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Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy claims two-term Sen. Jon Tester is “two-faced” on issues during election cycles after voting in tandem with President Biden while appearing to brand himself a moderate among voters.

Tester sided with Biden on 91% of issues in 2021 and 2022, according to FiveThirtyEight, but recently pushed back on the administration’s orders on the border and Iran.

Sheehy claimed Tester, the sole Democrat to hold a statewide seat in Montana, switches gears on issues ahead of election season.

“Tester two-face doing the Tester two-step,” Sheehy told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “You know this is what he does. Five years out of every six he’s a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, firm progressive. Votes lockstep with Schumer, Biden and every other progressive in the country. And then, for his election year, he tries to shift back to the center and act like he’s a moderate.” 

NAVY SEAL VETERAN, SENATE CANDIDATE URGES BIDEN TO ‘STOP ENABLING IRAN’ AS ISRAEL FIGHTS FOR ‘SURVIVAL’

As a Second Amendment supporter, the red state Democrat appears to take a more moderate stance on some issues. He recently accepted campaign contributions from major left-wing donors George Soros and son Alexander, who both made several donations to Tester as he faces a tough re-election, according to financial disclosure receipts.

When former President Donald Trump was seeking approval of $5.7 billion to fund a wall on the southern border in 2019, Tester told “Here & Now’s” Jeremy Hobson that while a wall makes sense in some areas, border construction “from sea to shining sea is not the right direction to go.”

Tester also voted against an amendment “to prohibit the cancellation of contracts for physical barriers and other border security measures for which funds already have been obligated and for which penalties will be incurred in the case of such cancellation and prohibiting the use of funds for payment of such penalties.”

Despite voting against border security measures in 2021, Tester recently opposed Biden’s halt to Title 42 and is now calling for stronger border security. 

“He’s not a moderate, never has been a moderate. And we’re going to make sure Montanans are aware that we’re going to show them that conservative priorities are going to be at the top of our list and that we’re turning a conservative majority to the U.S. Senate. We’re gonna be able to stop this crazy leftist moving in the United States.”

The senator openly supported former President Barack Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal in 2015 that allowed billions of dollars in sanctions on Iran in exchange for the restriction of its nuclear program. But, in October, he called for Biden to refreeze $6 billion the president released to Iran in a prisoner swap.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican or Democrat. If you want commonsense policies, you want a balanced budget, you want a stronger economy, you want unleashed American energy, a secure border and commonsense foreign policy, then you better care about this race,” Sheehy told Fox.

EMERGING GOP CANDIDATE, COMBAT VETERAN ENTERS RACE FOR MONTANA CONGRESSIONAL SEAT HELD BY MATT ROSENDALE

An August Fox News poll found the economy and the southern border crisis were the most important issues in the country.

“You don’t have to be an economist to realize that the Biden administration’s economic policies have directly led to the squeezing of real incomes for Montanans, and they’re tired of it,” Sheehy said.

Sheehy said the economy, the border crisis, fentanyl deaths and the cost of living are “getting out of control.”

“Montanans identified that the Biden administration has been a disaster for their livelihoods and for their lifestyles. And they, rightfully so, understand that Jon Tester has been a loyal foot soldier for the Biden administration, everything they’ve tried to do,” the Navy SEAL said.

Democrats will be defending 23 of the 34 Senate seats up for grabs next cycle. Of the 23 seats up for election, seven, including Montana’s, are in states former President Donald Trump won in either 2016 or 2020.

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“We’re a very important race nationally. A lot of people on the coast might say, ‘Why do I care about a race in Montana?” But this race will help determine control of the Senate,” said Sheehy. 

“Americans from coast to coast are worried about another four years of crazy inflation, another four years of crazy leftist policies, more foreign wars starting every day. They better get serious about our national elections and look at the electoral map and realize that Montana’s really going to matter in 2024.”

Sheehy is dominating the Republican primary field with endorsements from prominent members of Congress, including Montana Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke. But he still faces a potential challenge from Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who is considering jumping into the race.

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

The governor’s race in Mississippi is days away, and Republicans may not have their typical upper hand over Democrats in this red state contest. 

In a state where Republicans hold all statewide offices and a large majority in the legislature, the governor’s race should be a done deal for incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, said Glenn Antizzo, a political science professor at Mississippi College. 

“He should be winning by a huge margin, not 5%,” said Antizzo. 

Prior to being elected governor in 2019, Reeves served two terms as lieutenant governor and two terms as state treasurer. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Reeves last week. 

DEMOCRATIC ELVIS RELATIVE HOPES TURNOUT IS ENOUGH TO UNSEAT MISSISSIPPI GOV. REEVES

Reeves’s Democratic challenger, state Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, is a second cousin to rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley. Presley’s big push is for Medicaid expansion, and he says he is a tax-cutting Democrat. On the campaign trail, he tells the story of his difficult childhood, being raised by a single mom after his father was murdered. 

A Democrat has not been elected governor in the state since 1999. But the cash is still flowing in for Presley. So far, the Washington-based Democratic Governors Association has donated nearly $6 million to Presley’s campaign. In 2019, the same association donated just over $2 million to Jim Hood, a Democratic candidate for governor. 

DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER OUTPACES GOP INCUMBENT IN FUNDRAISING FOR MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR’S RACE

There is a third name on the ballot, but the left-leaning independent candidate, Gwendolyn Gray, garnered little support and dropped out of the race in early October. She has since endorsed Presley but dropped out too late for her name to be removed from the ballot. Antizzo says votes for Gray could take away votes from Presley. 

The Cook Political Report shifted the 2023 Mississippi governor’s race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” two weeks ago. 

“It just means there may be some softening of the expectation of Republican support,” said Antizzo. “They still think that it’s going to come out that way. It may be closer.” 

But Antizzo is sounding the alarm on the Democratic roster in the state. 

“If the Democrats lose this, they’re in trouble,” said Antizzo. “The bench is empty. I don’t know who they run for statewide office after this. I think they’re going all in on this one.” 

Reeves defeated his democratic challenger by 5% in 2019, which was the most competitive governor’s race in the state since 2003. Antizzo says this election could be closer in part because of Reeves’ lack of likeability. 

POTENTIAL NAIL-BITER RACE IN DEEP-RED STATE HEATS UP AS DEM NOMINEE ACCUSES GOP GOVERNOR, FAMILY OF CORRUPTION

“If you look at his approval ratings, you’ll find that he’s underwater,” he said. “But the underwater has nothing to do with policies. A lot of people just tell me that it’s personal, that they just don’t like his personality. And they think he’s a bit distant, a bit cold. … I’ve seen him speak, and he is not a very polished public speaker. So, that hurts him.”  

But Antizzo says the Republican stronghold over the state should be enough to keep Reeves in the governor’s mansion. 

“I’m not saying that it’s not possible that Presley could win this race, but I’m saying it’s probably unlikely, given the political dynamics in the state,” he said. 

According to a poll conducted early last month by Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon, 51% would vote for Reeves if the election “were held today,” and 43% would vote for Presley. 

Voters told Fox News they know who they are voting for or have already cast an absentee ballot. 

“I’m a huge supporter of Brandon Pressley and his campaign, his strategies, ideas and plans for the state of Mississippi,” Thelma, one Mississippi resident, told Fox News. “I’m really hoping that we can move Mississippi forward and get Brandon Presley in the governor’s mansion.” 

Rodney Hall, representative-elect for District 20 in the Mississippi House, touted Reeves’ success, telling Fox News he wants another four years with the incumbent in office. 

“You look at where we started and how we’ve had a lot of success in Mississippi,” said Hall. “I give a lot of credit to what Gov. Reeves has done for the state of Mississippi. You look at literacy rates, you look at education. Everything is trending in the right direction for Mississippi. And we’ve got to sustain that.” 

Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation with a poverty rate of 18.1% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly half of the state’s rural hospitals are in danger of closing. The health care crisis is at the forefront of the current election cycle and topped off Wednesday night’s debate. The candidates spent nearly 13 minutes of the one-hour debate discussing Medicaid and health care reform. 

