NationalWatch

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s 2024 legislative session again showcased contrasting Republican approaches to governing, while minority Democrats couldn’t leverage those differences to advance top policy priorities.

And while many GOP initiatives in the state Senate seemed like appeals to that party’s primary voters, Republicans are hoping tax cuts and a harder line on immigration will carry them to victory in November’s legislative races. Democrats walked away more furious than ever about the failure to expand Medicaid health insurance, one cornerstone of their campaign to make gains in the state House.

TRUMP APPEALS GEORGIA COURT ORDER THAT KEEPS FANI WILLIS ON THE CASE: ‘SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED’

In the background of 2024 campaigns for all 236 state legislative seats is jockeying for elections to statewide office in 2026. Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, displaying a conservative edge, seems more likely than ever to run to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, as many GOP lawmakers try to satisfy an activist base.

Some issues unified Republicans, including speeding up an income tax cut, uniting around a crackdown on undocumented immigrants in jails, and pay raises for teachers and state employees.

But there’s a continuing power struggle between the chambers. Last year, that conflict burst into the open, with House and Senate leaders killing bills from the other chamber in a dispute that was set off by Jones’ push to loosen health care permitting requirements.

Jones won a partial loosening of those rules this year, and conflict overall was less public. But sharp disagreements were evident as each chamber completely disregarded measures passed by the other.

“You know, some folks choose politics. The House chooses results,” Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington told reporters moments after the House adjourned at 12:58 a.m. Friday. He and other House leaders said they instead focused on “kitchen table” issues often funded through the budget, like a spending boost for prekindergarten programs.

Divisions showed in how, even more than normal, decisions cascaded into the last hours of the last legislative day. Both the House and Senate blew past a once-sacrosanct midnight deadline.

“There were a lot of challenges and tensions between the two chambers. It’s not the first time, but it was particularly elevated this year.” said Rep. Scott Holcomb. The Atlanta Democrat again saw the Senate snub his push to compensate people released from prison after they are exonerated, even though top House Republicans supported the effort.

That was far from the only initiative that failed. The Senate spent precious time on the session’s last day passing a ban on puberty blocking drugs for transgender youth, but the bill sank without a trace in the House. So did an education bill that sought to cut back on sex education and write a ban on transgender girls playing girls’ sports into law, as well as a Senate bill banning public money from being spent on what Republican senators say is the left-wing American Library Association.

“To me, the 2024 session was a battle of the far-right Senate versus the moderate Republican House, in which the House ultimately prevailed by stopping the vast majority of these culture war issues, from attacks against transgender youth to putting a Clarence Thomas monument on the Capitol grounds,” House Minority Whip Sam Park, a Lawrenceville Democrat, said Friday.

But on some other terms, the Senate may the winner. All of the priorities the Senate Republican Caucus announced in January became law. That included a bill requiring cash bail for more crimes, and a call for private and home school vouchers that finally passed the House after Kemp and House leaders joined the push. A Senate-backed bill requiring parental consent before children younger than 16 can sign up for social media is also on the way to Kemp’s desk.

“I’m proud of all that the Senate accomplished this session, promoting an agenda to help Georgia families, expand access to health care, support HBCUs, crack down on sanctuary policies and protect women’s sports,” Jones said in a statement Friday. “These issues are a marathon, not a sprint, and we’ll continue to build on our accomplishments year after year to enact policies that lift up the middle class and fight back against radical Democrats’ insanity.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

For Democrats, though, it was another year of frustration. After Burns opened the door to Medicaid expansion, the minority party worked feverishly to try to expand health coverage to lower-income adults. They even believed they had a deal with Senate leadership to bring forward a bill at the last minute, only to claim betrayal after it was voted down in committee by Republicans who said they wanted to support Kemp’s struggling Pathways program that offers insurance only with proof of work or study.

“The problem is that Georgia’s health care policy failures are deliberate choices made by Gov. Kemp and the Republican leadership in the legislature,” outgoing House Minority Leader Gloria Butler, a Stone Mountain Democrat, told reporters. “We were told to let them cook. We were told that if we were nice to Republicans and if we asked politely, Medicaid expansion would be on the table. But guess what? It is still on the table.”

President Biden appealed to supporters of Nikki Haley in a new campaign ad on Friday. 

“If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote,” the ad begins, showing clips of the presumptive Republican nominee Trump calling the former South Carolina governor Haley “bird brain” and claiming she made an “unholy alliance with RINOs, Never Trumpers, [and] Americans for No Prosperity.” 

Another clip later in the ad shows Trump telling a reporter he didn’t think “we need too many” after he was asked about how to “bring Haley voters back into the tent.” 

“Nikki Haley voters, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote,” Biden wrote on X, linking to the ad. “I want to be clear: There is a place for you in my campaign.”

WEALTHY NIKKI HALEY VOTERS LAUNCH EFFORT TO BOOST BIDEN OVER TRUMP: REPORT

Haley dropped out of the presidential race after Super Tuesday earlier this month, following losses in almost every state to Trump. She had remained in the race as Trump’s last opponent for the nomination despite his almost insurmountable lead, because she felt voters deserved another choice. 

After leaving the race, Haley, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, didn’t endorse him. 

TRUMP’S AIMS TO TROUNCE BIDEN’S RECORD $26 MILLION HAUL AT UPCOMING FLORIDA FUNDRAISER: ‘WE FEEL REALLY GOOD’

In just Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada — three important battleground states — Haley earned nearly 570,000 votes. 

After Super Tuesday, Trump said on Truth Social he would “like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY.” 

Before she dropped out, Trump had warned that anyone who donated to Haley’s campaign would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign and a representative for Haley for comment. 

Embattled Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis in a speech Friday seemed to defy a judge’s recent warning to not play “the race card,” insisting she’ll talk about race “anyway.”

During her remarks at the South Fulton Women of the Shield Awards, Wills said that “it’s hard out here always having to prove yourself two and three times.” 

“Recently, they tell me they don’t like me to talk about race. Well, I’m going to talk about it anyway,” she remarked. 

Wills’ comments seemed to be in reference to the recent order by Judge Scott McAfee in which he said that her racially charged rhetoric of “playing the race card” was “legally improper.”

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

McAfee’s comments were in his decision that said Willis could stay on the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump if she removed special counsel Nathan Wade, with whom she was accused of having had an “improper” affair. 

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

In his order, McAfee separately took issue with a speech made by Willis at an Atlanta church in January of this year, when she claimed she and Wade were being scrutinized because of their race. 

While Willis later claimed not to be referring to the defendants in her accusations of racism, McAfee warned that such a distinction was not clear.

“In these public and televised comments, the District Attorney complained that a Fulton County Commissioner ‘and so many others’ questioned her decision to hire SADA Wade. When referring to her detractors throughout the speech, she frequently utilized the plural ‘they.’ The State argues the speech was not aimed at any of the Defendants in this case. Maybe so. But maybe not. Therein lies the danger of public comment by a prosecuting attorney,” McAfee wrote.

The judge found that Willis’ reference to “so many others” in her speech at the church left ambiguous who she was accusing of racial motivations — coming dangerously close to compromising the case.

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

“Truth is, there’s some challenges that come with being Black. And I see so much greatness in this city that has so many great African American leaders. And I appreciate all of the sacrifice that you all have had to make to be in these positions,” Willis said to the crowd on Friday.

