NationalWatch

An internal memo showing panic within the Democratic Party over its “nonpartisan” voter registration efforts potentially helping former President Trump is drawing criticism from those who say the registration efforts were a “partisan scam” from the start.

Democrats across the country have become increasingly concerned over the amount of support Trump is pulling from usually reliable demographics and donors have been bickering over an internal memo casting doubt on whether the party should continue using nonprofits to register unregistered voters over fears it could help Trump, the Washington Post reported this week. 

“Indeed, if we were to blindly register nonvoters and get them on the rolls, we would be distinctly aiding Trump’s quest for a personal dictatorship,” the memo explained, casting doubt on the longstanding Democrat voter registration push that typically has resulted in favorable results in previous elections.

The memo argues that Democrats should focus their registration efforts only in “specific, heavily pro-Biden populations” and the Washington Post explained that “the rise in Trump support among nonregistered voters has run up against a long-held Democratic policy priority of growing the voter rolls.”

DEM CAMPAIGN CALL REVEALS PANIC MODE OVER RFK JR.’S WHITE HOUSE BID, SCRAMBLE TO SAVE BIDEN RE-ELECTION HOPES

L – President Biden R – Voting booth (Getty Images)

Some political analysts claimed the Washington Post article shows that some Democrat registration efforts that are labeled non-partisan are in fact working solely to register Democrats.

“Left-wing strategists accidentally said the quiet part out loud: their ‘non-partisan’ left-wing voter registration efforts have always been highly partisan operations designed to help Democrats,” Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital.

“This admission raises grave questions about other programs the left also claims are ‘non-partisan,’ including President Biden’s executive order using taxpayers’ money to mobilize liberal voters. The press should take note of and remember this rare moment of honesty from the left the next time they cry ‘voter suppression.'”

“Democrats donors are now getting memos telling them to stop funding voter registration nonprofits because unregistered voters lean towards Trump,” investigative researcher Parker Thayer posted on X in response to the report.

“It’s all a partisan scam,” he added.

The memo comes as recent polling data suggests Biden is hemorrhaging support from key demographics that historically have been registered by Democrats and then voted for Democrats.

Gallup polling this year showed that Democrats currently hold the lowest lead they have had with Black voters over Republicans they have ever had dating back to when the polling began in 1999 and their 12-point advantage over Republicans with Hispanic voters is the lowest since 2011. 

Polling also shows that young adults are supporting Democrats at their lowest level in almost two decades.

NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS FRUSTRATED WITH BIDEN, DNC FOR SKIPPING STATE: ‘WON’T GIVE US THE TIME OF DAY’

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024.  (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“By 2010, young adults were the only age category giving the Democrats an edge, and their Democratic orientation remained strong until it fell to just eight points in 2023, the slimmest since 2005,” Gallup explained.

In 2016, Gallup polling showed roughly 51% of non-registered voters identified as Democrat or lean Democrat compared to 31% who identified as Republican or lean Republican. Over the last year, that number for Democrats has sunk to 42% while the Republican number grew to 40%, WaPo reported.

Some Democrats pushed back in the WaPo story on the idea that registration efforts need to be re-tooled due to Trump’s strong polling numbers with reliable Democratic voters.

“If you’d ask me what keeps me up at night, it’s not that young people of color are going to defect to the Republican camp. My worst case scenario is that memos like this create a disinvestment — and that makes our job very hard,” Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino, said, adding that the memo shows “implicit bias that the mainstream folks have internalized” and that it “does a disservice because it’s trying to pit communities against each other in ways that are not helpful.”

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President Joe Biden speaks at Abbotts Creek Community Center during an event to promote his economic agenda in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 18, 2024.  (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

“From a nonpartisan perspective, we should help close the turnout gap, which means if Latinos, Blacks and Asian Americans are registered at lower rates, then we need to increase registration,” Biden pollster Matt Barreto told the Washington Post. 

“The unregistered people of color are still leaning Democratic. They might need more of a push. But they are not leaning in the opposite direction.”

A leading Democrat in the race to represent Maryland in the Senate never committed to a debate against his primary opponent at a previously scheduled event later this month.

The April 23 debate between Rep. David Trone, D-Md. — who is running against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to become Maryland’s next U.S. Senator — was canceled Tuesday after the Trone campaign “refused to commit,” according to the debate host, NBC’s Baltimore affiliate.

The announcement from NBC’s WBAL-TV came after it had partnered with NBC Washington, “Meet the Press” and Maryland Public Television to bring voters in Maryland a televised debate between the two Democratic candidates in the race ahead of the May 14 primary election.

The Trone campaign defended its decision in a statement, saying the congressman had already committed to “a dozen public forums and a televised debate.”

WATCH: DEMOCRAT FRONTRUNNER IN TIGHT SENATE RACE DROPS RACIAL SLUR DURING HOUSE HEARING

The April 23 debate between Rep. David Trone, D-Md., who is running against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to become Maryland’s next U.S. Senator, was canceled Tuesday. (Getty Images)

“David has already participated in or committed to more than a dozen public forums and a televised debate. We look forward to continuing to campaign in every county in Maryland to talk about the issues that matter with the people who matter most: Marylanders,” Trone’s campaign said in a statement to the outlet.

A Trone campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital that details of a separate televised debate between the congressman and Alsobrooks will be announced Thursday evening.

Citing a “source close to the congressman’s campaign,” the Washington Times reported that Trone had to forgo the debate as “scheduling concerns, including the recent Baltimore bridge collapse and the House schedule, rendered him unable to accommodate the debate.”

However, the House is scheduled for recess during the week of April 23.

The Senate campaign for Alsobrooks, who accepted WBAL-TV’s invitation to debate, also weighed in on the matter following Trone’s refusal to engage in the debate. 

“Angela is committed to ensuring voters across Maryland have the opportunity to see the choice they have on the ballot in May,” Alsobrooks campaign manager Sheila O’Connell said in a statement. “Angela continues to gain momentum as we approach the primary, earning key endorsements and growing her grassroots movement in Maryland. Voters know she’ll best represent us in the Senate.”

Trone, a leading candidate in the crowded Democratic primary field of ten candidates, has represented Maryland’s 6th Congressional District in the House since 2019.

TOP DEMOCRAT IN TIGHT SENATE RACE BACKS CITIZENSHIP, VOTING RIGHTS FOR MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Rep. David Trone, D-Md., arrives at the U.S. Capitol on January 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

During his 2022 re-election campaign to the House, Trone blasted his Republican challenger, state Del. Neil Parrot, for his objection to a virtual forum conducted by Zoom, saying he was “disappointed” by the decision.

“The League of Women Voters candidate debate has always played an important role in our congressional race, and I’m disappointed Delegate Parrott deprived the voters of this opportunity to hear from us,” Trone said in a statement at the time, according to one local outlet.

The decision by Trone not to participate in the April 23 debate comes less than two weeks after the congressman uttered a racial slur during a House Budget Committee hearing.

Trone uttered the disparaging term for Black people while speaking during the hearing about tax policy with Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Budget and Management, who was testifying before the committee.

“So this Republican jigaboo that — it’s the tax rate that’s stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business,” he said at the time. “They’ve never been there. They don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.”

Trone later admitted to Fox News Digital he had used the term, but said he misspoke while meaning to use a different word.

“Today while attempting to use the word ‘bugaboo’ in a hearing, I used a phrase that is offensive. That word has a long, dark terrible history. It should never be used any time, anywhere, in any conversation,” Trone said at the time. “I recognize that as a White man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language.”

