NationalWatch

PHOENIX, AZ – Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake is blasting her Democratic opponent Rep. Ruben Gallego and labeling him as “radical as they come” after a resurfaced interview of him disparaging Trump voters. 

“Isn’t that terrible?” Lake said in response to Fox News Digital reporting of a comment made by Gallego in 2016 where he said that Trump voters were “dumb” and the “worst people in the world.”

“He’s been lying about who he is,” Lake added. “He’s trying to paint himself as a moderate, which is it’s laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous.”

Lake told Fox News Digital that Gallego “bullied” moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema out of the race “because she wasn’t liberal enough.”

KARI LAKE SHREDS VP HARRIS’ ‘DESPICABLE’ SOUTHERN BORDER VISIT: JUST TO MAKE THE ‘MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAPPY’

Kari Lake (Right) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (Left) are battling in the Arizona Senate race (Getty Images)

“Now he is doing all these ads trying to say he’s a moderate when, in fact, he’s voted to spend our federal dollars, our tax dollars, our money, supporting sanctuary cities and states. He’s voted against securing our border every step of the way. He’s for an open border America. He’s voted to defund the police. He actually co-sponsored the George Floyd legislation, which would have defunded the police nationwide.”

Lake went on to tell Fox News Digital that Gallego has “never batted an eyelash” when it comes to spending bills and has not been strong enough defending women’s sports.

“He wants biological men to participate in women’s athletics.,” Lake said. “That means it’s an end for girls sports. Anybody out there who played sports? I did for a little bit. It’s an end. I mean, if you have to compete with biological men, what’s the purpose of having girls sports?”

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

 Rep. Ruben Gallego (Getty Images)

Lake added, “It’s absolutely crazy and he’s as radical as they come.”

Gallego and Lake will both be attempting to sway independent voters, especially in Maricopa County, the largest county in the state, where independents make up a third of the electorate. Lake told Fox News Digital she is optimistic she can win votes from Arizonans who aren’t Republicans.

“I do believe that independents are with me, I think we’re doing pretty well, our polling is showing that we’re building on the independent vote,” Lake said. “And I think a lot of Democrats, while he [Gallego] hates Trump voters and he hates Republicans. I don’t hate Democrats. I actually believe that disaffected Democrats are going to help us turn the corner.”

“They’re realizing, looking at Kamala Harris and Ruben Gallego, and they’re saying, wait a minute, this isn’t the Democrat Party that I signed up for years ago, the old Democrat Party used to care about the working class. The old Democrat Party wanted a strong economy for everybody. This Democrat Party is a bunch of globalists, and they are for, they want to spend more money helping people coming here illegally than they do people who are American citizens.”

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US Senate candidate Kari Lake speaks during a campaign rally of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, August 23, 2024. (Photo by Olivier TOURON / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)

While the Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Gallego leading Lake by about 7 points, Lake told Fox News Digital she is confident the race is much closer and says her internal polling shows that she is within the margin of error.

“We have to go into it acting like we’re ten down, but we’re not ten down,” Lake said. “This is a very tight race. I’m proud of that, considering, as I said, he spent 75 million. He’s been outspending us massively and the fact that this is such a tight race is incredible. Chuck Schumer is in a panic about Arizona. He’s dumping 5 million bucks a week into Arizona.”

Lake told Fox News Digital that Democrats are in a “tailspin” in Arizona because their efforts to make the election about abortion have not been fruitful because most voters are focused on other issues like the economy.

Lake also criticized Gallego over his record before he entered politics, including his involvement with a bank that worked with illegal immigrants, a harassment claim against him by a 20-year-old intern while he worked at city hall, and his time working for an ambulance company that was being investigated for fraud.

“The people of Arizona know me and they trust me and I love the people of the state, Lake said. “I want to represent all of them, including people who maybe don’t even vote for me. If you choose not to vote for me, I hope I can earn your vote, but I still want to represent you and I want to do a great job for you in Washington, D.C. We need decent, honest people back to D.C. and Ruben Gallego was not honest before he got into politics.”

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

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s political action committee is offering starting wages of $30 an hour to individuals seeking to increase voter registration and turnout, the PAC’s website shows. 

“JOIN OUR TEAM,” Musk-founded America PAC reads on its website. “Email us if you are interested in working on increasing voter registration and voter turnout. Pay starts at $30 per hour, with bonuses for performance.”

Musk endorsed former President Trump earlier this summer as the 45th president seeks to again win the Oval Office. The Tesla founder joined Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening as Trump made a historic return to the town following an assassination attempt that left him bloodied and injured on July 13 during a rally. 

“I think it’s the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms… They want to take away your right to vote effectively,” Musk told the crowd on Saturday. 

ELON MUSK’S PRO-TRUMP SUPER PAC LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO INCREASE CANVASSERS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES

Former President Trump hugs Elon Musk at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Musk repeatedly encouraged the crowds to get everyone in their social circles and beyond to register and vote come Election Day. 

TRUMP CHATS WITH MUSK IN LENGTHY, OVERARCHING INTERVIEW AS HARRIS CONTINUES SNUBBING MEDIA

“And honestly, you want to just be a pest. Just be a pest to everyone. You know, people on the street everywhere,” he said. 

Elon Musk joins former President Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

“Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk added, referring to how Trump shouted “fight, fight, fight” to the crowds after he was shot in the ear in July. 

MUSK ENERGIZES TRUMP SUPPORTERS AT BUTLER RALLY, 3 MONTHS AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON FORMER PRESIDENT

His comments follow closely with the mission of his America PAC, which says it works to promote “free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society.” Musk launched the super PAC’s website last month to bolster canvassing efforts in key battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, as well as in individual competitive districts across the country. 

Elon Musk speaks as former President Trump listens at a campaign event, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The PAC was officially formed earlier in the summer, with Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from late last month showing the America PAC has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. Musk said in July he planned to commit about $45 million a month to the super PAC. 

ELON MUSK CALLS 2024 A ‘MUST-WIN SITUATION’ FOR FREE SPEECH, TOUTS TRUMP’S CHARACTER AFTER BEING ‘UNDER FIRE’

Social media commenters took note of the canvassing efforts through the America PAC, underscoring the high hourly pay, which is a more than a 300% increase compared to the federal hourly minimum wage of $7.25. 

Turning Point Action and America PAC joined forces in Wisconsin, Politico reported last week, to help bolster the Republican Party’s get-out-the-vote ground game. 

“We’ve always known bodies in the field equals ballots in the box,” Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point, told Politico. “This partnership will be a major lift to our efforts to ensure our ballot chasers are able to maximize their impact in Wisconsin.”

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Musk, who has described himself as a “historically moderate Democrat,” hosted Trump for a two-hour conversation streamed on X in August that included the 45th president speaking at length about immigration woes, spiraling inflation issues, the assassination attempt against his life, and policies he would implement if he wins on Nov. 5.

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

Users on social media took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris after the Democratic nominee took to X to pledge millions of dollars in aid for Lebanon at the same time residents of North Carolina struggle to recover from Hurricane Helene.

“This has to be fake. Even Kamala Harris, the gold standard of stupid, isn’t stupid enough to post this,” actor James Woods said on X Saturday. “Certainly not while North Carolinians are pulling the bodies of their neighbors from the wreckage. It’s simply inconceivable.”

The post came in response to Harris pledging Saturday to send $157 million of “additional assistance” to Lebanon, which, she argued, is “facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.”

AXELROD SAYS ‘UPSCALE’ NC HARRIS VOTERS WILL FIND WAY TO VOTE AFTER STORM, NOT SURE ABOUT RURAL TRUMP FANS

Vice President Kamala Harris (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

“I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,” the vice president said, adding that the money would go to “essential needs,” including “food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict.”

Users on social media were quick to slam Harris for the post, arguing that many North Carolina residents are struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene and that the money would be better spent on those relief efforts.

“Could this be any more tone deaf? We have Americans suffering and in danger right now after the hurricane and this is what Kamala has to announce. America First!” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said on X.

Search and rescue team members hike along Route 9 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 1, 2024, in Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

PANTHERS OWNERS DONATES $3 MILLION TO HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS; BUCS ALSO GIVE 7 FIGURES

“To be clear – Kamala Harris’ campaign-suicidal post this evening focusing on LEBANON while major disaster rescues and recovery are underway is an admission she is losing Michigan right now.,” journalist Eric Daugherty said in a post.

“Kamala is touting giving money to the people of Lebanon-while stiff-arming the humanitarian crisis in North Carolina,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on X. “This is Kamala’s Katrina.”