KEY WITNESS IN FANI WILLIS CASE TESTIFIES HE MAY HAVE LIED IN TEXTS ABOUT FRIENDS’ AFFAIR

The event, hosted by the South Fulton Police Department, was held to “shine a spotlight on 12 extraordinary women who have made remarkable contributions to law enforcement and community impact.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Willis thanked South Fulton Police Department Chief Keith Meadows for having “the intelligence to create an event like this where we recognize that you’ve had to go through a little more to serve.” 

A federal judge from Washington, D.C., is facing criticism for what experts are calling “inappropriate” comments about former President Trump in a media interview as Trump faces a federal trial in the judge’s district. 

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton for the District of Columbia appeared in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday after Trump criticized the daughter of New York Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case scheduled to go to trial April 15. 

Walton, in a rare media appearance for a sitting judge, sat for the interview Thursday and criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “very disconcerting.”

But legal experts tell Fox News Digital that Walton’s comments were “inappropriate” because Trump is a defendant in Walton’s district in a separate case brought by special counsel Jack Smith’s case.

NEW YORK JUDGE IMPOSES GAG ORDER ON TRUMP IN BRAGG HUSH MONEY CASE

“Judge Reggie Walton is a sitting federal judge in a district where Donald Trump is currently a criminal defendant with an active case. He should not be publicly commenting in media interviews on anything related to him, full stop,” said Kerri Kupec Urbhan, former counselor to Attorney General Bill Barr and Fox News legal editor.

“This is yet another example of a lack of regard for the appearance of fairness when it comes to Donald Trump, which, whether you like Trump or not, flies in the face of what judges and the justice system are supposed to be about.”

TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL TO BEGIN APRIL 15, JUDGE RULES, DENYING MOTION TO DELAY

Merchan this week imposed a gag order on the former president and 2024 GOP presumptive nominee ahead of the trial next month. In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump referenced the judge’s daughter by name and called her a “Rabid Trump Hater” for her associations with a firm that’s consulted Democratic candidates and causes, suggesting that “totally compromised” her father and calling for his removal from the case. 

Merchan issued the gag order against Trump Tuesday, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they establish “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” 

Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation or about counsel in the case — other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff.

Trump also referred to a Twitter account formerly owned by Merchan’s daughter that features a picture of Trump behind prison bars as the profile image. 

Walton, who has also presided over Jan. 6, 2021, cases in his district, told CNN he was “concerned” about Trump’s comments. 

“We have had judges who’ve lost their lives or family members who’ve lost their lives as a result of individuals who have been litigants in their courtroom. And I think it’s important in order to preserve our democracy that we maintain the rule of law,” he said.

MANHATTAN DA BRAGG REQUESTS JUDGE IMPOSE GAG ORDER ON TRUMP DURING HUSH MONEY CASE

“The rule of law can only be maintained if we have independent judicial officers … and that the law is applied equally to everyone who appears in our courthouse.

“I think it’s important that, as judges, we speak out and say things and reference to things that conceivably are going to impact on the process, because if we don’t have a viable court system, we have tyranny.” 

Walton’s office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

John Shu, a constitutional attorney who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital Walton’s comments were “unseemly.” 

“It’s unseemly for Judge Walton to publicly discuss Trump or a Trump case, regardless of which one, because one of Trump’s active criminal cases is in Judge Walton’s court, the federal district court in D.C.,” he said. 

Shu added that “it seems that the interviewer wrongly conflated Trump’s harsh social media critiques about Judge Merchan and his daughter – which probably fall within First Amendment protections – and the awful, actual threats that Judge Walton and his family faced, which are considered criminal behavior and thus not protected speech.”

“Just like the awful, actual threats that Justices Alito, Coney Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Roberts and Thomas and their respective families had to deal with after the Dobbs draft opinion leak,” Shu noted. 

Following the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court opinion, which eventually overturned Roe v. Wade, crowds of protesters swarmed the homes of several of the justices in the majority opinion for several days. One man was charged with plotting an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 

Carrie Severino, the president of Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) and former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, said ensuring the safety of judges and their families is critical for the rule of law. 

But, she said, “it’s surprising that some of the people who have praised Judge Walton for his comments weren’t speaking out when there was an attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, or when left-wing groups doxxed six of the justices and illegally protested at their homes after the Dobbs opinion leaked.”

Merchan announced Monday that the trial will begin April 15. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Former president Donald Trump and 8 co-defendants have appealed a court order that kept embattled Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis on the sweeping election interference case, arguing that she “should have been disqualified” for having an “improper” affair with her subordinate whom she hired. 

In a petition to the Georgia Court of Appeals, Trump and co-defendants argued that a court order demanding Willis to remove special prosecutor Nathan Wade or withdraw from the case didn’t go far enough, and that she should have been disqualified. 

Shortly after Judge Scott McAfee issued his ultimatum earlier this month, Wade resigned from his post, leaving Willis to continue leading the case. 

“Defendants argued in the trial court that the indictment should have been dismissed and, at a minimum, DA Willis and her office should have been disqualified from prosecuting the case,” Steve Sadow, counsel for Trump said in a statement Friday. 

GEORGIA ELECTION CHARGES SHOULD BE TOSSED, ACTS ARE PROTECTED BY 1ST AMENDMENT: TRUMP ATTORNEY

“While the trial court factually found DA Willis’s out-of-court statements were improper and Defendants proved an apparent conflict of interest, the trial court erred as a matter of law by not requiring dismissal and DA Willis’ disqualification. This legal error requires the Court’s immediate review,” the document states. 

Trump and his co-defendants accused Willis of having an “improper” affair with Wade prior to his hiring in 2021 and that she financially benefited from his position as special counsel. Willis and Wade denied both claims. 

The defendants also accused Willis of making improper and derogatory public statements about them and the case. 

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

In his decision, McAfee said that “[w]ithout sufficient evidence that the District Attorney acquired a personal stake in the prosecution, or that her financial arrangements had any impact on the case, the Defendants’ claims of an actual conflict must be denied.”

But he went on to say that his finding is “by no means an indication that the Court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing.”

“Rather, it is the undersigned’s opinion that Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices – even repeatedly – and it is the trial court’s duty to confine itself to the relevant issues and applicable law properly brought before it,” he said. 

TRUMP GEORGIA CASE: FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM JUDGE’S ORDER GIVING DA FANI WILLIS AN ULTIMATUM

The appeal states, “[T]he public’s faith in the integrity of the judicial system, especially the criminal justice system, is critical to its functioning. Courts have an obligation to ensure that legal proceedings appear fair to all who observe them.”

“[O]ur system of law has always endeavored to prevent even the probability of unfairness. …[T]o perform its high function in the best way ‘justice must satisfy the appearance of justice,'” it continues. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“When the public perception of the integrity of the criminal justice system is at stake, no prejudice to defendants needs to be shown,” it goes on to state.

“Nowhere are these interests more important or on display than in a high-profile case like this one that has captured the attention of the Nation,” it states. “Crucial to the public’s confidence is that prosecutors remain and appear to be disinterested and impartial.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Willis’ office for comment.

President Biden’s re-election campaign isn’t revealing the names of any donors who attended its star-studded fundraiser in New York City with Biden and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. 

A Thursday evening fundraiser with the three presidents pulled in over $26 million, according to Biden’s campaign. 

