NationalWatch

At least a dozen staffers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs improperly accessed the medical records of both vice presidential nominees, Republican Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, over the summer, according to a report. 

Those employees are under criminal investigation for potentially violating federal health privacy laws, The Washington Post reported. The unauthorized views came from staffers within the Veterans Health Administration and were uncovered by Veterans Affairs investigators, who notified the Vance and Walz campaigns, sources familiar with the probe told the Post. 

It’s the first time veterans were both parties’ vice presidential nominees since Democrat Al Gore and Republican Jack Kemp during the 1996 election. 

Law enforcement officials told the Post that VA Inspector General Michael Missal’s office shared evidence with federal prosecutors related to several health system employees, including a physician and a contractor who “spent extended time” viewing the medical files of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mates. 

FOX NEWS MEDIA WILL PRESENT SPECIAL LIVE PROGRAMMING OF VANCE-WALZ DEBATE

The potential motive for accessing the medical records is under investigation, and investigators are still trying to determine if Vance and Walz’s information was shared as a result of the breaches, the Post reported. 

Veterans Affairs improperly staff reportedly improperly accessed records of Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.  (Getty Images )

“We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement to Fox News Digital, regarding the report. “We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records. Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” 

Hayes referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Justice for further queries.

The VA employees under investigation, including the physician and contractor, accessed the medical records using their VA computers and did so mostly from their government offices, the Post reported. Some of the staffers in question reportedly told investigators they were simply curious to see the files of Vance and Walz given both candidates have defended their military records on the campaign trail. 

JD VANCE ACCUSES TIM WALZ OF ‘LYING’ ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE: ‘STOLEN VALOR GARBAGE’

Walz in particular faced criticism for ending his 24-year career in the Army National Guard to run for Congress months before his unit would deploy to Iraq. 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2019.  (ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)

Vance, who served four years in the U.S. Marines and deployed to Iraq for about six months in 2005, has accused Walz of being “dishonest” about having served in combat zones. 

Law enforcement officials told the Post that the VA staffers under investigation did not access any disability compensation records, which have more security protocols than health information. 

A source at VA shared with Fox News Digital an internal memo sent out Aug. 30, 2024, by VA Secretary Denis McDonough “upholding our commitment to protect privacy.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The message reminded VA staffers that veteran information “should only be accessed when necessary to accomplish officially authorized and assigned duties as an employee, contractor, volunteer, or other personnel.” The secretary said “viewing a Veteran’s records out of curiosity or concern – or for any purpose that is not directly related to officially authorized and assigned duties – is strictly prohibited.” 

The memo also warned VA employees that “failure to comply with these requirements may result in disciplinary action, including removal, as well as referral to law enforcement for civil penalties and criminal prosecution.” 

Social media critics are dragging second gentleman Doug Emhoff for his previously admitted affair with his family’s nanny after he joined MSNBC host Jen Psaki for an interview where he was lauded for reshaping “the perception of masculinity.”

“​​Psaki to Doug Emhoff: ‘You reshaped the perception of masculinity’ PS: He impregnated his kid’s nanny,” popular conservative X account End Wokeness posted Sunday. 

The account was reacting to a snippet from Emhoff’s interview with Psaki, who previously served as President Biden’s White House press secretary before joining MSNBC, where Psaki heaped praise on Emhoff for reshaping masculinity. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ HUSBAND DOUG EMHOFF ‘RESHAPED THE PERCEPTION OF MASCULINITY’: MSNBC HOST

Emhoff commented on being considered a “wife guy.” (MSNBC screenshot)

“There is also an important, interesting part about how people have talked about your role is how your role has reshaped the perception of masculinity,” Psaki said. “I’m not sure you planned on that, but you are an incredibly supportive spouse. Has that been an evolution for you? Do you think that’s part of the role you might play as first gentleman?”

“It’s funny. I’ve started to think a lot about this. I’ve always been like this. My dad’s always been like this. To me, it’s the right thing to do, support women. It is mutual with Kamala and I. We support each other, we have each other’s back,” Emhoff responded. 

He added, “I’ve said many times when we lift up women, we support women, whether it’s pay equity, child care, family leave, and all of these issues in this post-Dobbs hellscape. Women should not be less than. Women should not have less rights and be treated differently. That’s not the American way.”

MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: TRUMP APPEALS TO MEN WITH ‘RETRO, MACHO’ VIEWS, WHILE EMHOFF EMBODIES ‘SUPPORTIVE’ MEN

Clips of the exchange spread like wildfire on social media as critics cited that just last month, Emhoff admitted to having an affair with his family’s nanny during his first marriage years ago. The nanny’s close friend claimed to the media that the nanny became pregnant during the affair with Emhoff, but did not keep the baby. 

Critics also slammed Psaki for the “softball interiew.” 

“Emhoff also once impregnated his child’s nanny. Jen still says she’s a journalist,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X in reaction to the clip. 

Psaki continued in the interview that aired Sunday by asking Emhoff if he’s familiar with “a pop-culture phrase, ‘wife guy,’ which you’ve kind of been known as.”

KAMALA HARRIS’ HUSBAND DOUG EMHOFF ADMITS TO EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR THAT LED TO BREAKUP OF FIRST MARRIAGE

Vice President Kamala Harris hugs second gentleman Doug Emhoff after speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

“I have heard about it,” Emhoff said.

“A ‘wife guy,’ a ‘proud wife guy.’ How do you feel about it?” she asked.

DOUG EMHOFF’S EX-WIFE RESPONDS AFTER SECOND GENTLEMAN ADMITTED TO AFFAIR WITH NANNY

Emhoff joked, “If I do something annoying to Kamala, and she gets upset, I’ll just show her that article.”

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris during a reception celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 20, 2024. (Getty Images)

Emhoff admitted to having an affair with his family’s nanny shortly after the Daily Mail published a report in August that he got his daughter’s nanny pregnant. The nanny’s close friend told the outlet that she did not keep the baby, but did not elaborate further. 

The affair with a nanny occurred before Emhoff’s relationship with and eventual marriage to Harris. 

“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” Emhoff said over the summer, acknowledging the affair, but not naming the nanny. 

HOW KAMALA HARRIS’ HUSBAND’S CHEATING SCANDAL COULD HELP TRUMP, EXPERT SAYS

Emhoff and his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, were married from 1992 to 2008 and share two adult children. Harris married Emhoff in 2014, and helped co-parent his children, who call their stepmom “mommala.” 

The divorce cited “irreconcilable differences” as the motivation behind parting ways, the New York Post reported. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Harris knew about the affair before they married, and the Biden 2020 campaign knew about it when it was vetting her for Biden’s vice presidential pick.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on the interview and social media reactions as well as for comment on the affair itself, but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report. 

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

Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will face off in a vice presidential debate Tuesday evening, with Fox News airing special programming across its key platforms, including the Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital. 

Vance and Walz will travel to New York City for their first and only scheduled debate of the election cycle. The debate will be held at 9 p.m. EST. The debate will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan. 