The winner of the Democratic Senate primary election will likely head to a general election matchup against former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who entered the race in February. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

The winner of the Democratic Senate primary election will likely head to a general election matchup against former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who entered the race in February.

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Hogan, a popular critic of former President Donald Trump, is the leading GOP candidate among his primary challengers.

The federal judge presiding over former President Trump’s classified records case has denied his motion to dismiss the charges based on the Presidential Records Act. 

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, last month, also dismissed Trump’s motion to dismiss charges of retaining classified documents on the grounds of “unconstitutional vagueness.” 

In a filing Thursday, Cannon denied the former president’s motion to dismiss, saying that the charges against Trump “make no reference to the Presidential Records Act, nor do they rely on that statute for purposes of stating an offense.” 

Cannon said the Presidential Records Act “does not provide a pre-trial basis to dismiss” the case, saying “all of which state cognizable offenses.” 

TRUMP FLORIDA JUDGE CANNON DENIES TRUMP DISMISSAL ON ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL VAGUENESS’

But Cannon said that the court’s order “should not be misconstrued as declaring a final definition on any essential element or asserted defense in this case.” 

“Nor should it be interpreted as anything other than what it was: a genuine attempt, in the context of the upcoming trial, to better understand the parties’ competing positions and the questions to be submitted to the jury in this complex case of first impression,” Cannon wrote. 

Cannon said parties are “free to avail itself of whatever appellate options it sees fit to invoke, as permitted by law.” 

Separately, she indicated she would stay on the case, despite a filing from Smith hinting he would go over her head if she didn’t rule sooner on Trump’s motion. 

Trump was charged out of Smith’s investigation into his retention of classified materials. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges from Smith’s probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements.

Trump was also charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of the investigation — an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. 

Trump pleaded not guilty. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office used former President Trump’s defense team’s own words in arguing against their push to have Judge Juan Merchan recused from the hush-money case amid new allegations that Merchan’s daughter is financially benefiting as a result of the case through her work as a Democratic political consultant. 

Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, argued in a pre-trial motion on Monday that Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, works as an executive and partner at Authentic Campaigns, Inc., and financially benefits from the case and upcoming trial against Trump that her father oversees.  

Despite the new information coming to light, Bragg’s assistant district attorneys asserted in a letter of their own filed on Tuesday that Trump has “identified no changed circumstances” that warrant revisiting the court’s prior order on August 11, 2023, denying the defendant’s earlier motion for recusal. 

Merchan on Wednesday also separately denied Trump’s request to have the upcoming trial delayed until the Supreme Court rules on his presidential immunity.

The assistant district attorneys rejected Trump’s argument that “Authentic has used social media to market its connections to President Biden and Vice President Harris while deriding President Trump.” 

“Even assuming that this claim is true, it merely reiterates defendant’s earlier argument based on Authentic’s client list,” Bragg’s office wrote. “This Court and the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics have already determined that such a claim provides no basis for recusal.”

NEW YORK JUDGE IN HUSH-MONEY TRIAL REJECTS TRUMP’S REQUEST FOR DELAY UNTIL AFTER SCOTUS RULES ON IMMUNITY

In August 2023, the court said that Trump had presented only “speculative and hypothetical scenarios,” but the former president’s lawyers argued Monday that those scenarios “have come to pass” as Trump has advanced since then to become the presumptive GOP nominee for president in 2024. 

Former President Donald Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will face off during an upcoming hush-money trial in New York City. (Getty Images)

“Authentic and Your Honor’s daughter are making money by supporting the creation and dissemination of campaign advocacy for President Trump’s opponent, political rivals, and the Democrat party,” Trump’s defense said. “It can no longer be ignored that Authentic’s commercial interests are benefitted by developments in this case that harm President Trump’s penal interests and divert his efforts from running his leading campaign for the presidency by requiring him to prepare and sit for trial during the general election.” 

Citing filings with the Federal Election Commission, Trump’s attorneys argued that “Authentic has received millions of dollars in disbursements from entities associated with President Trump’s political rivals since the Indictment was returned” and “some of those funds were paid to Authentic by entities associated with legislators and PACs that have used email and/or social media to solicit contributions specifically based on this case.” Thus, they claimed, “there is strong evidence that Authentic has used this case to make money” and “those benefits and the ongoing financial interest cannot be ignored.” 

HOUSE GOP CHAIR DEMANDS TRUMP HUSH-MONEY JUDGE RECUSE HIMSELF AFTER LATEST GAG ORDER, CLAIMS ‘JUDICIAL BIAS’

Former President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on Monday, March 25, 2024.  (Brendan McDermid/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But Bragg’s team cited that language in pushing back on Tuesday, writing, “defendant’s own careful wording reveals the multiple attenuated factual leaps here that undercut any direct connection between Authentic and this case: Authentic has received money from ‘entities’; those entities are ‘associated with’ politicians; and those politicians have raised money based on this case.” 

“This daisy chain of innuendos is a far cry from evidence that this Court has ‘a direct, personal, substantial or pecuniary interest in reaching a particular conclusion,’” the assistant district attorneys wrote. “There is simply nothing new here that would alter this Court’s prior conclusion that nothing about this proceeding will directly benefit Authentic or this Court’s family member, let alone this Court.” 

Trump’s team also criticized the court for making “extrajudicial comments about the case” despite Merchan issuing a gag order and subsequent extension that prevent the presumptive Republican nominee “from engaging in protected campaign speech.” 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg returns to the courtroom during a hearing to determine the date of former President Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York City on March 25, 2024.  (MARY ALTAFFER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Namely, Trump’s team took issue with the court using the Office of Court Administration to issue a statement relating to an X account used at some point by Merchan’s daughter. 

“As public scrutiny on these issues increased, the account in question appears to have been closed to the public. So too has Authentic’s X account, thereby limiting President Trump’s ability to investigate these issues,” they wrote. 

They cited the Associated Press having quoted a court spokesperson stating that Merchan’s daughter no longer owned an X account that appeared to have recently shared a photo of the former Republican president behind bars. Hitting back, Bragg’s office wrote, “To the extent defendant intends to seek recusal based on the cited article, such a request would be a frivolous and vexatious effort to further waste the Court’s time.” 

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The prosecution said that Trump “fails to note that—aside from acknowledging ‘intense’ preparation the article reports that ‘Merchan wouldn’t talk about the case’” and “does not report that the Court was talking about this case when the Court reportedly said ‘There’s no agenda here. We want to follow the law.’” 

Bragg’s team added that “even if the Court did have this case in mind, expressing a broad commitment to impartiality is very obviously not a prohibited ‘comment about a pending or impending proceeding,’ and is not a basis for recusal.”

President Biden led former President Donald Trump by just two points in a new poll of Pennsylvania registered voters, despite the enduring belief of many that he is too old to serve as chief executive for another term. 

Biden pulled ahead of Trump in a new Franklin & Marshall Poll released on Thursday, winning with Pennsylvania voters 42% to 40%. 

Pennsylvania is one of the critical battleground states that is expected to help determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The state was notably won by Trump in 2016 but then swung back to Democrats to help Biden win in 2020. Biden took the state in the last election by less than two points. 

GOP SENATE HOPEFUL RAKES IN $2.2 MILLION TO TAKE ON DEM INCUMBENT IN SWING-STATE NEVADA

President Biden, left, and former President Donald Trump are headed for a rematch in November. (Getty Images)

Illustrating the close race, a separate survey from The Wall Street Journal showed Trump ahead of Biden in six of the seven key battleground states, including Pennsylvania. Trump also defeated his opponent in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

While he managed to surpass Trump in the Franklin & Marshall poll, Biden still faced a significant portion of Pennsylvanians who say he is “too old,” at 81, to carry out a second term. By the end of a potential second term, Biden would be 86. 

