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The White House is expected to announce new actions to reduce gun violence, Fox News has learned.

According to a senior administration official, President Biden is poised to sign an executive order that will address key priorities for combating firearms threats, including eliminating gun conversion devices and establishing an emerging firearms threats task force.

The executive order will also aim to improve school-based active shooter drills to better prepare students for emergency situations.

The executive order comes just days after the mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama on Sept. 21 that left four dead and 17 wounded. It also comes as former President Trump has survived two attempted assassinations in recent months.

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President Biden is poised to sign an executive order to reduce gun violence. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

The White House says firearm technology is rapidly evolving and Biden’s actions are aimed at reducing two key emerging threats: machine gun conversion devices and 3D printed firearms. 

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The senior administration official said conversion devices, those that aid in converting semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm, are already illegal under federal law but are continuing to be used in crime and recovered by law enforcement agencies across the country. 

The senior administration official said conversion devices are already illegal under federal law. (SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)

The relatively new 3D printed firearms are built from computer code downloaded from the internet, making them widely available. They also lack serial numbers, which often help investigators trace firearms recovered at crime scenes. These 3D printed firearms can also be built with non-metal materials, making them undetectable by magnetometers used to secure airports, courthouses, and event spaces, the senior administration official said.

Biden’s executive order will establish an emerging firearms threats task force consisting of leadership from various federal departments and agencies. 

The mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama on Sept. 21 left four dead and 17 wounded. (WBRC)

It will be tasked with issuing a report within 90 days that includes an assessment of the threat posed by machine gun conversion devices and 3D printed firearms, the senior administration official said.

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The assessment will also include a review of federal agencies, operational and legal capacities to detect, intercept and seize these firearm and firearm components. 

Finally, it will direct the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the attorney general, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Surgeon General to develop and publish new active shooter drills. 

Nick Rojas contributed to this report.

Next week’s highly anticipated vice presidential debate between Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, while sure to generate buzz, is unlikely to make much difference in pushing undecided voters toward either presidential candidate, former President Trump or Vice President Harris, insiders agree.

Even so, experts who spoke to Fox News Digital did say there could be some indirect impact that can’t be completely discounted in a very close race.

“The VP debate is usually pretty [low-profile], they usually don’t get as much attention as the presidential debates,” Christopher Devine, author of “Do Running Mates Matter?: The Influence of Vice Presidential Candidates in Presidential Elections,” told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Devine suggested that while the upcoming debate will probably result in some viral moments, it won’t have the same level of interest or influence on voters as the 2008 VP debate when Sarah Palin on Republican John McCain’s ticket stole the spotlight in her matchup with then-Sen. Joe Biden.

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Sen. JD Vance, left, and Gov. Tim Walz (Fox News Digital photo illustration/Getty Images)

“But the running mate does have what we call an indirect effect on vote choice in that it influences what people think of the presidential candidate, knowing that Donald Trump could have picked anybody and chose JD Vance or that Kamala Harris could have picked anyone and chose Tim Walz, and how they perform on the debate stage,” Devine added.

Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and a former George W. Bush Cabinet member, agreed but said their performances will reflect more of an impact on the public’s view of themselves. 

“Many VP debates are completely forgettable,” Troy told Fox News Digital.

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Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“This year might be different, and it might be different because of the whole Harris-Walz hide-the-ball campaign where she didn’t run for the nomination, so she wasn’t scrutinized,” he continued. “Then she’s been very reluctant to have any unscripted interviews since then, and when she does, it’s usually with a very friendly reporter, and even in the debate against Trump, there’s a perception that the moderators were harder on him than they were on her.”

“There have been a number of instances where Walz has [been] asked about her views, and he kind of ducks what her views are because if they say what she’s been in the past, which is pretty liberal, [one of the] most liberal U.S. senators, then that’s not popular and not helpful to her political prospects,” Troy added. “But Vance also has a number of things from his past that have surfaced, that have led to bad stories, like the cat-lady thing, for example, and Walz has not been shy about willing to go after Vance and criticize.”

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS TOPS TRUMP BY 2 POINTS

Former President Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance (REUTERS/Mike Segar )

After the Harris-Trump debate, a Fox News Poll this month found that voters thought Harris performed better than Trump. 

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With no further presidential debates in the works before November, the running mates will likely be making the final head-to-head case to voters for their respective campaigns. 

Each candidate is sure to jab the other, with Vance likely zeroing in on Walz’s progressive policies in Minnesota and Walz likely to paint Vance as extreme, citing earlier statements on abortion prior to joining the Trump ticket.

The CBS vice presidential debate airs Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. ET and will be simulcast on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republicans are taking both a data-driven and hand-to-hand approach to target key voters in the battleground state whose electoral votes are historically decided by just a small fraction of people.

Republicans won North Carolina in the past three presidential elections, but the results have consistently come down to just a couple of thousand votes, with former President Trump winning by about 4% in 2016 and 1% in 2020. The last Democrat to win the state, former President Obama in 2008, won by less than 14,000 votes.

As Republicans ramp up their get out the vote efforts this cycle, leaders at the forefront of the movement told Fox News Digital that they are focusing their resources on encouraging early voting and delivering their message to the key 1% to 2% that could swing the election for either party.

Jason Simmons, chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, told Fox News Digital that there has been an “overwhelming” response to their knocking on doors and grassroots activism.

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North Carolina Republican Party Chair Jason Simmons spoke with Fox News Digital about this cycle’s efforts to get out the vote. (Fox News Digital)

“We’ve been very engaged with all of our grassroots activists and have a very enthusiastic response. People are fired up. As I travel from one end of the state to the next, you see our Trump captains really engaging with the voters of North Carolina, taking the message of why it’s important in this year to go out more so than ever,” Simmons told Fox. “They’re out there every day knocking [on] doors, making phone calls, talking to the voters of North Carolina about the issues that matter most.”

Republicans in the state are also using data to help turn out the vote for residents who haven’t been engaged in voting in past elections.

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“It’s really drilling down into the data and identifying those voters that we know will vote our way, especially the low- to mid-propensity voters, by getting in front of them and talking to them about those issues that matter most to them and then encouraging them to make that plan and to go vote,” Simmons said.

After speaking with voters across the state, Simmons said the economy, inflation and the southern border are the issues of top concern among North Carolina voters. 

Republicans are also investing in encouraging early voting this cycle, and according to Dallas Woodhouse, state director for a conservative training outfit, American Majority, the data reveals that more early voting would benefit the GOP in 2024.

“We have field teams out right now educating conservative voters about the importance of actually voting early, voting by mail in North Carolina, how it is safe to vote by mail. We’re trying to turn around some of the trends that were difficult for conservatives in 2020 and 2022,” Woodhouse said. “What we know is that the earlier you get the vote in, the more efficient it is for candidates, for parties. And if you wait till the last minute, you are at risk of illness and bad weather and your cost per vote goes way out.”

Woodhouse said that by Election Day, America Majority expects to have knocked on half a million doors in the state, reached a million voters by phone and a million and a half voters through text messages.

A canvasser for American Majority, a conservative training outfit, is shown in North Carolina. (Fox News Digital)

“All you can do is go out and fight every day, go out, push the message of free markets, limited government, strong national defense, and get people out to vote what they do from theirs up to them.”

Woodhouse added that the presidential race in North Carolina is going to be “razor-close to the end.”

“The fact is, North Carolina is razor-close. … So, voter by voter or house by house, that’s what you’re into: hand-to-hand political combat to get every single voter to the polls.”

Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor and the Republican gubernatorial candidate, recently came under fire after CNN published a report alleging that Robinson had previously made salacious comments, such as referring to himself as a “Black Nazi” on pornographic websites in the late 2000s. Just days later, his campaign released a statement that staff in various senior roles had stepped down. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks during a campaign event on Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, N.C. (Evan Vucci)

“It’s very unfortunate, and it’s disturbing, troubling, the remarks that we’ve seen and the allegations attributed to Mark Robinson,” Simmons told Fox of the recent controversy. “But ultimately, it’s up to him to go and talk to the voters of North Carolina and show them that these are not his words, his values. And we’ll continue to talk to the voters of North Carolina about those issues that matter most to them.”

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Both Trump and his Democrat opponent, Vice President Harris, have been campaigning throughout the Old North State with just weeks left until the highly anticipated presidential contest on Nov. 5.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance took an apparent jab at Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris during an event in Michigan, when he echoed a talking point about her upbringing that she often repeats at her own events.

When speaking to a group of supporters in Traverse City, Vance mentioned he also “grew up in a working class family” and knows what it takes to stand up for the middle class in an election year unsettled by high inflation and crippling costs.

“Now, look, a lot of you know my story and a lot of you know where I came from. Look, I grew up in a working-class family. And so, when the Democrats — when Kamala Harris — talks about her middle class background, when the Democrats talk about how they stand for working people, they’re not telling the truth,” Vance said.

He added: “They’re lying to you.”

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Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, spoke to supporters during a campaign event at the Northwestern Michigan Fair grounds on September 25, 2024 in Traverse City, Michigan.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In his remarks, Vance said voters can look back to how many Democrats in positions of power during the COVID-19 pandemic sought to enforce lockdowns and to keep them in place while Americans were desperate to return to work.

“Here’s how we know they’re lying to you,” he continued. “Remember back a few years ago when there were a lot of nurses, a lot of people in a lot of industries that were losing their jobs because they refused to take the COVID shot? Now, I believe if you want to take the Covid shot, take the shot. If you don’t want to take the COVID shot, don’t take the COVID shot. But listen, it is disgraceful for Kamala Harris to say that she stands for the American working man when she fired millions of American working men and women from their jobs for not doing what Kamala Harris would tell them to do.”

Vance was visiting Michigan as the state represents an important background for former President Trump’s re-election chances and for down-ballot races like former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

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After commending Rogers, Vance turned his attention to the current vice president.

“I don’t know if you saw the news but Kamala Harris has decided to give her first solo national interview,” Vance said. “I’ve watched a couple of these interviews, local journalists with Kamala Harris, and I’ve realized why it is that Kamala Harris doesn’t give interviews. And the answer is that every time she answers a question, I think we gain about 100,000 votes, me and Donald Trump.”

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

Vance added: “Or they’ll say, Kamala Harris, we’ve got a war in every new continent across the country. Kamala Harris, your administration has in some ways led to the policies that caused this conflict. How are you going to solve it as President of the United States? And Kamala Harris will say, well, did you know that I worked at McDonald’s for about three months when I was a teenager?”

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The Republican senator’s tirade against the Democratic nominee by arguing she fails to offer specifics in her answers.

“I think my friends, all of us watching this interview are saying to ourselves, what is Kamala Harris? What is she actually planning to do for the American people? And the answer is we don’t know. [But] we don’t have to guess that much because she’s been the vice president for three and a half years and she hasn’t done a thing. So let’s dispense with this idea that Kamala Harris is going to fix the very problem she caused.”

Vance spoke to a crowd during a rally at the Berks County Fairgrounds on September 21, 2024 in Leesport, Pennsylvania.  (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)

And, “Kamala Harris is why we have sky-high inflation. Kamala Harris is why you can’t afford groceries or housing. Kamala Harris is why the world is at war right now in nearly every single continent. Kamala Harris is why the border is wide open. And Kamala Harris, you want a promotion? The message from Michigan is you’re fired. Go back to San Francisco where you belong.”

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Michigan, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are the Democrats’ so-called “blue wall,” which the party reliably won for a quarter-century in presidential elections.

This stronghold completely crumbled during Trump’s successful 2016 presidential run, when he narrowly carried all three states. However, Biden narrowly won back all three states in 2020.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators introduced a series of measures on Wednesday aimed at taking a comprehensive approach to curbing the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in the west. 

Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., led the introduction of several pieces of legislation in the Senate, all focused on targeting different aspects of China’s involvement in America, including at universities and in the U.S. agricultural sector. 

“The CCP is the single greatest threat to America’s national security and financial independence,” Ricketts told Fox News Digital in a statement. “A CCP-led world would mean coercion instead of choice, tyranny instead of liberty, and dictatorship instead of democracy. The only way to combat this threat is with a strong, strategic, all-of-government approach. These bills move us closer to that.”

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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at a meeting in Beijing, Sept. 20, 2024. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The Nebraska Republican introduced five bills: to protect domestic food supply chains; to disincentivize university endowments from investing in “adversarial entities”; to prevent tax breaks for investing in Chinese, Russian, Iranian, North Korean, or Belarussian companies; to stop U.S. market participation and ownership in businesses that are sanctioned for human rights violations; and to prohibit index funds from purchasing Chinese stocks. 

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 Sen. Pete Ricketts makes a speech during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., May 3, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Schmitt also introduced a measure that would bar members of the CCP and their relatives from obtaining student visas to attend American universities. 

“The Chinese Communist Party remains our most significant adversary, both militarily and economically. It makes no sense for American universities to continue educating the children and other family members of CCP officials. These more than 100,000 admission slots should go to American students,” Schmitt told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

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Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

“If you are associated with a foreign organization that is actively working to undermine the United States, you should certainly not have the continued privilege of being educated on our college campuses. The Protecting Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party Act fortunately puts an end to these special privileges.” 

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The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army performs a flag-raising ceremony on China’s Army Day on Aug. 1, 2024 in Nanchang. (Ma Yue/VCG via Getty Images)

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The senators’ legislation comes as Republicans continue to sound the alarm over CCP influence and current U.S. vulnerabilities. 

Americans increasingly agree with their warnings, with about half saying that limiting both China’s power and influence should be a top priority for the U.S. when it comes to foreign policy. Another 42% believe it should be given some priority, according to a Pew Research Center survey earlier this year. 

EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson is calling on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to fire Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States after she allegedly organized a U.S. taxpayer-funded visit to a battleground state ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, organized a tour of an American manufacturing site for Zelenskyy over the weekend in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state ahead of November’s election. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (Getty Images)

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Johnson, R-La., said that tour was led by a “top political surrogate” for the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and “purposely excluded” Republicans. Johnson called it clear “election interference.” 

“I demand that you immediately fire Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelenskyy exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sept. 20, 2024.  (Christoph Soeder/Pool Photo via AP)

“As you have said, Ukrainians have tried to avoid being ‘captured by American domestic politics,’ and ‘influencing the choices of the American people’ ahead of the November election,” Johnson wrote. “Clearly, that objective was abandoned this week when Ambassador Markarova organized an event in which you toured an American manufacturing site.

“The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because – on purpose – no Republicans were invited,” Johnson continued, adding the tour was “clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference.” 

Johnson said the “shortsighted and intentionally political move has caused Republicans to lose trust in Ambassador Markarova’s ability to fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country.” 

“She should be removed from her post immediately,” he wrote.  

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California, left, shakes hands with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova during an event unveiling a photography exhibit about the war in Ukraine April 28, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Johnson stressed that “all foreign nations should avoid opining on or interfering in American domestic politics.” 

“Support for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to be bipartisan, but our relationship is unnecessarily tested and needlessly tarnished when the candidates at the top of the Republican presidential ticket are targeted in the media by officials in your government,” Johnson wrote. 

“These incidents cannot be repeated.” 

Johnson thanked Zelenskyy for his “prompt attention to this matter.” 

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“I trust you will take immediate action,” Johnson said. 