The controversial tweet comes as the Biden administration has continued to face backlash for its handling of Helene, with former President Trump calling the federal response to the disaster the “most incompetently managed ‘storm,’ at the federal level, ever seen before.”

Former President Trump addresses a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. An assassination attempt was made on Trump at the same site on July 13. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

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“Kamala and Sleepy Joe are universally being given POOR GRADES for the way that they are handling the Hurricane, especially in North Carolina,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The White House and Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed claims that the Biden administration diverted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to immigration efforts, saying the pools of funds are “different,” but that he understands why Americans are “frustrated.” 

“The streams of funding are different, that is not an untrue statement, of course,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “But the problem is with the American people, see, and what they’re frustrated by, is that FEMA should be involved. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, their mission is to help people in times like this of natural disaster. Not to be engaged in using any pool of funding from any account for resettling illegal aliens who have come across the border. That’s what the Biden administration, Kamala Harris and Secretary Mayorkas have been engaged in.” 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre last week denied that FEMA resources were going to migrants, but cited FEMA funds for migrants in 2022.

“Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants.  How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter asked during a Friday press conference.

FEMA HAS FUNDS NEEDED FOR ‘IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY,’ DESPITE MAYORKAS’ WARNING

Speaker Mike Johnson is holding firm to his plan on government funding (Getty Images)

“I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded. 

Critics have since compared her statement to comments made in 2022, where she cited FEMA resources were available to illegal immigrants.

“FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate – to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at a Sept. 16, 2022, press conference. 

“Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added.

FEMA has a pool of funds explicitly used for natural disasters, while Congress called on FEMA in 2022 to disseminate funds from Customs and Border Protection to assist American communities affected by the immigration crisis.

KJP SLAMMED AFTER HURRICANE HELENE OVER MIXED MESSAGES ON WHETHER FEMA RESOURCES USED FOR MIGRANTS

Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, on March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

FEMA’s website currently has a “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response” page to address false claims surrounding recovery efforts, including a rebuke of the claim that FEMA diverted disaster response funds to “border related issues.”

“This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” FEMA posted in response to the claim. 

Hurricane Helene has left more than 220 people dead after flooding devastated towns and cities across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Debris is strewn on the lake in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Lake Lure, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas drew national attention last week when he indicated that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which typically wraps up in November. 

LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED OVER FEMA FUNDING CONCERNS

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” he said Wednesday, heightening concerns around funds for Americans left displaced by the hurricane. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

The DHS, however, said the following day that FEMA has the funds needed to assist those currently affected. 

“FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg said on X. “As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget, but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it.”

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED TO ACT’ IN HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH: REP. CORY MILLS

An aerial view of the damage following Hurricane Helene in Erwin, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Johnson said during his interview Sunday that when citizens take public transportation and spot illegal immigrants traveling the nation, their tickets are “gleefully” paid for by the Biden-Harris administration via non-governmental organizations. 

“When you see illegals in your local airport and you see them being transported around the country with planes, trains and automobiles to every community, everywhere, every state’s a border state now, because of that. That’s the NGOs, the non-governmental organizations mostly, that are transporting those people around. And then they send the receipts to the federal government,” he continued. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson holds a news briefing in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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“And Biden, Harris and Mayorkas gleefully pay those receipts because they open the border intentionally. The American people are disgusted by this. They’re fed up with it, and so are Republicans in Congress. And it’ll stop after Nov. 5 because we’re going to have a unified government with Republicans in charge, and we will bring sanity back to this situation,” he added. 

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

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Conservatives blasted Pennsylvania’s Department of State this month for scheduling a system maintenance update to its voter registration website the same day former President Trump returned to Butler, where he survived an assassination attempt in July.

The operation would have taken the site offline for several hours during the same time frame the Trump campaign expected to register voters. The department, however, moved the window of time for maintenance to later in the night amid an early outcry.

“The PA State Department voter registration website will be unavailable on Saturday, October 5th, the day that President Trump will be triumphantly returning to the site of the assassination attempt in Butler County, PA. W/ all eyes on PA, the site will be down. Coincidence?” GOP activist Scott Pressler posted to Instagram on Thursday. 

Fox News Digital reviewed archived data from the Pennsylvania Voter Registration website and found that it issued a disclaimer to voters that the website would be unavailable on Oct. 5 beginning at 6 p.m. 

“This website will undergo scheduled system maintenance and be unavailable Saturday, October 5 from 6 p.m. until 12 a.m. We thank you for your understanding.,” the Pennsylvania Voter Registration website stated on Oct. 1, an archived page reviewed by Fox News Digital shows. 

TRUMP SUPPORTER ELON MUSK OFFERS MASSIVE HOURLY PAY TO THOSE WORKING TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT

Former President Trump is assisted by U.S. Secret Service personnel after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Trump announced on Sept. 25 that he would make a historic return to Butler on Oct. 5, months after he was shot in the side of the head by a would-be assassin on July 13. The Pennsylvania Voter Registration website announced its scheduled maintenance sometime between Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, archived data for the site reviewed by Fox Digital shows. 

Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and Pressler sounded the alarm on the scheduled maintenance earlier this month, questioning the timing and slamming the move as election “interference.” 

“Wow, they aren’t even trying to hide their blatant interference – appreciate you flagging, @scottpresler – @gop legal is on it and formally requesting the ‘system maintenance’ is moved to a different time,” Lara Trump posted to Facebook on Thursday, accompanied by a screenshot of an Instagram post from Pressler asking if the timing of the maintenance was just a “coincidence.” 

TRUMP’S RETURN TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, IS ‘GUTSY,’ SUPPORTERS SAY

Archived records of the website show that Pennsylvania officials updated the page on Oct. 3 – the same day Pressler and Lara Trump publicly posted about the timing of the maintenance – to reflect that the site would undergo maintenance at 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., instead of 6 p.m. until midnight. 

Trump was scheduled to take the stage in Butler at 5 p.m. Saturday, meaning the site would have gone dark as he rallied his base and encouraged residents to register to vote. 

Pressler joined Human Events’ Jack Posobiec about the matter last week, taking a victory lap that the time was changed to later in the night, following the rally, but added he’s still not “100 percent happy” with the timing of the schedule maintenance. Pressler noted that website updates are typically scheduled for the dead of night, when users are less likely to use the platform. 

Former President Trump addresses the crowd at a rally on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he survived an assassination attempt on July 13. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

“It was clear that the Pennsylvania Department of State was engaging in election interference, trying to stop all of this national attention from translating into new voter registrations,” Pressler said.

ARDENT TRUMP SUPPORTERS WEIGH IN ON SAFETY AT HISTORIC PENNSYLVANIA RALLY

Lara Trump also celebrated how the scheduled maintenance moved to later in the night, sharing on Facebook Thursday, “And just like that, we got PA to move it. Great example of what happens when citizens demand fairness.” 

Eric and Lara Trump arrive on stage for former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of State on Sunday for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

The website is working as of Sunday morning, and no longer includes the disclaimer for a scheduled maintenance outage. Fox News Digital did not document the site shutting down for maintenance from Saturday evening into Sunday morning, though screenshots of the site posted to social media show the site’s reported error page for maintenance. 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES OUTDOOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY TO ‘FINISH OUR SPEECH’ AT SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

A review of the Department of State’s social media shows the website has previously shut down for scheduled maintenance at odd hours during the day, including on June 29 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. the following day. 

People wave signs at former President Trump’s rally in Butler on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

The historic rally in Butler drew thousands as Trump made a return to the same grounds where he was nearly killed, as well as short remarks from tech billionaire Elon Musk who stressed the importance of registering to vote. 

“I think it’s the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms… They want to take away your right to vote effectively,” Musk told the crowd on Saturday. 

Musk repeatedly encouraged the crowds to get everyone in their social circles and beyond to register and vote come Election Day. 

A large crowd waits for the arrival of former President Trump in Butler on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

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“And honestly, you want to just be a pest. Just be a pest to everyone. You know, people on the street everywhere,” he said. 

“Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk added, referring to how Trump shouted “fight, fight, fight” to the crowds after he was shot in the ear in July. 

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

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson slammed the Biden administration’s handling of Hurricane Helene relief efforts, calling the federal government’s response an “abject failure.” 