The Fox News Channel, FOX Business Network, Fox News Digital, Fox News Audio and Fox Nation will air special programming of the debate. 

VANCE VS. WALZ: THINK VP DEBATES DON’T MATTER? JUST LOOK AT THESE 6 EXAMPLES

Gov. Tim Walz, left, was the first to accept debate terms set by CBS News, proposed for Oct. 1. (Getty Images)

Fox News will begin broadcasting special coverage at 8 p.m. Tuesday, kicking off with debate preview analysis from “Jesse Watters Primetime” until 8:20, when the Fox News Channel will then air “FOX News Democracy 2024,” which will be hosted by Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Jesse Watters and Laura Ingraham. 

EXPERTS PREVIEW VANCE-WALZ DEBATE, SAY USUALLY ‘FORGETTABLE’ VP BOUT ‘MIGHT BE DIFFERENT’ THIS TIME

Fox News’ Sean Hannity will also join the coverage live from the debate’s spin room. Congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie and senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich will also report live from the spin room. 

The Fox News Channel will present “FOX News Democracy 2024: CBS Vice Presidential Debate” between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tuesday, which is a simulcast of CBS’s vice presidential debate. 

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance laughs with a supporter at a campaign stop on Saturday, Sept. 28. (Trump-Vance Campaign)

JD VANCE DEBATE PREP STRATEGY INCLUDES TAPPING PROMINENT LAWMAKER TO PLAY WALZ

The debate will last 90 minutes and wrap up at 10:30 p.m. The debate will include two four-minute commercial breaks, and campaign staff will not be permitted to interact with their respective candidates during the breaks, per debate rules. 

Microphones for Vance and Walz will not be muted during the debate, unlike the recent presidential debates, but CBS could turn off their mics if moderators find it is warranted. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivers the keynote address at the 2024 Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in Washington D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Vance won the coin toss and will deliver the final remarks. 

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

Former President Trump has narrowed Vice President Kamala Harris’ small lead in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, new polling by the New York Times/Siena College finds. 

Among likely voters in Michigan, Harris received 48% support, while Trump garnered 47%, locking the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees in an essential tie well within the poll’s margin of error. Harris polled at 49% among likely voters in Wisconsin, while Trump received 47% support in the same state where polls usually overestimate backing for Democrats, according to the Times. 

The Times pointed to the economy, which remains the most important issue for voters, as Trump’s strength on economic issues helps him edge away at Harris’ slim lead in the two northern battlegrounds. 

The new poll contrasts with August’s New York Times/Siena College survey, which has Harris leading Trump by four percentage points, 50% to 46% among likely voters, in the battlegrounds of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania as well. That poll was the first conducted as the race reshaped with Harris becoming the presidential nominee following President Biden’s July departure from the contest.  

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS, TRUMP IN CLOSE RACE IN NORTH CAROLINA

Former President Donald Trump speaks to attendees during a campaign rally at the Prairie Du Chien Area Arts Center on Sept. 28, 2024, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.  (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Now with less than 40 days until the Nov. 5 election, New York Times/Siena College polling places Harris ahead of Trump by nine percentage points in Nebraska’s Second Congressional District, whose sole electoral vote could be critical in the Electoral College. The Times says Harris could receive exactly 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House if she picks up that district – given the vice president also wins Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and Trump is victorious in the Sun Belt battleground states. 

Though Ohio does not fall into the battleground state category for the presidential race, it’s home to one of the nation’s most competitive Senate contests between Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown and GOP challenger Bernie Moreno. New York Times/Siena College polling has Trump six points ahead of Harris in Ohio, whereas Brown leads Moreno by four points.

TRUMP VISITS WISCONSIN TOWN SHAKEN BY MIGRANT CRIME: ‘CROSSED KAMALA’S WIDE-OPEN BORDER’

Vice President Kamala Harris poses during the “Unite for America” live-streaming rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on Sept. 19, 2024.  (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrats have enjoyed an advantage for months in presidential contest polling in Wisconsin, which has been determined by less than a percentage point in four of the last six elections, including the 2020 race, the Times notes. Meanwhile, Biden carried Michigan by three points in 2020, while Trump won that Wolverine State in 2016 by three-tenths of a point. 

Abortion was placed as the second most important issue among Michigan and Wisconsin voters. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The new poll found 18% of voters in the two states listed abortion as their top issue, noting an uptick since May when 13% of voters in Michigan and Wisconsin marked it as their determining cause. On abortion, Harris leads Trump by 20 points in Michigan, but now only by 13 points in Wisconsin. Harris had a 22-point lead over Trump in August on the abortion issue in the Badger State. 

Nebraska and Washington, D.C., began early voting on Monday. Here is the information you need to register and vote in both.

Nebraska’s 2nd district could be critical on the path to 270

Nebraska is red territory. Former President Trump won the state by 19 points in the last presidential election and 25 points in 2016.

But the state has long allocated its electoral votes differently than most other states, and that could give Harris an opportunity.

The scenario goes like this: Vice President Harris wins Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and the less competitive states that President Biden won in 2020 (i.e. excluding Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina). 

That gives her 269 electoral votes, resulting in a tie that would, in the end, very likely hand Trump the election.

To win with the majority of the electoral college, either Harris or Trump needs 270 votes.

Nebraska’s 2nd district would provide that one extra vote.

(Maine and Nebraska are the only states that award electoral college votes both to the winner of the statewide vote, and the winner of the same vote but separated by congressional district.)

The district has voted for two Democrats and two Republicans in the last four elections:

• In 2020, Biden won with 51.95% to Trump’s 45.45%.
• In 2016, Trump won with 47.16% to Clinton’s 44.92%.
• In 2012, Romney won with 52.85% to Obama’s 45.70%.
• In 2008, Obama won with 49.97% to McCain’s 48.75%.

Omaha and its suburbs make up a significant part of the district’s population, and the city has a disproportionately high percentage of people with a college education. That gives Harris the edge. Nebraska’s 2nd district is ranked Lean D on the Fox News Power Rankings.

Nebraska’s 2nd district is also, of course, home to a U.S. House race. Center-right Republican Rep. Don Bacon has held the seat since 2017, but as last week’s Power Rankings revealed, he is locked in a close battle with second-time rival and Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas. The district is ranked a Toss Up.

Finally, Nebraskans will also vote in two U.S. Senate races this year. The one to watch is the regular election between incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, who has won the seat twice beginning in 2012, and independent challenger Dan Osborn, a Navy veteran and local union leader. Fischer has a clear advantage, but the race moved to Likely R last week.

How to vote in Nebraska

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 Nebraska.

Voting by mail

Nebraska began absentee voting on Monday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 25, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Early in-person voting

Nebraska will begin early in-person voting on Oct. 7, and it will run through Nov. 4.

Voter registration

Nebraska residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 18. They can register in-person through Oct. 25.

Voters can head to the polls early by mail or in-person in most of the U.S. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

How to vote in Washington, D.C.

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, D.C.