Zelenskyy over the weekend visited a Pennsylvania ammunition factory alongside two Pentagon leaders — the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer. 

Zelenskyy also met with Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was said to be on the short list to be considered as Harris’ running mate before she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Zelenskyy recently participated in interviews and was critical of former President Trump and his running mate JD Vance, calling the Ohio senator “too radical.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Celebration of Freedom ceremony during Wawa Welcome America July 4, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

The House Oversight Committee is now investigating the Biden-Harris administration’s alleged use of taxpayer-funded resources to fly Zelenskyy to Pennsylvania ahead of the November presidential election. 

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced the investigation Wednesday and is seeking records regarding the administration’s alleged “misuse of government resources” to allow Zelenskyy to “interfere in the 2024 presidential election.” 

“The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power,” Comer wrote Wednesday in a letter to the White House, Justice Department and the Pentagon. 

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Comer said his committee is investigating the circumstances that led to “justify” the administration’s transport of Zelenskyy on a Department of the Air Force aircraft to Pennsylvania. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, Pentagon, Justice Department and Harris campaign for comment. 

China hawks are calling out Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for failing to impose a TikTok ban on government-issued devices in his state, particularly considering more than 75% of other states did so amid national security concerns. 

When asked in 2022 whether Walz planned to ban the Chinese-owned social media app on Minnesota-issued devices, the Democrat governor said his team was looking at the issue “holistically” and that he was deferring to tech experts in his administration for “recommendations.” Walz also drew an equivalency between TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, arguing the Elon Musk-owned platform “can be somewhat dangerous.”

“That equivalence goes to, I think, a broader confusion on the left that privacy is a protection from ourselves, from these big businesses. Not a protection from the government,” said Trent England, executive director of Save Our States, a conservative nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional power of states. “They’re more trusting toward state actors in general… Elon Musk, however powerful people think he is, he’s not the Chinese Communist Party.”

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Walz’s decision not to implement a TikTok ban on Minnesota’s government-issued devices stands in contrast with the actions of numerous other states, and is also out of step with the Biden administration. 

In December 2022, President Biden signed a bill banning TikTok from all federally issued devices. This year, Biden went even further when he signed an additional bill in April to ban TikTok nationwide, unless its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, divests its entire stake in the social media company by next year.

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Meanwhile, at least 39 separate states implemented a TikTok ban on government-issued devices. Many of those bans were initiated by governors, while others were introduced by the state legislature and later approved by the governor.

The federal and state bans have also coincided with warnings from the nation’s top law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has said it has “a number” of “national security concerns” related to the U.S. operations of TikTok. “They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations if they so chose, or to control software on millions of devices, which gives it an opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress in 2022.

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Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Republican, called the decision to ban TikTok from government devices “common sense.”

“In the digital age, defending our state’s technology and cybersecurity infrastructure and protecting digital privacy have to be a top priority for us as a state,” said Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, after signing an executive order banning TikTok on government devices.

The TikTok video streaming app is seen in this illustration photo in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 23, 2024. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Evers also pointed out how he, similar to Walz, consulted with cybersecurity and law enforcement experts.

“I trust the professionals who work in this field, and it was important for me to consult with and get advice from experts in law enforcement, cybersecurity and counterintelligence, including the information technology experts working within DOA-DET, to make the best decision to protect state technologies, and ultimately, the people of Wisconsin.”

England told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he thinks Walz’s actions are a “throwback” to an earlier era of U.S.-China relations when the prevailing attitude was not to view China as an adversary.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to a gathered crowd of supporters during a campaign rally at the Highmark Amphitheater on Sept. 5, 2024 in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

“Walz is still in this ’90s mindset that we’re going to fix China by engaging with them, which effectively means looking the other way when they’re stealing intellectual property, or engaging in what looks like espionage, or what obviously is espionage,” England said. “I think Walz is really a throwback to an earlier era of China relations that most people have determined was a failure.”

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Earlier this month, TikTok argued in federal court that Biden’s proposed nationwide ban on TikTok if ByteDance does not divest itself is unconstitutional. “The law before this court is unprecedented and its effect would be staggering,” attorneys for TikTok said in court earlier this month, according to the Associated Press. 

A TikTok creator wears a button showing support for the social media app. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Additionally, several pro-TikTok activists also rallied outside the courthouse in support of the social media platform. One content creator, Paul Tran, told The Associated Press that being able to make TikTok videos gave his company the lift it needed to stay competitive. “TikTok truly invigorated our company and saved it from collapse,” Tran told reporters.

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Fox News Digital reached out to both Walz’s office and the Harris campaign for comment but did not hear back prior to publication time.   

EXCLUSIVE: The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the Justice Department after it released the manifesto of the suspect charged with the attempted assassination of former President Trump, warning that the move could inspire potential copycat offenders and “cause additional harm to occur.”

Fox News Digital obtained a letter House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland Wednesday, after the Justice Department released Ryan Routh’s letter, or manifesto, outlining his plans to assassinate Trump. 

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Routh was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw his rifle poking through a chain-link fence at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the former president was golfing. 

The DOJ, in a court filing this week, released Routh’s letter “to the world,” in which he explained his effort was “an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.” Routh offered $150,000 to someone who could “complete the job” if he failed. 

The letter was released as evidence in a detention memo by the Justice Department in an effort to ensure Routh’s detention. 

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the Justice Department after it released the manifesto of the suspect charged with the attempted assassination of former President Trump. (Getty Images)

“During your tenure as Attorney General, the Department has generally refused to release details about so-called ‘manifestos’ written by the perpetrators of high-profile crimes,” Jordan wrote. “Yet, earlier this week, in a public court filing, the Department released a letter in which the man who sought to assassinate President Donald J. Trump in Florida on September 15, 2024, offered a $150,000 bounty on President Trump.” 

Jordan warned that the decision to release that manifesto “seems to contravene the Department’s stated policy that ‘public access to legacy tokens,’ more commonly known as manifestos, ‘will contribute to further attacks’ by ‘spark[ing] incredibly intense interest and study’ by potential copycat offenders and providing a blueprint for future attackers.” 

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“The Department’s decision to broadcast the attempted assassin’s bounty on President Trump – at the same time that the Department is aggressively and unconstitutionally prosecuting President Trump – raises significant concern that the Department could cause additional harm to occur,” Jordan wrote. 

Rep. Jim Jordan walks through the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Jordan is now requesting the Justice Department share all documents and communications referring to the FBI’s May 2023 “Protection of Legacy Tokens” memo, and all records referring or relating to the release of the would-be assassin’s letter to “The World.” 

Jordan demanded those records by Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. 

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Routh, 58, has been charged by the Justice Department with attempted assassination of Trump, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

Routh has also been charged federally with possessing a gun with a scratched-out number and with possessing a gun illegally as a felon, though more serious charges are likely pending. The weapon had a round in the chamber and was loaded with a total of 11 rounds. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Routh is the second would-be assassin who attempted to take Trump’s life this year.

“The Justice Department is committed to using the full force of our authorities to thoroughly investigate every lead and ensure accountability into this matter,” Garland said Wednesday. “Our nation has now experienced two assassination attempts against the former president in just the last three months.” 

Garland added: “That is abhorrent.” 

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Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet fired by Thomas Crooks, who was killed by federal agents after he opened fire at the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. 

The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) is investigating an agent accused of sexually assaulting a staffer working on Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign.

Real Clear Politics first reported the allegations Wednesday. According to four USSS sources, the incident took place last week in Wisconsin.

According to the report, several USSS agents and Harris campaign staffers were in Green Bay to work on security measures for an upcoming rally. The campaign event in Green Bay ended up not taking place, and the campaign switched the rally location to Atlanta, Georgia, after holding a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday.