“An Evening with President Biden and Presidents Obama and Clinton” was held at Radio City Music Hall and was sold out, per the campaign, welcoming more than 5,000 attendees. Those at the function included a combination of small grassroots donors, who entered into a contest, all the way up to some of the campaign’s highest donors and bundlers, a senior Biden adviser said.

However, Biden’s team refused to divulge the names of any financial supporters at the glamorous event when requested by Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP AIMS TO TROUNCE BIDEN’S RECORD $26 MILLION HAUL AT UPCOMING FLORIDA FUNDRAISER: ‘WE FEEL REALLY GOOD’

A senior adviser for the reelection effort said they do not routinely make the names of their donors public. 

AXELROD ADMITS BIDEN FUNDRAISER LOOKS BAD RAISING HUGE CASH AMID LEFT-WING PROTESTS

While Biden participated in the event moderated by late-night TV host Stephen Colbert, former President Trump attended a wake for New York police officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty. 

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital in a statement, “President Trump honored the life and legacy of Officer Diller and paid respects to his family, friends, and the NYPD for their terrible loss.”

“Meanwhile, the Three Stooges—Biden, Obama, and Clinton—were at a glitzy fundraiser in the city with their elitist, out-of-touch celebrity benefactors,” he added. 

Biden’s high-raising night included a program hosted by actress Mindy Kaling and performances from Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Lea Michele. 

First Lady Jill Biden introduced the main event and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., each gave remarks. 

MAIL-IN BALLOTS MUST HAVE DATES ON ENVELOPES, PENNSYLVANIA APPEALS COURT RULES

The two events, both in New York, were quickly contrasted on social media. 

The Republican National Committee (RNC) posted screenshots of headlines detailing each president’s Thursday activities, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Today in New York, President Trump visits with a grieving family. Joe Biden parties.”

“Both Presidential candidates will be in New York City today,” noted Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., on X. “President Trump will be attending the funeral of a heroic NYPD officer who was tragically killed. Joe Biden will be skipping the funeral to attend a globalist fundraiser with Obama and Clinton.”

The Trump-aligned Indiana lawmaker is running for Senate in November. 

FORMER US SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN TO BE HONORED WITH FUNERAL SERVICE IN HIS HOMETOWN OF STAMFORD

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, similarly remarked on the starkly differing events attended by the 2024 competitors. According to the senator, Biden promotes “a culture that places criminals above victims and predators over cops.”

But, “Donald Trump offers a different path,” he said. 

BIDEN OFFICIAL WHO RESIGNED OVER ISRAEL SAYS STAFFERS FEEL ‘BETRAYED’ BY BIDEN’S FAILED ‘MORAL’ LEADERSHIP

Republican strategist Doug Kochel told Fox News Digital the move was a “smart play by Team Trump.”

“With all his challenges and tendency to go off script and say crazy things, Trump handles all these moments like a very smart executive producer,” he added. 

Even veteran Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Obama, David Axelrod, granted that the two competing occasions didn’t look good for Biden.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, fellow Democratic strategist Max Burns slammed the comparison from Trump’s campaign as “sadly predictable.” He further claimed, “Trump will be using every trick in the book to distract from President Biden’s record-breaking $26 million fundraising haul, something Trump can’t even dream of achieving.” 

Representatives for Obama and Clinton did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

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

FIRST ON FOX: Chinese migrants are making their way to the U.S. southern border in record numbers as part of a migration crisis of global proportions and are traveling through multiple countries to get there.

So far in federal fiscal year 2024, which began Oct. 1, 2023, there have been over 22,000 migrant encounters of Chinese nationals at the southern border. That’s on pace to exceed the 24,314 encountered in fiscal 2023. That was a massive increase from the 2,176 encountered in fiscal 2022 and 450 encountered in fiscal 2021.

Fox News spoke this month to a 36-year-old man from northern China who had traveled to Mexico with his wife and twin sons on their way to the U.S.

CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ON PACE TO BREAK RECORDS AT US SOUTHERN BORDER

His Douyin account, the Chinese version of TikTok, shows his family in China on the way to the airport. He says he has collected information online about a way to travel to the U.S., including information on routes, border navigation and how to dispose of information so one’s origin cannot be traced. People “vlog” about their journey on Chinese social media apps to get in contact with other Chinese nationals in the U.S. who can help find them jobs and a place to live.

He says they left China in January and have traveled from China to Thailand (with a transfer in Bahrain) then going through Morocco (with a transfer in Spain), Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and now into Mexico.

So far, they’ve spent nearly $17,000 to make their way to the U.S. and are using a mix of cash, bank cards and app-based payments. Unlike many migrants, who will pay smugglers to guide them, this migrant designed all the routes himself, including through dangerous rainforests. 

“The Mexican Immigration Bureau has been very strict these days,” he said. “Spending money may not solve the problem, but fortunately, I have two children, and they actually take much better care of children and women.”

CHINESE MIGRANTS POURING ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER SPARK NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

Some migrants have been pictured expressing support for President Biden, while Republicans have accused the administration of encouraging the flow with its reversal of Trump-era policies, a claim the administration has rejected. But the migrant Fox spoke to expressed indifference about who is running the country.

Migrants have different motivations for going to the U.S., some for more political or religious freedom, some because the U.S. offers benefits like health care, while others travel to America because they have lost faith in the Chinese economic recovery.

“No matter whether it is Trump or Biden, we just wanted to come to the United States. I am not worried about my legal identity problem, because as long as we arrive in the United States, there will always be a way to solve the identity problem. We want to go to the United States mainly for our children and to give them a better future.”

There are risks not only on the journey but even in China. One can be detained and fined nearly $1,500 for obtaining fraudulent travel documents.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“My English is not very good, and I don’t know anyone in the United States. Once I get to the United States, I know I have to start all over again. But I want to live a good life in the future, and I want my children to be educated well. I strive to take root in the United States as soon as possible.”

Another migrant Fox spoke to was in his late 30s and had worked in the poultry business. Inspired by others who had moved to the U.S., he also flew to Ecuador via Thailand and then moved over to Mexico but was deported. He also believes Mexican authorities are targeting the Chinese.

He also didn’t express concern or interest in the U.S. political situation.

“I don’t care, I just want to make money, and the United States is the country to go,” he said. 

He also posted on Douyin, including about his experience of being removed from Mexico. In the comment sections of his videos, there were many comments suggesting he will be welcomed by the Chinese community in different locations. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

China is one of more than 150 countries represented among migrants arriving at the southern border. Some officials and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns that single adults entering from the geopolitical foe could pose a national security threat.

“There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets,” a group of Republican senators warned last year.

Fox News staff contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump is aiming to break a brand-new fundraising record just set by President Biden.

Biden, in a fundraising appearance with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night, hauled in over $26 million. 

The president’s re-election campaign called the money raised at the star-studded event — which set a record for a single fundraiser — “historic.”

The fundraising haul helped Biden boost his already massive cash advantage over Trump.

TRUMP AIMS TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD IN FUNDRAISING FIGHT WITH BIDEN

But the former president is looking to rake in up to $33 million when he teams up with some of the wealthiest Republicans in the country at a April 6 fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida. A source familiar with details of the fundraiser confirmed the dollar amount, which was first reported by the Financial Times.

Billionaire investor and hedge fund founder John Paulson is hosting the top-dollar fundraiser, which is the kickoff event for the recently formed Donald J. Trump National Committee.

The event will include major contributors, some of whom stayed on the sidelines or supported the former president’s rivals during the recently concluded primary season.