Voting by mail

Washington, D.C., began absentee voting on Monday. Registered voters do not need to apply for a ballot, as the district will begin sending ballots to all active registered voters this week. Ballots can be returned by mail or in person through election day.

Early in-person voting

Washington, D.C. will begin early in-person voting on Oct. 28, and it will run through Nov. 3.

Voter registration

Residents of the nation’s capital can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 15. They can also register in-person during early voting (Oct. 28-Nov. 3) and on election day.

The halls of Congress will be empty the next six weeks as lawmakers brace for a very different situation in Washington — and potentially in the United States — when lawmakers return after Election Day.

The House and Senate are in recess until Nov. 11. 

The break gives vulnerable legislators ample time to campaign before voters head to the polls on the first Tuesday of November. Leaders on both sides of the aisle, meanwhile, are busy making plans for the final weeks of the 118th Congress, known as the “lame duck” session.

When lawmakers file back in, it will be on the cusp of a new presidential administration and possibly a new balance of power in Congress.

DOES IRAN’S HACKING OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN PROVE THEY WANT KAMALA HARRIS TO WIN THE ELECTION? EXPERTS WEIGH IN

Speaker Mike Johnson’s handling of key issues when Congress returns will likely depend on whether Vice President Harris or former President Trump wins the election. (Getty Images)

They’ll also spend the bulk of their time during the five weeks in session between Election Day and the end-of-year holidays wrestling with at least three deadlines.

Federal funding for discretionary government programs — those controlled by Congress’ annual appropriations process, unlike mandatory programs including Social Security, Medicare and certain state and local government payments — will dry up by Dec. 20 if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement before then.

The deadline originally lined up with the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30, but Congress punted that fight with a short-term extension of the current year’s federal funding levels.

The way that battle plays out will depend heavily on which party controls Congress and the White House next year.

IRAN TRIED TO INFLUENCE ELECTION BY SENDING STOLEN MATERIAL FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO BIDEN’S CAMP, FBI SAYS

“I want to win the election overwhelmingly so we’re in a position to negotiate for all the stuff that has to be done, and winning sets us up for a successful negotiation,” House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital.

It’s likely that if former President Trump wins, Republicans will push for another extension into the new year to give the incoming commander-in-chief control over fiscal year 2025 federal spending.

The House GOP majority will likely be more inclined to take an active role regarding government funding if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, though it’s unclear how successful any effort will be considering it’s likely to meet significant resistance in the current Democrat-controlled Senate.

House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said national security should be one of the top policy priorities of Congress when it returns. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Congress will also have to wrestle with a new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets military and national security policy annually.

Steil contends defense spending and policy, in particular, should take priority when lawmakers return.

“Our adversaries are working against U.S. interests across the globe, and they’re doing that because they see the weakness of the Biden administration’s foreign policy,” Steil said. “So, our need to come back with a strong defense bill to protect our troops, in the interest of national security, is going to be absolutely essential.”

Another key battle on the horizon is the annual farm bill, a broad piece of legislation setting American food and agricultural policy that must be renewed every five years.

The farm bill affects federal food benefits, crop prices and forestry conservation, among other issues.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: THE EDGE IS CLEAR ON THIS KEY ISSUE

Congress last year extended the 2018 farm bill through the end of December 2024.

Steil said he was optimistic Congress could authorize a new farm bill, noting its importance to the agriculture industry in his state and others.

Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital he wanted to see his chamber prioritize the fiscal year 2025 funding process.

“We’ve got to recommit to going through the appropriations process, go ahead and get all that moving so we can be successful next year,” he said.

President Biden will be in his lame duck window when Congress returns. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ogles added, however, that he wants House Republicans to avoid putting their 12 annual appropriations bills into a massive “omnibus” spending bill in December, which the GOP argues furthers government bloat while reducing transparency.

House GOP leaders have insisted they will not advance an omnibus spending bill. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But some senior Republicans said they would rather finish the appropriations process this year to leave a clean slate for a new administration.

“I would hope whoever the next president is, whether it’s Vice President Harris or, as I expect, former President Trump, that person decides to make this administration and this Congress do their job,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters. “I don’t think we should, because we can’t do our job in this Congress, give them a government shutdown crisis [in the first] couple of months. It’s just irresponsible.”

A Hollywood actor is throwing his support behind former President Trump as Election Day is a little more than five weeks away.

“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi revealed his pick for president while moderating an event with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democrat congresswoman from Hawaii, in Michigan on Saturday.

Levi opened the event by explaining that he initially was backing RFK Jr. in the 2024 presidential election, and when Kennedy suspended his campaign, Levi  knew to whom he was sending his support.

“In a perfect world, in whatever that would look like, perhaps I would have voted for Bobby,” Levi said. “But we don’t live in a perfect world. In fact, we live in a very broken one. We live in a country that has been hijacked by a lot of people who want to take this place way off the cliff, and we’re here to stop that.”

RFK JR JOINS TRUMP ON STAGE IN BATTLEGROUND ARIZONA RALLY FOLLOWING ENDORSEMENT

Hollywood superhero Zachary Levi endorses Donald Trump for president at an event in Michigan. (X/@TulsiGabbard)

Levi added that he grew up in a Christian conservative family and his parents taught him to “have a healthy level of distrust of the government,” adding that Kennedy is the “real deal” and the kind of politician he wanted to support for president.

“We are going to take back this country. We are going to make it great again, we’re going to make it healthy again. And so I stand with Bobby and I stand with everyone else who is standing with President Trump. … Of the two choices that we have, and we only have two, President Trump is the man that can get us there,” Levi said.

TRUMP ACCEPTS LARGEST POLICE UNION ENDORSEMENT, BLASTS HARRIS AS A ‘DEFUNDER’: ‘KAMALA’S CRIME WAVE’

During an event in Michigan on Saturday, actor Zachary Levi endorsed Donald Trump for president. (X/@TulsiGabbard)

Levi starred as the superhero Shazam in two DC movies in 2019 and 2023. The movies are about a young boy who transforms into an adult man after saying the catchphrase. He also starred in the TV series “Chuck” and voiced Flynn Rider in the animated Disney movie “Tangled.”

The actor also brewed a social media storm after expressing his distrust of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in a post on X in 2023.

‘SHAZAM’ STAR ZACHARY LEVI RIPS HOLLYWOOD FOR MAKING ‘GARBAGE’ MOVIES: ‘THEY DON’T CARE ENOUGH’

“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi ripped a large portion of Hollywood movies made today as “garbage.” (Reuters)

The controversy began when Levi retweeted a question from Moorhouse Group founder Lyndon Wood, who questioned his followers, “Do you agree or not, that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?”

Levi replied to the question, “Hardcore agree.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The brief comment stirred intense backlash from left-leaning X accounts, attacking the actor for “disappointing” them after supporting “antivax propaganda.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign and Levi for comment on the endorsement and did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attended the Michigan-Minnesota game on Saturday, and was subsequently slammed on social media for a post celebrating his home state’s rival hours after he was booed by college football fans. 

