NationalWatch

Ron Eller won a Republican primary runoff Tuesday in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District and will face longtime Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson in the Nov. 5 general election.

Eller, who is a military veteran and physician assistant, defeated Andrew Scott Smith, who has worked in farming and commercial real estate. They had advanced to the Republican runoff as the top candidates in a three-person primary March 12.

Thompson has represented the majority-Black district since winning a special election in 1993, and President Joe Biden won the district by 27 percentage points in 2020.

MISSISSIPPI CATFISH FARMS SETTLE SUIT CLAIMING IMMIGRANTS WERE PAID MORE THAN BLACK WORKERS

Thompson is the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee and was unopposed for his party’s nomination in the district this year. Thompson said he wants to decrease prescription drug costs, invest in historically Black colleges and universities, reduce student loan debt and build the middle class “by making sure the wealthy pay their fair share.”

Republican candidate for Representative of Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, Ron Eller, poses for a photo. Eller won a runoff election against Andrew Scott Smith on April 2, 2024. (Eric Eller/Ron Eller for Congress Campaign via AP)

Eller, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2nd District Republican nomination in 2022, has said he supports construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and expansion of domestic energy production.

After winning the runoff Tuesday, Eller told The Associated Press that he believes all Americans want good places to raise their families, with strong schools and clean air and water.

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“It’s time to put that party nonsense behind us,” Eller said. “We need to work as a people and a nation together.”

The district stretches along the Mississippi River on the western side of the state, through the flatlands of the Delta and into the capital of Jackson.

Voters in the 2nd District supported Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, 63% to 36%.

Voters in the northwest Oklahoma city of Enid ousted a city council member with ties to white nationalism, according to unofficial results posted Tuesday on the Oklahoma Election Board website.

With all four precincts reporting in Enid’s Ward 1, results show voters chose to recall 42-year-old Judd Blevins. They instead selected Cheryl Patterson, a grandmother and longtime youth leader at an area church, to fill the seat.

Blevins, an Iraq War veteran, was narrowly elected to the seat last year despite his ties to white nationalist groups.

OKLAHOMA COURT CONSIDERS WHETHER TO ALLOW FIRST PUBLICLY FUNDED CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN THE US

Blevins acknowledged at a community forum last week that he marched in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. He also admitted being connected to the now-defunct white supremacist group Identity Evropa.

Judd Blevins, left, then-city councilor in Enid, Oklahoma, speaks to Enid resident Frank Baker on March 26, 2024, before a community forum. Blevins was ousted in a recall vote on April 2, 2024, and replaced by Cheryl Patterson. (AP Photo/Sean Murphy)

When asked at the forum to explain his involvement in the rally and his ties to Identity Evropa, he responded: “Bringing attention to the same issues that got Donald Trump elected in 2016: securing America’s borders, reforming our legal immigration system and, quite frankly, pushing back on this anti-white hatred that is so common in media entertainment.”

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The recall effort in Oklahoma was launched by two longtime Enid residents, best friends Connie Vickers and Nancy Presnall, both Democrats in a county where Republicans have a nearly 4-to-1 advantage in voter registration.

FIRST ON FOX – Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate running for the Senate in the swing state of Pennsylvania, is showcasing a second straight formidable fundraising quarter.

McCormick reports bringing $6.2 million in the January-March first quarter of 2024 fundraising, according to figures shared first with Fox News on Wednesday. 

The haul includes $1 million contributed by McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, West Point graduate, Gulf War combat veteran and Treasury Department official in former President George W. Bush’s administration.

SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER 

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick launches a campaign bus tour, in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 10, 2024 (Dave McCormick campaign)

The money raised by McCormick the past three months comes close to the $6.4 million he brought in during the fourth quarter of last year. That haul also included $1 million of his own money.

McCormick will face off in November against longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, in a high profile and expensive race which could ultimately decide whether the GOP wins back the Senate majority.

THIS FORMER BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR IS AIMING TO FLIP A DEMOCRATIC HELD SENATE SEAT

Casey, who served a decade as the state’s auditor general and then treasurer before winning election to the Senate in 2006, has yet to announce his first quarter fundraising figures. Candidates running for federal office have until later this month to file their reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Casey, the son of a popular former governor, raised $3.6 million in the fourth quarter.

Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, speaks during a Senate hearing in Washington, DC, on Thursday, March 9, 2023. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

McCormick, who is making his second straight Senate run, was part of a crowded and combustible battle for the 2022 GOP nomination. He ended up losing the nomination by a razor-thin margin to celebrity doctor and cardiac surgeon Mehmet Oz, who secured a primary victory thanks to a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Oz ended up losing the general election to Democrat John Fetterman.