Among those listed as co-chairs of the fundraiser are hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer. They were major boosters of Trump in 2016 but mostly sat out the former president’s 2020 re-election campaign.

FIRST ON FOX: DONALD TRUMP’S FUNDRAISING HAUL LAST MONTH

Also on the list of co-chairs are oil magnate Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; casino giant Steve Wynn; and Todd Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, a member of the TD Ameritrade board of directors and former RNC finance chairman.

The “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” will be held at Paulson’s Palm Beach home, which isn’t far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and resort.

The fundraiser is a further sign of the coalescing of much of the Republican donor class around Trump, now that he’s clinched the GOP nomination and is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. A source in the former president’s political orbit called the fundraiser a “come home to Trump” moment.

Trump has long had strained relations with some in the Republican Party’s donor class, but he has worked hard in recent months to improve relations. He’s hosted some of these major contributors in recent weeks.

“There’s no question that most of the major donors who were with [Ron] DeSantis or [Nikki] Haley are coming on board and rallying around the president. I think everybody realizes what’s at stake in the 2024 elections,” Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks, who has close ties to the donor class, told Fox News.

One reason Trump faces such a large fundraising deficit to Biden is that the president has been able to raise money in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee and Democratic state parties across the country.

But a joint fundraising committee set up last week by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) will allow them to similarly coordinate among themselves and with state GOP chapters from coast to coast.

The committee was formed after the former president and his campaign team took control of the RNC and installed allies in the national party committee’s top leadership positions.

An RNC and Trump campaign official, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, on Thursday acknowledged that “we’ll never be able to raise dollar to dollar with Biden… but we’re going to have what we need to win.”

The official described the burgeoning Trump campaign-RNC fundraising effort as “impressive” and added that “we feel really good about where we’re going to be this time next month.”

Biden’s campaign last week taunted Trump over the latest fundraising figures, which spotlighted the president’s formidable fundraising advantage.

“If Donald Trump put up these kinds of numbers on ‘The Apprentice,’ he’d fire himself,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. 

But next week’s Palm Beach gala will give Trump some fundraising news to showcase, after a slew of critical coverage spotlighting his cash hauls and the strain his multiple criminal and civil cases are putting on his campaign.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Save America, the Trump-aligned political action committee that he’s been using to pay his legal bills, spent more than it raised last month, with nearly all the expenditures going to cover the former president’s legal costs.

But the Trump campaign says fundraising is soaring, with more than $1 million per day hauled in online the past six days and over $10.6 million brought in last week from nearly 300,000 digital donors.

“Donald Trump is a ratings and clicks juggernaut, so we have an ability to make use of earned media in a way that Biden cannot,” the campaign highlighted.

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

The Biden administration finalized long-awaited regulations targeting emissions generated from heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks and buses, the latest salvo in President Biden’s sweeping climate agenda.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the new regulations Friday morning, and officials said they represent the strongest-ever greenhouse gas emissions standards of their kind. The rules will kick in beginning in 2026 for model year 2027 vehicles and progressively become more stringent through model year 2032, forcing a larger number of trucks and buses to be zero-emissions in that time frame.

“EPA’s standards complement President Biden’s unprecedented investment in our workers and communities to reduce harmful emissions, while strengthening our manufacturing capacity for the transportation technologies of the future,” said White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “By tackling pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, we can unlock extraordinary public health, climate, and economic gains.”

“In finalizing these emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses, EPA is significantly cutting pollution from the hardest-working vehicles on the road,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “Building on our recently finalized rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles, EPA’s strong and durable vehicle standards respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by making deep cuts in emissions from the transportation sector.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN UNLEASHES ON BIDEN FOR BACKING CALIFORNIA’S GAS CAR BAN

Overall, EPA said the aggressive standards will avoid a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net societal benefits related to public health, the climate and business savings. The agency claims that the regulations will set the heavy-duty vehicle industry on a “trajectory for sustained growth.”

The new regulations apply to short-haul and long-haul tractor-trailer trucks, in addition to vocational trucks like delivery vehicles, garbage trucks, school and public transit buses, concrete trucks and fire trucks. EPA previously projected that the standards could lead to 50% of vocational trucks, 35% of short-haul tractor-trailers and 25% of long-haul tractor-trailers produced in 2032 being electric.

Less than 1% of new truck sales in the U.S. are zero-emissions, according to the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, which represents the world’s leading manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles.

VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM BUCKS PARTY ORTHODOXY, BLASTING HIS STATE’S PROPOSED EV MANDATE

“With the climate crisis underway and many of our communities facing unprecedented fires, droughts and floods, it’s crucial that truck manufacturers get into the fast lane with zero-emission trucks to deliver the climate, health, and economic benefits we deserve,” said Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign.

Garcia and other environmental activists who lauded the regulations have for years called on the federal government to crack down on the trucking industry, pointing to its heavy carbon footprint. The transportation sector accounts for 29% of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for 23% of those emissions, federal data shows.

However, the announcement immediately received pushback from the trucking industry and energy producers, who argued that it would lead to higher costs for trucking companies. 

“Small business truckers, who happen to care about clean air for themselves and their kids as much as anyone, make up 96% of trucking,” said Todd Spencer, president of Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, an organization that represents more than 150,000 members across all 50 states and Canada. “Yet, this administration seems dead set on regulating every local mom-and-pop business out of existence with its flurry of unworkable environmental mandates.”

MAINE REJECTS SWEEPING ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE IN BLOW TO GOVERNOR’S CLIMATE AGENDA

In comments filed with the EPA last year, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association warned that the administration had overestimated the nearer-term feasible market penetration and adoption rates of electric trucks, and the demand for them. 

In a joint statement, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers called on Congress to immediately overturn the regulations. They also said they were prepared to take the administration to court over the rule.

“This is yet another example of the Biden administration’s whole-of-government effort to eliminate choices for American consumers, businesses and industries,” Thompson and Sommers said. “There is significant uncertainty regarding the technological and infrastructure capability to comply with this rule, which may threaten the speed and cost of goods moving throughout the country.”

130+ HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS JOIN FORCES IN OPPOSITION OF BIDEN’S UPCOMING EV MANDATE

The regulations are also sure to attract considerable criticism from Republican lawmakers, who have for months warned the Biden administration against targeting the heavy-duty vehicle industry. Last week, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he would soon introduce a resolution to rescind the standards once they are finalized.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“In the midst of sustained, crippling inflation, President Biden is choosing to add more regulatory dead weight onto our economy and our critical supply chains,” Sullivan said. “Hard-working families across the country will pay the price if this rule is allowed to stand. The cost of this rule will be felt in the rising price of gas, bread, eggs and other life essentials.”

The final standards are somewhat less stringent than the first proposed standards in April 2023. They come one week after the EPA finalized its multi-pollutant emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles, the strongest of their kind to date.

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose homes were raided this week as part of a federal human trafficking investigation, has been a staunch supporter of Democrats during his career.

Combs’ Los Angeles home was searched Monday by Homeland Security officials, and agents were also seen at his home in Miami. A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the raids were linked to a federal human trafficking investigation. 

Combs has leveraged his stardom and fame to back Democrats during his career, including President Biden during the 2020 elections, in what looked to be an attempt to persuade Black voters.