The staffers and agents later drank at a local restaurant after finishing up their work for the day. They eventually moved over to the victim’s hotel room – where the alleged assault took place.

CHUCK SCHUMER CALLS OUT REPUBLICANS FOR ‘WASTING TIME’ AS TENTATIVE FUNDING DEAL IS ANNOUNCED

A Harris campaign staffer accused a Secret Service agent of sexual assault last week, reports say. (Getty Images / iStock)

The suspect, who was intoxicated at the time, had forced himself on the victim and began groping her, the report claims. The incident was witnessed by other people.

The suspect was reportedly so drunk that his coworkers kicked him out of their hotel room, and he fell asleep in the hallway.

A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed an investigation to Fox News Digital, but did not disclose if it involved a Harris staffer.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: WHICH CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THIS CRUCIAL ISSUE

Vice President Harris speaks during a campaign event in Madison, Wis., on Friday. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The U.S. Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating a misconduct allegation involving an employee,” the spokesperson said. “The Secret Service holds its personnel to the highest standards.”

“The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Vice President Harris waves during a campaign event in Madison, Wis., on Friday.  (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Harris’ office said in a statement that “we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” and that the office takes “safety of staff seriously,” according to the Associated Press.

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

Congress took a significant step toward averting an end-of-month partial government shutdown just weeks before Election Day.

In a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a majority of Republicans voted for the measure – it passed 341 to 82, with 132 House GOP lawmakers in favor. All the 82 “no” votes were Republicans.

Faced with an Oct. 1 deadline and little bipartisan progress on fiscal year 2025 spending priorities, the House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a short-term extension of the current fiscal year’s federal funding levels to keep the government open through Dec. 20.

The measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), gained wide bipartisan support – though more Democrats voted for it than Republicans, as expected.

JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is pictured in front of the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images/AP)

A large contingent of Republicans, still angry with House GOP leaders for passing last year’s federal funding bills in two large segments rather than forcing the Democrat-held Senate to consider 12 appropriations bills individually, were always likely to vote against extending those measures.

The federal funding debate has been a lightening rod for political drama, particularly during the 118th Congress. Last year’s government funding stand-off precipitated the ouster of Johnson’s predecessor by a group of House Republicans.

Fiscal conservatives are frustrated about punting that fight into December, arguing it puts the House GOP majority in the position of being forced to reckon with a massive “omnibus” spending bill right before the end-of-year holidays rather than work through their 12 individual appropriations bills.

“I’ve said this in public forum – we are condemned to a Christmas lame-duck omnibus,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS

Rep. Matt Gaetz, left, precipitated the ouster of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, right, after he passed a CR last year. (Getty)

House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said, “I think that’s the preview of coming attractions, unfortunately.”

But Johnson swore both in public and private that the House would not take up an omnibus in December.

“There won’t be a Christmas omnibus. Somebody asked me in the hallway a little while ago, ‘Will there be mini-buses?’ We don’t want any buses. We’re not going to do any buses.”

Allies of former President Trump, meanwhile, have called for a CR into the new year in the hopes he will win the White House and carry Congress along with him.

House GOP leadership staff suggested to Fox News Digital over the weekend that it’s more likely Johnson will aim for a CR to do just that in December rather than consider an omnibus.

That would line up with his original plan for a more conservative CR – one that offered a six-month funding extension into March and was coupled with a measure to prevent noncitizens from registering to vote in U.S. elections.

MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT

Rep. Ralph Norman said he is not optimistic about avoiding an end-of-year omnibus (Getty Images)

The initial plan failed after a rebellion by 14 Republicans. Some defense hawks worried about the effect of a six-month CR on military readiness, while a group of fiscal conservatives balked at the principle of the CR itself.

The new plan is a more straightforward funding extension, though it adds $231 million for the U.S. Secret Service after two foiled assassination attempts against Trump.

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And while the Democrat-led White House and Senate were both poised to reject Johnson’s initial CR, President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have signaled they’re supportive of the recent deal.

The bill is expected to be considered in the Senate on Thursday, after which it heads to the White House for Biden’s signature. 

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

What’s happening…

-Legislators with medical backgrounds debunk claims that pro-life laws responsible for maternal death…

-Fox News releases new power rankings on 2024 presidential election…

-Harris campaign won’t share what type of gun she owns…

Loose Lips

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to the U.S. this week may complicate his relationship with the U.S., particularly if Republicans take power in the November election.

He flew on an Air Force C-17 plane to visit an arms producer in Scranton, Pennsylvania – a swing state – signed bombs with the state’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and called former President Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, “too radical.” 

The Ukrainian president said he didn’t think Trump knew how to bring an end to the war and told the United Nations General Assembly the war with Russia “can’t be calmed by talks” and Russian President Vladimir Putin can “only be forced into peace.” That didn’t sit well with people in Trump’s orbit…Read more

White House

‘DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY’: Justice Department backs UN claim relief workers accused of aiding Hamas are immune …Read more

ZELENSKYY ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Comer investigating Biden-Harris admin’s alleged use of taxpayer funds to fly Zelenskyy to Pa. …Read more

NOT A DENIAL: DOJ inspector general does not deny FBI informants were among Jan. 6 crowd …Read more

Capitol Hill

BEHIND THE BLUE CURTAIN: Sneak peek into Dems’ plans for Trump if they win House majority in November …Read more

FEARMONGERING: Legislators with emergency medicine background dismiss fears over Georgia’s heartbeat law …Read more

CCP INFLUENCE: GOP senators eye comprehensive China strategy to curb influence …Read more

‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’: House Speaker Johnson calls on Zelenskyy to fire Ukraine’s ambassador to US over Pennsylvania trip …Read more

‘COPYCATS’: House Judiciary investigating DOJ for release of Routh manifesto offering $150k Trump bounty …Read more

‘LEVERAGE ALL OPTIONS’: Bill would ban Afghan aid until Americans released …Read more

Tales from the Trail

POWER RANKINGS: Fox News Power Rankings: Harris ticks up and Senate Republicans take charge …Read more

NO DETAILS: Harris campaign won’t provide info on type of gun she owns, last time she went to range …Read more

WHO’S MORE ACCESSIBLE?: Trump-Vance have done significantly more interviews than Harris-Walz …Read more

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaks at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2024. TO GO WITH “Iran condemns Israel’s assassination of senior Hezbollah commander”  (Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Across America

IRAN HACK: Trump campaign hack was Iran’s ‘explicit tipping of the scales’ for Harris, expert says …Read more

‘TRUST THE PROFESSIONALS’: Walz failed to ban TikTok on government devices despite nat sec concerns …Read more

‘HUMAN ERROR’: Wisconsin Republican demands probe after city sends out 2,000 duplicate absentee ballots …Read more

HANDWRITTEN NOTE: Top Secret Service agent on July 13 heard about credible Trump threats on TV …Read more

‘STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES’: Trump points out Iranian president’s large security detail in NYC despite potential Iranian plot to assassinate him …Read more

‘DIRECT ATTACK ON OUR DEMOCRACY’: Trump assassination suspect indicted in Miami court …Read more

KILLER MOM: Susan Smith brags from behind bars in bid for early release from prison …Read more

BREAKING NEWS: Illegal alien who was caught and released at border is accused of killing girlfriend in Maryland …Read more

‘TRUMP TRAIN’: Cleared defendants liken case to lawfare campaign against former prez …Read more

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

PITTSBURGH — Vice President Harris pledged to lower child care and elder care costs as part of her push to help middle-class Americans cope with rising prices during her highly touted economic address in which she also repeatedly took aim at her rival for the White House, former President Trump.