VULNERABLE NEVADA DEMOCRAT TOUTS BIPARTISANSHIP DESPITE VOTING WITH BIDEN 99% OF TIME

Four in 10 registered voters in Pennsylvania agreed Biden’s age was too advanced to serve a second term. This number has remained steady in Franklin & Marshall’s surveying since October 2023. An additional 40% said age is an issue for both of the candidates’ abilities to serve another term. 

Biden’s age has been a particular concern for voters. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Only 6% of respondents said Trump is “too old.” The former president is 77. 

“With just 35% job approval, Joe Biden is floundering in his home state of Pennsylvania,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement to Fox News Digital, referencing the approval rating reported by the poll. 

MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL POISED TO PRESSURE THESE VULNERABLE SENATE DEMS

“Between higher gas prices, surging crime, and failed Democrat policies crushing families at every corner, it’s no wonder that Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth are increasingly rejecting the failed Biden agenda and supporting President Trump,” she added. 

While voters said Trump was a better choice to handle the economy over Biden, the president managed to sustain his advantage over Trump on questions of trustworthiness and character. 

Trump and Biden each face significant obstacles among swing state voters. (Getty Images)

The survey also showed Biden’s margin expanding in a one-on-one match-up with Trump. In such a scenario, Biden garnered 48% to Trump’s 38%, extending his two-point lead to 10. According to the poll, the change in Biden’s margin when third-party candidates are included is “because support for the president declines among registered Democrats as more of them opt for a third-party candidate.”

Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni told Fox News Digital that the poll was “more proof” that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is being set up “to be a spoiler in this race.”

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RULE MAKES FIRING FEDERAL WORKERS HARDER AS TRUMP PROMISES ‘DEEP STATE’ REVAMP

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is attempting to get on each state’s ballot.  (Getty Images)

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Despite Biden’s increased odds in a two-man race, it’s unlikely that such a race would play out in the Keystone State. Several prominent people have launched campaigns for the White House in 2024, including Kennedy, as an independent; Jill Stein on the Green Party’s ticket; and Cornel West as an independent. 

Kennedy’s campaign website lists its effort to achieve ballot access in Pennsylvania as “in progress” with months until the state’s August filing deadline. 

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

• Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician and gynecologist from De Pere, Wisconsin, is running to represent the state’s eighth congressional district.
• Lyerly joins two Republicans — state Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth — in her bid for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher. Pro-Trump political consultant Alex Bruesewitz is also expected to join the race in the near future.
• The district, which stretches from the Door Peninsula to the Menominee Reservation, encompasses the cities of Green Bay and Appleton. Republicans generally win it comfortably.

A doctor who performs abortions became the first Democratic candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District on Thursday, entering the race for the open seat created after the surprise retirement of Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher.

Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician and gynecologist, launched her candidacy two weeks before Gallagher plans to step down. Because of the timing of his resignation, there will be no special election.

For now, Lyerly is unopposed in the Democratic primary to be decided Aug. 13. Democrats fielded no candidate in the 2022 election.

GOP WISCONSIN LAWMAKER ANNOUNCES RUN FOR MIKE GALLAGHER’S HOUSE SEAT

Two Republicans, state Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth, are running and a third is expected to get in the race next week. Republican consultant Alex Bruesewitz planned to make an announcement Monday. Bruesewitz, 26, was born in Wisconsin but currently lives in Florida. He would have to move back to Wisconsin to run for the seat.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 31: Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) presides over a hearing of the House (Select) Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Committee on Capitol Hill on January 31, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Lyerly made clear that she would make abortion a central issue in the race.

Lyerly was one of the plaintiffs in a Wisconsin lawsuit that succeeded in keeping abortions legal after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. She performed abortions across Wisconsin, but temporarily moved her practice to Minnesota after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“As an OB/GYN, I have been attacked first hand by MAGA extremists targeting a woman’s right to make her own health choices,” Lyerly said in a statement. “I will work tirelessly to ensure that every woman in our state has access to reproductive care, including safe and legal abortions, essential services like maternity care, and mental health support.”

Gallagher was elected four times to serve northeast Wisconsin. His early departure leaves Republicans with a 217-213 majority in the House, meaning they cannot afford to lose more than one vote on a party-line vote.

Gallagher found himself at odds with former President Donald Trump and his supporters. He also angered fellow Republicans last month by refusing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Jacque, Roth and Bruesewitz are all Trump supporters and oppose abortion.

The district is solidly Republican, but Democrats have vowed to make it competitive.

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Trump won the district by 16 points in 2020, even though he lost the state by less than a point to President Joe Biden. Gallagher won re-election three times by no fewer than 25 points. The district includes the cities of Appleton and Green Bay, Door County and covers mostly rural areas north through Marinette.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wants to dump House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. 

She authored a resolution to force the House to take a vote of no confidence in the speaker.

“I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos. But this is basically a warning,” said Greene. 

Greene railed at Johnson for negotiating spending bills with Democrats and forgoing the GOP’s internal rule, requiring 72 hours before voting on legislation.

I WANT MY MTV (MOTION TO VACATE): SPEAKER JOHNSON FACES POTENTIAL THREAT WHEN CONGRESS RETURNS

Greene might not succeed in her effort to topple Johnson. Especially since Republicans just tried this stunt in the fall.

“Johnson benefits from the terrible example that was set several months ago when (former House Speaker Kevin) McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted,” said David Cohen, a political scientist at the University of Akron. “It was utter chaos. The House was completely dysfunctional. I don’t know if there’s an appetite, even among those in the right flank of the Republican Party, to go through that process again.”

This is why many Republicans loathe a repeat of last fall’s pandemonium.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“This whole episode of removing speakers and threatening speakers does nobody any good except the Democrat Party,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said on Fox Business. 

This internecine fighting is partly what prompted some Republicans to quit early as Johnson tries to mend the threadbare GOP majority.

“We’ve got to unify when you have such a small majority,” Johnson implored on Fox. “I think people feel the gravity and the weight of this. The importance of it.”

But as the House Republican majority dwindles to a single vote, it wouldn’t take much for things to go haywire. Especially if Greene is intent on forcing her colleagues to vote on removing Johnson.

“The majority is so narrow that if a couple of Republicans don’t show up or decide not to vote, you could end up with the Democrats in charge of the House,” said Cohen. 

Former Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., left two weeks ago before his term expired in January.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., planned to retire in January, but he’s out the door by mid-month.

If more GOP members make Irish exits, Johnson concedes a flip of power for the House of Representatives before the election isn’t out of the question. That would potentially earn House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a promotion.

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks at a press conference on the House Republican’s impeachment inquiry against President Biden at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 12, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“Look, that’s a risk. But I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Johnson told Fox. “Hakeem is not going to be the speaker.”

But lawmakers are exasperated at the infighting. Mayhem gripped the House for months over various spending bills and multiple flirtations with potential government shutdowns. Scrapes over who should be House speaker test the patience of members.

“It’s absolutely possible that, before the end of the year is out, the Democrats may seize control of the House of Representatives,” said Cohen. 

So, lawmakers are struggling to figure things out.

“What you’re seeing is an inflection point for the institution,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “And are we going to make this institution work again?”

Roy criticized Republican leaders on the spending bills. But he also flagged Republican colleagues who are willing to punt to the election and bank on former President Trump returning to the White House as a salve to the nation’s ills.

Roy wants Congress to legislate. And do it now.