“At the federal level, this has been a massive failure. And you could just ask the people there on the ground. I have been there. I was in Georgia. I was in Florida, where Hurricane Helene made landfall there on the coast. And then we’ll be going to the hardest hit parts of North Carolina on Wednesday of this week. When you talk to the people who are directly affected, they will tell you that this has been an abject failure,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Shannon Bream during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” 

Hurricane Helene has left more than 220 people dead after flooding devastated towns and cities across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Johnson went on to say that the nation had more than a week’s warning of the hurricane, and that FEMA should have been better prepared to assist victims. 

SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’

Speaker Mike Johnson said FEMA should have been better prepared to assist victims. (Getty Images)

“FEMA has lost sight of its core mission, I think, in so many cases. And the administration has not shown that they were prepared for this eventuality and this terrible disaster. The thing about hurricanes, Shannon, is that we know that they’re coming well in advance. You know, they had more than a week’s notice of this, and yet we still have people who have not been served and even rescued in North Carolina. It is a heartbreaking, tragic and infuriating situation to have the federal government fail as they have,” he said. 

NORTH CAROLINA REELING FROM DEVASTATING HELENE AS DEATH TOLL CLIMBS: ‘NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS’

A rescue team paddles down the Swannanoa River on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused widespread flooding, downed trees, and power outages in western North Carolina. (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican elected officials, Elon Musk and volunteers have spoken out against the government’s response to the hurricane, as crews continue searching for missing people and bodies across the affected region. 

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

“There’s just a complete failure of weak leadership here in North Carolina, the federal government, and it takes mind-strong leadership in Florida to send us up here,” Florida Guard Special Missions Unit’s Jon Howard, who is assisting rescue efforts in North Carolina, said on Fox News last week. “If it wasn’t for [Gov. Ron] DeSantis sending the state guard special missions unit up here, this never even would have happened. But there’s just no support here. There’s no leadership.”

Flood damage at a bridge across Mill Creek in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 30, 2024 in Old Fort, North Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“When we meet these locals on the ground, they’re asking, like, ‘You’re from the state guard?’ I’m like, ‘I am from Florida,’ and they’re like, ‘Where’s North Carolina?’ You know, they’re asking where their leadership is,” he continued. “They have no understanding of what’s going on, and then we’ve even had people, officials here, try to kick us out of Lakemoor, out of Chimney Rock… Nonsense stuff. They’re asking me for my authorizations to be here… It’s the most insane thing you would ever see. It’s like they want these people to die.”

Musk slammed FEMA on Friday for “blocking” shipments of Starlink satellite internet deliveries to North Carolina as ravaged areas try to get back online. 

TRUMP TARGETS BIDEN, HARRIS OVER FEDERAL RESPONSE TO HURRICANE: ‘INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED’

“FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!” Musk posted on X. 

Musk said later that day that the problem was “resolved,” crediting Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, with FEMA denying any claims it confiscated any supplies for hurricane victims. 

The remnants of a home are seen in Lake Lure, North Carolina, Oct. 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)

President Biden surveyed damage from the hurricane in North Carolina and South Carolina last week, as well as spoke and met with victims in Florida and Georgia on Thursday, and called on Congress to replenish funds for disaster relief programs. 

Johnson continued that Congress will be back in session immediately following the election on Nov. 5 to address additional funding to FEMA for potential additional hurricanes and natural disasters in the immediate future. 

ELON MUSK SLAMS FEMA OVER HELENE RESPONSE IN NORTH CAROLINA AS SPACEX LOOKS TO SET UP NEW STARLINKS

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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“Congress will do its job. Remember that before we left Washington, the day before Helene hit, by the way, made landfall, Congress appropriated 20 billion additional dollars to FEMA so that they would have the immediate dollars they need to address the immediate needs. Then after that, Congress always takes its – the due approach of providing what is necessary,” he said, explaining that Congress first needs to see estimates on the damage from states, which he said can take time to calculate. 

Voters attending a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Flint, Michigan, argued that the Democratic nominee is better on immigration and that former President Trump is to blame for the current situation at the border.

“She comes with compassion and a plan,” one voter attending the Harris rally Friday told Fox News Digital. “We know that we have problems down there, but we have to do it specifically to make the changes… just throwing out rhetoric and building a wall is not going to do it. This is about people’s lives who have come here because they’re in distress and danger, and we need to help them because that’s who we are.”

The comments come as both Trump and Harris made multiple appearances in Michigan last week, highlighting the critical importance of a swing state that could decide the fate of November’s election.

KAMALA HARRIS’ SUPPORT WITH ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN IS ‘TENUOUS’: DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST

Harris supporters in Flint, Michigan, explain why they believe the vice president is better on immigration. (Aerial view of Flint, Michigan. Photographer: Brand Diverse Solutions Steven Barber via iStock)

With the election just over four weeks away, polling shows Michigan could be decided by a razor-thin margin once again. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average as of Sunday, Harris currently holds a narrow 0.7 point edge in the state.

At the top of mind for voters in Michigan at both Trump and Harris rallies last week was immigration, with both sides agreeing that work needed to be done to secure the southern border. But while Trump supporters mostly pin the blame on the Biden administration, Harris supporters in Flint argued that it was Trump’s effort to kill President Biden’s bipartisan border legislation that was to blame for the current situation.

“She has worked on a bill that she said that if she’s elected she’s going to sign into law that directly puts more people on the front line that would actually be helping with the border, while Trump shot that down,” a voter told Fox News Digital.

Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event at the Philip Chosky Theatre in Pittsburgh on Sept. 25, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL SHOULD HIT IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SLAMMING BIDEN’S RESPONSE

“The Biden administration tried to put through an act that would make border crossings more limited and better. It was basically a slam dunk, Trump went and told his people ‘Hey, we need to shoot this down, we can’t let them get a win,’” another voter said.

Meanwhile, some voters argued that all Trump brings to the table on the issue is “rhetoric” that divides people, while Harris has the experience to solve the problem.

Former President Trump addresses a rally on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an assassin tried to kill him on July 13.  (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

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“Harris is better on immigration because she’s experienced in border security, the policies and legislation that are necessary to result in a secure border,” a voter said. “Border security is a complex issue which requires a plan that’s very specific, detailed, and complex. A complex problem needs a complex solution… what we hear from former President Trump is essentially rhetoric and simple verbiage that’s not going to solve a complex problem.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on Sunday said that he will continue to “support and follow” Israel after seeing how the Jewish State has been able to humiliate Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Fetterman made the remarks on “Fox News Sunday,” telling anchor Shannon Bream that Israel knows best about how to take on Iran and the regime’s proxies.

“Whatever they decide to do in response to Iran, I’m going to support that because Israel will have a better idea of the intelligence and the circumstances on the ground,” Fetterman said. “And that’s why I’m going to support and follow that.”

The Democrat praised Israel for their effective responses against Hezbollah and Hamas that he said left the Iranian proxies “cowering.” 

BIDEN SAYS HE WOULD NOT BACK ISRAELI STRIKE ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR SITE

Fetterman said Sunday that he will continue to “support and follow” Israel following recent Israeli strikes that have “humiliated” Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, File)

“I also want to celebrate what Israel has been able to do,” Fetterman said. “They’ve demolished Hamas and now they have humiliated Hezbollah and they are now cowering. And Iran shot, you know, 200 missiles and [Israel] vaporized those. So, Iran now is left exposed and humiliated, and Israel has put them back on the ropes. And I am going to support what they continue to do.”

Iran bombarded Israel with 181 missiles last week in what the regime said was retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike in September and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. 

Israel’s anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

Meanwhile, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have traded attacks with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.

Fetterman’s comments come days after President Biden told reporters that he would not support an attack by Israel on Iranian nuclear sites in retaliation for Iran’s missile attack against Israel amid fears that a lethal regional war is around the corner.

Biden said all the G7 leaders on a recent call – France, Canada, Japan, Britain, Italy and Germany – agreed that Israel had the right to “proportionally” respond to Iran’s military strike.

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL SHOULD HIT IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SLAMMING BIDEN’S RESPONSE

Biden’s response came under fire from former President Trump, who told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin on Thursday that Biden’s response on Israel attacking Iran was the “craziest thing I’ve ever heard. That’s the biggest risk we have. The biggest risk we have is nuclear.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called out Western leaders who he said had called for an arms embargo on Israel over its airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza. 

“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side, yet President Macron and other western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Western leaders on Saturday, claiming that they are calling for an arms embargo against Israel. (OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images, File)

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He continued, “Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together, but countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel.”

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sought to distance Vice President Kamala Harris from laws he himself signed that granted benefits to illegal immigrants in Minnesota on Sunday.