Speaking at the Pittsburgh Economic Club in the must-win battleground state of Pennsylvania, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee outlined the three pillars of her economic agenda: lower costs, investing in American innovation and entrepreneurship, and leading global competitors in the industries of the future.

Pointing to persistent inflation, which has dogged President Biden’s administration and provided Trump with plenty of political ammunition to fire at Harris, the vice president said that despite recent economic “positive steps … the cost of living in America is just too high.”

But Harris also said Trump “has no intention of lowering costs” and that he’s made it harder for small businesses to function as the backbone of the nation’s economy.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks about the tax code and manufacturing on Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. (AP/Evan Vucci)

And one day after Trump in a speech in battleground Georgia vowed to create manufacturing jobs by raising tariffs on overseas rivals and lowering taxes on U.S.-based manufacturers, Harris took aim.

Harris said Trump “makes big promises on manufacturing. Just yesterday, he went out and promised to bring back manufacturing jobs.”

She then said that during Trump’s four years in the White House, “[M]anufacturing jobs went down across our country and across our economy. All told, almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during his presidency, starting before the pandemic hit, making Trump one of the biggest losers ever on manufacturing.”

THIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS UPPER HAND IN 2024 CASH DASH

And the vice president also blasted Trump over the nation’s trade deficit with China.

“Donald Trump also talked a big game on our trade deficit with China, but it is far lower under our watch than any year of his administration while he constantly got played by China,” she said.

And she described Trump as someone who wants to help the wealthy and big businesses, but not average Americans.

“For Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers, not those who actually build them, not those who wire them, not those who mop the floors,” she said.

Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Harris addresses the Economic Club of Pittsburgh on the Carnegie Mellon University campus in Pittsburgh on Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Trump campaign, returning fire, put out a statement moments after the vice president’s address ended headlined “Kamala’s Speech Full of Lies.”

Spotlighting a line from her address, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “Kamala Harris is right about one thing — it’s time to turn the page. She’s had three and a half years to prove herself, and she has failed.”

Pointing to economic conditions the past three and a half years under President Biden’s administration, Leavitt said “personal savings are down, credit card debt is up, small business optimism is at a record-low, and people are struggling to afford homes, groceries, and gas. Every time Kamala speaks, it becomes increasingly clear that ONLY President Trump will Make America WEALTHY Again.”

WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THE ECONOMY?

Trump mockingly calls Harris “Comrade Kamala” and says she’s a far-left socialist.

Apparently pushing back, the vice president, near the top of her speech, spotlighted that “I’m a capitalist. I believe in free and fair markets. I believe in consistent and transparent rules of the road to create a stable business environment. And I know the power of American innovation.”

Harris, in her address, detailed plans for new tax incentives that would aim to spark next-generation industries critical to the economy and national security.

Vice President Harris takes aim at former President Trump during her economic address in Pittsburgh. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

And the vice president shined a spotlight on her proposals to provide first-time home buyers $25,000 to help with down payments and a $6,000 tax credit for families with newborns.

“When we lower the cost and ease the burdens people face, we will not only make it … easier for them to meet their obligations as caregivers, we will also make it more possible for them to go to work and pursue their economic aspirations,” she said. “And when that happens, our economy as a whole grows stronger.”

With less than six weeks until Election Day on Nov. 5 and with early in-person voting or absentee balloting underway in nearly two dozen states, just about every poll indicates the economy remains the top issue on the minds of Americans.

And while the nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic-inflicted recession continues, high prices remain a leading concern among voters.

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When it comes to which presidential candidate can better handle the economy, Trump continues to have the edge, but his margin over Harris differs dramatically depending on the poll.

The former president is up 13 points over the vice president in a post-debate survey from the New York Times and Siena College, 11 points in a CNN poll and favored by seven points in an ABC News/Ipsos survey also conducted after the showdown.

But Trump’s advantage over Harris on the economy stands at five points in the latest Fox News poll and two points in an AP/NORC survey.

In Pennsylvania, a new Monmouth University survey indicated Trump holding a three-point edge over Harris when respondents were asked which candidate is more trusted to handle the economy.

Pennsylvania, with 19 electoral votes up for grabs, is the biggest prize among the seven key battleground states whose razor-thin margins decided Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump and will likely determine whether Harris or Trump succeeds Biden in the White House.

Hours before Harris arrived in Pittsburgh, a new public opinion poll from Muhlenberg College indicated the vice president and Trump deadlocked at 48% in the Keystone State. It was the latest survey to point to an incredibly close contest in the must-win state.

Fox News’ Mark Meredith and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.

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

The Senate passed a short-term spending bill on Wednesday, avoiding a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and allowing lawmakers up for re-election to head home early to campaign. 

By a vote of 78 to 18, senators approved a spending bill that will keep funding steady until Dec. 20, known as a continuing resolution (CR). 

It passed in the House hours before being taken to the floor in the upper chamber, with representatives approving the spending bill 341 to 82. 

132 Republican House members voted in favor of it. The bill saw 82 votes against it, all of which were cast by Republicans.

Lawmakers avoided a partial shutdown with only days to spare, despite a GOP demand that the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act be included. Several Republicans in Congress had insisted the SAVE Act be attached to the spending bill, including some in the Senate. 

GOP SENATORS EYE COMPREHENSIVE CHINA STRATEGY TO CURB CCP INFLUENCE

Chuck Schumer, right, said the spending bill needs to be done in a bipartisan manner. (Reuters)

The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. 

A short-term bill that included that measure failed in the House of Representatives when Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., brought it for a vote last week, effectively killing hopes for a CR with the SAVE Act attached.

TOP SECRET SERVICE AGENT IN PITTSBURGH SAYS HE WAS KEPT IN DARK ON ‘CREDIBLE’ THREAT AHEAD OF BUTLER RALLY

People arrive to cast their vote during the early voting for presidential race and local elections in Minnesota on Sept. 20, 2024.  (Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The House voted down the stopgap bill 202 to 220, with several Republicans voting against it and two voting “present.” Three vulnerable Democrats voted in favor of it. 

A CR with the SAVE Act had also been backed by former President Donald Trump, who urged Republicans not to accept a spending deal that did not include it. But while Trump encouraged it, Republicans both publicly and privately worried that their party would be blamed for a shutdown. 

JOE MANCHIN SAYS HE WON’T ENDORSE HARRIS OVER SUPPORT FOR ELIMINATING FILIBUSTER

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., even laid the groundwork for blaming the GOP for a potential shutdown in recent floor remarks, labeling the possibility as a “Trump shutdown.”

“Democrats and Americans don’t want a Trump shutdown,” he claimed. 

DEMS LOOK TO FORCE VOTES ON EMERGENCY ABORTION AS ABORTION PILL DEATHS MAKE HEADLINES

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gestures onstage during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

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Republicans decided not to prolong the fight over the CR and potentially risk a government shutdown, which is attributed by some in part to incoming severe weather that would make it difficult for senators to get back to their home states and looming competitive elections that they want to get on the campaign trail for. 

While the CR will keep the government in full operation past the initial appropriations deadline, it sets up another potential standoff before Christmas and a GOP-dreaded omnibus measure that squeezes several necessary legislative items into one massive bill. 

A conservative think tank and its public-policy oversight arm filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit against the Biden administration seeking any records relating to advice the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) may have offered in regard to the 25th Amendment.

Heritage Foundation Oversight Project attorney Kyle Brosnan characterized the OLC as the equivalent of a White House “law firm” that provides legal advice to the executive branch and its officers, adding the timeline for any responsive documents is June 1 to the present day.

Under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, a majority of the “principal officers” of the Cabinet would transmit to the Senate president pro tem – currently Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. – a declaration that the sitting president can no longer perform his duties. The vice president would then be named “acting president.” The amendment was ratified following the Kennedy assassination.