Rep. Chip Roy is unveiling a new bill aimed at allowing people to sue over COVID-19 vaccine side effects (Getty Images)

“Why the hell are you in Congress? We’re actually supposed to be more important than the president of the United States. That’s why we’re Article One (of the Constitution). But we’re too chicken to use the power,” Roy excoriated during a floor speech. 

Roy’s not the only one perturbed about the House. Buck departed early because he was also incensed with his colleagues. But for different reasons. 

“I’m not comfortable with how this institution is structured,” said Buck. 

Buck was one of three House Republicans who bucked their party on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Their resistance sunk impeachment on the first try. However, the GOP-controlled House took a mulligan and impeached Mayorkas a week later after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., returned from cancer treatments. 

SIMPLY ‘LIEBERMAN’: THE INDEPENDENT AND ENIGMATIC POLITICS OF THE LATE CONNECTICUT DEMOCRAT

Buck argued that Republicans abused impeachment. He’s suspicious about the motives of his former colleagues.

“A lot of them are here because they got here by throwing bombs. And they’re going to stay by throwing bombs,” said Buck.

Like Buck, Gallagher also opposed impeaching Mayorkas.

“It’s getting harder to get stuff done,” said Gallagher. “I think you see a lot of members frustrated with that.”

Gallagher says there’s one thing he won’t miss.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans during which he was nominated as their candidate for speaker of the House on Capitol Hill Oct. 11, 2023, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

“Fundraising,” said Gallagher. “I hate fundraisers. It’s weird, and it dominates so much of people’s time here. And I think it takes away from the actual serious business of legislating.”

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). That’s the House GOP’s official campaign arm.

“When you see a lot of senior people with a lot of good experience leaving, you know, it’s still kind of disappointing,” said Hudson. 

But he notes that more Democrats are retiring than Republicans.

“We don’t have a single retirement in a competitive seat. Whereas the Democrats have more retirements than we do. And seven of their retirements are in seats that we’re going to pick up,” said Hudson. 

That might be the case in November. But what about now? And does Johnson cling to power?

Fox is told the House won’t put a Ukraine aid bill on the floor right away. It’s likely the House first tackles a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Lawmakers from both sides demand significant reforms to protect Americans. 

Law enforcement and the intelligence community insist the program is essential to protect the U.S. But there are concerns that the government used Section 702 to eavesdrop on Americans. It’s only supposed to intercept communications of foreign nationals. The program goes dark April 19. So expect the House to wrestle with that before Ukraine. 

But if Johnson turns to Ukraine, does Greene lower the boom? 

Speaker Mike Johnson  (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

It’s possible that Johnson survives – with the help of Democrats. Democrats either use Ukraine as leverage. Or as a way to secure some buy-in.

“He’s going to need to rely on Democrats for support,” said Cohen. “He’s going to have to cut some deals.”

Democrats didn’t help McCarthy survive last fall. But the calculus could be different for Johnson. Especially if Ukraine is involved.

If the House votes to remove the speaker, who knows who Republicans would tap to succeed him? Republicans burned through three other speaker candidates after they sidelined McCarthy. The tumult of another speaker vacancy would bubble over in the House. That means more members could bolt. That would spark an unprecedented level of chaos.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-California, speaks to reporters outside the Speakers Balcony at the U.S. Capitol Building July 25. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

And you thought things were bad before.

It all hinges on Ukraine. 

And despite Greene’s efforts, she might fall short on both of her goals. 

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It’s about the math.

Johnson might have the votes to stay. And the House likely has more than 300 votes to approve a bill to assist Ukraine.

But the House may need to wade through another round of bedlam first. 

The Trump campaign issued a blistering response to Politico’s “false reporting” that China would prefer former President Trump back in the White House come November and is even aiding those efforts. 

“In Politico’s Nightly newsletter, Catherine Kim makes a harebrained assertion that China would prefer President Trump to return to the White House,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement released Wednesday evening. 

“The same President Trump who made China submit to pro-America trade and tariff regulations, called them out for exporting the Coronavirus that killed millions across the world, and stood tough against Chinese economic aggression throughout his first term.

“For a media outlet and its reporter to peddle lies and feature commentary from a ‘China expert’ named Rorry Daniels — who by the way is a Democrat donor — is laughable at best.”

TRUMP ROLLS OUT 2024 TRADE POLICY THAT WOULD ‘TAX CHINA TO BUILD UP AMERICA,’ REWARD US PRODUCERS

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual spring dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The campaign was responding to an article published in Politico Nightly titled “China’s 2024 election play,” which reported “geopolitical rivals could end up” helping Trump return to the White House. 

“Throughout Trump’s time in office, he talked tough on China, escalating a trade war between the two countries and reportedly launching a CIA campaign to sow distrust of China’s government among its citizens on social media. Ironically, China is now reportedly conducting a similar operation that could help Trump return to office,” the report states.

“Covert Chinese social media accounts have recently masqueraded as Trump supporters, sharing pro-MAGA memes and mocking President Joe Biden. Even if the goal is simply to deepen political division in the U.S., the Chinese accounts are helping amplify Trump’s agenda and feeding energy into the MAGA-sphere,” the article continued, citing a recent New York Times report. 

The Politico article relied on commentary from Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who previously worked in the White House when Biden served as vice president. The article reported that a “second Trump presidency could create strategic opportunities for China’s expansion plans” and that “Trump’s willingness to be seen as a dealmaker — with little regard for national security concerns — could also be a boon for China.” 

TRUMP CALLS FOR ‘RETRIBUTION’ AGAINST CHINA FOR ROLE IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

“China is very adept at taking up the mantle of global power and leadership in its own way when America pulls back — and Donald Trump would likely be a president that would pull America back from the international system, not invest more into it,” Daniels was quoted as saying in the piece published Wednesday evening. 

Cheung responded that Politico is “being played by devious Chinese forces” that work to manipulate media outlets and journalists “because they know Trump Derangement Syndrome is a very real disease that distorts all reasoning.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok on Nov. 19, 2022. (Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

“The fact is that China has grown stronger under a weak Biden presidency, and our allies are even more in danger as China builds up its economic and military power. Deadly Chinese fentanyl continues to flow into American communities killing scores of people while illegal Chinese migrants are the fastest growing group crossing the Southern Border,” Cheung said in his statement Wednesday. 

Cheung continued in his response to “not forget Politico’s official media partner in Asia is the South China Morning Post, widely considered to be the mouthpiece of the CCP.”

A Politico spokesperson called the Trump campaign’s response to the article “bizarre” in comments to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

BIDEN, CHINA’S XI HOLD PHONE CALL ON TAIWAN, AI, TRADE

“It was a bizarre statement that was riddled with errors. Politico has no existing partnership or affiliation with the SCMP,” the spokesperson said. 

An “Editor’s Note” from Politico published in 2018 detailed the outlet was expanding its coverage of the relationships between the U.S. and China, including “a content partnership we are unveiling today with the South China Morning Post.” 

Former President Donald Trump, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, points to supporters at the conclusion of a campaign rally at the Atkinson Country Club in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on Jan. 16. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“Politico’s reporting was riddled with errors and political bias because they clearly suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. They should consider doing their actual reporting jobs rather than moonlighting as mouthpieces for the CCP,” Cheung told Fox Digital on Thursday. 

BIDEN HANDS CHINA BIG WIN WITH MILITARY DEAL, EXPERTS SAY: ‘INCREDIBLY POOR DECISION’

The New York Times ran a similar piece to Politico’s on Tuesday in its morning newsletter, with the opening line stating, “America’s biggest adversaries evidently want Donald Trump to win the 2024 presidential election.” That piece cited “researchers and government officials” who said “covert Chinese accounts” online were posing as American supporters of Trump to promote “conspiracy theories, stoking domestic divisions and attacking President Biden ahead of the election in November.”