This time around, McCormick faces no major opposition in the GOP primary in Pennsylvania later this month. He is backed by longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and the Pennsylvania GOP, and was encouraged to run by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the party’s Senate campaign arm.

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McCormick – as he was in 2022 – is once again facing incoming fire over his residency.

McCormick, who grew up in northeast Pennsylvania and who is the son of the Keystone State’s first state university system chancellor, was attacked for owning a house in an affluent part of Connecticut, where he lived for years before buying a home in Pittsburgh ahead of his 2022 Senate campaign.

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick marches in the annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 16, 2024. McCormick marched alongside his wife Dina Powell. (Dave McCormick campaign)

Pennsylvania Democrats have repeatedly charged that “the real David McCormick is a mega-millionaire Connecticut hedge fund executive who is lying about living in Pennsylvania.”

But McCormick campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Gregory told Fox News that “Pennsylvanians from across the commonwealth are joining the movement to elect Dave McCormick, a 7th-generation Pennsylvanian, combat veteran, and PA job creator who will bring new leadership and fresh ideas to the Senate.”

“Dave is exactly the kind of candidate who can beat Bob Casey, secure a Senate majority and get this country back on track,” she emphasized.

Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. 

Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election. And Pennsylvania is one of five key general election battlegrounds where the Democrats are defending seats. Democrats may also have to worry about holding the open Senate seat in blue Maryland, where former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan is running.

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

Longtime Democrat Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has yet to say anything on social media about the recent murder of nursing student Laken Riley, but he has tweeted nearly two dozen times about the 2020 killing of George Floyd, according to a review of the battleground state lawmaker’s social media accounts.

Fox News Digital reviewed Casey’s official Senate X account as well as his campaign X account and found he has tweeted at least 23 times underscoring the tragedy surrounding Floyd’s death in 2020 during an interaction with police in Minneapolis. When searching for any tweets on Riley, the accounts turned up empty.

Fox News Digital repeatedly reached out to Casey’s campaign regarding the tweets on Floyd versus none on Riley but didn’t receive comment.

Casey has long been a Pennsylvania Democrat stalwart, first winning his election to the U.S. Senate in 2007 and serving in a state where his father was elected governor in 1987. Casey has said this year’s election will be a “tough race” as he works to hold onto his seat in a swing state that will likely help determine the results of this year’s presidential election.

LONGTIME PA DEM SILENT ON SUPPORT FOR FRESHMAN ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER AFTER HIS NAME QUIETLY REMOVED FROM SITE

Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Casey is anticipated to face off against Republican Dave McCormick following the state’s primaries in April. McCormick is an Army combat veteran and former CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates. He served as the Commerce Department’s undersecretary of commerce for industry and security as well as undersecretary of the treasury for international affairs under former President George W. Bush.

Riley’s murder has become a rallying cry for Republicans this year as they demand the Biden administration drastically strengthen its immigration policies, similar to how Floyd’s killing ushered in demands from Democrats to defund police departments and overhaul policing in the U.S.

Riley, 22, was discovered beaten to death in February after going for a run on the University of Georgia’s campus. The Augusta University student crossed paths with Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra, according to authorities, and died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Ibarra, 26, was charged with Riley’s murder. He entered the U.S. through El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was freed on border parole. He first lived in New York City, where he was arrested for endangering a child, before moving to Athens, Georgia.

LAKEN RILEY’S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ‘AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY’ AFTER DAUGHTER’S FUNERAL

Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22, 2024. An illegal migrant has been charged with her murder. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis after police officers pinned him to the ground by kneeling on his neck and body after he was accused of using counterfeit money at a convenience store. Floyd’s death was soon followed by massive protests and riots across the nation demanding police departments be defended; there was also a spike in the nation’s violent crime rate as police pulled back from patrolling and some officers left the force in record numbers in response to anti-police rhetoric.

Casey’s X accounts show repeated tweets remembering Floyd, including on Father’s Day in 2020 when he took a moment of silence in memory of Floyd and other Black Americans who died during interactions with police, and called for reforms to the U.S. justice system.

Casey, who has positioned himself as a supporter of law enforcement, outlines on his Senate page that “we must reform” policing systems. He came under fire last month from leaders in law enforcement in the Keystone State for “aligning” himself with a “defund the police” group, Indivisible Philadelphia, and its state chapter, Pennsylvania Indivisible. The group threw their endorsement behind Casey ahead of his election battle against McCormick this year. 

George Floyd (AP Images/File)

“[Casey] wants to hide his culpability in the tragic murder of Laken Riley,” said Nate Sizemore, McCormick’s campaign press secretary, when asked about Casey’s silence on Laken Riley.

Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick greets supporters at the Indigo Hotel during a primary election night event on May 17, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

“Casey’s support for sanctuary cities, his opposition to a border wall, his votes against funding that could have saved 4,000 Pennsylvanians from fentanyl overdoses – it’s all enabling the deaths of Americans and the terrorizing of our communities. Pennsylvanians are fed up with this empty suit who won’t put their safety and the safety of their children first.”

Demonstrators are shown during a protest over the death of a Black man, Daniel Prude, after police put a spit hood over his head during an arrest on March 23, 2020, in Rochester, New York. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Casey has voted against measures such as former President Trump’s border wall and a bill that would disqualify illegal migrants from being counted in the U.S. Census. He’s endorsed fellow Democrats like former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, who reinstated the city’s sanctuary city status.

COOKIE MONSTER HIDES SEN BOB CASEY’S REPLY ON X AFTER DEM SOUGHT CAMPAIGN DONATION: ‘CAN YOU CHIP IN?

Following Riley’s death, Republican lawmakers rallied around Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, who introduced the Laken Riley Act, which would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to issue detainers and take custody of illegal migrants if they commit certain theft-related crimes, among other measures. The bill received widespread support in the House, passing 251-170, while the Senate’s version of the bill was subsequently blocked in the Democrat-led upper chamber.

Casey has voted in recent years against a similar bill called Kate’s Law, which is named after California woman Kate Steinle who was shot and killed by a Mexican national in 2015. If enacted, Kate’s Law would impose mandatory minimum prison sentences on foreign nationals with aggravated felony convictions who illegally reenter the U.S. after being deported.

PENNSYLVANIA POLICE SLAM LONGTIME DEM SEN CASEY ‘ALIGNING’ HIMSELF WITH DEFUND THE POLICE GROUP: ‘DANGEROUS’ 

“Senator Casey believes that all perpetrators of violent crimes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Casey’s office told the New York Post in February when asked about Kate’s Law, adding that Casey “believes that we need concrete solutions to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system, not political games.”

Laken Riley (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)

Riley’s murder has become a focal point of the immigration crisis in the U.S. as Republicans continue slamming Biden’s border policies that have led to more than 7 million migrants entering the U.S. since 2021. A handful of Democrats, such as Casey, have avoided talking about Riley, while Republicans, like Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., have argued that “the Democrat party’s commitment to open borders is causing otherwise preventable tragedies to occur again and again.”

Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call)

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During the State of the Union last month, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican, heckled Biden to “say her name,” meaning Riley’s name, with the president responding that Riley was murdered by an “illegal.” The president held up a button in memory of Riley and added that his “heart goes out to” Riley’s parents.

Casey is running unopposed in the state primary, which will be held on April 23.

The Florida Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a ballot measure enshrining abortion into the state’s constitution can be voted on in November which prominent pro-life advocates tell Fox News Digital will involve a “misleading” playbook that is too “extreme” for Florida voters.

While Monday’s ruling upheld a 15-week abortion ban signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and cleared the way for the imminent enforcement of a 6-week ban, which Democrats have already attacked as “MAGA extremism”, it also approved a ballot measure in November allowing Florida voters to decide whether to enshrine abortion access into the state constitution.

The Florida ruling comes shortly after voters in Ohio, where Trump won by 8 points in 2020, overwhelmingly voted in favor of a constitutional amendment allowing abortion. Several pro-life advocates spoke to Fox News Digital about what the post-Roe v. Wade battle will look like in Florida.

“The abortion businesses pushing this extreme amendment know the heartbeat law is supported by the majority of Floridians and second- and third-trimester abortion is wildly unpopular,” Katie Glenn Daniel, Tampa lawyer and SBA Pro-Life America State Policy Director, told Fox News Digital. 

OHIO VOTERS APPROVE AMENDMENT ENSHRINING ABORTION ACCESS INTO STATE CONSTITUTION

A group of anti-abortion protesters crashes the Women’s March Action Rally for Reproductive Rights at Mariachi Plaza in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 8, 2022. ( DAVID MCNEW / AFP via Getty Images)

“That’s why they will use tens of millions of dollars like they did in Ohio to use fear and deception because they know their extreme policy is wildly unpopular. Despite the clear fact that emergency care continues to be available to pregnant women in all 50 states, they will rely on the lie women won’t receive medical care and sow confusion that puts women’s lives in danger.”

Daniel explained that in order to avoid a similar result as Ohio, prominent Floridians must persuasively articulate what the abortion measure means for residents.

“Gov. Ron DeSantis must be at the forefront of protecting Florida from Big Abortion’s attempt to eliminate the rights of unborn children, parents, women, and girls,” Daniel said. “Gov. DeSantis signed protections for babies who feel pain and have a heartbeat into law and now he must lead in defending those protections.”

