars and restaurants in search of 25- to 60-year-olds out of compliance with conscription into their forces. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte would not say whether he’d push member nations to extend Kyiv an invitation into NATO, though he reiterated that Russia does not have a say over who joins NATO. 

“The victory plan is not only about an invitation to become a member of NATO. The victory plan has more elements,” Rutte told reporters Wednesday. “The next steps [are] not just on this issue, but on the general content of the victory plan.”

PUTIN WARNS US, NATO RISK WAR WITH RUSSIA IF LONG-RANGE STRIKE BANS LIFTED FOR UKRAINE

He also once again called for an end to all restrictions on long-range weapons given to Ukraine so that the army could strike deep inside Russia, provide more training and air defense capability and prevent allies from shooting down drones and missiles over Ukrainian territory. 

Zelenskyy’s new plan comes as he continues to implore the European Union to release tens of billions in aid that has been held up for more than a year. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose nation has been blocking the transfer of $7.1 billion to Kyiv, called Zelenskyy’s plan “more than frightening.” 

The war in Ukraine is pressing toward three years in February.  (Reuters/Yevhen Titov)

“We are losing this war, so the strategy is not working,” Orbán wrote on Facebook. “But this does not mean that we need more war, more dangerous and long-range weapons — it means that we need to change from a war strategy to a peace strategy. We need a cease-fire and peace talks!” 

Zelenskyy was in Washington last month making the pitch for unrestricted use of U.S. ATACMS and other long-range missiles to lawmakers, but the Biden administration has said it has no plan to lift the ban for fear of crossing the Kremlin’s red lines. 

Zelenskyy argues Ukraine’s attacks on the Russian territory of Kursk prove that Putin is bluffing. 

​​”Thanks to the Kursk operation, we saw that Putin doesn’t have enough strength to hold his own when we push really hard,” Zelenskyy said.

This photograph shows damaged houses after an air attack in Ukraine’s Odesa region Aug. 26, 2024. (Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images)

“If we start moving according to this victory plan now, it may be possible to end the war no later than next year,” Zelenskyy told the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament. He is presenting the five-point plan to the European Council on Thursday.

Zelenskyy also said he’d asked leaders from the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K. for help with a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package that he said would force Moscow into a diplomatic process to end the war.

And he proposed partners from the European Union and U.S. sign a special agreement to purchase Ukraine’s critical resources, like lithium, gas, titanium and others, to shore up economic development. 

Some Ukrainian politicians read the plan as an unrealistic wish list. 

“A set of slogans and nothing more,” European Solidarity opposition party MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said in a Facebook post. “The plan looks like others need to do everything for us.”

Roman Losynskyi, a Ukrainian soldier and a member of the liberal Holos party, called the plan a “fantasy.” 

“On one hand, the plan sounds like a fantasy. On the other hand, Patriot, Storm Shadow, and F-16s used to be just as fantastic, as was the sinking of a large part of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation and the control of a piece of Kursk. Everything depends on the decisions of partners and the success of our diplomacy,” Lozynskyi said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, he added that Zelenskyy “did not explain how he plans to achieve the implementation of these points.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the plan “ephemeral” and said, “Kyiv needs to sober up and admit its policies have no perspectives.”

LA CROSSE, WI – Mark Cuban, taking aim at former President Trump, as he warmed up the crowd at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

“The Trump that stole Christmas,” Cuban charged, as he riffed on the popular holiday classic. 

The billionaire businessman argued that the former president “wants you to have a lousy Christmas” because Trump’s proposed tariffs would increase the cost of some holiday presents.

Cuban, the co-star of the popular long-running business-reality TV show ‘Shark Tank,’ and former majority owner of professional basketball’s Dallas Mavericks, has been a very visible surrogate on behalf of Harris since she replaced President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket nearly three months ago.

KAMALA HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH THESE ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICANS 

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ((AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Now, Cuban’s hitting the trail on behalf of the vice president – and taking aim at Trump over his proposed tariffs.

“This man has so little understanding of tariffs. He thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall,” Cuban claimed.

Cuban’s two appearances Thursday with Harris in battleground Wisconsin – at a business school class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the rally in La Crosse – kick off a multi-day campaign swing through the key battlegrounds states that will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the White House.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION

On Saturday, Cuban will hold a town hall in Phoenix, Arizona to talk about Harris’ newly announced “Opportunity Agenda,” before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to campaign alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff on Sunday. 

Mark Cuban speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, in La Crosse, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

The efforts by Cuban – a well-known personality in both the business and sports worlds – could boost Harris as she turns up the volume on her efforts to court younger male voters in a margin-of-error race against Trump.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cuban’s campaign appearances on Thursday came as Trump’s best-known billionaire backer – Tesla CEO Elon Musk – campaigned on behalf of the former president in arguably the most crucial of the seven battleground states – Pennsylvania.

Musk spoke a town hall in suburban Philadelphia which was the second of a series of events to help Trump win Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes.

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“I’m in Pennsylvania. And I’m here for the very important reason which, you know….I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is… the lynch pin and in this election and this election, I think, is going to decide, the fate of America,” Musk stressed.

Musk isn’t just hitting the campaign trail on behalf of Trump.

The person estimated to be the world’s richest has donated roughly $75 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

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