“I’ll always be a Minnesota guy. But after meeting some great people at the Big House, I must admit – Michiganders know how to host a good game day,” Walz posted to his X account following the game. 

Walz’s appearance at the game was underscored by a viral social media video showing college football fans booing his motorcade on Saturday as it made its way to the stadium. 

“VP Candidate Tim Walz p—ed off Michigan fans,” a TikTok user captioned the video that has racked up more than 1.5 million views on TikTok alone.

NOT MINNESOTA NICE: GOP CONGRESSMAN PLAYING TIM WALZ IN DEBATE PREP WITH JD VANCE ARGUES HE’S AN ‘EMPTY SUIT’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks on stage during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Michigan fans were seen booing, shouting “Tampon Tim” and “Get out of here” at the Minnesota governor. The fans allegedly began booing due to Walz’s security detail keeping fans in the rain for 30 minutes as he made his way through security, the New York Post reported. 

EXPERTS PREVIEW VANCE-WALZ DEBATE, SAY USUALLY ‘FORGETTABLE’ VP BOUT ‘MIGHT BE DIFFERENT’ THIS TIME

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, wearing a camouflage hunting cap, greets students from U-M after his flight arrived in the rain at Willow Run Airport on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Paul Egan/Detroit Free Press / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Following Walz posting about his visit to the “Big House” and lauding his state’s rival, critics ripped him for not being loyal to his home state’s team and reminded him that he was booed while making his way to the game. 

WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THE ECONOMY?

The University of Michigan notched a 27-24 victory over its Minnesota rival in the Little Brown Jug game on Saturday. The Democratic vice presidential candidate also attended a Michigan tailgate ahead of the game, the New York Post reported. 

WALZ ROASTED AFTER DECLARING ‘WE CAN’T AFFORD FOUR MORE YEARS OF THIS’ AT RALLY

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance (Getty Images)

“A little rain can’t keep us from the big Michigan-Minnesota game! And it’s not gonna stop these students from making sure that everyone on their campus is registered to vote,” Walz posted on X ahead of the game, flanked by supporters. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Walz has been preparing for his debate against Republican challenger Vance on Tuesday. The Saturday game is anticipated as his last high-profile public appearance ahead of the debate. 

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

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker became the latest Democrat to defend Kamala Harris’ ever-evolving position on immigration, arguing it is “natural” for the vice president to change her mind over time.

“It’s natural, of course, that you adapt your policies to meet the moment,” Pritzker said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. 

The comments come as Harris has faced accusations of “flip-flopping” on several former policy positions by Republicans, including on illegal immigration and the border.

WEALTHY, LIBERAL NANTUCKET, MARTHA’S VINEYARD SEE 6 ICE ARRESTS IN ONE MONTH, INCLUDING MS-13 GANG MEMBER

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)

“Kamala Harris continues to flip-flop on policy issues, the latest being the border wall,” Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., said after Harris signaled her support for a bipartisan border bill that includes funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall. “Too bad we have the receipts. Don’t fall for her false promises; she welcomed this invasion, and if she had any real plans to address the border crisis, she would do it now.”

Other Republicans, such as Trump senior adviser Jason Miller, have argued that Harris has not changed her position on the wall, arguing that she would still stop construction of the barrier if elected.

“Harris opposes the wall, has always opposed the wall, and stopped wall construction as VP,” Miller told Fox News last month.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting on Sept. 19, 2023, in New York City. (John Nacion/WireImage/Getty Images)

AOC’S ‘RED LIGHT’ DISTRICT OVERRUN WITH PROSTITUTES AS LOCALS CALL OUT MIA ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER

Nevertheless, Harris’ allies have continued to defend the vice president’s evolving views.

“You develop your policies based on what you see happening in the world around you and what you’re able to accomplish in Washington,” Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said when asked about Harris’ shifting policies during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” earlier this month. “Every election is about the future and not the past.”

On immigration, Pritizker argued that Harris has supported action on the border, noting her support for President Biden’s bipartisan border deal that failed to make its way through the Senate.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We finally, under Joe Biden, got Sen. Lankford and a total of 75 senators behind a border security bill and you know who torpedoed that? Donald Trump,” Pritzker said. “So we got to pay attention to the fact that Kamala Harris is actually trying to solve problems.”

Fresh off headlines that the Democrats’ Senate nominee in Maryland received an improper tax credit, new documents indicate that Angela Alsobrooks also was late in paying thousands of dollars in homeowners association fees.

According to documents obtained by Fox News, Alsobrooks failed to pay $8,121 in homeowners association fees on time in seven cases from 2008 through 2021.

The fees, known as HOA fees, are usually assessed monthly or quarterly by a homeowners’ association to pay for the services it provides.

Alsobrooks, the chief executive of Prince George’s County – Maryland’s second-largest county – faces former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in a competitive race to succeed Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring this year after serving nearly two decades in the Senate and nearly six decades as a state and then federal lawmaker. 

BLUE-STATE REPUBLICAN TOUTS HIS ANTI-TRUMP CREDENTIALS

Maryland Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks at a campaign event on Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 7, 2024, in Landover, Md. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Senate contest in the overwhelmingly blue state is one of a handful that may decide if the GOP wins back the chamber’s majority in the November elections.

Polling in the summer indicated a close contest, but the most recent survey released last week by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland pointed to an 11-point lead by Alsosbrooks. But this month’s acknowledgment of an improper tax credit received by Alsobrooks handed Hogan some political ammunition.

SENATE DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN CHAIR GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH FOX NEWS

The Alsobrooks’ campaign said the candidate would pay back taxes after improperly taking advantage of property tax breaks.

The tax credits, which Alsobrooks did not qualify for, included one meant for low-income senior citizens and a homestead tax break, which is restricted to homes listed as an owner’s primary residence.

Alsobrooks’ campaign noted that Hogan in 2016 also received a tax break on his Maryland home while he was living in the governor’s mansion in Annapolis. But governors are exempt from residency requirements.

Angela Alsobrooks, chief executive of Prince George’s County in Maryland, faces former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, above, in this year’s U.S. Senate race. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News/File)

Democrats control the Senate by a razor-thin 51-49 margin, and Republicans are looking at a favorable election map this year with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs.

One of those seats is in West Virginia, a deep-red state that former President Trump carried by nearly 40 points in 2020. With moderate Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Manchin, a former governor, not seeking re-election, flipping the seat is nearly a sure thing for the GOP.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE BATTLE FOR THE SENATE MAJORITY SHOW

Republicans are also aiming to flip seats in Ohio and Montana, two states Trump comfortably carried four years ago. And five more Democrat-held seats up for grabs this year are in crucial presidential election battleground states.

With Democrats trying to protect their fragile Senate majority, Hogan’s late entry into the race in February gave them an unexpected headache in a state previously considered safe territory. Hogan left the governor’s office at the beginning of 2023 with very positive approval and favorable ratings.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But three GOP-held seats – Texas, Florida, and Nebraska – are considered competitive with less than six weeks to go until Election Day.