RAPPER SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS’ HOMES RAIDED BY HOMELAND SECURITY

Combs was part of a group of dozens of Black individuals who sent a letter to Biden in August 2020 urging him to select a Black vice presidential candidate, which appeared to reference reports that then-Sen. Kamala Harris was too “ambitious” to be his choice, The Hill reported.

“Was Joe Biden ever labeled ‘too ambitious’ because he ran for president three times? Should President Obama not have made him VP because he had to worry about his ‘loyalty’ when he clearly had AMBITIONS to be president himself?” the letter said. 

“Why does Senator Kamala Harris have to show remorse for questioning Biden’s previous stance on integrated busing during a Democratic primary debate?”

SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS LAWSUIT NAMES 50 CENT’S EX-GIRLFRIEND AS ONE OF MUSIC MOGUL’S ALLEGED SEX WORKERS

In October 2020, Variety reported that Combs endorsed Biden while saying he “played the game” by endorsing Democrats for their views in the past, but said problems persisted. 

He added that neither major political party has done enough for Black people and launched the so-called Our Black Party to bring Black voters behind a single agenda, the outlet reported.

Combs has also appeared to be friendly with former President Barack Obama. 

In 2004, he interviewed the then-Illinois state senator for MTV’s “Rock the Vote” campaign and later appeared friendly with him in pictures posted to social media.

“This week has been great,” Combs wrote in a September 2017 Facebook post showing a photo of him and Obama. “Shout out to the king Barack Obama!!! #BlackExcellence” 

Combs also said “white men like [Donald] Trump need to be banished” during a 2020 interview with Charlamagne tha God when he endorsed Biden’s candidacy, CNN reported. Trump has appeared in pictures alongside Combs in the past, primarily at public events.

On Tuesday, Combs’ lawyers said that the raids on his homes were “a gross use of military-level force” and maintained his innocence. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” attorney Aaron Dyer said in a statement. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

Dyer said there has been “no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations” and called them a “witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

A Pennsylvania federal appeals court has ruled that mail-in ballots received without accurate handwritten dates on the outside of envelopes are not valid, a ruling that will have a significant impact on this year’s elections in the key battleground state. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled 2-1 on Wednesday, overturning a lower court’s November decision.

The lower court had ruled that even without the proper dates, mail-in ballots should be counted if received on time. The court said that “trivial paperwork” errors disenfranchised voters and violated the Materiality Provision of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states that immaterial errors or omissions should not be used to prevent voting.

KEY ISSUES AHEAD OF PENNSYLVANIA’S GOP PRIMARY INCLUDE ELECTION INTEGRITY, MAIL-IN VOTING LAW

But in Wednesday’s federal appeals court’s opinion, Judge Thomas Ambro wrote that the state legislature passed law and had decided that mail-in voters must write the date on their envelopes to make their vote effective.

“The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania unanimously held this ballot-casting rule is mandatory; thus, failure to comply renders a ballot invalid under Pennsylvania law,” Ambro wrote.

The Materiality Provision “only applies when the State is determining who may vote,” Ambro wrote.

Under a state law passed in 2019, Pennsylvania voters must “fill out, date and sign the declaration printed on [the] envelope” before returning their ballot.

Proponents of mail-in ballots argue it makes voting more convenient, as well as being easier for senior citizens and people with disabilities to vote. However, some Republicans say that the process raises serious election integrity issues, while former President Donald Trump has blasted the system as “totally corrupt” and blames it, in part, for his 2020 election loss. 

In Pennsylvania, Democrats have been far more likely to vote by mail than Republicans.

AHEAD OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, SWING STATE PENNSYLVANIA SETS UP ELECTION SECURITY TASK FORCE

“This is a crucial victory for election integrity and voter confidence in the Keystone State and nationwide,” Michael Whatley, the chair of the Republican National Committee said in a statement.

“Pennsylvanians deserve to feel confident in the security of their mail ballots, and this Third Circuit ruling roundly rejects unlawful left-wing attempts to count undated or incorrectly dated mail ballots.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which helped represent groups and voters who challenged the date mandate, said that voters will lose as a result of the ruling.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“If this ruling stands, thousands of Pennsylvania voters could lose their vote over a meaningless paperwork error,” said Mike Lee, the executive director of the ACLU in Pennsylvania.

“The ballots in question in this case come from voters who are eligible and who met the submission deadline. In passing the Civil Rights Act, Congress put a guardrail in place to be sure that states don’t erect unnecessary barriers that disenfranchise voters. It’s unfortunate that the court failed to recognize that principle.”

In the 2022 midterms, more than 7,600 mailed ballots in 12 counties were tossed because their outer envelopes lacked dates or had incorrect dates, according to the decision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The White House is moving forward with its campaign to confirm judicial nominee Adeel Mangi and pushing back on claims that he is antisemitic or against law enforcement, despite several Democratic senators expressing concern over the nominee’s organizational ties and casting doubt on his chances of garnering enough votes. 

According to a White House official, Biden’s team is keeping the pressure on senators to confirm Mangi, who is nominated to serve on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, dismissing attacks on him as false. The official said those focused on lobbying senators to support the nominee are White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Shuwanza Goff, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs Ali Nouri, White House Counsel Ed Siskel, and White House senior counsel in charge of nominations Phil Brest.

Zients said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Some Senate Republicans and their extreme allies are relentlessly smearing Adeel Mangi with baseless accusations that he is anti-police.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN REVEALS BATTLEGROUND PLANS AMID 2024 CONCERNS

“That could not be further from the truth and the close to a dozen law enforcement organizations that have endorsed him agree,” he said, pointing to several new endorsements of Mangi by three former attorneys general in New Jersey, two former U.S. attorneys who served in the state, the International Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. 

“The Senate must confirm Mr. Mangi without further delay,” Zients said. 

DEMS TARGET FOUR COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEATS TO WRESTLE BACK MAJORITY FROM GOP

Chances of Mangi being confirmed have appeared grim in recent weeks as allegations of antisemitism have been spotlighted due to his previous role on the board of advisers for the Rutgers University Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR). The center has sponsored events, including one on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with controversial speakers like Hatem Bazian, who in 2004 called for an “Intifada,” according to video from an anti-war protest in San Francisco, and Sami Al-Arian, who in 2006 pleaded guilty to “conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” according to the Justice Department. 

The CSRR has also hosted an event with Noura Erakat, who had previously been advertised as a panelist for a separate event alongside Hamas commander Ghazi Hamad.

Mangi has also been accused of being against law enforcement because of his role as a current advisory board member for the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ). The alliance’s founding board member, Kathy Boudin, pleaded guilty to the felony murder of two police officers in 1981 after they died during the robbery of an armored truck. The robbery was carried out by Boudin’s group, the Weather Underground Organization, which was recognized as a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI. 

Neither the CSRR nor AFJ provided comments to Fox News Digital. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “It is unsurprising that Mangi’s record has split Senate Democrats, and the White House should recognize their error, withdraw Mangi’s nomination, and instead nominate a candidate who can garner widespread bipartisan support.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Mangi’s “well-known ties to this extreme organization that supports terrorists and cop killers makes him wholly unqualified to serve as an appellate judge.”

JOHNSON TO FORMALLY HAND MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO SENATE, URGES TRIAL ‘EXPEDITIOUSLY’

Biden’s White House has previously hit back at criticism of Mangi, calling it a “malicious and debunked smear campaign” prompted by the nominee’s potential to become the first Muslim appellate judge. 