Democrats have hammered Reeves for refusing Medicaid expansion. Fox News asked Reeves his response to these attacks, and he said the state believes in work, not welfare. 

DEM GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE TOOK MONEY FROM CCP-LINKED BUSINESSMAN, HUNTER BIDEN ART BUYER

“I don’t believe that we should add 300,000 able-bodied adult Mississippians to the welfare rolls,” said Reeves. “I don’t think that’s good public policy. I don’t think it’s good public policy for a lot of reasons, one of which is it would not provide the financial windfall that Democrats claim that it would for our providers.” 

Presley said he will expand Medicaid on day one in office. 

“It is a dumb decision for us not to have already expanded Medicaid,” Presley told Fox News. “Tate Reeves has been the chief cheerleader of this crisis.” 

“I’m going to immediately, on day one, expand Medicaid to get health care to 230,000 Mississippians who are working every day to get them health insurance coverage, help them be able to go to a doctor and create 16,000 health care jobs as we go about doing it.” 

One Mississippi resident told Fox News the state has been ignoring its health care crisis. 

“Medicaid has been disregarded,” Linda told Fox News. “It has not been supported by the leadership here in the state.” 

SHOCK MISSISSIPPI POLL HAS ELVIS PRESLEY COUSIN, A DEMOCRAT, WITHIN FOUR POINTS OF UPSETTING GOP GOVERNOR

Another resident agreed, telling Fox News the state’s health care system needs more funding. 

“It’s pretty dire,” said Thelma. “We need to support our hospitals. We need to fully fund it. We need to support our health care system. We cannot prosper unless we have a healthy population.” 

Antizzo says health care is the top issue holding Reeves back. 

“The economy of the state is pretty good. Test scores are up. Teachers got a $6,000 pay raise. So, there’s really nothing that he’s done except for one thing, and that was to refuse to expand Medicaid. The state is predominantly rural, and there are a lot of hospitals in underserved areas that probably could benefit from the widening of Medicaid,” he said. 

Reeves touted his record as governor during the debate, citing the state’s lowest unemployment rate in history, rising educational achievement levels and work with hospital leaders to prevent hospitals from closing. 

GOV. TATE REEVES SEEKING ‘COMPLETE ELIMINATION’ OF INCOME TAX IN MISSISSIPPI AS HE RUNS FOR RE-ELECTION

One student at the University of Mississippi law school says the governor’s initiative to raise teacher pay is why he’s supporting the incumbent.

“I’m a Christian, and I’m also a conservative,” said Tyler. “I think Tate Reeves is the best Christian conservative to lead our state. He’s done good. My mom’s a schoolteacher. He’s given teachers the largest pay raise in state history, and he’s done well for teachers. I think he’s the right man for the job.” 

Reeves and Presley squared off in the first and only gubernatorial debate Wednesday night. The candidates attacked each other more than touting their own policies. Presley said Reeves is at the center of the state’s largest public corruption scandal. 

Six members of the Mississippi Department of Human Services diverted about $77 million in federal welfare money meant for residents in need and instead spent the money on pet projects. 

Reeves was lieutenant governor at the time and has denied any involvement in the scandal. 

Reeves ran a pair of TV ads accusing Presley of breaking the law by accepting money from a solar energy company under his purview as a public service commissioner. Presley called this ad a “bald faced lie” and called out Reeves’ ad during the debate. 

“The minute that the company involved threatened his campaign with a lawsuit for defamation, guess what he did? He changed the ad because it was a lie from the beginning,” said Presley. 

If neither candidate tops 50% Nov. 7, the contest will to go a runoff. 

“Given the fact that the runoff would be just before Thanksgiving and people’s minds will be elsewhere, I think that favors Reeves,” Antizzo said. 

“It’s going to come out to independent voters. And I think it’s also going to come out to turnout on Election Day.” 

But Antizzo says even if Presley wins the governor’s mansion, it’s just the first hurdle of many he’ll face.

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“Even if Presley becomes governor, virtually every other statewide office is going to be held by a Republican unless things change. And I see no signs of this changing at all,” he said. 

The polls close at 7 p.m. in Mississippi on election night.

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

While three states — Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi — have off-year gubernatorial races on Election Day 2023, the marquee ballot box showdown Tuesday may end up being Virginia’s legislative contests.

National Democrats and Republicans have spent millions on races for control of Virginia’s legislature with the election viewed in political circles as a key barometer ahead of the 2024 elections for president, control of Congress and key governorships.

Here are five reasons why the commonwealth’s the state to watch when election results flow in Tuesday night.

BARACK OBAMA DIVES INTO VIRGINIA’S CLOSELY WATCHED 2023 ELECTIONS

1. Virginia is a 2024 bellwether

It’s been stated so many times in recent weeks that it’s almost become a cliché. But the fact is the national political spotlight is firmly on Virginia’s legislative elections.

Republicans won elections for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general two years ago — their first statewide victories in a dozen years — and they flipped the House of Delegates. 

The victories in a state that had trended blue over the previous decade energized Republicans nationwide.

But the momentum didn’t carry over to the 2022 midterms.

Now, Gov. Glenn Youngkin aims to hold the GOP’s narrow majority in the state House and recapture control of the state Senate, where Democrats currently hold a fragile majority, to give Republicans nationwide another boost ahead of next year’s elections.

VIRGINIA’S LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS A CRUCIAL 2024 BAROMETER

Youngkin embraces the national attention on his state’s legislative showdowns.

“I believe it should be a bellwether because Virginia leads,” he told Fox News Digital. “I think we can lead and demonstrate that in a state that was lost, a state that was totally controlled by Democrats, we can in 24 short months come together — Republicans, independents, and, yes, some Democrats — and choose commonsense conservative leadership and policies that work. … I think other states should take notice.”

2. Abortion is a crucial issue

The blockbuster move last year by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to overturn the landmark nearly half-century-old Roe v. Wade ruling, which had allowed for legalized abortions nationwide, moved the divisive issue back to the states.

And it’s forced Republicans to play plenty of defense in elections across the country. A party that’s nearly entirely “pro-life” has had to deal with an electorate where a majority of Americans support at least some form of abortion access.

GOP MAKES NATIONAL PUSH URGING REPUBLICANS TO VOTE EARLY

National and state Democrats have made abortion a crucial centerpiece in their push to get out the vote in Virginia.

While some Republicans have shied away from focusing on abortion, Youngkin’s leaning into the issue and is pushing a proposed 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.

“I just wanted us to be very clear about what we were going to do,” he told Fox News.

“The other side is really good about spreading non-truths. And, of course, what they want to do is make abortion available all the way up through and including birth, paid for with taxpayer money,” Youngkin claimed.

The governor argued the Democrats’ position is “way too extreme for Virginians.”

“I’ve been really clear. There is not a ban. We’d support a bill to protect life at 15 weeks when a baby feels pain, with exceptions for rape and incest when the mother’s life is at risk. And this is reasonable limits,” he argued. “I think with abortion, we have found a place we can come together. I think voters will support it.”

Democrats want to keep in place the state’s current restrictions, which allow abortions through the second trimester. And they note that Virginia is the only southern state that doesn’t ban abortions.

3. GOP push for early voting

Youngkin has been on a mission to encourage Republicans to turn out in big numbers in the state’s early voting period ahead of Election Day.

“When Republicans vote, Republicans win. When we turn out, we win,” Youngkin emphasized. “We’ve got to get the vote out.”

The mission by Youngkin is shared by the Republican National Committee. Earlier this year, the RNC launched a nationwide “Bank Your Vote” campaign to encourage GOP voters to take part in early in-person voting and absentee balloting to close a gap with Democrats.

It’s a tough task after three years of former President Donald Trump’s repeated claims about early and absentee voting being rampant with fraud as part of his unproven charges that his 2020 election loss was due to a rigged election.

In the 2018 midterms, Democrats had a six-point advantage over Republicans’ 35.1% for support, according to data from the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida. That gap widened to nearly 12 points in the 2022 cycle.