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

The Justice Department charged a former primary opponent of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., with threatening to send a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to kill his political rival. 

William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was charged with threatening to kill his primary opponent in the 2021 election for the 13th Congressional District of Florida, and a private citizen and acquaintance of his opponent, the Justice Department announced Friday. The indictment, unsealed in the Middle District of Florida on Thursday, describes the targeted individuals as only “Victim 1” and “Victim 2.” 

On June 8, 2021, prosecutors say Braddock allegedly made several threats to injure and kill his primary opponent during a phone call with the second victim, specifically stating that he would “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to make the rival candidate disappear. The DOJ said Braddock left the United States after making the alleged threats and was later found to be residing in the Philippines. 

Braddock was recently deported from the Philippines to the United States and made his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday. 

DEM OPERATIVE FISHED FOR OPPO RESEARCH IN ANTISEMITIC, LEWD TEXT MESSAGES, HOUSE REPUBLICAN CHARGES

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna attends a campaign rally for former President Trump at the Aero Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, Sept. 21, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Luna, an Air Force veteran and former media consultant, was not named in the indictment. While she was running for Congress, however, Luna contended in 2021 civil court documents that Braddock, a fellow GOP challenger and former Marine, was stalking her and wanted her dead. 

A judge granted Luna and a conservative activist and friend of hers, Erin Olszewski, a temporary restraining order against Braddock. He subsequently dropped out of the race, denying the allegations and citing publicity from the case. 

Politico reported at the time that Olszewski had secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock in which he said an alleged “Russian and Ukrainian hit squad” could kill Luna within 24 hours. “Luna’s going to go down and I hope it’s by herself,” Braddock allegedly said in the recording, according to Politico, which said it had obtained the recording in June 2021. “For the better or the good of the majority of the people, we’ve got to sacrifice the few.”

In court proceedings regarding whether the restraining order would be made permanent, Luna, who was endorsed by former President Trump twice, testified that she had only brief in-person contact with Braddock at a political event, but heard from several acquaintances that he was allegedly making threats to have her killed.

ANNA PAULINA LUNA TO FORCE VOTE ON GARLAND’S ARREST THIS WEEK AFTER DOJ REFUSES CRIMINAL REFERRAL

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Mr. Braddock clearly hated my guts and wanted to hurt me,” Luna said in court, according to The Associated Press. “I started getting very afraid of him. It was horrifying, and it still is.”

“I think he’s an evil person,” she said in September 2021. “I think he has definitely emotionally terrorized me.”

Olszewski testified that she secretly recorded a phone call she initiated with Braddock in which he allegedly claimed the purported Russian-Ukrainian hit squad would respond quickly if he made a single phone call – and also allegedly made veiled threats against her three children if she repeated what he said. Olszewski said she shared the contents of the Braddock call she recorded on an iPad with Luna, and both women called police.

In the new indictment unsealed last week, Braddock is charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. 

He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The case was brought in relation to the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which was announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021 to address violent threats against election workers. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Luna’s office for comment on Sunday but did not immediately hear back. A spokesperson for the GOP congresswoman declined to comment to NBC News about the indictment but said Luna has “faced a growing number of death threats” in the last month, signaling a “broader and more disturbing issue of violence in the political arena.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Wake County, N.C. – Residents in a key North Carolina district revealed what they are hearing on the ground in the battleground state from both Republican and Democratic parties just weeks before the 2024 presidential election.

Fox News Digital spoke with residents in Wake County, North Carolina, a highly populated district that could decide how the state votes in the presidential election. The district voted for the Democratic nominee in the past four presidential elections, but voted Republican in both 2004 and 2000.

Upon speaking with voters, it appeared they were approached through phone calls and text messages more by whichever party they were registered with, but overall, each resident recalled receiving some form of outreach from a political campaign this cycle.

Cameron Wilson, a senior at North Carolina State University, said he believes the Harris campaign has a stronger presence in Raleigh, North Carolina, but added that “among the college students, Trump is definitely kicking her a–.”

NORTH CAROLINA GOP FOCUSING ON ‘HAND TO HAND POLITICAL COMBAT’ TO RAMP UP GROUND GAME IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

Evan, a senior at North Carolina State University, spoke with Fox News Digital about the 2024 election. (Fox News Digital)

Asked how they think their district will vote in November, the residents were torn, but most said they expect it to vote for the Democratic candidate.

“I’m gonna go leans blue, but definitely not the same margin as the last election,” Wilson said of the district’s vote.

“I think around here, with Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State, not as liberal. But I’d say its probably leaning more one way than the other,” Zack Karagias told Fox News Digital. “I think Kamala is gonna tax the hell out of us. I think Trump’s gonna try and help us.”

NC RALLYGOERS ‘PRAYING’ THAT TRUMP WINS, SLAM DEM RHETORIC CALLING HIM A ‘THREAT’ AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS

Another individual, Julia, said that “based on all my friends and all my peers, definitely Democratic, but it is hard.”

Resident Zack Karagias revealed whether he thought Wake County, North Carolina, would vote Democratic or Republican in the 2024 presidential election. (Fox News Digital)

Republicans and Democrats have been campaigning heavily to get out the vote in North Carolina, a historical battleground state. Fox News Digital interviewed the Republican and Democratic parties in North Carolina, with both saying that they expect to reach over a million voters through get-out-the-vote efforts such as canvassing, phone calls and text messaging.

“I’ve been getting a ton of texts on a daily basis, automated messages to vote for Trump,” a resident, Evan Davis, said. “It’s nonstop.”

“I’ve signed up for some emails for Trump, but that’s about it,” Karagias said.

“I saw a bunch of Mark Robinson signs all up through here the other day, but then I saw a few Kamala ones.” Wilson added. He said most messages are from the Trump campaign, but that he still gets “some of the left-leaning stuff.”

Fox News Digital spoke with residents in Wake County, North Carolina. (Fox News Digital)

“I’ve been getting some text messaging from Kamala Harris herself. And I haven’t gotten any more phone calls yet,” Julia Smith told Fox.

“It’s hard to say,” she said when asked about which campaign appears to have a stronger presence in the district. “What I consume is more Democratic.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Most residents who spoke with Fox News Digital could not name a specific policy proposal by Harris since she became vice president.

Pennsylvania Republican leaders said they are optimistic about their chances to make the Keystone State the one that puts former President Donald Trump over the finish line, while a top Democrat suggested otherwise, laying out how his party is on a path to victory.

State Sen. Cris Dush, a Brookville Republican, who noted he represents seven of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, was asked about the one big blue swath in his district – Centre County, home to Penn State University.

Dush’s district covers all-or-parts-of Jefferson, Elk, Cameron, Centre, Clinton, McKean and Potter counties in Pennsylvania’s lush northwestern forests.

With Republican activist Scott Presler targeting Centre as part of his statewide GOP voter registration push, Dush said the prospect of flipping Centre County is “actually getting very exciting.”