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned and the issue was given back to the states, Republicans have suffered several defeats at the ballot box that many pundits attribute to poor messaging on abortion from the GOP but some pro-life advocates, including Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for SBA Pro-Life America, have made the case that Democrats are not where the majority of Americans are on abortion. 

PRO-LIFE GROUPS REJECT MEDIA NARRATIVE THAT GOP CAN’T WIN ON ABORTION AFTER OHIO DEFEAT: ‘NOT A LOSING ISSUE’

“The media narrative that late-term abortion is a political winner is wrong. Since Dobbs we’ve seen strong pro-life candidates like Senator Rubio stand strong for life and win,” Connors told Fox News Digital. 

“The Democrats know their candidates suffer when they get on a debate stage and are confronted directly on the extreme position to legalize 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions, so they are trying to use deceptive amendments to cover their tracks. Their extreme position is not a winner with the American people and Republicans must continue to expose the Democrat position for voters across America.”

Prominent Democrats have already begun promoting the idea that a wave of turnout for the abortion measure will not only constitutionally override the state’s current abortion bans but could also benefit President Biden’s effort to carry Florida in November which would be a crushing blow to former President Trump’s campaign. 

“More and more people are realizing how wrong these bans are and you’ve seen it across the country, whenever there have been ballot initiatives, no matter how red the state is, the people rise up for women’s reproductive freedom here,” North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters during a Biden-Harris campaign conference call on Wednesday. 

FOX NEWS POLL: RECORD NUMBER SAY ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL

An activist seen holding a placard that says protect safe, legal abortion during the protest.  ((Photo by Megan Jelinger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))

“So the more Republicans do here, the worse it’s going to get for them at the ballot box, as it should, because this is an issue that people care about all across the country.”

“I think the empirical evidence suggests that we have a good shot for this,” Florida Democratic State Rep. Fentrice Driskell said on the call. “And it’s tough to ignore the electoral implications. The last time that a Democratic presidential candidate won Florida was when there was an anti-abortion measure on the ballot. So this is something that Floridians pay attention to. That was President Barack Obama in 2012. So I am optimistic that it will pass the finish line in November.”

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Florida by a wide margin and a recent Politico analysis suggested that recent abortion ballot measures did not significantly boost Democrat turnout. Still, Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez said on the zoom call, “We definitely see Florida in play.”

After the Ohio defeat, pro-life groups assessed that part of the reason for the result was being massively outspent and pointed to what they said was misleading language in the abortion amendment, two things that they say must be addressed in Florida. 

“Our campaign will ensure that Florida voters won’t be fooled by the misleading amendment language and ensure that the abortion industry and out of state abortion extremists who have spent nearly $20 million on their campaign so far won’t succeed in their efforts to enact one of the most extreme abortion amendment proposals in America,” Sara Johnson, grassroots director of Florida Voters Against Extremism, told Fox News Digital. 

“No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider,” the ballot measure, known as Amendment 4, states. “This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

Florida Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, in an amicus brief that was denied by the court, argued the wording is misleading for several reasons including not defining the term “viability.” 

“The ballot summary here is part of a … design to lay ticking time bombs that will enable abortion proponents later to argue that the amendment has a much broader meaning than voters would ever have thought,” Moody argued in a previous brief.

“The ballot language incorrectly implies that the amendment will not impact parental rights when their children seek abortions. Currently, Florida requires parental consent, with limited exceptions, before a physician can perform an abortion on a minor,” SBA Pro-Life America argued in a brief. 

“If the proposed amendment passes, this statute will likely be another casualty. The loss of parental consent is obscured in the ballot language, which highlights that the proposed amendment will not change the constitutional right to parental notification, leading voters to assume that the right to parental consent will be similarly untouched.”

ABORTION PILL USE HAS SPIKED IN RECENT YEARS, NEW REPORT REVEALS: ‘SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE’

Abortion rights adovcates gather in front of the J Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas (MOISES AVILA/AFP via Getty Images)

“Not only will this measure bring dangerous late-term abortions back to Florida, but it will allow girls who aren’t old enough to get their ears pierced on their own get an abortion without a parent’s okay,” SBA added in a press release. 

“Those girls and the women who have abortions will be put at risk when this measure eliminates every abortion health regulation on the books. In a state where 25% of abortion centers failed inspections it’s no surprise they want to be completely unregulated to increase their profits at the expense of women, girls, and babies.”

Stephen Billy, VP of State Affairs for SBA Pro-Life America, told Fox News Digital that major pro-abortion groups will be pumping money into the state. 