The Virginia elections will be the first major test of the GOP’s early voting effort.

4. It’s in the mail

While the results in Virginia may give us a gauge on Republican early voting efforts, they’ll likewise teach us about the push by Democrats for mail-in balloting.

Democrats have infused millions into Virginia’s elections, with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) pushing turnout through grassroots outreach, direct mail, robocalls and digital and TV ads.

“We’re watching many aspects of this election closely as the vote comes in,” DLCC communications director Abhi Rahman told Fox News. 

“Simply put, with our lead in early voting, if Democrats continue to return their mail-in ballots in, we will win,” Rahman emphasized. “The election comes down to whether or not Democrats return their mail-in ballot. Everything is on the line, and if the rates are high enough, we’re confident we’ll emerge victorious”

5. Youngkin’s political future may be on the line

He’s not on the ballot, but Youngkin has become the face of Virginia’s legislative elections and has a lot riding on the results.

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As a first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing, Youngkin in 2021 edged former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in Virginia

His win instantly made Youngkin a rising star in the GOP who some pundits viewed as a possible 2024 White House contender.

A number of top conservative donors who don’t support former President Donald Trump — the current commanding frontrunner in the GOP nomination race — this autumn have quietly increased their efforts to persuade Youngkin to run for the White House.

That pressure will vastly increase if the GOP takes total control of Virginia’s government in next week’s elections.

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

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Saturday said she plans to reintroduce a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over comments on the war in Gaza after her previous one failed to get enough votes in the House. 

“I’m reintroducing my censure resolution against Terrorist Tlaib,” Greene wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I am removing ‘insurrection’ and replacing it with ‘illegal occupation’ on Oct 18th that broke the same federal laws as Jan 6 and led to hundreds of arrest and assault on Cap Police.” 

Greene was referring to a pro-Palestinian rally Tlaib attended during which activists took over much of the ground floor at the Cannon House Office Building. 

Greene posted a photo of the 23 Republicans who voted against censuring Tlaib, calling them out as voting “no to censure Pro-terrorists Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel anti-Semitic Rashida Tlaib.” 

CHIP ROY DEFENDS VOTE TO KILL CENSURE AGAINST RASHIDA TLAIB AS IT FRACTURES CONSERVATIVES

She wrote that she hoped they “will use their freedom of speech in congress to censure (condemn) Terrorist Tlaib’s speech, lies, and actions that incited an illegal occupation on Oct 18th.”

She added, “They censured Adam Schiff so they should be able to vote to censure her. We can not stand by doing nothing while one of our colleagues calls for the genocide of our great friend and ally Israel. Terrorist Tlaib should be expelled but let’s see if we can at least censure her.”

Greene included something Tlaib wrote on X Friday that said, “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.” 

The phrase “from the river to the sea” was deemed a “code for eradicating” Israel by the Anti-Defamation League. 

RASHIDA TLAIB DEFENDS PHRASE ANTISEMITISM WATCHDOG DEFINED AS ‘CODE FOR ERADICATING’ ISRAEL 

Tlaib has also accused President Biden of “supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people” in the administration’s backing of Israel on the war. 

The war started on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. 

Thousands have been killed in Israel and Gaza. 

Hamas has also taken hundreds of hostages, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

Tlaib called Greene’s effort to censure her “unhinged” and “deeply Islamophobic” in a statement. 

“I am proud to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates calling for a ceasefire and an end to the violence. I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced.”

She added that she would continue to call for a ceasefire, for all of the hostages to be released and “for every American to be brought home.” 

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Greene has also been accused of making antisemitic remarks in the past. 

Former President Trump said people who want to abolish Israel shouldn’t be allowed to enter America.

Trump made the comments during the Florida Freedom Summit on Saturday, where other 2024 GOP presidential contenders also spoke, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy.

“If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel, if you sympathize with jihadists, and then you don’t want your country to do well, you don’t want your country to be successful, you’re just not going to get in, you’re not getting in, you’re not coming into our country,” Tump said.

Trump also proposed ideological screening for immigrants.

ACLU BACKS TRUMP IN FIGHT AGAINST DC JUDGE’S GAG ORDER

“On day one, I will restore the Trump travel on entering from having people that like to blow up our shopping centers and kill our people and do lots of bad things. Entry from plagued countries. We will not allow people to come in and will implement strong ideological screening for all immigrants,” Trump said. 

Trump called for ideological screening for immigrants during his 2016 campaign as well, stating that “extreme vetting” needs to be in place.

NEW YORK JUDGE FINES TRUMP $10K FOR VIOLATING PARTIAL GAG ORDER IN CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL

“We should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people,” Trump said in 2016. “The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today.”

Trump’s comments come after he promised to deport immigrants who are publicly supporting Hamas during an Iowa campaign speech Oct. 16.

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“We aren’t bringing in anyone from Gaza,” Trump also said at the event.

Reuters and Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called for Rep. Rashida Tlaib to “retract” a “cruel and hateful” social media post after the representative attempted to justify the pro-Palestinian chant, “From the river to the sea.”

Nessel, a fellow Democrat, said that she previously defended Tlaib “countless times” because she believed that the representative’s “heart was in the right place.”

“@RashidaTlaib, I have supported and defended you countless times, even when you have said the indefensible, because I believed you to be a good person whose heart was in the right place,” Nessel wrote in an X post.

The Attorney General called out Tlaib for her “cruel and hateful remark,” saying that it was “hurtful to so many.”

TLAIB ACCUSES BIDEN OF SUPPORITNG ‘GENOCIDE’ OF PALESTINIANS, WARNS: ‘WE WILL REMEMBER IN 2024’

The AG Democrat’s comments came after Rep. Tlaib defended the chant, “From the river to the sea.” 

“From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” the Democratic congresswoman wrote. “My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.”

The video Tlaib posted to X before defending the phrase included demands for President Biden to support a cease-fire to stop “the genocide of the Palestinian people” or face electoral consequences in 2024.

RASHIDA TLAIB DEFENDS PHRASE ANTISEMITISM WATCHDOG DEFINED AS ‘CODE FOR ERADICATING’ ISRAEL

In the video, Tlaib condemned Biden’s declaration that the U.S. stands with Israel and opposes a cease-fire, telling him, “the majority of the American people are not with you on this one. #CeasefireNow.”

Tlaib’s remarks sparked an outrage on social media, with Israel supporter’s blasting the representative’s remarks. 

“From the river to the sea refers to the full erasure of the Jewish state, from Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. It is also the battle cry of Hamas, a savage terrorist group that beheads babies and rapes women. You echo terrorists,” StopAntisemitism, a nonprofit, wrote on X.

Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican, wrote on X, “From the river to the sea is a rallying call for the erasing of the State of Israel. If that’s aspirational to you, that’s a problem. Stand With Israel.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called for Tlaib to resign following her post.

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“Terrorist Tlaib is promoting the genocide of all Jewish people in Israel and calls it aspirational,” Rep. Greene wrote in a X post. “‘From the river to the sea’ means to wipe out all the Jews and take their land from the river to sea. You should resign and go to Gaza and fight on the front lines for Hamas,”

The Biden administration has approved $950 million in contracts to repair and upgrade part of existing border wall construction in Arizona, California and Texas, recent court filings show, using money from Trump-era congressional appropriations.

In court documents, first reported by The New York Post, the Department of Homeland Security says that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded contracts for repair work and “system attribute installation” in the San Diego, El Centro, El Paso and Tucson Sectors.

Remediation work includes closing gaps, installing gates, and improving roads and drainage systems. “System attribute installation” includes putting in cameras, roads and detection technology to enhance the border wall. Other contracts include installing anti-climb features on wall in San Diego, IT support and environmental planning. None of the money is awarded for additional wall construction.

MAYORKAS CITES ‘IMMEDIATE NEED’ TO WAIVE REGULATIONS, BUILD BORDER WALL IN TEXAS 

The filing says that CBP awarded the contracts in September for approximately $950 million combined. They are funded from the FY 2020 and FY 2021 congressional appropriations. The appropriations mean that unless Congress diverts the money elsewhere, the administration must spend it on its appropriated purpose. The administration has said it has previously tried to have Congress divert wall-related funding elsewhere.