Ranked choice voting comes in multiple forms and is used in a wide variety of states and localities around the U.S. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

The New York Times article claims Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reasons for preferring Trump back in the White House “seem obvious,” saying President Biden has led a widespread “coalition” against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and aided Ukraine in its battle against Russia.  

“Trump has suggested that he will end this support. A central part of Putin’s war strategy, intelligence experts believe, is to wait for Ukraine’s Western allies to tire of the war,” the report states. 

China has “less obvious” reasons to prefer Trump in the White House, according to the report.

“Trump, after all, took a more combative stance toward China than any U.S. president since Richard Nixon re-established ties with Beijing. The Associated Press and Washington Post have noted that Beijing seems unhappy with both Biden and Trump,” the report continued. 

Trump’s “America First,” “isolationist” stances would be a boon for Moscow and Beijing, according to the report, arguing Trump prefers to avoid “international conflicts, and he is skeptical of treaties and alliances.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6, 2023. (Sergei Savostyanov/Pool/AFP )

Fox News Digital reached out to the Times for comment on the Trump campaign’s response to the Politico report but did not immediately receive a reply.

Cheung concluded his statement Wednesday that Politico should stop promoting “pro-Chinese talking points.” 

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“Instead of hawking pro-Chinese talking points, Politico should turn their backs on their puppet masters and report on real news — a Biden presidency means a weaker America and a stronger China. There is only one person who can stop that from happening: Donald J. Trump,” Cheung concluded. 

A man who has served as treasurer for dozens of political campaigns in Ohio over the past 40 years is facing federal wire fraud charges for allegedly stealing nearly $1 million from clients.

William Curlis, 76, is accused of writing checks from campaign accounts to himself for personal use and taking steps to hide the thefts. He allegedly stole $995,231 between 2008 and June 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Ohio.

WISCONSIN COUNTIES DECLINE TO PROSECUTE CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE AGAINST TRUMP COMMITTEE

A plea agreement has been filed in the case, prosecutors said, but further details have not been disclosed.

The State Capitol of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“The filing of the plea agreement demonstrates Mr. Curlis’ commitment to accepting responsibility and demonstrating remorse for his actions,” said his attorney, Mark Collins.

“He walked into the U.S. Attorney’s office and admitted his wrongdoings,” Collins said. “I cannot discuss the details or reasons at this point. However, once this case works through the federal system, those questions will be answered.”

Curlis served as treasurer for more than 100 local, state and federal Republican campaigns, often as the only signatory on accounts, prosecutors said. According to court documents, he wrote himself multiple checks from candidates’ campaign funds and one PAC’s fund while serving as treasurer.

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To conceal the thefts, Curlis allegedly transferred funds between accounts without the candidates’ knowledge and falsified corresponding campaign finance reports. Curlis sold his home in 2016, allegedly to cover the cost of campaign expenses and conceal account deficits caused by his theft.

The wife of Nathan Wade, the former lover of embattled Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, is accusing him of failing to pay her court-ordered expenses, and says he should be held in “contempt of court,” a new divorce fling states.

The court documents filed Wednesday by Joycelyn Wade allege that her husband, with whom an agreement in divorce proceedings was made earlier this year, has neglected to pay court-ordered medical expenses, contributing to a “worsening” health condition which could “necessitate emergency intervention.”

“Defendant urgently requires medical procedures, namely an endoscopy,
colonoscopy, and ultrasound, due to severe physical symptoms she has been
enduring. These symptoms have significantly impacted her ability to consume
most foods, leading to a substantial weight loss, notwithstanding her already
slender stature when in better health,” the filing states. 

Joycelyn Wade also alleged that Nathan had instructed her to make payments to the healthcare providers herself “with an assurance of reimbursement,” but said she can’t do that because Nathan recently reneged on previously agreed-upon payments for their kids’ education expenses. 

WHO IS NATHAN WADE? TRUMP PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS’ FORMER LOVER AT CENTER OF COURTROOM CONTROVERSY

Former Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on February 15, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Alyssa Pointer)

“On the day immediately following the entry of the Order on January 30, 2024, Plaintiff informed the parties’ daughter, an upperclassman in college with hopes of entering medical school in the near future, that he would discontinue payment of her rent and living expenses instructing her to ‘get the money from your mother,'” the document states. 

“As an additional note, Plaintiff has very punitively reneged on his commitment to cover their daughter’s MCAT expenses as well,” it states.

“The parties’ son is currently in Europe, pursuing a career as a professional
soccer player. Despite Plaintiff executing a verified affidavit to the country of
Spain, affirming financial responsibility for his son’s expenses for visa purposes, he
subsequently informed his son shortly after the Temporary Order was entered that
he would no longer be providing support for him either, directing the son to “get
the money from your mother,'” the document alleges.

FANI WILLIS, NATHAN WADE REFERRED TO GEORGIA STATE BAR FOR MISCONDUCT BY WATCHDOG GROUP

Special prosecutor Nathan Wade listens during a motions hearing for former President Donald Trump’s election-interference case, Friday, January 12, 2024, in Atlanta.  (Elijah Nouvelage/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

Jocelyn Wade says that because she sprang to pay for her children’s expenses unexpectedly, she was left without the means to pay for her medical needs. 

Nathan Wade in 2021 was hired by Fulton County District Attorney Willis to help prosecute the sweeping election interference case against former president Donald Trump. He allegedly earned roughly $650,000 for roughly two years on the case. 

Wills was accused earlier this year by Trump and co-defendants in the case of having an “improper” affair with Wade, and alleged that she had hired him while they were romantically involved, which benefitted her financially. 

Willis and Wade both denied the existence of a romantic relationship prior to his hiring, and insisted that Willis had reimbursed Wade for her share of expenses from several vacations they took together. 

Wade resigned from his special prosecutor position after a judge gave Willis an ultimatum in order to continue the Trump prosecution: resign or remove Wade from his post. 

During a Georgia Senate hearing as part of lawmakers’ investigation into Willis’ office, attorney Ashleigh Merchant testified that cellphone data she acquired shows Nathan Wade making 1 a.m. trips to Willis’ private home prior to his hiring. 

AFTER JUDGE’S SCOLDING FOR PLAYING ‘RACE CARD,’ FANI WILLIS SAYS SHE’LL ‘TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY’

Willis — the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia — previously said that the allegations brought against her of having an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black. (Getty Images)

Wade is also facing an ethics complaint filed with the Georgia state bar alleging that he had lied under oath on more than one occasion. 

When asked on an interrogatory to “describe each instance in which you have had sexual relations with a person other than your spouse during the course of the marriage,” he said, “None.”

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Wade testified that his marriage “was irretrievably broken in 2015” but that he and his wife had agreed to delay a divorce for the sake of their children. 

“First it is simply not credible that Mr. Wade did not know that he had sexual relations with Ms. Willis when he replied to the interrogatories above in his divorce case. Put simply, it is clear Mr. Wade knew that he had had sex with Ms. Willis, and he knew that at the time he was still married, and he simply lied in the interrogatories,” the complaint states. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Nathan Wade for comment. 

House Republicans are expected to vote on renewing a controversial federal government surveillance tool when they return from recess next week, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.

Two House GOP aides and a GOP lawmaker – all who spoke on the condition of anonymity – said the House could take up Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire on April 19 if Congress does not act soon. One of the aides said plans are still fluid.

Section 702 has been both credited with preventing terror attacks on U.S. soil and accused of being a vehicle for spying on U.S. citizens.