While Judiciary Republicans had already sounded alarm bells over Biden’s pick last year after probing Mangi about his connections to the groups, Democratic senators appeared likely to fall in line behind the president’s choice. 

However, after a recent report indicated Biden was being privately warned that Mangi may not have enough votes for confirmation, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., revealed she was one of the lawmakers to reach out to the White House with concerns. 

The senator previously confirmed her stance against the nominee to Fox News Digital, citing his connection to AFJ.

Several other Democratic senators recently refused to say whether they would support Mangi.

The office of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., confirmed to Fox News Digital that he is also committed to voting against Biden’s pick. 

Cortez Masto and Manchin were recently joined by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who said in a statement, “Given the concerns I’ve heard from law enforcement in Nevada, I am not planning to vote to confirm this nominee.”

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, the law firm at which Mangi is a partner, did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

The loss of any Democratic support is a concern for Mangi’s confirmation prospects, given the Senate’s close 51-49 split in favor of the Democratic caucus.

MAN SENTENCED TO 11 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR THREATENING PHONE CALLS TO PELOSI AND MAYORKAS

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on Biden last week to withdraw the nomination, and now Republicans are reinforcing their campaign against Mangi’s confirmation. 

“The White House can’t defend Adeel Mangi’s record. So, they’re launching personal attacks against anyone who notices the ties to cop-killers and antisemites that Mr. Mangi has forged of his own free will,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said in a statement. 

He added, “It’s not Islamophobic for senators to recognize” a nominee’s failure to meet qualifications. 

“Now even his own Democrat party is rebelling against [Biden],” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., remarked in a statement, attributing it to the president’s “push for radical, anti-Israel nominees.”

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary GOP revealed three additional law enforcement groups were opposing Biden’s choice, bringing the total to 17. The Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and Pennsylvania State Troopers Association penned a joint letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Ranking Member Graham; and Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, who are both Democrats. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The court that Mangi has been nominated to serve on is located in Philadelphia. 

The Pennsylvania-based groups noted their letter is on behalf of over 40,000 members requesting that the Senate “reject the nomination” of Mangi, citing his AFJ affiliation. 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of 20 House Republicans is urging the Biden administration to roll back protections for the gray wolf, pointing to the species’ growing population size and conflicts with ranchers and farmers.

The GOP coalition, led by Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., argued in a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams that the gray wolf no longer needed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. He wrote that “protection merely for the sake of protection” is not the purpose of the law. Instead, he encouraged the agency to focus its efforts on protecting species in danger of extinction.

“The substantial growth in the population of gray wolves throughout Oregon and the western United States poses significant challenges for ranchers, farmers, and outdoorsmen alike,” Bentz, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee’s Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“It’s imperative that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service promptly act to delist the gray wolf so that those in the western United States who are burdened by the reintroduction of an admittedly recovered apex predator species can protect themselves.”

BIDEN ADMIN ACCELERATES PLAN TO UNLEASH GRIZZLY BEARS NEAR RURAL COMMUNITY OVER WIDESPREAD LOCAL OPPOSITION

Bentz and his 19 fellow Republicans said the resurgence of the gray wolf population should be touted as a success story of the Endangered Species Act. They argued that removing the federal protections would allow western states to pursue their own protections.

And they emphasized that without a FWS rule delisting the species, the growing population of wolves would create significant, and sometimes life-threatening, conflicts for Americans. Under the Endangered Species Act, killing listed animals can be punishable by heavy fines and even jail time. 

BIDEN ADMIN BACKS OFF PROTECTIONS FOR APEX PREDATOR, ANGERING ENVIRONMENTALISTS

“Unsurprisingly, the substantial growth in gray wolf populations has led to increased conflict between wolves and people,” the letter reads. “The impact of gray wolves on livestock herds is not, and cannot, be limited to just depredation. Wolves inflict much greater damage to herds than can be measured by simply counting carcasses.

“Wolves have an immense psychological impact on livestock herds that does result in losses for producers. These losses can manifest as ‘stress, sickness, and reduced weight gain and pregnancy rates when wolves scare, chase or attack livestock.’ Too often ranchers are put in the impossible situation of choosing between obeying the law and protecting their livelihoods.”

SENATE STRIKES DOWN BIDEN MOVE ALLOWING POTENTIALLY DISEASED BEEF INTO US

The letter concluded by stating that ranchers “must be able to protect their livestock” and should not “be hamstrung by unnecessary regulations that over-protect a species that is thriving.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In 2020, the Trump administration agreed that gray wolves had fully recovered and, as such, delisted them as “endangered.” Then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said at the time that the species was neither threatened nor endangered, based on the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.

In early 2022, though, a federal district court reinstated the Endangered Species Act protections in the lower 48 states.

And, in a separate but related decision last month, the FWS declined to list the gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains’ ecosystem over objections from environmentalists. Bentz and the other GOP lawmakers said that decision means the species should be delisted across the country.

Calls placed to the FWS were not returned at press time. 

Former President Donald Trump attended the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller on Thursday afternoon at a Massapequa Park funeral home, while calling for law and order. 

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. 

“We need law and order,” he added. 

Diller was fatally shot on Monday during a traffic stop in Queens after a man with 21 prior arrests allegedly shot him in the stomach as Diller was trying to get the suspect, Guy Rivera, 34, to exit the vehicle. Rivera opened fire on Diller and his partner at about 5:45 p.m. Monday. The officers approached the vehicle because it was illegally parked at a bus stop. 

Diller was 31 years old and lived in Massapequa Park with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, Fox News Digital previously reported. He had served three years with the NYPD before his death. 

JONATHAN DILLER SHOOTING: NYPD SERGEANTS’ UNION TELLS ANTI-POLICE DEMOCRATS TO STAY AWAY FROM FUNERAL

The Trump campaign first announced Wednesday that the 45th president would attend the wake. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was anticipated to also attend the wake following Trump. 

“President Trump is moved by the invitation to join NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s family and colleagues as they deal with his senseless and tragic death,” Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s spokeswoman, said. 

Trump has railed against cities’ crime rates under the Biden administration, including last month in remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference. 

SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS

“Four years ago, I told you that if crooked Joe Biden got to the White House, our borders would be abolished, our middle class would be decimated and our communities would be plagued by bloodshed, chaos and violent crime,” Trump said last month. “We were right about everything.”

He told the New York Post in a recent interview that the “radical lunatic left” is ruining cities and preventing police officers from doing their jobs. 

Rivera, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, was injured when the officers returned fire. He was charged with first degree murder of a police officer, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the case, police announced this week. 

Another man who was in the vehicle at the time of Diller’s death, Lindy Jones, was also charged following the death, including for criminal possession of a weapon and defacing a weapon.

“We just can’t 21 times arrested this thug. And the person in the car with him was arrested many times and they don’t learn because they don’t respect. … And this should never happen. I just visited with a very beautiful wife that now doesn’t have her husband. Stephanie was just incredible. Their child, brand new, beautiful, baby. Sitting there innocent,” Trump said Thursday. 

Leavitt, in a message posted to her X account on Thursday, highlighted that President Biden “will be at a fancy fundraiser with [former Presidents] Obama and Clinton” during the wake. 

NYPD OFFICER SHOT, KILLED DURING CAR STOP IN QUEENS BY SUSPECT WITH MULTIPLE PRIOR ARRESTS: POLICE

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that President Biden had spoken with Adams about the death, adding she did not have “private communications to share” regarding whether Biden had spoken to Diller’s family. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Diller will be laid to rest Saturday in Massapequa.