The agency will also make additional awards in the coming months. It says that it has $12.7 million remaining in FY 2020 barrier system funds and $670 million in FY 21 funding.

The Biden administration shut down all additional wall construction shortly after entering office in 2021. The administration said wall construction under the Trump administration was “just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way.”

The administration, however, was accused of changing course last month when DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas cited an “acute and immediate need” to waive dozens of federal regulations in order to build 20 miles of wall to prevent illegal entries using FY 2019 appropriations in South Texas.

BORDER WALL EMERGES AS FLASHPOINT BETWEEN GOP, BIDEN ADMIN AS MIGRANT NUMBERS RISE AGAIN 

Mayorkas took criticism from Republicans and Democrats for allegedly changing course on the border wall. But Mayorkas said there has been no change in position by the administration. 

“The construction project reported today was appropriated during the prior administration in 2019 and the law requires the government to use these funds for this purpose, which we announced earlier this year. We have repeatedly asked Congress to rescind this money but it has not done so and we are compelled to follow the law,” he said in a statement.

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“This Administration believes that effective border security requires a smarter and more comprehensive approach, including state-of the-art border surveillance technology and modernized ports of entry. We need Congress to give us the funds to implement these proven tools.”

Republicans have repeatedly called for wall construction to resume amidst the ongoing crisis at the southern border. Sweeping legislation that passed the GOP-held House earlier this year would mandate the restarting of border wall construction. However, that bill is yet to receive any Democratic support.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie became the second Republican candidate in a day to get booed at a Republican event in Florida for his opposition to former President Donald Trump — with the 2024 hopeful telling his hecklers that they “fear the truth.”

Christie spoke at the Florida Freedom Summit in Kissimmee, Florida, and was met with yells and boos the moment he took the stage, with cries of “Trump!” and “Drop out now!”

“What a shock, you’re for Trump, I’m gonna fall over dead,” he said. “Now look, every one of those boos, every one of those catcalls, every one of those yells will not solve one problem we face in this country.”

The boos kept coming and Christie, who has been a vociferous Trump critic and often endures jeers for his comments, continued to push back.

CHRIS CHRISTIE VOWS TO ‘FOLLOW’ AND ‘CONFRONT’ TRUMP IF HE DOESN’T ATTEND DEBATES 

“Your anger against the truth is reprehensible. When you think about the problems that our country and this world is facing… this type of pettiness is beneath the process of electing a president,” he said, before telling the crowd that they “fear the truth.”

“The problem is, you want to shout down any voice that says anything different than what you want to hear. And you can continue to do it… believe me, it doesn’t bother me one bit,” he said.

Christie’s hostile reception at the conference came shortly after former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was booed for telling his fellow Republicans that “there is a significant likelihood that Donald Trump will be found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year.” 

HUTCHINSON BOOED FOR OVER A MINUTE AFTER CLAIMING ‘SIGNIFICANT LIKELIHOOD’ TRUMP WILL BE FOUND GUILTY

“That may or may not happen. Before you vote in March and it might not make any difference to you, but it will make a difference for our chances to attract independent voters in November. It will make a difference for those down ticket races for Congress and Senate, and it will weaken the GOP for decades to come. As a party, we must support the rule of law,” he said.

The claim was met with boos from the crowd for over a minute.

“We cannot win as a country without integrity in the White House,” Hutchinson continued. “And while some will ignore that destructive behavior of the former president, I assure you we ignore it at our own peril. The next generation will not look favorably back on this time.“

Trump’s the commanding front-runner in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination as he makes his third straight White House run. He saw his lead expand over his rivals during the spring and summer as he made history as the first former or current president in American history to be indicted for a crime. Trump’s four indictments – including in federal court in Washington D.C. and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss – have only fueled his support among Republican voters.

WITH IOWA CAUCUSES CLOSING IN, TRUMP REMAINS COMMANDING FRONT-RUNNER FOR GOP NOMINATION

The former president currently enjoys massive double-digit leads in the latest national polls and very large double-digit advantages in surveys in the crucial early voting nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

The most recent national poll – from Quinnipiac University – indicated Trump at 64% support in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 15% and former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 6%.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy each stood at 3%, with everyone else at 1% or less.

Christie, who’s running a second time for the presidency after an unsuccessful bid in 2016, is a long-shot for the GOP nomination, as he concentrates much of his campaign on New Hampshire, where his support stands in the lower double digits to upper single digits in public opinion surveys. 

Hutchinson faces an even steeper climb to win the nomination, after failing to qualify for the second GOP presidential primary debate. Hutchinson’s a former federal attorney turned two-term congressman who served as Drug Enforcement Administration administrator and Department of Homeland Security undersecretary during then-President George W. Bush’s administration before winning election and re-election as Arkansas governor.

Both Hutchinson and Christie have made their vocal criticism of Trump front-and-center as they bid for the GOP nomination.

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Christie dropped out of the 2016 presidential race after distant sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary, which Trump convincingly won on his way to winning the Republican nomination and eventually the White House. 

Christie became the first among the other GOP 2016 contenders to endorse Trump and for years was a top outside adviser to the then-president and chaired Trump’s high-profile commission on opioids. However, the two had a falling out after Trump’s unsuccessful attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden. In the past two and a half years, Christie has become one of the harshest Trump critics in the Republican Party.

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

GLASGOW, Kentucky – EXCLUSIVE: Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders waded into the ongoing race for Kentucky governor this week in an effort to boost the GOP candidate looking to unseat the Democrat incumbent.

Sanders spoke with Fox News Digital following a rally alongside Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who will face Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear in a closely watched race on Tuesday with the chance to flip a second state red after Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry won his race for governor last month.

“This is one of the biggest races in the country, and Daniel Cameron is a phenomenal candidate. We need to replace Andy Beshear with a strong conservative. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Sanders said when asked why it was important for her to travel from Arkansas to show support for Cameron.

TRUMP WINS MAJOR HOME-STATE ENDORSEMENT IN SNUB TO DESANTIS

“As a governor myself, I know how important it is to have a strong coalition of conservative governors helping us fight back against the craziness coming out of Washington. And we need Daniel to join in those ranks and be part of that team pushing back against an out-of-control federal government,” she said.

Sanders emphasized that governors were the “last line of defense” to protect citizens from an overreaching federal government, and that it was “absolutely crucial” for a conservative Republican to be Kentucky’s next leader.

“Washington has become so completely dysfunctional that the only place that we’re seeing meaningful change, empowering of parents, school choice, making sure that vaccine and COVID mandates don’t see the light of day, keeping our businesses, our schools and our churches open is because of strong leadership at the state level. And that means we need strong governors,” she said.

SOROS-FUNDED GROUP DISPARAGES BLACK GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE AS UNCLE TOM: ‘ALL SKINFOLK AIN’T KINFOLK’

Sanders said that the mutual support between Cameron and former President Donald Trump would play a big role in the race and would “certainly be helpful in the final stretch.”

When asked what lesson Republicans could learn going into 2024 should Beshear win re-election, Sanders dismissed any possibility of the outcome. “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about Andy Beshear winning, because Daniel Cameron will be the next governor of Kentucky,” she said.

Sanders was joined by former All-American University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines and Kelley Paul, wife of Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, at the rally as polls have indicated a tightening race that will be one of the most closely watched this off-election year.

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The election will be held Tuesday, November 7.

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

Former President Trump’s gag order in his Washington, D.C. 2020 election interference case is “unconstitutional,” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley claimed Friday. 

On Friday, the gag order was temporarily lifted by U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, so the judges can consider Trump’s request for a longer pause on the restrictions while his appeals play out. 

“They decided in perhaps an abundance of caution to order this stoppage until they can give it a full review,” Turley told Laura Ingraham on “The Ingraham Angle” Friday. “The reason I think this could be quite significant is because I think the order is unconstitutional. I said that when it was first issued.”