Walz made the comments during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News Sunday with host Shannon Bream. Bream pressed Walz on his military history and his record on abortion in addition to questioning him on legislation he signed in Minnesota that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and receive state-funded tuition assistance, among other benefits.

“Are those not magnets to draw people here, many times on dangerous journeys for themselves? And why should your taxpayers in Minnesota or across the states pay for those programs?” Bream asked.

“Well, that’s not the vice president’s position,” Walz admitted, before going on to defend his leadership in Minnesota. 

TRUMP CAMPAIGN PUSHES BACK ON ‘SNL’ SKIT ABOUT ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS: ‘DISGUSTING’

Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, joined Fox News Sunday for a wide-ranging interview. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“But I will say this, Minnesota ranks as a top five business state. We rank as a top three state for children living, and we’re a top state for health care access,” he said. “Look, the Vice President has made it clear that she has policies that make a difference. Her border policies are the most strongest, the fairest we’ve seen.”

Bream also challenged Walz to clarify his ticket’s position on abortion access. The exchange ultimately led to Walz flatly accusing former President Trump of lying when he said he would not sign a national abortion ban into law.

Bream began by pointing out that Minnesota’s abortion law imposes no limits on abortion procedures through all nine months of pregnancy, something that goes far beyond the provisions of Roe v. Wade, which Harris and Walz said they support.

Walz says the immigration laws he signed in Minnesota do not represent Vice President Kamala Harris’ positions. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“You signed the bill that makes it legal through all nine months. Is that a position you think Democrats should advocate for nationally?” Bream asked.

“The vice president and I have been clear the restoration of Roe versus Wade is what we’re asking for,” Walz responded.

HARRIS CAMPAIGN PLEDGES MORE MEDIA INTERVIEWS AS VOTERS STILL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HER POLICIES

“But that law goes far beyond Roe v. Wade,” Bream pressed. “Let’s agree, in what you signed there’s not a single limit through nine months of pregnancy. Roe had a trimester framework that did have limits through the pregnancy. The Minnesota law does not have that.”

“This doesn’t change anything. It puts the decision back on to the woman, to the physicians,” Walz responded. “And we know that this is simply something to be brought up – to be very clear Donald Trump’s asking for a nationwide abortion ban.”

“[Trump] has said repeatedly that he will not sign a national abortion ban. Are you calling that a flat out lie?” Bream asked.

“Yes, of course, and Senator Vance has in the past said so too,” Walz said.

Walz accused Trump of lying when he promised not to sign a federal ban on abortion. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)

Bream concluded the interview by giving Walz a chance to respond to criticism of his frequent “misstatements,” such as his claims about military service and his assertion that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre.

“Look, I speak passionately. I had an entire career, decades before I was in public office. They know, and I’m very proud of my 24 years in service and my record. I have never disparaged someone else in this, but I know that’s not what Donald Trump does. They disparage everyone,” Walz said.

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“I will own up when I misspeak. I will own up when I make a mistake. Let’s be very clear. On that debate stage the other night, I asked one very simple question and Senator Vance would not acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” he finished.

As the U.S. mulls over a plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, its Kurdish allies have a message: Don’t forget us. 

“This is not the time to reduce coalition forces in Iraq,” Treefa Aziz, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s special representative to the U.S., told Fox News Digital. 

“Extremist groups like ISIS and armed militias continue to pose a serious threat to the people of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”

The U.S. announced plans to shrink the U.S. “footprint” in Iraq and end the current mission of coalition forces – including the Kurds – to fight ISIS, but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed there would remain. 

“A decade ago, Kurdish Peshmerga forces worked alongside U.S. troops to defeat ISIS and continue to actively combat ISIS remnants to prevent a resurgence of terror today,” Aziz said. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “has been a reliable security partner for the United States and remains ready to enhance cooperation.”

But now, if Baghdad is pushing the U.S. out of Iraq, the U.S. could feel it must honor that request or risk making another enemy in the Middle East. The KRG says it would be “willing and able” to host U.S. coalition forces in its territory. 

The current mission is now set to end by September 2025, with a plan to keep the number of forces on the Iraqi side to back up the 900 U.S. troops in Syria until at least 2026. 

News of a plan that could amount to a significant drawdown of U.S. forces called to mind 2019, when former President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of Syria and the Kurds felt abandoned by a partner they had fought alongside for years – leaving them open to an attack by Turkish forces.  

PENTAGON PLANS TO SHRINK US ‘FOOTPRINT’ IN IRAQ

Trump, at the time, left the Kurds with a warning to their longtime enemies: “I have told Turkey that if they do anything outside of what we would think is humane . . . they could suffer the wrath of an extremely decimated economy.”

Syrian Kurdish security forces stand by as former detainees suspected of being members of the Islamic State (IS) group are released in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakeh on Sept. 2, 2024. (Photo by Delil souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. relationship with the Kurds – an indigenous group of daring fighters whose quest for their own formal state has been unsuccessful – spans back decades. 

When the Turks denied the U.S. passage into Iraq for the invasion in 2003, Iraqi Kurds helped the U.S. overthrow Saddam Hussein. 

The Kurds have fought with U.S. coalition forces since they reentered Iraq in 2014 to fight ISIS, and the U.S. pledged arms support and humanitarian aid. 

The group faces attacks from terror groups on all sides. And as Iran increasingly encroaches on the Iraqi government, Baghdad has the KRG in a choke-hold, officials say. 

US, IRAQ TEAM UP TO KILL 15 ISIS OPERATIVES

“There is growing concern regarding efforts to weaken the federal system in Iraq. The constitutional framework, which is designed to ensure shared governance, is disregarded,” one Kurdish official said.

“The continued suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan region has placed significant economic strain. More than a year and half later, we have yet to see the resumption of these exports.” 

The KRG has been trying to work with the Iraqis on a power-sharing agreement with no real results.

Supporters of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party chant slogans during the Newroz celebrations, in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

“Some of these actions appear to align with external influences rather than the broader national interest,” the official said, referring to Iranian influence. “With the assistance of our allies, we believe these issues can be resolvable through constructive dialogue and cooperation.”

The KRG is also asking the U.S. government to “honor its commitment” included in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to “provide the KRG with a comprehensive air defense system. 

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The law required the Department of Defense to submit and implement a plan for providing the Iraqi security forces and  Kurdistan Region with air defenses by July 2024. 

“As a steadfast U.S. ally that is regularly targeted by extremist violence, the KRG requires assurances that it will be protected from all threats, both internal and external,” said Aziz. 

Gen. Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee in March that ISIS-K, which launched a horrific attack in Moscow earlier this year, “retains the capability and the will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months with little to no warning.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is facing heavy criticism after sending mixed messages on whether the Biden-Harris administration has been using FEMA resources to support migrants last week.

Jean-Pierre flatly denied that FEMA resources were going to migrants in a press conference last week, but she stated the opposite when asked about the issue in the fall of 2022.

“Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants.  How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter asked during a Friday press conference.

“I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded, going on to cite a Washington Post fact-check article on the subject.

LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED OVER FEMA FUNDING CONCERNS

Social media critics then compared her statement to comments made in 2022, where she appeared to explicitly state that FEMA resources were available to illegal immigrants.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED TO ACT’ IN HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH: REP. CORY MILLS

She made the statement during a Sept. 16, 2022, press conference when Jean-Pierre was asked about assisting cities in handling the busloads of migrants being sent across the country from Texas.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sent conflicting messages about whether FEMA funds are going to migrants. (White House)

“FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate — to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at the time.

GEOGRAPHIC TERRITORY OF HURRICANE DISASTER IS ‘GIGANTIC’: REP JARED MOSKOWITZ

“Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added.

Scrutiny on the Biden-Harris administration’s use of FEMA funds comes amid catastrophic flooding in North Carolina. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $100 million package to support the state.

Critics pointed out, however, that the package was much smaller than the $157 million in foreign humanitarian support Harris had announced for Lebanon the same day.

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“The people of Lebanon are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,” she wrote on X.

Vice President Kamala Harris joined a group of volunteers to assemble emergency relief kits on Saturday in North Carolina. (Pool)

“To that end, the United States will provide nearly $157 million in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon for essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict. This additional support brings total U.S. assistance to Lebanon over the last year to over $385 million,” she added.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

A 100-foot wide “Vote for Trump” sign in upstate New York is stirring controversy after the City of Amsterdam claimed it’s a big, glowing code violation.

Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino told Fox News Digital he installed the sign on top of the old Fownes glove factory to symbolize the return of American manufacturing and what he calls “the triumph of the underdog against insurmountable adversity.” 