It lets the government keep tabs on specific foreign nationals outside the country without first obtaining a warrant to do so, even if the party on the other side of those communications is a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil.

VEHICLE RAMS INTO GATE AT FBI OFFICE IN ATLANTA, DRIVER ARRESTED

Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to have the House vote on FISA Section 702 next week, sources said. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images | Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The debate over its renewal has been intense, and it’s made unlikely allies out of hard-liners on the left and right alike over accusations it tramples on Americans’ civil rights. The FBI has been accused of improperly using Section 702 to spy on Black Lives Matter protesters in the summer of 2020 as well as people who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Freedom surrendered is rarely reclaimed. Next week, Congress once again confronts an opportunity for reform and accountability of [FISA],” Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, one of the tool’s critics, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

FBI DIRECTOR SAYS CHINESE HACKERS ARE ‘POISED TO ATTACK’ AS INFILTRATIONS REACH ‘FEVER PITCH’

“Demand a debate and recorded vote to require warrants to search American citizens’ data, to limit the scope of collection, and to stop the government from avoiding warrants by buying data that would require a warrant or subpoena.”

Section 702’s supporters, which include national security hawks and moderates on both sides, point out that Section 702 is critical to avoiding another Sept. 11, 2001-style attack and have accused its detractors of trying to gut the program to the point of inoperability. 

Rep. Warren Davidson, a critic of FISA Section 702, suggested on X that it would come up next week.

It’s not immediately clear what a FISA renewal would look like – multiple plans to do so have fallen apart already. 

Most recently, a compromise bill put together by negotiators for the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees was abruptly pulled from the House floor schedule after Republicans on the Intelligence panel threatened to tank the legislation.

Three sources close to the Intelligence Committee told Fox News Digital at the time that it was about an amendment that would have forced law enforcement to seek a warrant before obtaining communications that involved a U.S. citizen.

“That would be the equivalent of a police officer needing a warrant before running a license plate,” one of the three sources said.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who supported the warrant amendment, hit back at the Intelligence Committee’s reform efforts at the time, saying, “Intel didn’t want the Judiciary [amendments]. See, the Judiciary Committee is the committee of jurisdiction. That’s where it should’ve gone.”

PUBLIC TRUST IN FBI HAS REACHED ‘THE RED ZONE,’ US INCHING CLOSER TO ‘MAYHEM, CHAOS, ANARCHY:’ WSJ COLUMNIST

Rep. Ralph Norman told Fox News Digital in February that the House Judiciary Committee should have jurisdiction over FISA. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File)

But the third source close to the Intelligence Committee said those on the panel “are the ones that see the threats to our nation up close and personal every day.”

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An earlier proposal to hold votes on dueling bills and send the highest vote-getter to the Senate had also been scrapped. One had been by the House Judiciary Committee, which would have vastly restricted the program, and another by the House Intelligence panel would have made improvements to transparency and accountability pipelines.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment but did not hear back at press time.

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? 

– Jill Biden reportedly urging husband to end the war in Gaza

– Vulnerable Senate Dems at further risk from Mayoraks impeachment

– Democratic Governor to decide on making coercive abortion a felony

Two denials for Trump’s legal team

Former President Donald Trump has suffered two defeats in his court cases as judges in Georgia and Florida struck down motions from his legal team.

In Georgia, former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss his 2020 election interference indictment on the grounds of First Amendment protection was rejected on Thursday. 

“After considering the extensive briefing, the argument of counsel, and the indictment, the Court finds these vital constitutional protections do not reach the actions and statements alleged by the State. Nor do the statutes themselves facially violate the First Amendment,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled Thursday.

“They argue this prosecution violates the First Amendment’s protections of political speech and activity, freedom of association, and the right to petition Congress as-applied to their alleged conduct, and further contend that the indicted charges are overbroad,” he said. 

In Florida, the federal judge presiding over former President Trump’s classified records case on Thursday denied his motion to dismiss the charges based on the Presidential Records Act. 

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, last month, also dismissed Trump’s motion to dismiss charges of retaining classified documents on the grounds of “unconstitutional vagueness.” 

Donald Trump speaks after NYPD wake.  (Fox News)

White House

‘STOP IT NOW’: First Lady reportedly telling Biden to end war in Gaza immediately …Read more

RUNNING LOW: Biden admin plan to refill SPR faces major setback …Read more

‘MASSIVE ADVANTAGE’: Biden voter drive order targets welfare recipients, gets legal challenge …Read more

SMOKED OUT: Biden set to finalize menthol cigarette ban over opposition …Read more

ELECTRIC SLIDE: Biden targets vital power grid technology in latest climate action …Read more

MEDIA BLACKOUT?: Biden parole program not facing same scrutiny as DeSantis flights …Read more

NOT GOING ANYWHERE: Biden administration rule makes firing federal workers harder as Trump promises ‘deep state’ revamp …Read more

Enten remarked that Biden currently has some of the lowest polling with Hispanic voters among modern Democratic presidential candidates. (Joe Biden on MSNBC screenshot)

Capitol Hill

BORDER BIND: Vulnerable Senate Dems to face heat over Mayorkas impeachment trial as border becomes top election issue …Read more

COVID ORIGINS: EcoHealth Alliance president to testify publicly before Congress next month …Read more

Tales from the Campaign Trail

FIRING THE ‘SQUAD’: Pro-Israel PAC takes aim at two progressive House Dems with primary challenges …Read more

SHOT DOWN: Nebraska legislature rejects Trump-approved ‘winner-take-all’ electoral system bill …Read more

NECK AND NECK: California Democrat tied with challenger in wild congressional primary …Read more

Across America

‘LAVISH GIFTS’: ‘World’s sexiest albino’ accused of launching bogus BLM charity has his day in court …Read more

HARSHER PUNISHMENT: Dem governor to decide on bill making coercive abortion a felony …Read more

THROWING DOWN THE HAMMER: Liberal groups sue to block new Alabama voting law banning ballot harvesting …Read more

BRACING FOR BATTLE: Nevada senator makes multimillion-dollar ad reservation as re-election hopes dwindle …Read more

INFECTED AMERICA: Tuberculosis breaks out at Chicago migrant shelters following measles cases …Read more

OFF THE CHARTS: Amid migrant surge, liberal PM warns his country must get immigration ‘under control’ …Read more

PURSESTRINGS: Kansas Republicans use ‘power of the purse’ to tie up immigration, DEI provisions …Read more

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

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

Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen revealed a whopping $14 million ad reservation for the general election season as she braces for a tough challenge from Republicans. 

The multimillion-dollar reservation was made for ads that will run from July through Election Day in November. It is also the largest such reservation ever made in Nevada by a Senate candidate. The ad buy will include media markets in Las Vegas and Reno.

MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL POISED TO PRESSURE THESE VULNERABLE SENATE DEMS

Sen. Jacky Rosen made a record-breaking ad reservation ahead of a tough challenge in Nevada. (Getty Images)

Rosen’s latest move comes one day after the Nevada Senate race was shifted from “Lean Democrat” to “Toss Up” by the nonpartisan elections analyst, the Cook Political Report. The matchup joins Senate races in Ohio, Arizona and Montana in the category. 

“While her extreme Republican opponents are busy trying to out-MAGA each other, Jacky Rosen is reaching Nevada voters for the general election and sharing her record as one of the most bipartisan and effective senators,” said Stewart Boss, Rosen’s campaign manager, in a press release. The Republicans vying for her Senate seat are in the midst of a crowded primary that won’t be determined until the election on June 11. 