“Planned parenthood and other abortion businesses, with support from the ACLU, are the major backers of this initiative,” Billy said. “And with good reason—they stand to benefit most if Florida becomes a late-term abortion destination and the state cannot enforce basic health and safety guidelines or even inspect their facilities. One thing is certain, their message won’t explain how extreme this amendment is and won’t focus on the ACLU’s new lawsuit in Ohio where they’re challenging whether an informed consent law allowed under Roe is permitted after the amendment.”

Pro-abortion groups have pointed out that abortion restrictions have been implemented across the entire deep south since Roe’s reversal and suggested the Florida vote will be a rallying cry against those nationwide efforts.

Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said in a statement her organization had seen the negative impact from abortion bans on patients in Florida. “Today’s decision paves the way for Florida voters to stop these ridiculous abortion bans once and for all,” she said.

Constitutional amendments in Florida must pass with at least 60% of the vote, a larger percentage of the vote than any statewide abortion measure has yet won.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis  ((Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images))

“With abortion on the ballot, Republicans in Florida have the opportunity to be resoundingly clear on where they stand on the issue of abortion and the value of all life,” Florida GOP State Sen. Erin Grall told Fox News Digital. 

“As an issue where lives all across Florida will be deeply and dramatically affected if this were to pass, I know Republicans will be emphasizing their support of pro-life protections and communicating on this important issue with compassion, which is in contrast with the deeply unpopular Democrat agenda for unlimited abortion in Florida.”

Reuters contributed to this report

Amid backlash about the White House proclaiming Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday, Fox News Digital found an extensive list of LGBT-focused holidays celebrated throughout the year, including a handful recognized by the White House. 

“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” said a White House statement recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday, the most holy holiday for Christians. 

“Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back,” it added. 

“Now, therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.”

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

President Biden salutes while arriving during an event in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Nov. 27, 2023. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Conservatives and other critics of the White House ripped the decision to recognize Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter, calling it an attack on Christianity. International Transgender Day of Visibility was created by activists more than 10 years ago and is celebrated each year on March 31, while the date of Easter Sunday changes from year to year. 

AMERICANS AREN’T BUYING BIDEN’S ‘DEVOUT CATHOLIC’ LABEL, POLL FINDS

The Trump campaign called on Biden to apologize for the proclamation. 

“We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and the White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Karoline Leavitt said. 

BIDEN SKEWERED AS ‘WORLD’S WORST CATHOLIC’ WHO CHEAPENS IRISH AND CATHOLIC IDENTITY

Others on social media pointed out that cities, universities, LGBT organizations and government officials celebrate similar calendar events throughout the year. Fox News Digital found at least 28 other related holidays celebrated in the U.S., including International Asexuality Day, International Day of Pink, Day of Silence, Harvey Milk Day, Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness Day and International Drag Day. 

There are also entire months devoted to LGBT causes or commemorations, including Pride Month in June, LGBT History Month in October and Transgender Awareness Month in November. 

Protesters during a rally in Minnesota. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Not every holiday throughout the year is recognized by the White House or high-ranking lawmakers, but holidays are celebrated by advocacy groups in cities such as Seattle or on college campuses. 

The Biden White House has celebrated at least seven other holidays celebrating and commemorating LGBT issues, including National Coming Out Day in October; Lesbian Day of Visibility in April; International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in May; Pride Month in June; Spirit Day in October; Intersex Awareness Day in October; and Transgender Day of Remembrance in November. 

President Biden speaks at the LSU Tigers’ championship celebration at the White House Washington D.C., May 26, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Biden administration has celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility each year since 2021 on March 31, and White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden, as a Christian, is working to bring “people together” with the event. 

“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American,” Bates said in comment to Fox News Digital on Sunday. 

WHITE HOUSE DOUBLES DOWN ON INCLUSIVENESS MESSAGE AMID BACKLASH OVER TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER

“Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”

Biden, who is Catholic, did post a message Sunday celebrating Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. 

“Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating the power of hope and the promise of Christ’s Resurrection this Easter Sunday,” he posted Sunday morning. 

A person displays trans pride flags during the NYC Pride March in New York, June 25, 2023. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Biden administration has a long history promoting and supporting the LGBT community, including last year when the president hosted the White House’s largest Pride celebration in its history, according to Reuters. Biden has repeatedly vowed to combat discrimination against the gay community and spoke in support of the trans community during his State of the Union address earlier this month. 

The White House has previously come under fire from critics during events heralding the LGBT community, including last year when a transgender model and activist took off her top at a Pride event at the White House and cupped her breasts in photos and for inviting an anti-police nonbinary drag queen to attend the Respect for Marriage Act signing in 2022. 

Republicans have continued hammering the Biden administration online for celebrating the holiday on the same day as Easter. 