“I think that’s what President Trump did. He triumphed against massive adversity. He’s still doing that with bullets flying by his head,” Constantino said. “And we triumph too. Nobody thought we could build a massive sticker company or a massive tech company in upstate New York.”

But his company now faces adversity in the form of legal action by the City of Amsterdam to prevent the “displaying” and “illumination” of the pro-Trump sign, which is visible from the New York State Thruway. 

TRUMP’S RETURN TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, IS ‘GUTSY,’ SUPPORTERS SAY

Sticker Mule installed a 100-foot “Vote for Trump” sign on the tallest building in Amsterdam, N.Y.  (Sticker Mule)

According to court documents, the sign violates city code because it “presents a dangerous distraction and impacts traffic flow,” especially at night when it is illuminated. Local officials allege Sticker Mule was informed it would need a permit and several variances to install the sign in August, but the company never responded before the sign went up Oct. 1.

Constantino and his legal team contest the city’s claims. The CEO believes Amsterdam’s Democratic Party-endorsed independent mayor is anti-Trump and has vowed to fight a temporary injunction that requires the sign to be covered up. Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti did not respond to requests for comment. 

Dressed in a black T-shirt that said “Trump For Peace,” Constantino describes Sticker Mule as “the internet’s fastest growing printing company” with 1,200 employees in 39 countries. His online business began by making stickers but has since expanded to print T-shirts, buttons and magnets and even operates its own online store platform, Sticker Mule Stores. He is proud to report that Sticker Mule has created nearly 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. over the past few years.

“I like to move fast and do interesting things,” Constantino told Fox News Digital. Success in business gave him the means to reinvest in his hometown of Amsterdam, and the Fownes factory was one of several buildings he bought and restored, filling them with machines and workers. 

FORMER NFL STAR AND TRUMP SUPPORTER ANTONIO BROWN JOINS VOTER REGISTRATION EFFORT IN KEY SWING STATE

Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino speaks at an event in New York.  (Paul Antonelli)

“Fownes was a glove manufacturer that left my hometown when I was 2 years old in 1984,” he said, explaining that Amsterdam was “decimated” by job loss when the factory, with its iconic “Fownes” sign, closed its doors.  

“This Fownes sign for years symbolized American manufacturing going to China,” Constantino said. Now, the $150,000 “Vote for Trump” sign sits in its place, heralding a new era of American manufacturing jobs.

The impossible-to-miss sign attracted “major interest,” according to Constantino. To celebrate its installation, his political action committee, StickerPAC, plans to host a “Trump Sign Lighting Party” Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. A news release about the event says UFC superstars Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum and Tracy Cortez will join Constantino to speak and support the “historic event.” 

According to a representative for Constantino, House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is also expected to speak at the event. Stefanik’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

“The enthusiasm just went through the roof. We’ve got three UFC superstars that wanted to come see it. We’ve got people that want to come from all over the state of New York, people that want to fly in or drive in from all over the country, really, to see the sign get lit up,” Constantino said.

‘TIGHTEST RACE SINCE 2000’: HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN HITS FINAL STRETCH UNTIL ELECTION DAY

The “Vote for Trump” sign in Amsterdam, N.Y., has been covered after a court-issued injunction. (Paul Antonelli)

But the festivities may be cut short by legal action from Amsterdam. On Oct. 3, the city code enforcer sent a notice of violation to Sticker Mule that gave the company two days to remove the “Vote for Trump” sign. The city also requested an injunction from the Supreme Court of the State of New York to prevent the sign from being displayed.

“The affidavit claims, without evidence, that the city will suffer irreparable harm because the sign is a dangerous distraction for drivers due to its novelty and the fear that people will stop to take pictures of it,” said Sal Ferlazzo, general counsel for Sticker Mule. “The court, based solely on the city’s presentation and without any opportunity for me to respond, did initially grant a preliminary injunction and restraining order.” 

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. Until that time, the court ordered Sticker Mule to refrain from “displaying any sign and/or illumination of any sign on the roof of 26 Elk Street.” 

On the advice of legal counsel, Sticker Mule has temporarily covered up the pro-Trump sign to comply with the court order.

TRUMP-VANCE TICKET HAS DONE COMBINED 63 INTERVIEWS SINCE AUGUST COMPARED TO 24 FOR HARRIS-WALZ

The illuminated “Vote for Trump” sign at 26 Elk St., Amsterdam, N.Y.  (@stickermule | Instagram)

“I think it’s deeply disturbing,” Constantino said of the city’s action. “I brought nearly a thousand jobs to my hometown, which was decimated when the Fownes company and other companies left. And I’m trying to do something positive, exciting for the community.” 

He suggested Mayor Cinquanti has “TDS” — Trump derangement syndrome — and is fighting the sign for political reasons.

“They do know that they are in violation,” Cinquanti told The Daily Gazette. “They’ve been cited, and we’ll just let that play out as we would with any code violation.”

The mayor, who according to the newspaper has previously called Trump his least favorite president in American history, insisted the city’s objections to the sign are about safety, not politics. 

“I don’t care what the sign says, but distracting the attention of drivers on the freeway is something that needs to be looked at, and that’s what we’re doing,” he told the outlet. 

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“Any sign that represents a hazard to the safety of drivers concerns me,” he added. “Anyone who violates city codes is an issue that we deal with, and we are in the process of dealing with it and trying to alleviate what I consider a hazard.”

Regardless of the city’s objections, Constantino said Monday’s event will continue as planned, “featuring UFC Superstars, Free Fish Filets, Cybertrucks and a beautiful Trump sign.”

“The sign is a beautiful sign whether you’re a Democrat or Republican. The sign is a big win for upstate New York, a big win for Amsterdam, New York. It’s a beautiful and uplifting sign. And I think it’s going to become a major tourist attraction, especially if Trump wins,” Constantino said. 

“It’s going to be a unifying event. I’m inviting Democrats and Republicans alike to come watch me unveil the sign. We don’t want all the division going on in this country anymore.” 

A growing group of Muslim voters in Georgia say they will not back either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in next month’s election because of both candidates’ support of Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Harris has said she supports Israel’s right to defend itself and would not withhold weapons from the country, but has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while Trump said recently he is Israel’s “protector” and reaffirmed his support for the Jewish state.

In battleground Georgia, where Trump narrowly lost in 2020 to President Joe Biden, the Peach State could help determine whether Harris or Trump wins the presidency.

The Muslim population in Georgia could also impact which candidate wins the state’s 16 electoral votes. Muslim voters across the country are virtually tied between Harris and Trump, with Harris only securing a single-point advantage, according to a recent poll by the Arab American Institute.

KAMALA HARRIS’ SUPPORT WITH ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN IS ‘TENUOUS’: DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST

A growing group of Muslim voters in Georgia say they will not back Vice President Harris or former President Trump over their support of Israel. (Getty Images)

Kristen Truitt, a Muslim American voter in Atlanta, has voted for Democrats in prior elections but now says the party will not have his support over its position on Israel.

“Just to give unlimited funds and access to Israel, I think that is totally ridiculous,” Truitt told Fox 5 Atlanta.

This comes just ahead of the one-year mark of the ongoing war in Gaza between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists. The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and took more than 250 hostages, which prompted retaliatory action from Israel’s military.

The Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 41,000 people have been killed in the conflict, although it does not distinguish between civilian and terrorist deaths. More than 1,500 people have reportedly been killed in Israel since the start of the conflict, with most of them being killed on Oct. 7 and its immediate aftermath.

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL SHOULD HIT IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SLAMMING BIDEN’S RESPONSE

Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event at the Philip Chosky Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The growing group of Muslim voters in Georgia and across the country have said they will not vote for Harris or Trump due to both sides’ vocal support of Israel in its war in Gaza, and the conflict is now expanding to include Israel attacking Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon.

“What we’re trying to say is we should really do away with the logic of voting for the ‘lesser of two evils,'” Kareem Rosshandler, Georgia co-chair of the “Abandon Harris” campaign, told Fox 5.

The “Abandon Harris” campaign group is urging Muslims to vote third-party to send a message to Republicans and Democrats that they need to earn the votes of the Muslim community.

“I think the main one is to say that the Muslim community in the United States won’t be taken for granted,” Rosshandler said.

Rosshandler said the group has already secured commitments from more than 10,000 Muslim voters to support third-party candidates. Some third-party candidates, including Libertarian Chase Oliver and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, have been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a town hall event in Fayetteville, N.C., Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

The loss of Muslim voters is expected to hurt Harris more than Trump, as the Republican candidate has previously struggled to secure Muslim votes.