VULNERABLE NEVADA DEMOCRAT TOUTS BIPARTISANSHIP DESPITE VOTING WITH BIDEN 99% OF TIME

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Adam Laxalt narrowly in 2022. (Getty Images)

The $14 million reservation is larger than a similar one made by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., during her 2022 re-election bid. The senator reserved $10 million worth of ad space on the airwaves between Labor Day and Election Day during the campaign. This was the largest such reservation at the time. 

Cortez Masto ultimately narrowly defeated her Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt.

GOP SENATE HOPEFUL RAKES IN $2.2 MILLION TO TAKE ON DEM INCUMBENT IN SWING-STATE NEVADA

“She’s going to need it,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Mike Berg, referencing the recent ratings change. He said she was in “a dangerous spot” for an incumbent. 

Rosen votes in line with her party leaders, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Biden, most of the time. (Getty Images)

“Jacky Rosen is scrambling to cover up her record of being in lockstep with Joe Biden,” remarked Nevada Republican strategist Jeremy Hughes.

After Rosen released an ad this week touting herself as bipartisan, critics pointed out that she voted in alignment with President Biden nearly 99% of the time in 2023. 

TRUMP RAKES IN HEFTY MARCH FUNDRAISING HAUL AS CAMPAIGN AIMS TO CLOSE CASH GAP WITH BIDEN

While her $14 million ad reservation is the largest of its kind in a Nevada Senate race, political advertising spending is notorious for being high in the state. In the 2022 Senate race, $161 million was spent by candidates and related groups on political advertising for the general election, per AdImpact. This included $32 million from Cortez Masto, $30 million from the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, $28 million from the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund, $12 million from the conservative Club for Growth Action, $11 million from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $9 million from the conservative One Nation, $3 million from Laxalt, and $6 million in a coordinated buy from Laxalt and the NRSC. 

Former Army Capt. Sam Brown is expected to be the Republican nominee to take on Sen. Rosen in the general election. (Getty Images)

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The 2022 Senate race was a component of what made Nevada’s general election the third most expensive in the country, according to AdImpact. 

Rosen could face a slate of possible Republican opponents. However, former U.S. Army Capt. Sam Brown has proven to be the frontrunner, garnering national media attention and high-profile endorsements. Former Trump official Jeff Gunter, veteran Air Force pilot Tony Grady and former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant are other prominent Republican candidates seeking the Senate nomination. 

An attempt to make Nebraska’s elections into a “winner-take-all” system failed this week.

State Sen. Julie Slama attached the proposed election overhaul to the unrelated bill LB1300 on Wednesday in an attempt to make the change before the end of the legislative session on April 18.

It fell short of the 23 necessary votes, failing with a final 8-36 count.

Nebraska is one of only two states in the U.S. that do not use the winner-take-all system, the other being Maine. 

TRUMP SUPPORTING NEBRASKA GOVERNOR SEEKING TO MAKE STATE ELECTIONS ‘WINNER-TAKE-ALL’

A pedestrian passes by the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska.  (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The two states assign votes in the Electoral College based on district, sometimes leading to Democrats snagging an extra delegate from the mostly red state. 

A change to winner-take-all would almost certainly benefit Republicans by allowing the red majority of Nebraska to dominate and prevent minority blue factions from capturing a single delegate, as has happened in the past.

Slama criticized Republicans’ failure to pass the amendment, saying it showed a lack of “intestinal fortitude” despite holding a legislative majority. 

“This pretty well sums it up,” said Slama. “The ‘filibuster-proof’ majority doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to make Nebraska a Winner-Take-All state in an election year. Wild.”

NEBRASKA GOVERNOR TIGHTENS RESTRICTIONS ON GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENTS FOR MINORS

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen speaks during a ceremony in Statuary Hall. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

State Sen. Loren Lippincott sponsored the initial winner-take-all bill LB764, but now does not see it passing before the legislature closes.

“My staff and I are doing everything we can to seek options for getting this to the finish line,” said Lippincott, according to local outlet WOWT. “However, the harsh reality of a two-day time frame is limiting.”

Lippincott’s bill boasts enthusiastic support from the state’s governor and even former President Donald Trump.

“I am a strong supporter of Senator [Loren] Lippincott’s winner-take-all bill (LB 764) and have been from the start. It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders’ intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in a Tuesday statement. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 election campaign rally in Waco, Texas. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

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Trump published a copy of the governor’s statement to his proprietary social media platform, Truth Social, on the same day.

This was followed by a separate post voicing support for changing Nebraska to a winner-take-all system.

“Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska, a very smart and popular Governor, who has done some really great things, came out today with a very strong letter in support of returning Nebraska’s Electoral Votes to a Winner-Take-All System,” Trump wrote via Truth Social on Tuesday.

“Most Nebraskans have wanted to go back to this system for a very long time, because it’s what 48 other States do – It’s what the Founders intended, and it’s right for Nebraska,” Trump added.

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican from Michigan is demanding to know whether federal tax dollars are going toward subsidizing housing for people who come to the U.S. illegally.

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., wrote directly to President Biden on Wednesday regarding the federal government’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, arguing that its grant process “raises a number of troubling questions.”

Money awarded by the agency is being used for Michigan’s Newcomer Rental Subsidy program, which gives eligible refugees and asylum-seekers up to $500 in rental assistance per month. But critics of the program have argued that it’s vulnerable to abuse by illegal immigrants.

TRUMP DECLARES BORDER A ‘WARZONE,’ DINGS NEWSOM FOR ‘TERRIBLE JOB’ AS MIGRANTS FLOOD CALIF

Michigan GOP Rep. Lisa McClain wrote a letter to President Biden grilling him about whether the federal government is subsidizing rent for people who came to the U.S. illegally (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images | Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“With your failure to secure our borders, and the yearly number of border encounters increasing from 859,501 in [fiscal year 2019] to 1,151,448 in only the first five months of FY 2024, the Refugee Resettlement Program will only burden the U.S. taxpayer with higher costs,” McClain wrote to Biden.

To be eligible, migrants must be refugees, asylum-seekers, special immigration visa holders, victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan nationals or Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. Migrants who have an asylum claim that is merely pending are also eligible. 

TEXAS SQUARES OFF WITH DOJ AFTER CIRCUIT COURT BLOCKED ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is taking criticism for a state program giving rental subsidies to asylum seekers. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

GOP critics say this means that migrants who illegally crossed the border and claimed asylum to avoid deportation could potentially benefit from the subsidy.

If a migrant cannot provide verification of income – such as a paycheck or bank statement – the applicant must submit a written explanation of why there is no documentation. One of the options available to them is a “cash payment.”

In her letter, McClain questioned Biden directly on whether U.S. tax dollars are going toward housing assistance for people who entered the country illegally, and if not, she asked, “what is your administration doing to ensure U.S. tax dollars do not go toward housing assistance for those who have broken our laws and come across our borders illegally?”

WATCH: DASHCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS TEXAS NATIONAL GUARDSMAN’S ARREST FOR ALLEGEDLY SMUGGLING MIGRANT

She also asked whether it’s possible, given the record number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, that U.S. federal refugee resettlement aid “could be viewed as yet another incentive by your Administration to roll out the red carpet and invite more people to illegally pour across our borders.”

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A Fox News analysis found last month that nearly 7.3 million migrants illegally crossed the southwest border under Biden, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states.

Fox News Digital reached out to both Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office as well as the White House for comment.

Republicans are likely to approve a proposed state budget for Kansas with provisions aimed at forcing the state’s Democratic governor to restrict diversity initiatives on college campuses and help Texas in its fight with the Biden administration over border security.