Dush noted neighboring Clinton County, home to Lock Haven, was solidly Democratic until the Trump era. “They just went over 3-to-1 Republican.”

CRISS-CROSSING PA TO REGISTER VOTERS, SCOTT PRESLER SAYS HE’S MOVING THE NEEDLE TO FLIP KEY COUNTIES RED

Pennsylvania State Sen. Cris Dush.

“This is a massive shift that’s coming in rural Pennsylvania… and part of it is that my working class, middle-age and senior constituents are seeing what’s happening to their jobs and with inflation and this craziness,” he said.

“With a man now being able to be called a woman: that kind of stuff too. They’ve just finally had enough.”

At a recent fair in his district, Dush said he was heckled by a young Democrat while speaking to a crowd that included many Gen-Z people. Instead of engaging, he told the crowd the reason the man was upset was that he is one of many who cannot afford to own a home, a car or other “American Dream” mainstays.

“And I’m getting applause from the kids,” he remarked.

In several of Dush’s redder counties, Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman performed better than most last cycle – while GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz still won the areas outright.

In that regard, Dush was asked if that was an aberration or if the areas are truly trending toward the Democrats.

“The fact that they’re putting such restrictions on the development of businesses in the northern tier and western Pennsylvania: There’s not a state in the United States that doesn’t have a Steelers bar in it, and that’s because working-class kids have become our best export. I want them back,” he said.

Farther east, near the New Jersey border, the Lehigh Valley was once home to a booming steel industry immortalized by Billy Joel’s 1981 hit “Allentown.”

PA TOWN ROILED BY TALK OF MIGRANT HOUSING IN CIVIL-WAR-ERA ORPHANAGE BUILDING

Pennsylvania State Sen. Jarrett Coleman.

Since then, the area has been through several years of transition after the mills and some shopping districts closed. Slowly, it has regained some footing as a warehousing hub, with its vicinity to New York and Philadelphia.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Parkland, represents the western half of the Valley, centered around Lehigh County – where Republicans have come within a razor’s edge several times of flipping the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa.

For many years, the seat was held by anti-Trump moderate Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., and before that, then-Rep. Pat Toomey, and before him, moderate Democrats.

Coleman said he predicts a good year for Republicans in Lehigh County, noting how neighboring Bucks County – part of which he also represents – flipped to majority-GOP registrants through the work of people like Presler.

The economy is a major issue in the district, he noted, as Fox News Digital discussed its industrial past.

“I think that’s because I believe the GOP has done a better job connecting with folks over those kitchen table issues,” Coleman said.

“The one that’s kind of come up a lot lately has been homeownership,” he said.

He noted Vice President Kamala Harris has proposed assistance for homebuyers, while at the same time floating taxation on unrealized gains.

“So on one hand, she’ll help you buy the house, and of course, that will just be [via] tax dollars to help subsidize the down payment… then the administration will tax you out of [it] as the house grows in value.”

“That’s not a solution. That’s another example of the government creating a problem and then trying to swoop in and say they’ve saved the day.”

In a statement, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella added that the GOP is “on offense in Pennsylvania.”

“The Keystone State is a deep GOP well of flippable seats and ground zero to grow our House majority,” he said, adding several vulnerable Democrats running for re-election do not speak truthfully of their records on the border, inflation and crime.

While he believes Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will “play well” for Harris, Coleman said he has never seen such enthusiasm for the GOP ticket in areas like the Lehigh Valley and key mid-state areas.

“Can the rural vote come back, and can we make up for the votes of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — and will there be enough folks in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who are waking up? But I think it’s going to be a question of whether everywhere else can get motivated enough.”

One man who believed otherwise is Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street.

Street, a state senator and son of popular former Philadelphia Mayor John Street, suggested Democrats are the ones whose ground game has been unmatched.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Sharif Street.

“We’ve had over 40,000 volunteers signed up since Kamala became our nominee for president. Vice President Harris has inspired people. We’ve had we’ve had people knocking on doors, canvass launches, over 50 offices opened [in PA],” Street said.

“People are just super excited about supporting Vice President Harris. So yeah, we’re seeing lots of energy, lots of engagement, and the vice president has sort of set the world on fire,” he quipped.

When asked about the candidates appearing to focus in recent weeks on key areas of the state, Street said Harris has been all over the Commonwealth.

When asked about both candidates frequenting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Street noted there is a key congressional race there between Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., and Republican Rob Bresnahan.

“It’s also hometown territory for Senator Casey,” he added.

When asked about Republicans claiming they are making inroads in Centre, Bucks, Luzerne and the Lehigh Valley, Street said he has not seen such evidence.

He noted that in Centre – the Penn State county – Democrats added a second state representative in Paul Takac, and that Northampton County is now as Democratically-controlled as its bluer-counterpart, Lehigh.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, Street said that shift may not be because there are more Democrats in those areas, but because the Republicans have departed from their longtime moderation.

He contrasted Trump-type politicians with past Republicans who have performed well statewide, like Sen. Arlen Specter and Gov. Tom Ridge.

Pennsylvanians of both stripes also largely supported moderate Democratic Govs. Ed Rendell and Robert Casey – the incumbent U.S. senator’s father, he said.

“Our Republicans and Democrats statewide have never been that far apart from each other. Democrats are still pretty much where we always were,” Street said.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Harris campaign for an interview.

Economists told Fox News Digital that the economic proposals former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have put forward would continue to increase the nation’s already ballooning budget deficit, noting that neither candidate seems particularly concerned with fiscal responsibility.

Neither Trump nor Harris has released dedicated policy plans for addressing the nation’s deficit. Trump’s 16-point policy plan on his website mentions the word “deficit” once. 

Meanwhile, Harris’ economic platform does mention the deficit several times and says Harris is “committed” to fiscal responsibility, but only suggests increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations as a solution.

“I think the reason neither candidate is really talking about fiscal responsibility is because neither candidate is fiscally responsible,” said Tax Foundation senior economist Erica York. “Both have left a lot of details unspecified, so there’s questions still about how Harris’s spending policies would stack up. Would Trump really repeal all of the green energy tax credits? Would he really impose all of the tariffs he’s promised?”

When asked what message York had for Trump and Harris when it comes to the deficit, she told them to “get real.”

HARRIS CALLS TRUMP ‘ONE OF THE BIGGEST LOSERS EVER’ DURING ECONOMY SPEECH IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

“We face several challenges on the fiscal policy front, from debt and deficits to the need to compete with China, to the need to encourage entrepreneurship and work, and neither of the tax policy visions being outlined right now really come close to providing an answer to those challenges,” York said.

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, wears a homemade national debt clock pin on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.

Meanwhile, Kimberly Clausing, an economist with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, echoed York’s concerns, adding that she “does not think there’s been enough attention on the deficit this campaign season.”

“I don’t know whether to blame the candidates or the American attention span,” Clausing said. “Candidates have an incentive to cater to what the population wants to listen to, but there doesn’t seem to be a big drumbeat in favor of fiscal responsibility. And that’s a big contrast from some prior elections in at least my lifetime, where that issue was much more prominent.”