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the latest Biden administration official to mark Transgender Day of Visibility, which has sparked controversy for being celebrated the same day as Easter.

“Transgender Day of Visibility is a celebration of the courage and resilience of transgender, nonbinary and gender non-confirming persons who exist in every country and culture around the world,” Blinken said in a statement Sunday. 

“On this day, the United States recognizes the achievements and progress that trans persons have made in the global struggle for equality and re-affirms its commitment to supporting the equality, inclusion and full recognition of the human rights of transgender persons.”

The statement comes after President Biden sparked backlash with a similar statement Friday, marking Sunday as a day to “honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans.”

TRUMP DEMANDS BIDEN ISSUE APOLOGY OVER ‘BLASPHEMOUS’ TRANS VISIBILITY DAY ON EASTER SUNDAY: ‘APPALLING’

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Conservatives on social media questioned the timing of the White House celebration, noting the day falls on Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar.

“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on X. “Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note.”

“I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days — a self proclaimed devout Catholic — as Transgender Day of Visibility,” former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete Caitlyn Jenner said. “The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen’.”

The White House celebration also earned the scorn of former President Trump, and Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called on Biden to issue an apology for the statement.

Former President Trump, a Republican presidential candidate in 2024, speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, March 16, 2024.  (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

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

“We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and the White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe (Sunday) is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Leavitt said.

In Blinken’s statement, the secretary of state noted that “trans persons face violence, suppression, and infringements on their human rights and fundamental freedoms” in other parts of the world, but he argued the United States is urging “partners around the globe to work with the United States in fighting for a world in which transgender persons are free to live safely and openly as themselves.”

The White House argued the celebration always falls on March 31 and that Easter is not always the same day, and it issued a statement in response Saturday, calling the backlash over its celebration of the day divisive.

President Biden (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

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“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American,” the statement said. 

“Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

The state of New York will have 13 landmarks lit in celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility Sunday, joining the White House in observation of the day.

One World Trade Center, the Empire State Plaza and Niagara Falls are just a few of the locations that “will be lit light pink, white and light blue,” a press release from the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul states. 

“I am proud of the strength transgender New Yorkers display every day and want to make one thing clear: You are always welcome in New York. You are loved,” Hochul said. 

Events scheduled around the world include panels and speakers in Cincinnati and Atlanta, marches in Melbourne and Philadelphia and an inclusive roller derby league game on New York’s Long Island. A picnic is planned in the English town of Hitchin.

TRUMP DEMANDS BIDEN ISSUE APOLOGY OVER ‘BLASPHEMOUS’ TRANS VISIBILITY DAY ON EASTER SUNDAY: ‘APPALLING’

Perhaps the highest-profile U.S. event is a rally scheduled for Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

President Biden was slammed on social media Saturday after marking Easter Sunday, the most solemn Christian holiday, “Transgender Day of Visibility.”

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

A demonstrator casts a shadow on a rainbow-colored umbrella during a march to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility in Lisbon March 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, file)

While March 31 has been designated to honor the transgender movement in the U.S. since Biden took office and internationally since 2009, this year it falls on Easter Sunday, one of the most important days for Christians celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” a statement released by the White House said. 

HUCKABEE SLAMS BIDEN FOR RECOGNIZING ‘TRANS VISIBILITY DAY’ ON EASTER SUNDAY: ‘GONE TO LA LA LAND’

A person holds up a sign that says “Trans People Belong in Alabama” during a rally outside the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., on International Transgender Day of Visibility March 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler, File)

“Transgender persons deserve to live authentically, safely and with dignity,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement released Easter Sunday. 

International Transgender Day of Visibility was first organized in 2009 by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, the executive director and co-founder of Transgender Michigan, according to The Associated Press. 

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“I think that once a person understands us, it’s hard to discriminate against us,” she said in an interview. “I created it because I wanted a time that we don’t have to be so lonely. I wanted a day that we’re all together all over the world as one community. And that’s exactly what we are.”

Fox News’ Haley Chi-Sing, Anders Hagstrom and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

As President Biden faces heated backlash over marking March 31 as “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which falls on Easter Sunday this year, the White House has issued a response standing by the president’s remarks.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates released a statement saying those critical of Biden’s inclusiveness message are trying to further divide the country.

“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American,” Bates said in a statement. “Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”

While March 31 has been designated to honor the transgender movement internationally since 2009, this year it falls on Easter Sunday, one of the most important days for Christians celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

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

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 10, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, File)

“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” a statement released by the White House Saturday said.

“Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back,” it added. “Now, therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.”