In the past, temporary cases have arisen, such as President George W. Bush providing a written declaration that Vice President Dick Cheney would assume his powers while he underwent a medical procedure.

DEMOCRAT STATE OFFICIALS LARGELY BACK BIDEN AFTER DEBATE, AS PARTY CHARI SUGGESTS GOP PULLS TRUMP NOM

President Biden speaks to the United Nations. (Getty Images)

In that regard, prior to filing the suit, Brosnan said the Heritage Foundation made a media request through its press arm, the Daily Signal, to the offices of each of the Cabinet secretaries, and then followed up with FOIA requests with each for such communications.

Oversight Project President Mike Howell noted that one Cabinet agency provided an email response that appeared to show the “White House was taking over the comms” on the matter, in his words. 

In a Wednesday interview with the two attorneys, Howell added that concerns about President Biden’s ability to perform his duties are not new, and the media have particularly recently appeared to make such a case, and that discussions in the media and elsewhere spurred the Oversight Project to use legal means to find out whether any such communications exist.

“We don’t have to take George Clooney’s word for it,” he said, referring to how the longtime Democrat and actor publicly stated following the CNN debate that Biden showed signs of decline at a prior fundraiser.

He further pointed to first lady Jill Biden’s unusually prominent role in a recent Cabinet meeting, which was met with some public backlash.

Howell said Congress has largely shirked its duty to provide oversight when it comes to the question, “Who is really running our country?”

FLASHBACK: BIDEN’S CABINET DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT FOLLOWING DEBATE 

The Heritage Foundation building on July 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“The media clearly decided it can’t be Kamala Harris, who would be the constitutional successor or somebody else other than Harris/Biden. Right now, an unelected person is, most likely performing the duties of the president with Biden [conducting] ceremonial duties only when his physical state allows. And so Congress controls the timeline,” he said.

Another reason the 25th Amendment is a key topic at present is that there is a very real chance that former President Trump could have been put in a coma or killed by recent attempted assassins, Howell said.

He predicted the trend could continue if Trump were elected, given the heated political rhetoric in some corners on the left.

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President Biden flanked Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Friday, Sept. 20. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

However, positing that Democrats have been loath to even consider utilizing the amendment under the current presidency, it gives Trump and Republicans room to excuse a future Trump presidency from being held to a higher standard when it comes to cognition or ability to perform duties.

“Any of those [assassination attempts] are one day likely to partially… The left has no leg to stand on to say the 25th Amendment needs to be invoked.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Justice Department and the White House for comment on the lawsuit.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to the U.S. this week may complicate his relationship with the U.S., particularly if Republicans take power in the November election.

He flew on an Air Force C-17 plane to visit an arms producer in Scranton, Pennsylvania – a swing state – signed bombs with the state’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and called former President Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, “too radical.” 

The Ukrainian president said he didn’t think Trump knew how to bring an end to the war and told the United Nations General Assembly the war with Russia “can’t be calmed by talks” and Russian President Vladimir Putin can “only be forced into peace.” That didn’t sit well with people in Trump’s orbit. 

“As someone who has been personally supportive of President Zelenskyy, I was deeply disappointed that he allowed himself to be used that way,” Trump’s former deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates told Fox News Digital. “It was pretty much political theater.” 

During a rally on Tuesday, the former president said Zelenskyy wanted Vice President Kamala Harris to win the election “so badly” and described him as “the greatest salesman in history.”

ZELENSKYY QUESTIONS CHINA’S ‘TRUE INTEREST’ BEHIND PLAN TO END UKRAINE WAR 

The stunts have left conservative Ukraine supporters concerned about the warring nation’s ability to come back to the U.S. next year and ask for more resources if Republicans are in power. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to the U.S. this week may complicate his relationship with the U.S., particularly if Republicans take power in the November election. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

“I don’t know what he could do [to repair the relationship],” Coates said. “It was a very strange performance, very counterproductive for him being able to come back in a year and argue for more funding.”

“He is too radical,” Zelenskyy this week told the New Yorker of Vance, who’s an outspoken opponent of aid to Ukraine. “[Vance’s] message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable.”

Zelenskyy went on: “My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even if he might think he knows how.”

“It was a very poor move on [Zelenskyy’s] part,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a close Trump ally and key negotiator in moving the last $60 billion supplemental aid package for Ukraine over the finish line earlier this year. 

His suggestion for Zelenskyy: “Stay out of politics. And maybe come and talk to us about what just happened, because that was a bad move.” 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a staunch Ukraine supporter, didn’t think it was a bad move at all. 

Zelenskyy called Sen. JD Vance “too radical.”  (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)

“Zelenskyy was rightly reacting to some of what Sen. Vance has been saying about his position on these issues,” the Connecticut Democrat said. 

Vance this month pitched a peace plan that would see Ukraine give up much of the land Russia has captured since 2022 in exchange for a demilitarization zone along the front lines, fortifying Ukraine to deter another invasion and a guarantee that Kyiv would not be brought into NATO. 

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., a Trump surrogate, said Zelenskyy deserves any blowback he gets.

“Wherever you fall on the spectrum, the idea that a foreign leader is on US soil, being flown around on a C-17 at a campaign stop for Kamala Harris, criticizing President Trump, in any event, is unreal, and so I hope there’s backlash. It’s unacceptable.” 

ZELENSKYY WARNS VANCE’S PLAN TO GIVE RUSSIA SEIZED LAND WILL LEAD TO ‘GLOBAL SHOWDOWN’

“He made the decision to make those comments. They’re completely out of bounds, and he ought to be called out for it.”

Schmitt suggested the comments did not completely end any chances of further aid in the future, however. 

“I think we should take a clear-eyed view of things like what’s the plan, has Europe stepped up, all of that,” he told Fox News Digital. “But this doesn’t help.”

In his comments to the New Yorker, Zelenskyy suggested that Trump seemed more receptive to his cause than his running mate.  

“These are dangerous signals, coming as they do from a potential vice president. I should say that it hasn’t been like this with Trump,” he said.

“He and I talked on the phone, and his message was as positive as it could be, from my point of view. ‘I understand,’ ‘I will lend support,’ and so on.”

“I don’t take Vance’s words seriously,” he added. “Trump makes political statements in his election campaign. He says he wants the war to stop. Well, we do too,” Zelenskyy added. 

The war in Ukriane is dragging on into its third year. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukraine is expected to receive the last $6 billion in aid from the supplemental over the coming months as the war with Russia presses on toward three years in February. 

Zelenskyy will meet with President Biden on Thursday and propose a new plan for victory. He’s expected to make another plea for the U.S. to allow him to use long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia. 

Last week Trump said he would “probably” meet with Zelenskyy during his U.S. swing, but no such meeting has been scheduled. 

And at United Nations this week, Zelenskyy suggested that a negotiated peace deal was off the table.

“We know some in the world want to talk to Putin,” Zelenskyy said to the General Assembly, “to possibly hear from him that he’s upset because we are exercising our right to defend our people.”

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Donning his signature green fatigues, he called such views “insanity.” “Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed – forcing Russia into peace,” he said.

“Russia is committing an international crime. This war can’t simply fade away, this war can’t be calmed by talks. Actions are needed.”

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., demanded an immediate investigation Tuesday after city of Madison officials said 2,215 duplicate ballots had been sent out across 10 wards in error. 

Madison officials said the duplicate ballots have identical bar codes and so can’t be counted twice. 

“The City of Madison clerk said the duplicate absentee ballots were sent to one ward yesterday,” Tiffany wrote on X. “Now, they say it’s 10. There needs to be an independent investigation now, not after the election.” 

President Biden won Wisconsin, a key battleground state, by fewer than 21,000 votes in 2020. 