Turley called it a “very odd concept of an order because the court here insisted on having this trial before the election – sort of shoehorned it in before Super Tuesday – and everyone in this election’s going to be talking about these cases except one person under this gag order and that is Donald Trump.”

ACLU BACKS TRUMP IN FIGHT AGAINST DC JUDGE’S GAG ORDER

Trump’s attorneys had previously denounced the gag order in an appeal saying it is a violation of the First Amendment. 

“No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office — let alone the leading candidate for President of the United States,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in a filing. “The Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and over 100 million Americans who listen to him,” they added.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan first imposed the partial gag order Oct. 17, blocking Trump from making statements targeting Special Counsel Jack Smith, his staff, witnesses and court personnel. 

NEW YORK JUDGE FINES TRUMP $10K FOR VIOLATING PARTIAL GAG ORDER IN CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL

The order does not prevent Trump from airing general complaints about the case, and Chutkan has said the former president is still allowed to assert his claims of innocence and that the case is politically motivated.

Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case, and has argued that it’s part of an effort to prevent him winning the presidency in 2024. He has also sharply criticized those involved in the case, including Smith, who he often refers to as “deranged.”

Turley noted that Smith asked for the gag order to be expanded “in an equally unconstitutional way and that has drawn the criticism of even the ACLU, which is a staunch critic of Donald Trump. But the ACLU has said, ‘Look, this is flagrantly unconstitutional’”

He added that “millions of people believe the criminal justice system has been weaponized” with Trump’s prosecutions “and whether that’s true or not, when you hold these trials before the election everyone’s going to be talking about it and there’s going to be sharp criticism.”

He said gag orders are usually issued to protect a jury pool “so they’re not influenced by all of the publicity that might be generated.” 

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Turley added that the question for the court of appeals is “What is the purpose of this” gag order? “If you’re silencing not only one of these leading candidates in the election where this is being debated but he can’t even criticize his former opponent Michael Pence or the witnesses bringing evidence against him that I think is pretty problematic and she’s going to have a hard time – the court, that is – to sustain this if not from the D.C. circuit, the Supreme Court. And if it goes to the Supreme Court that could very well cause issues with her scheduling.” 

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson was booed Saturday when he told a Republican summit that there is “significant likelihood” that former President Trump will be found guilty of a felony next year.

The former Arkansas governor told the Florida Freedom Summit in Kissimmee, Florida, that such an outcome will make it harder for Republicans down the ticket to win their races if Trump, who is leading in the polls, wins the 2024 Republican nomination.

Trump is facing dozens of felony counts in multiple cases, including accusations of falsifying records related to alleged hush money payments, the removal of national security documents from the White House and election subversion following the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has repeatedly claimed that the prosecutions are politically motivated.

GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, TRUMP CRITIC WILL HURD BOOED OFF STAGE

Hutchinson cited his own experience as a prosecutor to say that “there is a significant likelihood that Donald Trump will be found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year.” 

“That may or may not happen. Before you vote in March, and it might not make any difference to you, but it will make a difference for our chances to attract independent voters in November. It will make a difference for those down-ticket races for Congress and Senate, and it will weaken the GOP for decades to come. As a party, we must support the rule of law,” he said.

The claim was met with boos from the crowd, one of a number of instances where anti-Trump statements by Republican candidates. Both former NJ Gov. Chris Christie and former Rep. Will Hurd have been booed for making perceived anti-Trump statements.

CHRISTIE JEERED AFTER CRITICIZING TRUMP AT FAITH EVENT 

“We cannot win as a country without integrity in the White House,” Hutchinson said on Saturday. “And while some will ignore that destructive behavior of the former president, I assure you we ignore it at our own peril. The next generation will not look favorably back on this time.“

A Quinnipiac national poll this week shows that Trump stands at 64% support in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 15% and former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 6%.

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The survey indicates Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy each at 3%, with everyone else at 1% or less.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

As another caravan consisting of thousands of migrants makes its way to the U.S.-Mexico border, Republicans in the House and Senate are renewing their calls for additional border security, calling on the Biden administration and Congress to change U.S. policies to stop more entries.

Organizers have told media outlets that there are an estimated 7,000 people in the caravan moving from southern Mexico to the United States, up from 5,000 earlier this week. One of the organizers had estimated that they were mostly from Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela.

MIGRANT CARAVAN ORGANIZER CLAIMS LATIN AMERICANS NATIONS ‘CONSPIRING AGAINST THE US,’ ‘FUELING’ BORDER CRISIS

The Associated Press reported that migrants have complaints that processing for refugee and exit visas in Mexico had taken too long. It marks the largest caravan since the summer of last year, although with historically high numbers crashing into the border each week — September saw record-high encounters of over 269,000 — it marks a fraction of the numbers agents will likely encounter over a month.

Caravans have been a regular feature at the border in recent years, heading to the border in both the Trump and Biden administrations. They often break up on their way to the border, with migrants either seeking relief in Mexico or moving to the U.S. border to seek entry in smaller groups. But the images of the enormous numbers of people heading to the border offer a snapshot of how many have surged into the U.S. under the Biden administration.

Republicans, who have accused the Biden administration of fueling the crisis with its rollback of Trump-era border policies and releases of migrants into the U.S. interior, blamed the latest caravan on the Biden administration. 

MAYORKAS CONFIRMS OVER 600,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS EVADED LAW ENFORCEMENT AT SOUTHERN BORDER LAST FISCAL YEAR 

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, told Fox News Digital that what he said was a failure to secure the border “has signaled to bad actors across the globe that exploiting our borders comes without consequence.”

“As we brace for the impact of yet another massive caravan heading towards our country, the situation at the border is dire. Sadly, it was made abundantly clear in this week’s hearing with DHS Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas that this administration lacks all control and leadership when it comes to addressing the border crisis they created, putting Americans’ safety at risk.”

The Biden administration has said it is restoring asylum pathways that were dismantled during the Trump administration and that it is dealing with a historic Hemisphere-wide crisis while expanding lawful pathways and implementing “consequences for illegal entry.” It has called on Congress to pass immigration reform legislation to fix a “broken” system, and for additional border funding — including a recent $14 billion request.

The funding would also allow for the increased use of expedited removal of those in the country illegally and would hire additional staff including Border Patrol agents, attorneys and processing coordinators. That includes $1.3 billion for “Safe Mobility Offices” and to support “host communities and legal pathways” in the region.

“This funding package would allow us to more effectively combat the scourge of fentanyl, stem the impacts of historic migration, and accelerate work authorization for eligible noncitizens,” Mayorkas told the Senate Homeland Security Committee this week. “This funding will, in short, make a critical difference in our department’s operational capacity and in our national security.”

Republicans have been skeptical of the calls from the Biden administration and pushed their own package, which would increase Border Patrol agents while limiting the ability of the administration to release migrants into the interior and increasing enforcement.

House Homeland Security Counterterrorism Subcommittee Chairman August Pfluger told Fox News Digital that the caravans know that there are “no consequences for illegal entry into the U.S.” 

“The President’s policies have incentivized millions of illegal crossings, and I am extremely concerned about the heightened risk of terrorism due to the wide-open southern border. President Biden must enforce our existing laws to secure the border, disincentiveize illegal migration flows and safeguard our national security,” he said.

“The Biden administration has rolled out the welcome mat for migrants heading to the U.S., allowing for eight million to illegally cross under his watch so far,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said. “Now thousands more have set foot toward our country because according to the caravan’s leader, ‘Biden has lost control of the border.’” 

Blackburn highlighted recent concerns about terrorism at the border, including record numbers of terror watchlist encounters: “This is an unacceptable national security and humanitarian crisis. With a 75% increase in terror watchlist apprehensions, we cannot afford to go another day with a wide-open and out-of-control southern border.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz, who introduced the Senate version of the House-passed border and immigration legislation, said that the response by the upper chamber should be to pass that legislation “to build a wall and protect Americans from the ‘caravan’ of unvetted illegal aliens attempting to flood our border.”