Biden on Saturday announced “Transgender Day of Visibility” is March 31, the same day as Easter Sunday this year. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After the announcement, prominent Christians, politicians and commenters on social media unleashed a firestorm of vitriol directed at Biden and his administration.

Former President Trump called for an immediate apology to millions of Christians and Catholics, and his national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described Biden’s proclamation as an example of the Biden administration’s “years-long assault on the Christian faith.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused the Biden administration of betraying what Easter Sunday stands for after the White House also banned religious egg designs in its Easter Art Event, which, like the annual Easter Egg Roll, is part of the White House’s Easter traditions.

“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Johnson posted on X. “Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note.”

Franklin Graham, a prominent Christian evangelist and son of the late Billy Graham, wrote that Biden and his administration have “little respect” for God.

“This once again shows how little respect President Biden and his administration have for God,” Graham wrote, in part. “On the most significant day of the Christian calendar, when the Church around the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood for the sins of mankind, the Biden administration uses this opportunity to flaunt sin, to glorify sin, and to celebrate sin.”

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called Biden’s declaration a “shocking” and “intentional attempt” at insulting Christians across America.

BIDENS ANNOUNCE THEME FOR EASTER EGG ROLL ON WHITE HOUSE LAWN

“President Biden has declared that Easter Sunday is now Transgender Day,” Reeves wrote. “This is an intentional attempt to insult and mock Christians across America. Shocking — but not surprising. In Mississippi, we will proudly celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sinners.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem echoed Tate’s sentiments, writing that the Biden White House is making it clear that people of faith “have no place in America.”

“Joe Biden and his White House have made it clear that people of faith, particularly Christians and our Bible-believing views, have no place in his America. We must change that on November 5 by electing @realdonaldtrump.”

Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called Biden out in a post on X, writing, “Joe Biden just proclaimed that ‘Transgender Visibility Day’ is on Sunday, March 31st. I wonder how he came up with that date.”

Caitlyn Jenner, former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete, wrote on X that the “only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen’.”

“I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days – a self proclaimed devout Catholic – as Transgender Day of Visibility,” Jenner wrote. “The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen’.”

America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, released his own statement Sunday affirming “Transgender Day of Visibility” as a “celebration” of the “courage and resilience” of trans persons, though he noted it is “clear that there is still much work to do.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in his own statement Sunday that Transgender Day of Visibility was a “celebration” of the “courage and resilience” of trans persons, though he noted it is “clear that there is still much work to do.” (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Haley Chi-Sing and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

After President Biden sparked fury by declaring March 31 “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which this year is also Easter Sunday, former President Trump called for an immediate apology to millions of Christians and Catholics.

Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called it “appalling and insulting” that Biden “formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Trans Day of Visibility.’”

Leavitt said the president’s announcement is an example of the Biden administration’s “years-long assault on the Christian faith.”

“We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and the White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” she said.

LIBERAL CHURCHES CELEBRATE TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBLITY ON EASTER THIS YEAR: ‘DRAG ME TO CHURCH’

In a press release, former President Donald Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called it “appalling and insulting” that Biden “formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as Trans Day of Visibility.” (Getty Images)

Leavitt said the Biden administration’s move comes after the White House banned religious egg designs in its Easter Art Event.

The art contest is part of the White House’s Easter traditions, which include the annual Easter Egg Roll.

The flier for the contest states that an Easter egg design submission “must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes, or partisan political statements.” 

The Easter Bunny gestures to President Joe Biden during the annual Easter egg roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

While March 31 has been designated to honor the transgender movement since Biden took office, this year it falls on Easter Sunday, one of the most important days for Christians, as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” a statement released by the White House read.

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

“Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans:  You are loved.  You are heard.  You are understood.  You belong.  You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back,” it continued. “NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.”

Former President Trump called for President Biden to issue an apology. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Trump’s call for an apology from Biden came after prominent politicians and conservative commentators declared outrage over the ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’ on the most solemn Christian holiday. 

“The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” House Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X. Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note.”

Caitlyn Jenner, former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete, wrote on X that the “only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen’.”

“I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days – a self proclaimed devout Catholic – as Transgender Day of Visibility,” Jenner wrote. “The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen’.”

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., wrote on X: “This is the left’s new religion. They want people worshiping the trans flag instead of God. They must be stopped.”

EASTER IS MARCH 31 THIS YEAR. HERE’S WHY MANY CHRISTIANS WILL WAKE UP BEFORE SUNRISE TO CELEBRATE

Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called Biden out on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “Joe Biden just proclaimed that ‘Transgender Visibility Day’ is on Sunday, March 31st. I wonder how he came up with that date.”

Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., echoed Ramaswamy’s sentiments as he blasted Biden for the “coincidence on the timing.”