Deputy Clerk of the City of Madison Jim Verbick cited how “there was a human error that occurred,” impacting voters who had the same style or listed the same offices on their ballots, WKOW reported. 

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Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

In a letter addressed to the City of Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl, Tiffany said he was “demanding answers and transparency” on what happened, citing what he categorized as “the history of controversial and legally dubious election practices carried out by Madison officials in the past.”

“Voters deserve clear answers regarding the full scope of this blunder, how the city plans to restore public confidence in its ability to accurately administer the election, and assurances that those responsible are held accountable,” Tiffany wrote, according to the Associated Press. 

Madison, the state capital, is considered a Democrat stronghold. 

“This was a mistake,” city spokesperson Dylan Brogan told the AP. “The clerk’s office moved to rectify it as quickly as possible.”

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

The clerk’s office described what happened as a “data processing error,” explaining that the duplicate ballots have identical bar codes, so even if a voter submitted two absentee ballots, only one could be counted because the voting system does not accept the same bar code twice.  

Also, once the ballot is scanned, the voter is marked in the poll book as having submitted an absentee ballot. That is another safeguard against the voter submitting a second ballot, the clerk’s office said.

Brogan said the mistake occurred when two identical files were merged, resulting in the creation of a list with double the names and double the addresses. Up to 2,000 duplicate ballots in one ward were mailed late last week before the mistake was caught and corrected. The clerk’s office has been contacting voters individually to notify them of the error and cautioning them to submit only one ballot, Brogan said. 

“Despite duplicate ballots being sent out, we will only accept one ballot from every voter, and when we get them back we will make sure that we only have one ballot,” Verbick said. 

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES HIT KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES AS ELECTION APPROACHES

“About 3,000 voters all use the same ballot style, and we had to separate it into two different files to cover that range based on the limitation of the files that we can pull out of the registration system,” Verbick told WKOW. “We tried to combine the two, and instead, one of them got copied instead of combined.”

Former President Trump is shown at a campaign event on Sept. 7, 2024, in Mosinee, Wis. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“I would just tell the voters that you can destroy one of the ballots,” Verbick said. “Please do not send in both ballots, only one vote, one ballot, and the other can be destroyed.”

When asked about Tiffany’s letter, Verbick told WKOW, “I would just say that [the clerk’s office] is very transparent about anything we do with elections, and I would just leave it at that.” 

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He added that no third party would be investigating the matter at this time.

Brogan told the AP that Witzel-Behl was in the process of responding to Tiffany’s letter and “thoroughly answering all of these questions.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Tom Tiffany, or who it is, we want everyone to know what happened,” Brogan said.

As of Monday, Madison had sent 27,421 absentee ballots and none had been returned, according to the state elections commission. Brogan said none of the duplicate ballots had been returned since then. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump addressed Iran’s plots to assassinate him during remarks in battleground-state North Carolina on Wednesday, saying it was “strange” how the Iranian president received such a large security detail when visiting the United Nations this week.

Trump was speaking about jobs in Mint Hill, just outside Charlotte, when he mentioned the potential Iranian plot to assassinate him.

“Meanwhile, we have the president of Iran in our country this week, we have large security forces guarding him, and yet they’re threatening our former president and the leading candidate to become the next president—certainly a strange set of circumstances,” Trump said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday.

IRAN’S LEADER TO ADDRESS UN AMID THREATS OF ASSASSINATIONS AGAINST US POLITICIANS, ELECTION INTERFERENCE

Trump made the remarks about Iran during a campaign event in Mint Hill, N.C., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Tehran’s potential assassination plot was detailed in FBI documents that Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, released earlier this month, showing other potential targets included President Biden, Nikki Haley, along with other “politicians, military people or bureaucrats.”

Trump said that as president, he would tell any country that threatens a former president that he would “blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump said that if he were president, and a former president came under such a threat, he would tell the threatening country that if they did anything to harm the individual, “we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens.”

“But right now, we don’t have the leadership necessary to do that,” the former president said. “We have two people, not one, that only keep looking, and when you do that, trouble always ensues.”

The Trump campaign on Tuesday said that the former president was briefed on “real and specific threats” from Iran to assassinate him. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump said that “we all need to pull together” to put an end to such threats and “bring back American Strength, Power, and Prestige,” which he suggested had diminished during the Biden presidency.

TRUMP BRIEFED ON ‘REAL AND SPECIFIC THREATS’ FROM IRAN TO ASSASSINATE HIM, CAMPAIGN SAYS

On Tuesday, the Trump campaign said the former president was briefed about “real and specific threats” from Iran to assassinate him.

Iran’s aim to assassinate Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is part of the Islamic Republic’s efforts to “destabilize and sow chaos in the United States,” Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a press release.

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In addition to the assassination plot, the FBI further confirmed last week that Iranian hackers attempted to supply the Democratic presidential campaign with stolen communication files from the Trump campaign. 

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Some House Democrats are already looking at the possibility of investigating former President Donald Trump if they win the House majority in November.

Two top lawmakers, Reps. Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., did not rule out probing Trump if he won the White House in November.

Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee who led the probe into Trump’s tax returns in the last Congress, told Fox News Digital it would be “hard to assess” whether he would see himself resuscitating that effort, but he added that the Supreme Court’s recent decision expanding presidential immunity could change the calculus.

“That would be speculative, but I certainly would not back away from the positions I’ve taken over the years on that issue,” Neal said.

CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION

Reps. Eric Swalwell and Dan Goldman said they anticipate probes into Trump if he wins in November. (Getty Images)

Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told Fox News Digital, “I’d rather look to the future than the past, but we’ll do our job.”

In a longer statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Raskin accused Republicans of ignoring issues like gun violence and prescription drug costs.

“Instead, for two years, House Republicans have used the gavel to pursue a laughingstock flop of an impeachment investigation to help their presidential nominee and personal cult leader, Donald Trump. Even worse, they have blocked and obstructed Democrats’ efforts to investigate the corruption of Donald Trump and his autocrat allies,” Raskin said.

“Investigating this endless corruption is critical for Congress to create legislative fixes to ensure government serves the people and to put an end to efforts to exploit the presidency and sell out our government to the highest bidder.”

Meanwhile, rank-and-file Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said investigations could be warranted into Trump’s family and their business dealings even if the former president lost his re-election bid.

Both singled out his son-in-law and former White House adviser Jared Kushner, whose investment firm got a $2 billion investment commitment from a fund led by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. 

“His family has some ongoing deals that we learned about after we went out of the majority that I think are worth visiting,” Swalwell said. “The Kushners and the Saudi deal – I think people want some closure on that.”

He took a shot at the House GOP’s probes into the foreign business dealings of President Biden’s son, adding, “If you tell me you’re interested in Hunter Biden, then you probably owe it to the country to be interested in what happened there.”

JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL

Jared Kushner’s foreign business deals could be probed, Dems suggested. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Goldman, an Oversight Committee member, told Fox News Digital, “I think if Trump wins, obviously that’ll be the principal purpose [of the committee], is to provide the checks and balances that Congress needs to check, and that Donald Trump especially requires.”

“I think there are a lot of really important, substantive issues that the committee has not investigated this year that are not partisan, that we should be focused on,” he said, adding, “But we also were frustrated this term that obvious, obvious concerns were not investigated.”

“How did Jared Kushner get $2 billion from Mohammed bin Salman for an investment company in something that he had never done before…That’s a tremendous amount of money. There’s been no investigation into that.”

SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded, “Swalwell and Goldman should get a life. President Trump has endured two fake impeachments, four baseless witch-hunt indictments, and endless investigations into his businesses — all of which have failed because they are not based on facts but rather, they are fueled by the vitriolic Trump Derangement Syndrome that has taken over the Democrat Party.”