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“With the radical Islamic terrorism sweeping the Middle East, border security is now more important than ever. Just last year, 736 people on the terrorist watch list tried to get into our country — and those are just the ones we know about,” he said. “The Biden Border Crisis is threatening Americans, and this caravan is just the latest disaster in the long list of Biden’s failures.”

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidates will deliver remarks at the Florida Freedom Summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, Saturday.

Hosted by the Republican Party of Florida, the 2024 cattle call will feature most contenders for the GOP nomination, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, and other high-profile Republican figures.

Candidates will also be filing for the Florida primary at the event, and are expected to fill out the paperwork shortly before their scheduled remarks.

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

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the Republican nominee for governor of the commonwealth, is making his final pitch to voters ahead of Election Day as his bid to unseat the Democratic incumbent remains in a dead heat.

Fox News Digital caught up with Cameron at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in the rural stretch between Louisville and Lexington where he touted the support he has from former President Donald Trump and his surging poll numbers against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in the race’s final days.

“The poll shows what we’ve known all along is that Andy Beshear is deeply unpopular because he has endorsed Joe Biden for president,” Cameron said when asked about recent polling showing him either gaining on, or tied with, Beshear. 

“He shut down our schools. He shut down our churches. He shut down our small businesses. He refused to protect women’s sports from biological males.

SOROS-FUNDED GROUP DISPARAGES BLACK GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE AS UNCLE TOM: ‘ALL SKINFOLK AIN’T KINFOLK’

“No one in Kentucky wants a governor here in this commonwealth that openly endorses Joe Biden and does all those things I just mentioned. They want leadership that reflects their values.”

When asked what he would say to independent and middle-of-the-road voters across the state still undecided on who they would support, Cameron centered his pitch on opposing President Biden’s policies and “the craziness coming out of Washington, D.C.”

Biden remains widely unpopular across the commonwealth, a deep red state with overwhelming Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

KARI LAKE BUILDS MOMENTUM WITH MORE BIG-NAME BACKING IN RACE TO FLIP ARIZONA SENATE SEAT

“I mean, inflation is crushing the purchasing power of people. It’s harder and more expensive to buy groceries, more expensive to buy gas. Your utility bill has gone through the roof, yet Andy Beshear embraces and endorses the very president that has gotten us into this economic disaster,” he said.

“Donald Trump said it pretty well the other day when he endorsed this campaign. He said, ‘Andy Beshear has been an absolute disaster.’ I agree with that wholeheartedly.”

Trump first endorsed Cameron in the race last year but has reiterated that support since Cameron won the Republican nomination in a crowded primary field. Cameron has increasingly returned the favor as the former president continues to outperform his GOP presidential primary opponents.

RACE TO REPLACE ROMNEY IN SENATE SEAT HEATS UP AS ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN: ‘STRONG CONSERVATIVE WOMAN’

Cameron also encouraged his supporters to take advantage of early voting, something typically utilized more heavily by Democrats, in a sharp turn from the party’s messaging on voting in 2020 and 2022.

“It’s important that we get all commonsense conservatives and Kentuckians who want strong, commonsense leadership to the polls. And, so, whether it’s today or tomorrow or Tuesday, let’s get to the polls. Let’s send a message to the nation that we care about our values, and we do not want the far-left ideology making its way here in Kentucky,” Cameron said.

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Despite the tight polls, Beshear has maintained his status as one of the most popular governors in the country, even as one of the few remaining Democratic governors leading a red state. 

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

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

Eric Trump blasted the non-jury civil trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against the Trump Organization as “disgusting” and called it a “charade,” adding he believes “the truth” will come out “at the end” and expressing confidence his family will “win this thing.”

The former president’s son made the comments after day two of his testimony in a Lower Manhattan courthouse.

Eric Trump said he is hopeful his family is “afforded the same level of fairness” of anyone else who “doesn’t wear the Trump name.” 

ERIC TRUMP TESTIFIES HE HAD ‘NO INVOLVEMENT’ IN TRUMP ORGANIZATION’S STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

“What New York state is trying to do to my father is truly awful. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump said. “We have an unbelievable company. We have some of the best assets anywhere in the world. We’ve never had a default, we’ve never missed a loan payment.”

The Trump Organization employs thousands of people who “rely on our company every single day to put food in our mouths in the state of New York,” Trump said, adding it manages “the most significant buildings, some of the best golf courses, so many other great properties.” 

TRUMP BLASTS MANHATTAN JUDGE, DEFENDS HIS ‘VERY GOOD CHILDREN’ AMID TRUMP ORG CIVIL TRIAL FROM NYAG LAWSUIT

The former president’s son said state prosecutors were conducting a “witch hunt” and have dragged out the case.

“They only want our names in this thing because it sensationalizes the case,” he said. “We’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.”

Trump said his family has “a better company than they could have ever imagined.

“And this is a big charade that’s a huge waste of taxpayer money,” he continued. “And it’s the very reason everybody’s moving out of New York state. And I was actually one of them.

“I love this state. The state is absolutely going to hell. And it’s because of people like the attorney general of New York.”

Trump said state prosecutors should start “focusing on crime.”

NEW YORK JUDGE FINES TRUMP $10K FOR VIOLATING PARTIAL GAG ORDER IN CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL

“New York is failing, and we’ve got to bring our state back to life,” he said. “Charades like this have to stop because the only reason she’s doing this is you want to run for another political position, or she wants to fundraise for her own political campaigns.

“It’s a joke. It’s an absolute joke.”

Trump said his family will prevail.

“I promise you, we’re going to win it because we haven’t done a damn thing wrong,” he said.

Former President Trump is expected to take the stand Monday. His son said the former president will be “very fired up to be here.” 

“He thinks that this is one of the most incredible injustices that he’s ever seen — and it truly is,” Eric Trump said of his father.

“I’ve always believed that the truth comes out at the end. It will hear that. I think we’re winning it. We have a fair system. This thing will be over very, very soon,” he said. “And I hope we’re afforded the same level of fairness that anybody else that didn’t wear the Trump name would have.”

DONALD TRUMP JR. TAKES THE STAND IN CIVIL TRIAL STEMMING FROM NEW YORK AG LAWSUIT

Eric Trump’s comments come after he testified Thursday and Friday morning, telling the court he was never involved with financial statements for the Trump Organization. His testimony echoed what his older brother and co-Executive Vice President Donald Trump Jr. said at the trial earlier this week.

Both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are listed as defendants in James’ suit along with their father, the 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner.

Ivanka Trump was dismissed as a defendant from the case over the summer after a decision by a New York appeals court, but she was scheduled to appear for testimony. Her attorneys on filed a notice of appeal to the decision requiring her to testify at her father’s civil fraud trial. 

The appeal was denied and Ivanka Trump is expected to testify Wednesday.

The trial comes after James, a Democrat, sued Trump last year, alleging he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets. James claimed Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, as well as other Trump Organization associates and businesses, committed “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” on their financial statements.

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Judge Arthur Engoron in September ruled Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

James alleged Trump “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars” and said his children helped him do it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin has an urgent message for Republicans ahead of Tuesday’s crucial legislative elections in Virginia, a closely watched 2024 bellwether. 

“When Republicans vote, Republicans win. When we turn out, we win,” Youngkin said as he spoke to a crowd of veterans at VFW Post 4809 in Norfolk, Virginia. “We’ve got to get the vote out.”

As he aims to hold the GOP’s narrow majority in the state House and recapture control of the state Senate, where Democrats currently hold a fragile majority, Youngkin has been on a mission to encourage Republicans to turn out in big numbers in the state’s final days of early voting ahead of Election Day.

“We’ve got work to do. And the work to do right now is to hold the House and flip the Senate. Hold the House and flip the Senate,” Youngkin stressed on Thursday as he headlined a rally in support of two GOP legislative candidates. Total Republican control of the state government in Richmond would allow the governor to push through a conservative agenda.