President Biden appeared with his predecessors — former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — at a star-studded fundraiser in New York City on Thursday night expected to fetch more than $25 million toward his re-election campaign. 

The one-night event was held at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. More than 5,000 people were expected at the sold-out gala. The event isn’t cheap. 

Organizers charged a minimum of $250 to attend and up to $500,000 for a more intimate, exclusive reception. For $100,000, guests can get a photo with all three presidents taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Stephen Colbert, host of “The Late Show,” moderated a discussion with Biden and two former commanders-in-chief in front of thousands of guests.

BIDEN MINGLES WITH OBAMA, CLINTON AT RITZY NYC FUNDRAISER ON SAME DAY FALLEN COP IS MOURNED JUST 40 MILES AWAY

Entry to a smaller, virtual event with Biden, Clinton and Obama costs $25. 

Musicians Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele are slated to perform, Reuters reported. 

Lots of cash

Biden, who has routinely raised more campaign cash than former President Trump, raised more than $53 million in February, and $10 million in the 24 hours following his March 7 State of the Union address. 

“This historic raise is a show of strong enthusiasm for President Biden and Vice-President [Kamala] Harris and a testament to the unprecedented fundraising machine we’ve built,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood film mogul who serves as Biden campaign co-chair, said in a statement. 

BIDEN CHOOSING FUNDRAISER OVER NYPD WAKE ‘INSULTING,’ SAYS EX-FBI AGENT

“Unlike our opponent, every dollar we’re raising is going to reach the voters who will decide this election — communicating the president’s historic record, his vision for the future and laying plain the stakes of this election. The numbers don’t lie: today’s event is a massive show of force and a true reflection of the momentum to re-elect the Biden-Harris ticket.”

Obama is still very popular with young voters and progressives, who have voiced disdain over Biden’s support for Israel after its response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Thursday’s fundraiser was met with pro-Palestinian protests outside Radio City Music Hall. 

Protesters interrupt Biden, others

Video footage taken from outside Radio City Music hall showed protesters clashing with police and accusing Biden of being complicit in the deaths of residents of the Gaza Strip at the hands of Israeli forces. 

During the event, several people interrupted the presidents’ during the question-and-answer portion of the night. 

“You can’t just talk and not listen,” Obama said before the audience gave him a standing ovation. 

Another shouted: “You’re out of your f—– minds,” while being escorted out of the building. 

As the event got underway, emcee Mindy Kaling joked that it was nice to be in a room with “so many rich people,” adding that she loved they were supporting a president who “openly” promised to “raise your taxes.”

“The reason we are here is to re-elect President Joe Biden,” she said. 

Trump attends police officer’s wake

As Biden was preparing for the event Thursday, Trump was some 40 miles away on Long Island to attend the wake for slain New York police officer Jason Diller, who was fatally shot this week during a traffic stop in Queens. 

After the service, Trump emphasized law and order. 

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. “We need law and order.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The White House offered its condolences to Diller’s family and NYPD, saying Biden has stood law enforcement his entire career.

“The President has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities,” she said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers and ensure that they have resources they need to continue — to continue to do the work — the all-important that — work that they have to do on behalf of the community.”

A U.S. judge ruled against the Biden administration in a decision about a highway climate rule on Wednesday.

The rule was issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in December 2023. It requires states to measure and report the greenhouse gas emissions from any vehicles using the U.S. highway system.

The rule also asked states to establish declining carbon dioxide targets, and to report back about progress on those goals. Texas sued the DOT in response.

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, ruled in favor of Texas and wrote on Wednesday that “the rule was unauthorized.”

TEXAS GOVT PUSHING ACTION THAT COULD ‘KNEECAP’ NEW FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION, DESTABILIZE GRID, EXPERTS WARN

While issuing the rule three months ago, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that it “will provide states with a clear and consistent framework to track carbon pollution and the flexibility to set their own climate targets.”

In a December statement, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the DOT “does not have the statutory authority to institute such a rule, and the mandate violates the Administrative Procedure Act.”

“Further, the rule is arbitrary and capricious and violates the Spending Clause by impermissibly restricting the use of federal funds by requiring TxDOT to implement the greenhouse gas measure.”

CALIFORNIA’S GRID FACES COLLAPSE AS LEADERS PUSH RENEWABLES, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, EXPERTS SAY

Texas is also suing the Biden administration over a climate-related reason in a separate lawsuit. Last week, a group of 16 Republican states filed a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE)’s pause of major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects.

“Biden’s unilateral decree disregards statutory mandates, flouts the legal process, upends the oil and gas industry, disrupts the Texas economy, and subverts our constitutional structure,” Paxton said on Mar. 21.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOT for comment.

Reuters and Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.

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

What’s happening? 

-Biden has stopped promoting ‘Bidenomics’ despite still insisting it works

-Speaker Johnson set dates for delivering Mayorkas impeachment date to Senate

-Chris Christie shuts down consideration for ‘No Labels’ candidacy

Trump in black

Former President Donald Trump attended the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller Thursday afternoon at a Massapequa Park funeral home, while calling for law and order. 

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. 

“We need law and order,” Trump added. 

Diller was fatally shot on Monday during a traffic stop in Queens after a man with 21 prior arrests allegedly shot him in the stomach as Diller was trying to get the suspect, Guy Rivera, 34, to exit the vehicle. Rivera opened fire on Diller and his partner at about 5:45 p.m. Monday. The officers approached the vehicle because it was illegally parked at a bus stop. 

Diller was 31 years old and lived in Massapequa Park with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, Fox News Digital previously reported. He had served three years with the NYPD before his death. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden had spoken with Adams about the death, adding she did not have “private communications to share” regarding whether Biden had spoken to Diller’s family. 

White House

CALLING ON POTUS: House GOP invites Biden to testify in his own impeachment inquiry …Read more

DOESN’T WORK: Biden has all but stopped promoting ‘Bidenomics’ but still insists it’s effective …Read more

BOOK BUST: Books about Biden presidency go ‘bust’ as Trump ‘best-sellers’ prove more popular …Read more

‘ADVANCE EQUITY’: Biden admin unveils new AI regulations for federal agencies …Read more

‘100% BEHIND HIM’: Former ICE chief speaks out on Gov. Abbott’s border battle with Biden …Read more

Capitol Hill

WALLS ‘WORK’: Abbott gets backing from key GOP senator on Biden border battle …Read more

MARCHING AHEAD: Johnson sets date for delivering impeachment articles to Senate …Read more

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: House Republicans plead with Mayorkas to address ‘unprecedented surge’ across northern US-Canada border …Read more

ANTI-‘SOCIAL’: Most Americans support House plan to ban TikTok if it isn’t sold, poll finds …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

MASSIVE HAUL: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, light up fundraising jackpot for Biden in his rematch with Trump …Read more

‘NOT THE WAY FORWARD’: Chris Christie pulls out of consideration for ‘No Labels’ White House bid …Read more

Across America

PROTECTED SPEECH: Trump’s election interference case in Georgia should be tossed on First Amendment grounds, lawyer says …Read more

‘ULTRA-LEFT-WING BAN’: Trump vows to strike down California EV mandate on ‘day one’ …Read more

‘CANCEL THIS PROGRAM’: Dem Gov. blasted program giving cash to house ‘newcomer’ migrants after illegal immigrant murder …Read more

CURVEBALL: Opinion — The Supreme Court’s abortion pill curveball …Read more

‘STAY FOCUSED’: Fani Willis scolded by Democrat for making herself ‘a character’ in GA election case …Read more

CAMPUS ON FIRE: Stanford student calls for Biden to be killed for advancing ‘genocide’ of Palestinians …Read more

SEEING RED: Union sends wake-up call to woke Dems thinking of attending cop’s funeral …Read more

COP KILLING: Suspect in NYPD murder came close to gunning down his partner: docs …Read more

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

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

BALTIMORE, MD – Former two-term Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he’s urging fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill to support federal funding to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“I’m going to push them as hard as I can. I’ve already called a couple of Republican Senate leaders and started working them,” Hogan, who’s running for a Democratic-controlled open Senate seat in his home state, emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday.