“That would essentially have a greater adverse impact on the Harris-Waltz ticket than it would on Trump-Vance,” Emory University assistant professor of law Alicia Hughes, who is also a voting expert, told Fox 5 Atlanta. “Trump, historically, has not been able to count on those votes.”

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Hughes also says that if Harris or Trump were more vocally critical of Israel, it may not help their election chances either.

“There’s a great possibility that you would lose more from the change than you would actually gain,” she said.

Absentee voting in Maine is getting underway, with the state’s four Electoral College votes up for grabs and a number of other national, statewide and local races on the ballot.

Maine is one of two states in the U.S. — the other is Nebraska — that does not use a winner-take-all system for all its electors. In the presidential race, two electors are given to the winner of the statewide popular vote, while one elector is awarded to Maine’s District 1 and District 2, respectively.

A “vote here” sign at the entrance of the Waterville Junior High School polling station during the election in Waterville, Maine, Nov. 3, 2020.   (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

Maine is mostly Democratic, but its vast 2nd District is critical for a Trump victory

Maine is one of several Democratic-leaning northeastern states. President Biden won here by about nine points in 2020, improving on Hillary Clinton’s margin four years earlier. And it hasn’t voted for a Republican at the statewide level since 1988. It is ranked Likely D on the Fox News Power Rankings.

Like Nebraska, it also allocates its electoral votes by congressional district. The winner of the statewide tally receives two votes, with another vote for the winner of the presidential tally in each of its two districts.

The small coastal 1st District is solid blue territory. The 2nd District, which is predominantly rural and represents almost all the land area of the state, leans conservative.

Trump won the 2nd District by 7.4 points in his last race, and it’s ranked Likely R this cycle. The former president will look for a win here to get one step closer to the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the presidency.

Key downballot races in today’s early voting states

The same district is also home to a competitive House race.

Maine’s 2nd District: Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden is one of five Democrats running in districts Trump won in the last presidential election (Golden won by 6 points). The former Marine made headlines this year when he said he “didn’t know” whether he would vote for Biden again and was one of the first Democrats to question Biden’s mental fitness. This time, he’s up against Maine State Representative and former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault, who says he wants “more balance and less extremism” in politics. This race is a Power Rankings toss-up.

How to vote in Maine

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 Maine.

TRUMP CAN WIN ON THESE 3 KEY ISSUES, MICHIGAN VOTERS TELL FOX

Voting by mail

Absentee ballots are beginning to be sent to voters after clerks were required to have received printed ballots to be sent out by Saturday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 31, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5.

A voter arrives at a polling location to vote in Portland, Maine, Nov. 3, 2009. (Reuters/Joel Page)

OBAMA TO CAMPAIGN FOR HARRIS IN PENNSYLVANIA, OTHER KEY STATES

Early in-person voting

Maine counties offer early in-person voting, but the start date varies by location. Check the state’s website for more information. Residents may vote in person with an absentee ballot until the Thursday before Election Day.

A box for ballots in a polling area ahead of Election Day at Waterville Junior High School in Waterville, Maine, Nov. 2, 2020.   (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

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Voter registration

Maine residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 15. They can also register in person during early voting and on Election Day.

WISCONSIN — With only one month until the presidential election, very few voters are still uncertain about their choice, but in a battleground state like Wisconsin that has flipped in the past two elections, those undecided voters could make the difference. 

Estimates of still-undecided voters in Wisconsin are in the low single digits, with the latest Marquette Law School poll reporting that just 4% identified themselves as such. 

Fox News Digital spoke with two such voters, who laid out why they are still holding out and what they need to seal the deal. 

TRUMP ATTORNEYS ARGUE JACK SMITH’S OBSTRUCTION CHARGES BE DISMISSED, CITING SUPREME COURT’S ‘FISCHER’ DECISION

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are each fighting to win swing state Wisconsin, which has gone both Democrat and Republican in the past two elections. (Reuters/IStock)

“I got to make up my mind when I fill out the paper,” said 86-year-old Edgar Schiekiera of Waukesha, Wisconsin. 

“I’m going to throw a dart,” he laughed. 

Schiekiera is an immigrant from Germany who noted that he grew up during the Second World War. For him, former President Trump’s comments on foreign policy have been troubling, enough so to make him hesitate to support Trump for a third time. 

“I voted for Trump the first year. I voted for him the second year. I don’t — this time, I don’t know,” he said. 

“I’m from Germany, and things that he’s said about [the] NATO Alliance — he wants quit it, and he doesn’t know what to do,” he said of what’s making him unsure of Trump. “A real danger lives overseas.”

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS IN NEW INSTAGRAM VIDEO: ‘VISION OF AMERICA’

Undecided voters spoke with Fox News Digital about what they are hoping to see in the remaining weeks of the campaign. (Fox News Digital)

Schiekiera was also concerned about what Trump has said with relation to conflicts around the world, particularly involving Ukraine and Iran. “He can stop the war?” he asked, in reference to Trump’s own claims about the war between Ukraine and Russia. “He cannot stop the war.”

However, he added that “Biden or Kamala Harris—she doesn’t know what’s going to happen,” either. According to him, he isn’t confident that either of the top candidates can effectively lead on the world stage in the current geopolitical climate. 

There are other issues that Schiekiera is taking into consideration as well, such as abortion. “I got my own ideas,” he said. 

He noted that Trump has appeared to change positions on “issues nationally [and] worldwide.”

“Trump’s gone one way, and then he [goes] to another way. He’s undecided what he’s going to do, really.”

DEMOCRATS WORRY ABOUT HARRIS’ CAUTIOUS MEDIA APPROACH IN TIGHT 2024 RACE: ‘VOTERS DESERVE BETTER’

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York.  (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

In contrast, Keon Pierce of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, isn’t considering Trump at all. But he is not sold on Vice President Kamala Harris either. 

“I’m leaning Kamala, but I have to see. She’s got to convince me a little more,” he told Fox News Digital.

“I’m waiting to see who has the best — the best protection for different groups of people. You know, the best rights and best laws that can help all groups of people.”

Pierce explained that he wanted to be sure the president would “help all people. Asian people, Indian people, Black people, everybody.”

When Fox News Digital noted that Harris is both Black and Indian, he responded, “We had a Black president before, and it didn’t necessarily translate to helping the people,” in reference to former President Barack Obama. 

TRUMP CAN WIN ON THESE THREE KEY ISSUES, MICHIGAN VOTERS TELL FOX

Jill Stein is running on the Green Party’s ticket. (Getty Images)

He said he was “open to” Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who will appear on the Wisconsin ballot after a court challenge to see her ousted was denied. 

“It’s possible that I wouldn’t vote as well,” he added. 

As for the Milwaukee area, Pierce explained, “It’s bad here. It’s really segregated here, and opportunities are limited.”

He said he needs to hear more about what will be done to bring more “opportunities, jobs, education, [and] a better school system in the inner city.”

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In the latest Marquette Law School poll, Harris beat Trump among Wisconsin registered voters, 49% to 44%, with third-party options included. 

For the poll, 882 registered voters were interviewed between Sept. 18 and 26. It had a margin of error of +/-4.4 percentage points. 

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

EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is criticizing the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene while warning the price tag for its recovery could be “one of the most expensive” the U.S. has seen.

“There were some pretty ominous projections, and so Congress acted appropriately,” Johnson told Fox News Digital Friday evening, noting lawmakers freed up roughly $20 billion in immediate funding for FEMA in last month’s short-term federal funding bill. “But, so far, [President Biden, Vice President Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas] have failed in that response.”

Johnson said he was “alarmed and disappointed” by Biden officials’ comments immediately after the storm suggesting FEMA was too low on funds to deal with Helene’s wrath. 

Mayorkas said “we are meeting the immediate needs” of the hurricane earlier this week but said “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

NORTH CAROLINA REELING FROM DEVASTATING HELENE AS DEATH TOLL CLIMBS: ‘NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS’

Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Fox News Digital after he toured areas in Florida and Georgia hit by Hurricane Helene. (Getty Images)

Biden suggested earlier this week he may want Congress to return for an emergency session to pass a supplemental disaster aid bill.

“They are scrambling to cover their egregious errors and mistakes. And there’s an effort to blame others or blame circumstances when this is just purely a lack of leadership and response,” the speaker said. He noted Mayorkas said in July that FEMA was “tremendously prepared” for weather crises this year. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and DHS for comment.