VIRGINIA’S LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS A CRUCIAL 2024 BAROMETER

Asked if his message is resonating, Youngkin highlighted in a Fox Digital interview that “there’s a lot of people who’ve voted early. And across the state, we’ve seen an uptick in early voting and absentee ballot and particularly in our battleground districts, we’ve seen a really good movement.”

Youngkin’s mission is shared by the Republican National Committee (RNC), and national party figures are keeping a close eye on the rising GOP star’s efforts. Earlier this year, the RNC launched a nationwide “Bank Your Vote” campaign to encourage GOP voters to take part in early in-person voting and absentee balloting in order to close a gap with Democrats.

GOP MAKES NATIONAL PUSH URGING REPUBLICANS TO VOTE EARLY

“To beat Joe Biden and the Democrats in 2024, we must ensure that Republicans bank as many pre-Election Day votes as possible,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel told Fox News Digital in June as the national party committee launched the program. The RNC is working with state parties across the country to implement the push.

“Banking votes early needs to be the focus of every single Republican campaign in the country, and the Republican National Committee will lead the charge,” McDaniel said.

It’s a tall task, in the wake of three years of former President Donald Trump’s repeated disparaging claims about early and absentee voting being rampant with fraud, as part of his unproven charges that his 2020 election loss was due to a massive rigged election.

Since launching his 2024 presidential campaign in November 2022, Trump has appeared to slowly embrace efforts to encourage Republicans to vote early in person or cast an early absentee ballot. And he appeared in an RNC ad over the summer that encouraged Republicans to vote early.

BARACK OBAMA DIVES INTO VIRGINIA’S CLOSELY WATCHED 2023 ELECTIONS

But the former president also continues to bash early voting and absentee balloting.

During a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity in August, Trump said he would encourage Republicans to vote early, but he also claimed people make “phony ballots” and charged “a lot of bad things happen to those ballots.”

In the 2018 midterms, Democrats accounted for 41% of early votes in the 24 states that provide partisan data, a six-point advantage over Republicans’ 35.1%, according to the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida. That gap widened to nearly 12 points in the 2022 cycle.

Banking early votes eliminates the risk of voters who might skip a trip to the polls on Election Day due to inclement weather or other reasons. And it allows campaigns to more efficiently target supporters who’ve yet to cast a ballot by Election Day.

WILL VIRGINIA’S ELECTIONS BE A ROADMAP FOR THE GOP IN 2024?

In Virginia, both major political parties have raised and spent big bucks on the Commonwealth’s elections.

Democrats have infused millions into Virginia’s elections, with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee pushing turnout through grassroots outreach, direct mail, robocalls and digital and TV ads.

“Democrats in the Virginia legislature are the last line of defense to protect Virginian’s fundamental freedoms like access to an abortion,” DLCC communications director Abhi Rahman told Fox News. “We need all hands on deck now. If we vote, we will win.”

And former President Barack Obama is putting his star power to use in urging Democrats to head to the polls.

A pair of robocalls recorded by Obama are being sent to over 100,000 households in roughly 20 key legislative districts in Virginia through Tuesday’s election.

Youngkin, mostly through his Spirit of Virginia PAC, hauled in a record $22.5 million, with much of the funds paying for mailers, digital spots and TV ads to encourage Republicans to head to the polls.

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“I’m asking for your vote. Elect a Republican team to back me up and I promise, we’ll deliver,” Youngkin pledged in his closing TV commercial ahead of Election Day.

The governor told Fox News, “We get these folks off the sidelines, and we win. I’ve been really pleased with the turnout so far, people are voting and that’s the most important thing.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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

• Hinds County, Mississippi, was forced to fast-track requisite poll worker training after a September security breach affected county computer systems.
• County officials were reportedly unable to access their computers for three weeks after the breach occurred.
• Several key state-level elections are set to take place in Mississippi next week, including an unexpectedly competitive gubernatorial race between incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic challenger Brandon Presley.

Election officials in Mississippi’s most populous county had to scramble to complete required poll worker training after an early September breach involving county computers.

In Hinds County, such training is typically completed by early October before a November general election, according to Election Commissioner Shirley Varnado. Instead, office staff members worked right up to Thursday’s deadline to finish the training after Varnado said they were unable to access their computers for about three weeks.

Mississippi has a general election Tuesday with key races such as governor and secretary of state — the state’s top election official.

DEMOCRATIC ELVIS RELATIVE HOPES TURNOUT IS ENOUGH TO UNSEAT MISSISSIPPI GOV. REEVES

Hinds County is home to the capital city of Jackson. The county has some 167,000 registered voters and is a key source of Democratic votes. In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden won the county with 73% of the vote, while Republican Donald Trump received 57.5% statewide.

Federal authorities were investigating after county computers were compromised for a period in early September, Hinds County Board Attorney Tony Gaylor said in an email Friday. Gaylor said the county’s computer network was “functioning again” and declined additional comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

Messages seeking information from the county administrator were not returned.

MISSISSIPPI’S LARGEST COUNTY CLOSES JAIL SECTION PLAGUED BY FIGHTS, ESCAPES

The cyber incident caused a slight delay in the county’s ability to process voter registration forms, according to Circuit Clerk Zach Wallace, whose office handles this election process. Within a few days, staffers were able to use laptops not affected by the breach to connect to the state system for registering voters. Wallace said all applications were processed before the Oct. 10 deadline.

Varnado said the county was “on track” for Tuesday’s election and no other issues were expected.

The county encountered another hiccup on Oct. 26 when the secretary of state’s website was briefly inaccessible. During that time, according to Varnado, election staff were unable to verify voter registration information for poll workers, who are required by law to be registered to vote in the county where they work. Varnado said they have since verified this information.

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Issues with the state’s network were resolved and access to the statewide election management system was restored, according to state election officials.

The Supreme Court on Friday agree to hear two appeals involving gun and free speech rights: one dealing with “bump stocks” accessories for high-powered guns, and a free speech challenge by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The high court will hear arguments in the case National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, which questions whether a government regulator threatening regulated entities with adverse regulatory actions if they do business with a controversial speaker, allegedly because of the government’s own hostility to the speaker’s viewpoint, violates the First Amendment.

The former Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), Maria T. Vullo, at the behest of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, allegedly wielded DFS’s regulatory power to financially blacklist the NRA – coercing banks and insurers to cut ties with the association, in an effort, the group says, to suppress its speech.

The lawsuit alleges that Vullo made “backroom threats” against regulated firms, accompanied by offers of leniency on unrelated infractions if regulated entities would agree to blacklist the NRA.

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A federal appeals court dismissed the gun rights group’s lawsuit, claiming that DFS suppressed its speech by pressuring banks and insurers to stop doing business with it.

“This is a historic step forward for the NRA, its millions of members, and all who believe in the freedom of speech,” said NRA CEO & EVP Wayne LaPierre. “The NRA’s fight continues – this time in the highest court in the land. At a time when free speech is under attack as never before, we believe the Supreme Court will send a message to government officials that they cannot use intimidation tactics to silence those with whom they disagree.” 

The second case, Garland v. Cargill, presents the questions of whether a bump stock device is a “machine gun” as defined in federal law because it is designed and intended for use in converting a rifle into a weapon that fires “automatically more than one shot … by a single function of the trigger.” 

In the wake of a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 60 people dead and 500 more wounded, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued an interpretive rule concluding that bump stocks are machine guns.

A bump stock is an attachment that allows a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon’s “cyclic firing rate to mimic nearly continuous automatic fire,” according to ATF.

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Semi-automatic rifles with bump stocks could fire hundreds of rounds per minute, according to experts.

They were originally created to make it easier for people with disabilities to fire a gun. The device essentially replaces the gun’s stock and pistol grip and causes the weapon to buck back and forth, repeatedly “bumping” the trigger against the shooter’s finger.

Michael Cargill, Owner of Central Texas Gun Works, sued the government after he was forced to surrender several bump stocks under the ATF’s rule. 

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Cargill argued in his petition that the Supreme Court should take up the case because the question presented “has sharply divided the federal courts of appeals”

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Three appeals courts agree with ATF’s pre-2018 position that non-mechanical bump stocks are not “machinegun[s],” while two other appeals courts agree with ATF’s present-day interpretation.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) is arguing the case on behalf of Cargill.