Six construction workers were presumed killed when the bridge collapsed on Tuesday moments after a large container ship which lost power as it was leaving Baltimore harbor slammed into a pillar. 

President Biden quickly pledged that the federal government would pay the “entire cost” to rebuild the near half-century old structure. Much of the funding will come from the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency fund, which needs to be replenished on an annual basis.

POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR LEADS DEMOCRATIC RIVALS IN BLUE STATE SENATE SHOWDOWN

But a battle appears to be brewing in Congress over the federal government’s role in rebuilding the bridge, as some conservative spending hawks already angry over the recent approval of a massive 2024 spending package are pushing back against Biden’s proposal.

Hogan, who served eight years as Maryland governor, has been out of office for 15 months.

“You go through dealing with crises and emergencies for eight years and there’s a reflex – I have to instantly take action,” Hogan said of his tenure as governor. He added that “it’s a little strange” not to be part of the crisis management team.

Hogan noted that “I did immediately reach out to Gov. Wes Moore [his Democratic successor] and let him know that when it comes to a crisis like this, we’re all one Team Maryland and anything that I could do to possibly help him.”

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE

Hogan also noted that during his term as chair of the National Governors Association, he made infrastructure his signature issue.

And he was a major supporter of President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, and helped shape the two-and-a-half old measure.

Hogan spotlighted that the infrastructure law “has a lot of funding for this work right now. We’ve already got some federal funding that will really come in handy.”

The former governor was interviewed moments after spending an hour greeting Baltimore Orioles fans, including a large contingent of first responders, at a former firehouse turned pub blocks from Camden Yards, just ahead of the major league baseball team’s home opener.

Hogan won election and re-election in 2014 and 2018 as governor in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.

A successful business leader before entering politics, he seriously mulled a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made numerous trips in 2022 to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the GOP nominating calendar.

But in March of last year, Hogan announced he wouldn’t seek his party’s presidential nomination.

MARYLAND SHOCKER: FORMER GOVERNOR MAKES SURPRISE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT

During his last year as governor, Republican leaders in the nation’s capital and in Maryland heavily courted Hogan to run for the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections against Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

But Hogan declined, saying in a news conference in February of that year that “as I have repeatedly said, I don’t aspire to be a United States senator.”

Asked about his change of heart when it comes to running for the Senate, Hogan told Fox News “I was governor at the time and I loved being governor and I had a lot more work to still do.”

“I don’t need a title and I don’t need a job, but I’m more concerned than ever about the direction of the country and I just became more convinced that I could make a difference there,” he emphasized. “A lot of people are leaving the House and the Senate and I thought it was time for somebody to go in the other direction and maybe bring some sanity back to the divisiveness and dysfunction.” 

Hogan has long been a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, who is now the Republican Party’s 2024 presumptive presidential nominee.

That means as Hogan runs for the Senate, he’ll have Trump atop the ballot come November.

“It’s a tough hurdle to overcome because he lost my state by 33 points,” he emphasized. “It’s not going to be helpful to me, but I think we’re going to be able to overcome that challenge.”

SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER 

A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll indicates Hogan remains very popular among voters in his home state, and holds double-digit leads over both of his potential Democratic rivals – Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

“I would not put a lot of stock in polls right now. We’ve got a lot to do. We have not elected a Republican senator from Maryland since 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected president,” Hogan pointed out. “It’s a tough state – the bluest state in America. But I think if we work hard, we have the ability to get people to vote their hearts and vote for the person they think can do the job and not just vote straight party line.”

Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. 

Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election. And five more are in key general election battlegrounds. Now, Democrats also have to worry about holding the open Senate seat in blue Maryland.

Since he jumped into the race earlier this year, Democrats have attacked Hogan over the combustible issue of abortion, criticizing him for not supporting federal legislation to codify the now-overturned landmark Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized abortion.

“In November, Marylanders will reject Larry Hogan because they know that a vote for Larry Hogan is a vote for a Republican Senate majority to pass a national abortion ban,” the Maryland Democratic Party charged.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But Hogan told Fox News that “I absolutely do not” support a federal abortion ban being pushed by some Republicans.

“All the Democrats started attacking me the first day just because I was Republican and saying I would,” Hogan charged.

Hogan has said he personally opposes abortion. And as governor, he vetoed legislation to end a restriction that only physicians provide abortions. His veto was overridden by the Democratic-controlled legislature.

But Hogan said that “when I ran for governor I made a promise that I was going to do nothing to take away the rights of women in our state and I kept that commitment for eight years.”

Abortion, which is protected in Maryland, will be on the ballot in the state in November. Democratic state lawmakers voted last year to put a state constitutional amendment before voters. 

“Certainly it’s going to be an issue in the campaign that we’ll be addressing. But I’m not one of the ones Democratic cookie-cutter talking points are going to be able to impact,” Hogan argued.

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

President Biden and former President Trump were in the New York City area on Thursday, but they attended very different events. 

Biden was in town for a Democratic fundraising event, while Trump attended a wake for New York City Police Officer Jonathan Dille at a Massapequa Park, Long Island funeral home, some 40 miles from Manhattan. 

Biden was slated to be at a glitzy Democratic fundraising event at Radio Music Hall that will be attended by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as A-list celebrities.

SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS

During a press gaggle on Air Force One en route to New York, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t address why Biden missed the wake, but said the president “grieves for them (the NYPD) and honors their sacrifice.”

“The President has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities,” she said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers and ensure that they have resources they need to continue — to continue to do the work — the all-important that — work that they have to do on behalf of the community.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and police unions. 

Meanwhile, Trump attended Diller’s wake, which had a massive law enforcement presence to pay their respects. 

NEW YORKERS SHOUT AT SUSPECT IN FATAL SHOOTING OF NYPD OFFICER, WHO NOW FACES CHARGES

“Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. “We need law and order.”

Jean-Pierre said violent crime under Trump surged while the Biden administration took “decisive action from the very beginning to fund the police and achieving a historic reduction in crime under his leadership. And so, we’re going to continue to do that.”

Diller, 31, a father to a one-year-old boy, was killed Monday after Guy Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire and killed him during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens. Both the driver of the vehicle and Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, had at least 20 prior arrests, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 

Before his wake, the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) sent a letter telling far-left Democratic leaders in New York City to stay away from the funeral because of their soft-on-crime policies.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’m sure that many elected officials will attend PO Diller’s funeral, shed a few crocodile tears, and prominently seat themselves for a good photo opportunity,” SBA President Vincent Vallelong wrote in a letter to union members. “The sad reality is we don’t want them there.”