So far, in fiscal year 2024, the government is running a cumulative deficit of $1.9 trillion, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center’s “Deficit Tracker.” 

Revenues, meanwhile, have increased 11% through last month. The revenue increase, according to the deficit tracker, is largely the result of an increase in individual and corporate taxes, higher interest rates and a 20% decrease in individual income tax refunds. Trump’s economic proposals include extending tax cuts, reducing the corporate tax rate and exempting tips, overtime pay and social security benefits from one’s taxable income. Despite his plan to generate revenue through tariffs and repealing green energy tax credits, economists say it will not be enough to balance out the lost revenues from Trump’s tax cuts and other economic proposals.

Research from the Tax Foundation, a tax policy nonprofit in the nation’s capital, estimated that Trump’s deficit impact would be roughly a $4 trillion increase over ten years.

TRUMP, HARRIS SPENDING PLANS COULD WEIGH ON THE US ECONOMY, ANALYSIS SHOWS

However, according to Heritage Foundation economist Richard Stern, it is government spending and not tax cuts that are the real culprit when it comes to the ballooning deficit.  

“Though tax cuts can increase the deficit, it returns that money to the people that earned it. Deficit increases from more spending, on the other hand, means that the government is stealing even more and suppressing growth even more intensely,” Stern said. “Deficits created by way of tax cuts and spending increases are not the same. Tax cuts grow the economy and shrink deficits as a share of the economy, whereas more spending strangles the economy and stunts growth.”

The Treasury Department is seen near sunset in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)

The Biden-Harris administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposed the highest sustained levels of spending in U.S. history, according to Republicans on the House Budget Committee. The committee also pointed out that the administration’s plan to add $82.2 trillion in spending over ten years, is 18% more than the historical average of the past half century.  

Since becoming the Democratic Party’s official nominee for president, Harris has said she will provide $25,000 housing subsidies for first-generation home buyers, implement $100 billion in tax credits for the manufacturing sector and increase small business tax credits by tenfold. She has also suggested support for increasing government spending to support families’ child care needs, while also expanding the child tax credit, among other proposals.

Overall, the Tax Foundation calculated that Harris would grow the deficit by roughly $1.5 trillion over ten years. 

BIDEN PLEDGES $7.3B IN ‘CLEAN ENERGY’ SPENDING WITH NATIONAL DEBT AT $35T

Among the deleterious downstream effects of an ever-growing deficit, according to Clausing, are increased interest rates and reduced creditworthiness for the country, which can be problematic at a time when global tensions are on edge. 

“If a new crisis comes along, whether it’s a pandemic or a national security crisis or a big recession, which are sometimes caused by things beyond our control. You know, those kinds of crises are really difficult to respond to without fiscal space,” Clausing said. “If you’re starting from a point where you’re kind of maxing out the credit card, it’s a little harder to respond to these emergencies.” 

Currently, China and Japan are the United States’ two largest foreign creditors.

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off Tuesday night in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)

When reached by Fox News Digital, the Harris campaign declined to comment. 

The vice president was endorsed this week by more than 400 left-leaning economists and former policymakers who served under Democrats. Additionally, Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial columnist with the New York Times, insisted this week that Harris will be able to get much closer to balancing the national budget than Trump. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

When it comes to the electorate, voters have usually told pollsters they have more confidence in Trump than Harris when it comes to the economy, but reports have indicated Harris is gaining some of that ground back more recently. Trump’s advantage over Harris on the economy stands at only five points in a recent Fox News poll, and just two points in an AP/NORC survey.

“Dangerously Liberal Kamala Harris’ budget would add $17 trillion to the national debt by 2034 and also includes a $4.9 trillion tax hike — the largest in history — which would cost every American family nearly $40,000 per year, on top of the costs of record-high inflation,” Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “Thanks to Kamalanomics, families are already struggling to afford gas and groceries, and President Trump will continue to highlight how Harris’ budget will compound these difficulties on hardworking Americans.” 

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

Former President Trump campaigned in the Wisconsin town of Prairie du Chien on Saturday, making migrant crime a core part of his speech after a rape suspect was arrested in the small, rural community.

The rally, which was supposed to take place outside, but was moved indoors due to a Secret Service staffing shortage, focused on migrant crime. During the speech, Trump referenced the arrest of assault suspect Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, 26, who is an alleged member of Venezuela’s violent Tren de Aragua migrant gang. 

Earlier this month, Zarate was charged with sexual assault, battery, strangulation and suffocation, in addition to false imprisonment, child abuse and disorderly conduct, according to WXOW.

The suspect, who is accused of sexually assaulting a mother and abusing her daughter “under particularly brutal circumstances,” was arrested in Prairie du Chien on Sept. 6. 

WHITE HOUSE MUM AMID OUTRAGE OVER DATA SHOWING HOW MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINALS ARE IN US

Trump discussed the arrest of Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate at his rally in Wisconsin. (Getty Images / Crawford County Jail)

“Just this month, right here in this beautiful town, police arrested an illegal alien member of a savage Venezuelan prison gang known as Tren de Agua,” Trump described. “These are really bad ones. This vile monster was charged with holding a mother and daughter captive against their will and sexually assaulting them again and again and again.”

The Republican presidential candidate also took aim at his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been criticized for her border policies.

“This animal crossed Kamala’s wide open border, along with hundreds of thousands of others that are worse than him, that are worse than him,” Trump continued. “He was arrested and released in the sanctuary city of Minneapolis.”

WALZ ROASTED AFTER DECLARING ‘WE CAN’T AFFORD FOUR MORE YEARS OF THIS’ AT RALLY

Former President Republican presidential candidate Trump delivers remarks at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center in Prairie du Chien, Wis., Saturday. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

“And by the way, I’m going to end all sanctuary cities immediately upon taking over,” he added.

Last week, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R–Wis., told Fox News Digital that the community of Prairie du Chien was shaken by the arrest. Van Orden’s grandchildren live less than a mile away from the house where the mother and daughter were abused.

“Why should a town of 5,500 people… be afraid of letting their kids play in their front yard?” the politician said. “It wasn’t like this three years ago.”

Van Orden noted that Wisconsin’s farming industries rely on migrant labor, but stressed the need to enact immigration reform for the sake of public safety.

People wait in line at sunrise ahead of former President Trump’s campaign event at the Prairie Du Chien Area Arts Center in Prairie du Chien, Wis., Saturday. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’ve been to the border three times….They let a guy in the country with gang tattoos, and you get a medical screening before you come over the border. They give them a medical exam, because they don’t want people coming over with tuberculosis,” the Republican congressman said incredulously.

Fox News Digital’s Christina Coulter contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is doubling down on her calls for the country’s leading pediatric association to update its guidelines for transgender youth to include warnings about the risks of puberty blockers and other hormone treatments.

Bird said the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “is involved in children’s healthcare in Iowa and all around the country, and we want them to update their policies right now.” 