GOP negotiators for the state House and Senate have agreed to include those items in a single bill containing the bulk of the $25 billion in spending for Kansas’ 2025 budget year, which begins July 1. Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature expect both chambers to vote this week on the final version of the bill.

“It’s an opportunity to make a point,” state Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said Wednesday. “The power of the purse — that’s all we have. That’s our main power.”

STAY CURRENT WITH THE LATEST IMMIGRATION NEWS HERE

Both the Kansas House and Senate approved resolutions this year expressing their support for efforts by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to enforce a law there allowing his state to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. The Biden administration argues that only the federal government sets immigration policy.

But Republicans in the Kansas Senate then added an extra $15.7 million in the next state budget with directions to Gov. Laura Kelly that she provide Kansas National Guard resources to Texas.

Republican senators also included provisions to withhold a total of $35.7 million in funding from state universities unless their presidents appeared before Kelly and top legislative leaders and confirmed that they were not requiring prospective students, job applicants or staffers seeking promotion to provide statements endorsing diversity, equity or inclusion initiatives or discussing past experiences with it. The GOP budget negotiators agreed to retain those provisions unless a separate bill banning the practice becomes law.

Border Patrol agents ask asylum-seeking migrants to line up after the group crossed into California from Mexico on Feb. 2, 2024, as security of the southern border has become a main political issue ahead of November’s presidential election. Republicans in the Kansas Senate added $15.7 million to the next state budget with directions to Gov. Laura Kelly that she provide Kansas National Guard resources to Texas. Gov. Kelly could still veto the provision. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

The state constitution gives Kelly the power to veto individual budget provisions, and it’s not clear that the immigration or anti-DEI ones have the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override a veto. But if Kelly were to veto the anti-DEI provisions, the $35.7 million would go with them.

“It’s kind of like blackmail,” said Democratic state Rep. Tom Sawyer, of Wichita.

Republicans in at least 20 states have sought to limit DEI initiatives, arguing that they are discriminatory and enforce a liberal political orthodoxy. Alabama and Utah enacted new anti-DEI laws this year.

The Kansas House last month approved a bill that would bar universities, community colleges or technical colleges from basing a student’s admission or an employee’s hiring or promotion on any statement or pledge about DEI or “any political ideology or movement.” Republicans are hoping to have a vote on a new version in both chambers this week.

But the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s higher education system, is already responding to GOP lawmakers’ concerns. The board expects to consider a proposed policy change in April that would ban requirements in admissions or employment for “statements pledging allegiance to, support for, or opposition to diversity, equity or inclusion.”

“I really don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I think they’re all going to change their policy,” said state Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Republican from western Kansas and a House budget negotiator.

Republicans’ interest in border security comes with former President Donald Trump ramping up anti-immigrant rhetoric as he campaigns for reelection, often spreading falsehoods about migration. Roughly two-thirds of Americans disapproved of President Joe Biden’s handling of border security in an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in March.

GOP officials in many states also frame the issue as stopping the flow of the dangerous opioid fentanyl across the Mexico-U.S. border, though experts agree the key is reducing demand for it in the U.S.

“We need to stop it,” said state Sen. J.R. Claeys, a central Kansas Republican and a budget negotiator. “Obviously, the Biden administration isn’t going to do that, so we’re going to have to do it ourselves.”

But state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Kansas City-area Democrat, said problems at the border demonstrate the need for reforming national immigration laws and argued that Americans are more likely to smuggle fentanyl than immigrant families seeking a better life in the U.S.

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“They’re willing to blame every possible thing on immigration and on immigrants,” she said.

Some Republicans expect Kelly to veto the provision. Last month, she told reporters that the state constitution makes her the guard’s commander-in-chief and she decides how its resources are used.

But Claeys responded: “We also have other budgetary ways of making things happen, so we’ll continue to use those and the power of the purse.”

President Biden’s administration is implementing a new rule to make it more difficult to fire federal workers as former President Trump promises to revamp the workforce to weed out the “deep state.” 

Early Thursday, the White House released a statement from the Democratic incumbent president regarding “the final rule to protect nonpartisan civil servants.” 

Biden said his administration was announcing “protections for 2.2 million career civil servants from political interference, to guarantee that they can carry out their responsibilities in the best interest of the American people.” 

“Day in and day out, career civil servants provide the expertise and continuity necessary for our democracy to function,” the statement said. “They provide Americans with life-saving and life-changing services and put opportunity within reach for millions. That’s why since taking office, I have worked to strengthen, empower, and rebuild our career workforce.” 

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION VIDEO DECLARES ‘DEEP STATE’ IS ‘KIND OF AWESOME’

The Theodore Roosevelt Building, location of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, on Feb. 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Biden deemed the rule to be “a step toward combatting corruption and partisan interference to ensure civil servants are able to focus on the most important task at hand: delivering for the American people.” 

The Office of Personnel Management, the government’s chief human resources agency, on Thursday implemented new regulations barring career civil servants from being reclassified as political appointees, or as other at-will workers, who are more easily dismissed from their jobs. It comes in response to “Schedule F,” an executive order Trump issued in 2020 that sought to allow for reclassifying tens of thousands of the 2.2 million federal employees and thus reduce their job security protections, according to the Associated Press. 

Biden nullified Schedule F upon taking office, but if Trump were to revive it during a second administration, he could dramatically increase the around 4,000 federal employees who are considered political appointees and typically change with each new president. How many employees might have been affected by Schedule F is unclear. 

The National Treasury Employee Union used freedom of information requests to obtain documents suggesting that federal workers such as office managers and specialists in human resources and cybersecurity might have been subject to reclassification — meaning that the scope of Trump’s order might have been broader than previously believed, the AP reported. 

The new rule could counter a future Schedule F order by spelling out procedural requirements for reclassifying federal employees, and clarifying that civil service protections accrued by employees cannot be taken away regardless of job type. It also makes clear that policymaking classifications apply to non-career, political appointments and cannot be applied to career civil servants.

President Biden speaks about lowering health care costs at the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. His administration implemented a new rule making it harder to fire federal workers.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

TRUMP RAILS AGAINST BIDEN, ‘DEEP STATE’ AT FIRST SPEECH AFTER CLASSIFIED DOCS INDICTMENT: ‘POLITICAL HIT JOB’

“It will now be much harder for any president to arbitrarily remove the nonpartisan professionals who staff our federal agencies just to make room for hand-picked partisan loyalists,” National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald said in a statement.

Good government groups and liberal think tanks and activists have cheered the rule. They viewed cementing federal worker protections as a top priority given that replacing existing government employees with new, more conservative alternatives is a key piece of the conservative Heritage Foundation’s nearly 1,000-page playbook known as “Project 2025.”

That plan calls for vetting and potentially firing scores of federal workers and recruiting conservative replacements to wipe out what some Republicans have decried as the “deep state” governmental bureaucracy.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, speaks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, April 2, 2024.  (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

The nation’s most prominent conservative think tank recommended an overhaul of the Department of Justice and the FBI to combat a “radical liberal agenda.” 

The Biden administration’s rule, which runs to 237 pages, is being published in the federal registry and is set to formally take effect next month. The Office of Personnel Management first proposed the changes last November, then reviewed and responded to 4,000-plus public comments on them. Officials at some top conservative organizations were among those opposing the new rule, but around two-thirds of the comments were supportive.

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If Trump wins another term, his administration could direct the Office of Personnel Management to draft new rules. But the process takes months and requires detailed explanation on why new regulations would be improvements — potentially allowing for legal challenges to be brought by opponents.

Fox News’ Kaitlin Spraugue and the Associated Press contributed to this report.