Mark Chenoweth, NCLA president and general counsel, said “this is not a case about gun rights. It is a case about administrative power.”

“Congress never gave ATF the power to rewrite federal criminal statutes pertaining to machine guns—nor could it. Writing federal criminal laws is the sole preserve of Congress, and the Trump and Biden Administrations committed grievous constitutional error by trying to ban bump stocks without involving Congress. We are confident the U.S. Supreme Court will right this wrong for Michael Cargill and all Americans,” he said.

Oral argument dates for both cases will be held next year, with decisions on the cases expected in June.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo and Fox News’ Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report. 

The House passed a sweeping appropriations bill Friday morning that would substantially slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget and ensure that the Department of the Interior (DOI) expands energy and mineral production on public lands.

In a 213-203 vote Friday, the House approved the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, a standalone bill to fund the DOI, its subagencies, the EPA and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The White House threatened this week to veto the legislation — which just one Democrat, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, voted for — and said Republicans were “wasting time” with it.

“I am pleased to see the House pass my Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, and I thank my colleagues for their support of this fiscally responsible legislation,” said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, the chairman of the House Appropriation Committee’s Interior and Environment Subcommittee. 

“As Chairman of this subcommittee, I vowed to create a bill that reduces unnecessary federal spending while prioritizing the critical needs and essential functions within these agencies,” he continued. “This bill does just that by reining in the Environmental Protection Agency, fighting the misguided Obama-era Waters of the United States rule, and barring an Endangered Species Act listing of the greater sage grouse.”

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Among its central provisions, the bill would cut EPA funding to $6.2 billion and by a staggering 39% compared to FY23 levels, returning the environmental agency to levels not seen since the early 1990s. The White House had requested more than $12 billion for the EPA in FY24.

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It would also repeal several EPA actions, including its Waters of the United States rule, which allows the federal government to regulate small bodies of water. The bill further prohibits EPA from imposing mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure-management systems and from implementing permitting requirements for livestock emissions under the Clean Air Act.

“It is significant because EPA grew significantly, and it received tens of billions of dollars in the last few years,” Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And it’d be nice if they followed the law. But when they decide not to follow the law, then, as a guardian of taxpayer dollars, I think 40% is probably appropriate.”

Zinke, who served as Interior secretary during the Trump administration, also lauded the appropriation bill’s DOI-related provisions.

The bill would provide the DOI and its subagencies with a budget of $14.3 billion, $677 million below FY23 levels and $3.4 billion below President Biden’s request for FY24. The Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service would see the largest funding cuts under the bill.

It would also more stringently require additional oil and gas lease sales, critical mineral production, and limit “abuse of the Endangered Species Act” which Republicans have argued has been weaponized to restrict public land uses like resource extraction opposed by environmentalists.

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“The Interior bill does what it should do. It holds the administration accountable,” Zinke continued. “But also, I think for our public lands, it prioritizes management vice letting it burn. For energy needs, it prioritizes American energy so that we can be independent, not rely upon foreign sources.”

“And I think it protects, what I would say is commonsense regulation, clean air and clean water without doing harm. So, I think overall, it’s not a perfect bill, but I think it’s a good bill. And I strongly support it.”

The bill further includes several other provisions reigning in specific actions the DOI has taken during the Biden administration as part of the president’s sweeping climate agenda. 

In one example, the bill would, under an amendment introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and passed Thursday evening via voice vote, block the Bureau of Land Management from enforcing its draft resource management plan to end new oil leases across 1.6 million acres in Colorado.

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In August, the agency proposed the plan to lock up the vast area in western Colorado in response to multiple legal challenges filed by environmental groups. The proposal would restrict the two offices to leasing just 239,000 acres and 143,000 acres, respectively, for fossil fuel production, a total reduction of about 80%.

“It’s a threat to our nation’s energy independence and our national security,” Boebert told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Biden has declared an all-out war on our energy industry here in America and has surrendered our energy independence. Every step that we can take to secure energy development here in America, where we produce arguably the world’s cleanest, most reliable, most affordable energy, is imperative.”

“BLM’s latest land grab goes beyond a necessary environmental consideration and instead seeks to restrict access to promising resources, hurting the potential for economic growth and prosperity, particularly in the West Slope of Colorado.”

Newly elected GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s financial portfolio represents a substantial divergence from his predecessors who owned millions of dollars in assets and actively traded stocks.

According to Johnson’s most recent annual financial disclosure report filed in August, he doesn’t own any stocks and reported only liabilities — a 2013 home mortgage worth up to $500,000, a personal loan of up to $50,000 from 2016 and a home equity line of credit of up to $50,000 he secured in 2019. 

Johnson’s disclosures, though, were scrutinized, and a reporter raised questions about the new speaker’s financial health.

Jordan Libowitz, an ethics expert, was quoted recently saying Johnson’s disclosure was “strange” and could make him “ripe for influence buying,” while Brett Kappel, a government ethics expert at Harmon Curran, added it was “very unusual for a member not to have to disclose at least one bank account.”

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But Johnson’s financial situation appears to closely mirror that of a large share of Americans, according to Federal Reserve survey data. Survey data from 2019 concluded that the median account balance for American households is $5,300, and data from 2020 showed just 64% of Americans had enough money readily available to pay for a $400 emergency.

“For years, we’ve heard calls and demands for members of Congress to look more like the people they represent,” Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., a close Johnson ally, told Fox News Digital. “Today, we have a speaker who is not independently wealthy, who does not own or trade stocks and, per House financial reporting disclosures rules, is not required to disclose his federal employee retirement funds.

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“It’s clear now with Speaker Johnson at the helm that the people’s House is run by just that — a man of the people,” she continued. “I find it deeply hypocritical that Democrats and the leftist media are upset about Speaker Johnson when their own former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a multimillionaire.”

A spokesperson for Johnson, R-La., shared social media posts from other GOP lawmakers defending Johnson in response to a Daily Beast article.

“So, to extent accurate, he’s like a lot of Americans right now while also navigating raising a large family? What a monster,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote.

“The Daily Beast is furious that [Speaker Johnson] isn’t rich, corrupt or rich from being corrupt. He doesn’t have shady business deals. He doesn’t trade stocks as a congressman. Cry more, I guess?” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., added.

Johnson’s disclosure, meanwhile, greatly differs from those filed by recent House speakers. 

For example, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reported in his 2022 disclosure he owned up to $800,000 in various assets, including mutual funds traded on the market. He also reported liabilities worth up to $350,000 that include a mortgage and a student loan for one of his children.

McCarthy’s predecessor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reported in her most recent annual report owning millions of dollars in assets, including various individual stocks. For example, she owns as much as or more than $1 million in Google, Amazon, American Express, Apple, Comcast, Microsoft, Netflix, Salesforce and the Walt Disney Company.

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Pelosi, whose net worth is estimated to exceed $100 million, according to Open Secrets, also reported multiple million-dollar financial transactions, activity that led to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introducing the so-called Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act, which would prohibit members of Congress and their spouses from holding or trading individual stocks.

“For too long, politicians in Washington have taken advantage of the economic system they write the rules for, turning profits for themselves at the expense of the American people,” Hawley said in January.

“As members of Congress, both senators and representatives are tasked with providing oversight of the same companies they invest in, yet they continually buy and sell stocks, outperforming the market time and again,” he added. “The solution is clear. We must immediately and permanently ban all members of Congress from trading stocks.”

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Former Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who served as House speaker between October 2015 and January 2019, had an estimated net worth of $7.3 million as of 2017, according to Open Secrets. His 2017 disclosures revealed he owned millions in financial assets, which included real estate, mineral rights, mutual funds and individual stocks like Home Depot, Procter & Gamble and Wells Fargo.

Former Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was House speaker between January 2011 and October 2015, had an estimated net worth of $3.4 million as of 2015, Open Secrets data showed. Boehner reported in 2014 owning hundreds of thousands of dollars in individual stocks.