“They say that puberty blockers are safe for kids and that it’s reversible, and the science doesn’t support that irreversible and causes permanent changes to children should they change their mind later,” Bird, who joined a letter signed by 20 state attorneys general this week to the AAP, said. 

‘ABUSIVE’: PEDIATRICIAN GROUP’S SUPPORT FOR TRANS THERAPIES REBUKED BY STATE AGS

Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP) (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images))

On Tuesday, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador sent a letter Tuesday to the AAP accusing the organization of abandoning “its commitment to sound medical judgment.” Bird, along with AGs from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah, as well as the president of the Arizona Senate and the speaker of the Arizona state House of Representatives, signed the letter. 

“That halt on what is fairly described as medical experimentation on children is long overdue – particularly since the majority of children initially diagnosed with gender dysphoria desist and ‘grow out’ of the condition by the time they are adolescents or adults,” the letter reads. “It is abusive to treat a child with biologically altering drugs that have an unknown physiological trajectory and end point. It is also inhumane to endorse such experimentation without a confident safety profile, especially if more times than not, it proves to be medically unnecessary.”

BIDEN SLAMMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER ANNOUNCING TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER SUNDAY

AAP is one of the leading pediatrics groups in the U.S. (iStock)

As procedures for transgender youth have become a hot button issue in the culture wars, it’s an issue that former President Trump has vowed to address by restricting the accessibility of procedures to minors. Meanwhile, VP Kamala Harris’ stance is unclear, but the Biden-Harris administration backtracked earlier this year and said it supports overturning bans on sex change surgeries for children.

According to unsealed documents published over the summer, health officials in the Biden administration successfully pressured the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to omit the age limit in its guidelines for transgender surgical procedures for adolescents. 

“I think there’s a clear difference between the candidates,” Bird said. “And here is just another example of Vice President Harris blindly following the liberal, progressive party line. And here, President Trump has the science, he has the facts and is supportive of the science here.”

BIDEN OFFICIALS PUSHED TO DROP AGE LIMIT ON TRANS SURGERIES FOR MINORS: REPORT

AAP supports “gender-affirming care.” (Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images)

Last year, the AAP recommitted its pledge to support “gender-affirming care” and expanded its guidelines for pediatricians to “ensure young people get the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need and are seen, heard and valued as they are,” AAP CEO Mark Del Monte said at the time.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

AAP has published several reports on reaffirming transgender youth in their preferred gender identities. In January, the AAP published a report titled, “Prohibition of Gender-Affirming Care as a Form of Child Maltreatment: Reframing the Discussion,” which claimed that many bills aimed at restricting transgender treatments for children lead to poor mental health. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to AAP for comment.

A House Democrat running for Senate in a key swing state bashed voters who supported then-President-elect Donald Trump in a resurfaced interview.

“I think Donald Trump ran a xenophobic campaign that drew out the worst people in the world that we are not going to appeal to and never will,” Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said in a 2016 interview directly after Trump won the presidential election.

Gallego also said in the interview that he will try to “protect” Americans from the policies of Trump, including those who were “dumb enough” to vote for him.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Gallego campaign for comment but did not receive a response. 

ENIGMATIC VOTER GROUP COULD SPLIT TICKET FOR TRUMP, DEM SENATE CANDIDATE IN ARIZONA

Rep. Ruben Gallego bashed then-President-elect Donald Trump supporters in a 2016 interview. (Getty Images)

“Ruben Gallego thinks you are a bad person if you support President Trump,” NRSC spokesperson Tate Mitchell told Fox News Digital. “Gallego is running to be a Senator for the far-left, not all of Arizona.”

The presidential race in Arizona is expected to be one of the closest in the country with the Real Clear Politics (RCP) average showing Trump with a tight lead, but the RCP average also shows that Gallego has a lead over his GOP opponent, Kari Lake.

On the campaign trail, Gallego has been a fierce critic of Trump despite the former president’s popularity in the state.

ARIZONA POLICE ORG ENDORSING TRUMP CROSSES AISLE TO BACK PROGRESSIVE DEM IN CLOSE SENATE RACE

Rep. Ruben Gallego. (Getty Images)

Gallego called Trump a “craven politician” in an interview with MSNBC earlier this year and has routinely gone after the former president on social media, including posts suggesting Trump and Lake are threats to democracy.

Lake has made the case on the campaign trail that Gallego is a rubber stamp for a Biden-Harris administration.

“President Trump’s consistently strong lead in Arizona proves that Arizonans are tired of and dissatisfied with the policies of Kamala Harris and Ruben Gallego that have caused record-high inflation and made our state less safe by opening the border to millions of unchecked illegal immigrants,” a Lake spokesperson told Fox News Digital earlier this year. 

“As voters learn the truth about Gallego’s voting record and the fact that he has voted for Biden-Harris policies 100% of the time, they will reject Radical Ruben just as they reject Kamala Harris.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake (R-AZ) speaks during Day 2 of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

The Cook Political Report ranks the Arizona Senate race as “Lean Democrat.”

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. involved a rally audience in a call-and-response joke at his Michigan rally this week.

Kennedy spoke at the Falk Productions manufacturing facility in Walker, Michigan on Friday — participating in a campaign event hosted by Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump.

During the rally, Kennedy mocked Vice President Kamala Harris for her frequent references to having been born in the “middle class” when asked to respond to a difficult question.

HARRIS DODGES QUESTION ON LOWERING PRICES BY DESCRIBING ‘MIDDLE-CLASS’ ROOTS: NEIGHBORS ‘PROUD OF THEIR LAWN’

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives to speak during a campaign event hosted by Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Falk Productions manufacturing facility in Walker, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“All you have to know is seven words, and you never have to admit to doing anything wrong again,” Kennedy told the Michigan audience. “And you know what those seven words are? ‘I was born in the middle class.'”

Kennedy instructed the rally-goers to repeat after him in a series of back-and-forths.

“The next time your boss asks you why you were late for work, what are you gonna say?” Kennedy asked.

JD VANCE TAKES APPARENT JAB AT KAMALA HARRIS SAYING SHE’S FROM A WORKING CLASS FAMILY

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Douglas, Arizona. (REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty Images)

“I was born in the middle class!” the audience responded.

“And the next time your wife asks you why you didn’t take out the garbage, what are you gonna say?” Kennedy asked.

“I was born in the middle class!” the audience responded.

“That’s all you have to know and you don’t have to answer any questions!” Kennedy joked.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the campaign event at the Falk Productions manufacturing facility. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance also referenced the vice president’s tendency to bring up her middle class roots during a rally earlier this week.

“They ask Kamala, of course, because she’s the vice president and she is the reason why we have sky-high inflation and a wide open border, ‘What are you going to do? What is your specific plan to solve the inflation crisis that’s making it unaffordable to buy groceries and housing?’ And Kamala will say, ‘Well, did you know that I grew up in a middle-class family? I had a very nice lawn back there in Berkeley, California,’” he continued. “It’s like, ‘Well, that might be true. What the hell does that have to do with lower inflation?’”