Johnson also argued lawmakers could not act until an assessment by state and local authorities produced projections of how much needs to be allocated.

“I don’t think those estimates could conceivably be completed until at least 30 days — until after the election, and that’s when Congress will be back in session again,” he said.

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

The Republican leader is no stranger to hurricanes. He noted his native Louisiana is still dealing with the damage from Hurricane Katrina today, but his prediction was dire when asked about the cost of recovery after Helene ravaged the Southeast, killing more than 200 people.

He said it could be “one of the most expensive storms that the country has ever encountered.”

“It affects at least six states — a broad swath of destruction across many, many areas — and I think that’s why it’s going to take a while to assess,” Johnson said.

Johnson criticized President Biden’s response to the storm. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“As soon as those numbers are ready, Congress will be prepared to act,” Johnson vowed at another point.

“I certainly hope the administration is working overtime right now to … help get them prepared.”

As part of immediate response efforts, Johnson has toured areas in Georgia and Florida pummeled by the storm and is poised to visit hard-hit North Carolina in the coming days, he said.

Criticism over FEMA’s response has prompted some conservatives to accuse the Biden administration of diverting disaster aid funds toward supporting illegal immigrants at the border through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which was allocated roughly $650 million in the last fiscal year.

TRUMP TARGETS BIDEN, HARRIS OVER FEDERAL RESPONSE TO HURRICANE: ‘INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED’

Both the White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have vigorously denied any link between disaster aid and SSP beyond both being administered by FEMA and have said claims of any disaster relief dollars being used to support migrant housing services are false.

“No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants’ housing and services. None. At. All,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a memo on Friday. “In fact, the funding for communities to support migrants is directly appropriated by Congress to CBP, and is merely administered by FEMA. The funding is in no way related to FEMA’s response and recovery efforts.”

Johnson did not give a definitive answer when asked about the concerns echoed on the right, but he accused Mayorkas of mismanaging DHS.

Homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Oct. 2, 2024, in Chimney Rock Village, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

“There is a lot of controversy about the nonsense that the Mayorkas Department of Homeland Security has engaged in. With their … dangerous open-borders policy and then the relocation efforts of taking illegal aliens and transporting them around the country,” Johnson said. “We have been working every day, House Republicans, to stop the madness.

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“And, so, what happened is that FEMA, because it’s a division of DHS, it’s very clear that they should be focused on helping Americans recover from disasters and not straining resources that go to other programs that are catering to illegals.”

When pressed on whether DHS was able to divert congressionally appropriated funding for disaster aid into SSP, Johnson said, “There are different programs that have different funding.”

He pointed out that House Republicans are seeking to defund the SSP program in the current federal funding discussions for fiscal year 2025.

“We are doing everything within our power to prevent these abuses of the law and abuses of taxpayer dollars from the White House and the Democratic Party,” Johnson said.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report

Saturday marks one month to go until Election Day on November 5.

As the presidential campaign enters the home stretch, it remains a margin-of-error race nationally and in the seven key battleground states likely to determine the winner of the election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.

Both national party chairs are confident of their chances.

“We’re playing offense right now,” Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley said in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this week. “We feel very, very good about the map.”

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

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former President Donald Trump during their first and likely only debate, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

His counterpart, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison told reporters on Friday that “the enthusiasm is palatable in our party.”

But Harrison emphasized that “we know that this election will come down to the margins, and we’re not taking any vote for granted.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Since replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in mid-July, Harris has enjoyed a wave of momentum and enjoyed a surge in fundraising. In the all-important cash dash, Harris and the DNC appear to hold a large advantage over Trump and the RNC.

And that’s helped bolster what was already a very impressive ground game organizational advantage the Democrats held over the Republicans.

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

“We started laying the foundation well before 2024 by investing in our ground game,” Harrison highlighted. “We have been on the ground since the earliest days of this campaign getting our message out.”

The DNC chair touted that there are “more than 312 coordinated offices across the battleground states,” with “over 2,000 coordinated staff…doing the hard work on the ground.”

IN BID FOR DISGRUNTLED REPUBLICANS, HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH CHENEY IN GOP BIRTHPLACE 

But Whatley wasn’t phased.

“The Democrats have a ton of money. The Democrats always have a ton of money,” Whatley said, noting that Trump was outraised in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

The RNC chair emphasized that “we have the resources we need to get our message out to our voters and to every voter. I feel very, very comfortable about the campaign plan.”

 Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump departs a campaign event at the Central Wisconsin Airport on September 7, 2024 in Mosinee, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

And while the Harris campaign and allied groups have outspent Trump and his aligned groups in the ad wars, Whatley pointed to the former president’s ability to capture free media.

“Donald Trump is out there talking every single day to the voters in a way that only he can. He can generate news. He can go out there and generate social media hits. He can communicate directly with the American voters like no other politician of our generation, so it’s a huge advantage for us,” he said.

Veteran Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducted the Fox News Poll along with longtime Republican pollster Daron Shaw, said with four weeks to go, “my expectations of plausible outcomes range from a narrow Electoral College victory for Trump to a modestly more comfortable victory for Harris.”

TRUMP UPS HIS ANTE IN THE 2024 FUNDRAISING FIGHT WITH HARRIS

But while Harris holds a slight two-point edge in an average of the national surveys, Shaw noted that “the issue profile of this election continues to favor Trump.”

Veteran political scientist and New England College president Wayne Lesperance said that “this presidential contest is shaping up to be one of the closest in history, with the results likely to be slow-coming.”

And longtime Republican consultant Matt Gorman, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, highlighted that “we’re slated for the tightest race since 2000.”

“There are no more debates. There’s going to be a vacuum of news,” he said. “It’s integral the Trump campaign fill that vacuum with a message that puts Harris on the defensive.”

Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio (left) and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the two major party running mates, face off in the vice presidential debate, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. (Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images)

Trump, like Biden, is a well-known commodity. 

But Harris, even after being in the spotlight for nearly two months, is still less well-defined.

“The more voters get to know Vice President Harris, the more they like her,” Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer argued. 

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“It’s imperative that she continues to get in front of swing state voters, and she could afford to do more in the final weeks,” he offered. “She should barnstorm the key states, filling up her schedule with rallies and local interviews and off-the-record stops that produce shareable clips that bounce around social media. They’ve run a nearly perfect race to this point, but many voters still want to know more about who she is, what she believes, and what she will do as president.”

With one month to go, there’s always the possibility of an October surprise that could rock the White House race.

Dennis Daggett, executive vice president of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), speaks to picketing workers outside of the APM container terminal at the Port of Newark in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Dockworkers walked out of every major port on the US East and Gulf coasts for the first time in nearly 50 years, before quickly suspending the strike. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The dockworkers strike earlier this week – which closed major ports – could have wreaked havoc on the nation’s supply chain. It could have turned into an October surprise, but the strike was suspended after just two days.

Hurricane Helene, which tore a path of destruction through the southeast, also made an impact on the presidential contest – and there were memories of how Superstorm Sandy rocked the 2012 White House race between then-President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

And the strife in the Middle East – between Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah, also threatens to upend the election.

It’s important to note that while Election Day is a month away, in over two-dozen states, early in-person voting, absentee balloting, and voting by mail, are already underway.

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

Former President Trump on Friday said that Israel should attack Iran’s nuclear facilities while mocking President Biden’s answer earlier this week on the subject.  

While speaking at a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he said when Biden was asked about Israel attacking Iran, the president answered, “’As long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.’ That’s the thing you wanna hit, right? I said, ‘I think he’s got that one wrong. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to hit?’” 

Trump went on to say that nuclear proliferation is the “biggest risk we have.” 

TRUMP SLAMS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE HELENE

Former President Trump on Friday during a campaign event in Fayetteville, N.C., said that Israel should attack Iran’s nuclear facilities while mocking President Biden’s answer earlier this week on the subject.  (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

The former president said he rebuilt the “entire military, jets everything, I built it, including nuclear” while he was president. “I hated to build the nuclear, but I got to know firsthand the power of that stuff, and I’ll tell you what: we have to be totally prepared. We have to be absolutely prepared.”

He said when Biden was asked about Israel and Iran: “His answer should have been “‘Hit the nuclear first, worry about the rest later.'”

Trump made similar comments in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, telling correspondent Bill Melugin Biden’s response on Israel attacking Iran was the “craziest thing I’ve ever heard. That’s the biggest risk we have. The biggest risk we have is nuclear.” 

TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORS MOCK BIDEN’S WARNINGS TO ISRAEL TO STICK TO ‘PROPORTIONAL’ IRAN RESPONSE

Many rockets, fired from Iran, are seen over Jerusalem from Hebron, West Bank, Tuesday. The Israeli army announced that missiles were fired from Iran towards Israel and sirens were heard across the country, especially in Tel Aviv.  (Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

He continued, “I mean, to make the statement, ‘Please leave their nuclear alone.’ I would tell you that that’s not the right answer. That was the craziest answer because, you know what? Soon, they’re going to have nuclear weapons. And then you’re going to have problems.” 

Former deputy director of national intelligence Kash Patel, who served under Trump, said this week: “Iran launched a war into Israel, so to say that the Israelis who are defending themselves and our hostages shouldn’t attack sites in Iran that could kill them – especially when you’re the one who gave Iran $7 billion as a commander in chief and then allowed them to acquire nuclear materials – is wildly political.”

Biden told reporters this week that he and the other members of the G-7 were in agreement that Israel should have a “measured” response to Iran.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Following Tuesday’s attack by Iran on Israel, Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, “the answer is no,” of Israel potentially targeting the country’s nuclear program. 

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He added that he and the other members of the G-7 all “agree that [Israel has] a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally,”

A Nebraska Senate race has emerged as one to watch with only weeks until the election, as an independent candidate with controversial backing vies to unseat Sen. Debbie Fischer, R-Neb.

Dan Osborn, a mechanic and union leader, is running as an independent against Fischer, and has prompted two prominent political handicappers to change their ratings of the race, indicating heightened competition. 

Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics recently shifted the race from “Solid” or “Safe” Republican to “Likely Republican.” The race is now alongside that of Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., in each rating system. Sabato’s Crystal Ball also ranks the Nebraska Senate race in the same category as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but Cook has moved the Texas match-up to a more competitive placement. 

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Outside groups spending heavily in Dan Osborn’s, right, favor are drawing much of their funding from a George Soros-linked dark money group and another Democratic megadonor. (Reuters/AP)

Osborn is being backed by two outside PACs called Retire Career Politicians and the Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety. The former has spent $3,004,274 on behalf of Osborn and the latter has doled out more than $400,000 in support of his candidacy so far, as well as over $20,000 explicitly against Fischer, according to OpenSecrets.

Both PACs have recently come under scrutiny for their controversial monetary backers. Democrat megadonor and Vice President Kamala Harris supporter Reid Hoffman, who co-founded LinkedIn, gave $50,000 to Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety last year. 

AS LEADER RACE LOOMS, JOHN THUNE TAKES SENATE MAP BY STORM TO BOOST GOP CANDIDATES

Sens. Jack Reed, R.I., and Debbie Fischer, R-Neb. (Reuters)

Retire Career Politicians received $800,000 from the controversial dark money group the Sixteen Thirty Fund in a matter of months. The group is operated by left-wing Washington, D.C., political consulting firm, Arabella Advisers.

While the Sixteen Thirty Fund does not reveal its donors’ identities, billionaire George Soros’ group, the Open Society Foundations, has granted the fund more than $75 million between 2016 and 2022, according to Open Society Foundations’ website. 

The Sixteen Thirty Fund also gave $50,000 to the Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety. 

KAMALA HARRIS ISN’T ALONE: VULNERABLE DEMS WANT CURRENT FILIBUSTER GONE

Democrat donor George Soros has long used his organization to grant money to groups that back Democratic causes and candidates. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

Mike Helmink, the co-founder and treasurer of Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety told Fox News Digital they “reached out to everybody, anybody and everybody to come in on railroad safety issues and independent politics. And what we found is a lot of people on the progressive side and the Democrat side want to participate. And what we’ve found is the Republicans have really circled the wagons around Deb and all of the money and all the commits have gone to Deb.”

He pointed out that without a Democrat candidate in the race, “a lot of consultants and firms don’t have commits if they’re more of a Democrat leaning firm.”

“We really tried to get everybody and get a cross section and really build an organization going forward. You know, we would like to build this for the future, not just a one time and we’re done. You know, we would like to get this and be successful and get a win, get Dan elected and then continue moving forward on the independents and also on railroad safety,” he explained.

Fischer told Fox News Digital, “I think Nebraskans are going to be really, really interested in learning more about the dark money that is spending millions of dollars his way.” 

“Democrat dark money groups are spending millions of dollars backing Bernie Sanders acolyte Dan Osborn because he is a true radical. Osborn supports amnesty for illegal immigrants, has called for illegal immigrants to fill open jobs in Nebraska instead of Americans, and even wants to give Social Security benefits to illegals. Those aren’t Nebraska values,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Communications Director Mike Berg said in a statement. 

One of Osborn’s ads notably takes shots at Fischer for donations to her campaign from lobbyists and special interest groups, comparing her to a race car driver with patches on her jacket. “The only thing on the back of my jacket is Nebraska,” he said in the spot. 

JOHN CORNYN FLEXES FUNDRAISING CHOPS AS BATTLE TO SUCCEED MITCH MCCONNELL RAMPS UP

The independent candidate has made his non-affiliation with a political party central to his campaign. However, this has been dashed by reporting from two outlets suggesting that Osborn was once a Democrat and that he did not consider himself an independent until 2016.

“I became an independent in 2016, really, after the Trump-Hillary debates. I just kind of became disenfranchised with the two parties, and it all seemed a little fake to me,” he previously told Semafor.

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But his campaign has disputed this and claimed that he was misquoted. Osborn told a local outlet, “We were talking about how traditionally people in labor are Democrats.” 

Retire Career Politicians and Osborn’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

Former President Donald Trump let loose on former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney following her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Citing her historic defeat by a 2-to-1 margin in 2022 — and the controversial leadership of her father, Vice President Dick Cheney, during the U.S. invasion of the Middle East — Trump called the former Wyoming Republican a “low IQ war hawk.”

“Liz Cheney lost her Congressional Seat by the largest margin in the history of Congress for a sitting Representative. The people of Wyoming are really smart!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

KAMALA HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH LIZ CHENEY IN BIRTHPLACE OF REPUBLICAN PARTY

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers remarks to the press at Trump Tower in New York City. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

He continued, “She is a low IQ War Hawk that, as a member of the J6 Unselect Committee of Political Hacks and Thugs, ILLEGALLY DESTROYED & DELETED all documents, information, and evidence.”

Cheney, a one-time rising conservative star in the GOP, in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on the U.S. Capitol vowed to do everything she can to prevent Trump from returning to power.

The former representative campaigned for Harris in battleground Wisconsin on Thursday — pushing a message of unity against their mutual enemy’s campaign to return to the Oval Office.

The campaign event took place in Ripon, where a one-room schoolhouse was designated a national historic landmark due to its role in holding a series of meetings in 1854 that led to the formation of the Republican Party.

NIKKI HALEY DEFENDS TRUMP SUPPORT AFTER BEING CALLED OUT BY LIZ CHENEY: ‘THIS IS ABOUT AMERICA’

Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Cheney told the Wisconsin audience as she formally endorsed the Democrat presidential nominee. “As a conservative, as a patriot, as a mother, as someone who reveres our Constitution, I am honored to join her in this urgent cause.”

Cheney, who has been vocal in emphasizing the importance of defending the nation’s democratic process and of putting country before party, was one of only two Republicans who served on a special select committee organized by House Democrats that investigated the riot at the Capitol.

Trump’s social media remarks lumped together Liz Cheney and her former vice president father — who has also endorsed Harris — writing them off as “two fools” who are “suffering gravely from Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

“Her father, Dick, was a leader of our ridiculous journey into the Middle East, where Trillions of Dollars were spent, millions of people were killed – and for what? NOTHING! 

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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, arrives to speak at a campaign event with former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., right, at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“Well, today, these two fools, because the Republican Party no longer wants them, endorsed the most Liberal Senator in the U.S. Senate, further Left than even Pocahontas or Crazy Bernie Sanders – Lyin’ Kamala Harris. What a pathetic couple that is, both suffering gravely from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Good Luck to them both!!!”

Cheney on Thursday warned that “our republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before: a former president who attempted to stay in power by unraveling the foundations of our republic.”

She argued that Trump “can never be trusted with power again” and emphasized that “in this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration, it is our duty.”

“What January 6 shows us is there is not an ounce, not an ounce, of compassion in Donald Trump. He is petty. He is vindictive. He is cruel. And Donald Trump is not fit to lead this good and great nation,” Cheney said.

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