Raskin’s investigatory efforts into Trump during this Congress, as leader of the Oversight Committee’s Democratic minority, could also offer a possible preview of what Democrats’ probes could look like in a second Trump term.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said Democrats would ‘harass’ Trump if they won. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Earlier this month, he and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., sent a letter to Trump demanding that the former president prove he did not take a “cash bribe” from Egypt’s president in 2017. The letter was spurred by a Washington Post report that also alleged former Attorney General Bill Barr had blocked a probe into the matter.

Investigating Biden and his family has been a core focus of the committee under Chairman James Comer’s tenure. Comer, R-Ky., released a report recently accusing the president of having committed impeachable offenses – something the White House denies.

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He denied that the intensity of his Biden probe could give Democrats cover to investigate Trump, however – insisting their inquiries into Trump were political.

“If the Democrats want to waste taxpayer dollars and time investigating the Trump administration again for the second time, then that’s their prerogative. But we focused on waste, fraud and abuse and mismanagement by the federal government,” Comer told Fox News Digital.

“If Trump wins…They’re going to harass and obstruct every step of the way.”

PITTSBURGH, PA – A new public opinion poll indicates Vice President Kamala Harris holding the edge over former President Trump in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Forty-eight percent of those questioned in Monmouth University survey of registered Pennsylvania voters released on Wednesday said they are definitely or probably supporting Harris in the presidential election, with 45% saying the same thing about Trump.

And the poll, conducted Sept. 19-23, indicates Harris holding a four-point advantage over Trump among those who said they are extremely motivated to cast a ballot in the White House race.

The survey is the latest to indicate a close contest in Pennsylvania, which, with 19 electoral votes up for grabs, is the biggest prize among the seven key battleground states whose razor-thin margins decided President Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump and will likely determine whether Harris or Trump succeeds Biden in the White House.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on September 02, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Pennsylvania, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, makes up the Democrats’ so-called ‘blue wall,’ which the party reliably won for a quarter-century in presidential elections until Trump narrowly carried all three states in his 2016 White House victory. But Biden – with razor-thin margins – won back all three states four years ago.

Both Harris and Trump have repeatedly made stops this summer in Pennsylvania. And while the campaigns and their allied super PACs are pouring resources into all seven swing states, more money has been spent to run spots in Pennsylvania than any of the other battlegrounds. And both sides have dished out more dollars to reserve airtime going forward in the Keystone State than any of the other swing states, according to figures from AdImpact, a top national ad tracking firm.

The release of the poll comes a couple of hours before Harris returns to Pennsylvania – which is considered a must win state for the Democratic presidential nominee – to deliver what her campaign is billing as a major speech on the economy.

THIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS THE UPPER HAND IN THE 2024 CASH DASH

The vice president, at her address at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, is expected to offer up the most substantial comments on the economy since replacing Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticker just over two months ago.

A senior Harris campaign official said the vice president will spotlight her “pragmatic” approach to the economy and will offer up “practical, realistic solutions.”

The official added that Harris – who has been derided by Trump as “Comrade Kamala” – will describe herself as “a capitalist” who “understands the limitations of government and has always sought to take good ideas from wherever they come and harness the power of innovation.”

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks about the tax code and manufacturing at the Johnny Mercer Theatre Civic Center, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Her address comes a day after the former president, in a speech in battleground Georgia, gave what was also billed a major economic speech, and vowed to lower taxes on U.S.-based manufacturers.

With less than six weeks to go until Election Day on Nov. 5 and with early in-person voting or absentee balloting underway in nearly two-dozen states, just about every poll indicates that the economy remains the top issue on the minds of Americans.

This, as nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic-inflicted recession continues, but inflation remains a leading concern among voters.

WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HOLDS THE EDGE ON THE ECONOMY?

When it comes to which presidential candidate can better handle the economy, Trump continues to have the edge – but his margins over Harris differ dramatically depending on the poll.

The former president’s up 13 points over the vice president in a post-debate survey from the New York Times and Siena College, and favored by 7 points in an ABC News Ipsos survey also conducted after the showdown.

But Trump’s advantage over Harris on the economy stands at only 5 points in the LATEST Fox News poll, and just 2 points in an AP/NORC survey.

In Pennsylvania, the new Monmouth University survey indicates Trump holding a three-point edge over Harris when respondents were asked which candidate is more trusted to handle the economy.

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former President Donald Trump shake hands during their presidential debate, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. . Photographer: Doug Mills/The New York Time/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)

Harris, according to the senior campaign aide, is expected in her speech to premiere some new manufacturing proposals and highlight her ideas to lower costs, invest in American innovation and entrepreneurship, and her goal of “leading the world in the industries of the future.”

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The senior official added that Harris is expected to argue that “for Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers. Not those who build them. Not those who wire them. Not those who mop the floors.”

And that she will reiterate her charge that Trump has “no intention to grow the middle class, because all he cares about is helping himself and billionaires like him.”

Trump has repeatedly charged that Harris’ plans for the economy are inept and potentially dangerous.

“If you think four years of Harris-Biden is bad, that’s nothing compared to four years of Harris-Walz,” the Trump campaign has argued.

Fox News’ Mark Meredith contributed to this report

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

Minnesota Gov. and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was blasted on social media this week for visiting the upscale Manhattan apartment of Alex Soros, the son of billionaire liberal mega donor George Soros.

“Honored to host Governor @Tim_Walz at my home in New York City!” Alex Soros, his dad’s successor at the multibillion-dollar Open Society Foundations (OSF), posted on X on Tuesday along with photos alongside Walz in front of the New York City skyline.

The post was widely panned by conservatives on social media who made the argument that Walz’s portrayal as a “rural” moderate was compromised by standing next to one of the most prolific progressive families in the United States. 

“All you need to know……” Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham posted on X.

GEORGE SOROS CLOSER TO CONTROLLING 200 RADIO STATIONS DESPITE OBJECTION FROM TRUMP-NOMINATED FCC COMMISSIONER

Gov. Tim Walz was pictured alongside George Soros’ son Alex this week. (Fox News)

“If you squint, you can see the strings on the marionette,” former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted on X.

“A post like this does nothing to help Kamala Harris & Tim Walz win — if anything, it hurts them,” journalist Jerry Dunleavy posted on X. “So why would Soros post something like this? To publicly signal his power & influence within the next would-be presidential administration.”

SOROS-LINKED GROUP BLASTS HARRISON BUTKER’S GRADUATION SPEECH, FEARS POWER-SEEKERS ‘THINK JUST LIKE HIM’

Gov. Tim Walz speaks onstage at a Harris-Walz campaign rally at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 21, 2024. (Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Real working man’s salt of the earth aesthetic for ol Walzy,” Daily Caller editor-in-chief Geoffrey Ingersoll posted on X. 

“This guy goes around saying he’s a small town midwestern guy who understands the struggles of the middle class and then goes to hang out at the floating home in the sky of the world’s biggest billionaire nepo baby,” digital strategist Greg Price wrote on X.

“Nothing screams Midwestern folksy like a billionaire penthouse view of Manhattan,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross posted on X.

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Alex Soros is the son of liberal billionaire George Soros. (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“George was better at this than his weird son,” Daily Wire managing editor Brent Scher posted on X. “Why would you post this?”

This is at least the second time that Walz has hung out with Alex Soros in the last month. Photos circulated on social media in August during the DNC showed Soros, his new fiancée, Huma Abedin, and Walz hanging out in Chicago.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign and the Soros Open Society Foundation for comment but did not receive a response. 

Walz has been widely touted by various media outlets as a VP choice who will help Harris win rural voters in Middle America while George Soros is one of the most polarizing progressive figures in American politics, often criticized by Republicans for implementing a far-left agenda with his vast fortune.