BIDEN SKEWERED AS ‘WORLD’S WORST CATHOLIC’ WHO CHEAPENS IRISH AND CATHOLIC IDENTITY

“Joe Biden has proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day of Visibility,’” Mooney wrote on X. “What a coincidence on the timing, right? This is a direct assault on Christianity. Yet another attack on religion and traditions by this administration.”

Tennessee Republican Rep. Diana Harshbarger said the announcement was “intentional” and slammed it as a “blatant disregard.”

“This is a direct assault on Christianity. It’s evident the left is determined to undermine our religion and traditions,” she wrote on X. “This isn’t just blatant disregard, it’s intentional.”

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson shared a screenshot of the White House statement, writing alongside it, “What a slap in the face to all Christians in America…”

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Fox News’ has reached out to the Trump campaign and the Biden Administration for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Connecticut has become one of the last holdout states to allow early in-person voting ahead of the state’s presidential primary on Tuesday. 

Saturday was the last day for early voting before Tuesday, which was marked by low turnout. 

Only 13,476 voters out of both Democrats and Republicans in the state came out to cast an early ballot. There are around 1.2 million voters registered for both parties in the state. 

WITH EYE TOWARD 2024 ELECTION, REPUBLICANS MAKE BIG PUSH FOR EARLY VOTING IN 2023

Signs dot the Town Green in Colchester, Conn., reminding people that they can vote early in the state’s presidential primary.  (AP Photo/Susan Haigh)

Voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2022 by 60% for the initiative, and the Senate last year approved a bill to allow 14 days of early voting for the general election. 

“This is a historic moment for Connecticut,” Stephanie Thomas, Secretary of the State, said in a statement after early voting began last Tuesday. “We now have so many more opportunities for people to go out and vote.”

She added, “We asked voters to help us test the system and make their voices heard, and voters of Connecticut answered the call.” 

The state has strict requirements to be eligible to vote by absentee ballot. 

Some Republicans had been concerned about voter security connected to early voting. 

A sign reminding people that they can cast their votes early in the April 2 presidential primary in Connecticut is seen outside Stonington Town Hall in Stonington, Conn. 

LARA TRUMP SAYS RNC MUST USE ‘LEGAL BALLOT HARVESTING’ FOR FIRST TIME TO STAY COMPETITIVE AGAINST DEMOCRATS

But Peggy Roberts, the Republican registrar of voters in Stonington, said the rollout has been “organized and secure.”

Voters “like the fact that they’re not having to stand in line,” she said. “In every town there’s a few people who think that it’s easy to cheat and they’re seeing that it’s not easy to cheat. It’s very organized and secure.”

When a voter casts an early ballot in the state, they’re immediately marked as having voted in the Centralized Voter Registration System to prevent cheating. 

Roberts added that looking up voters in the computer database has been time-consuming and may need to be streamlined before the general election. 

President Biden and former President Trump have already clinched their parties’ nominations.  (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images | Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Republican voter JoLynn Brochu, who voted early, worried there’s “Too much opportunity for cheating,” with the new system, but chose to do it anyway because, “I know Democrats take that opportunity at a much higher rate than Republicans do. So I think it’s important for Republicans to start doing the same thing.”

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Four states — Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi and New Hampshire — still don’t allow early voting. Delaware previously allowed early voting, but it was ruled unconstitutional in February. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A Texas Army veteran and seventh-grade math teacher has changed his name to “Literally Anybody Else” to run for president.

Else, whose former name was Dustin Ebey, legally changed his name in January and is urging Americans “to transcend the constraints of the status quo and embrace a bold vision for change,” according to his campaign website.

“In a landscape marred by the shadows of corruption and partisan gridlock, it’s time to break free from familiar shackles and demand something different. I believe that humans are not only rational but also moral beings, driven by a deep-seated sense of fairness and justice,” Else wrote on his campaign’s website.

TRUMP TOPS BIDEN WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD IN DEEP-RED STATE BEING TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS: POLL

A Texas Army veteran and seventh-grade math teacher has changed his name to “Literally Anybody Else” to run for president. (Literally Anybody Else campaign)

Else is looking to receive 113,000 signatures from Texas non-primary voters before a May deadline to secure his name on the general election ballot. Should he fail to do so, Else is urging his supporters to write in his name under the “neither” option.

“I never really had a desire to actually be president. It’s just, I want good leadership. This country deserves good leadership and we’ve fallen so far short of that goal that I felt like if nobody was going to stand up and at least make the message, it was going to be me,” Else told FOX TV stations, according to Fox 11.

“This isn’t the cross that I should bear. This shouldn’t be my burden. But if we’re all collectively suffering. If not me, then who? Who else can do this? I can’t do this on my own,” he added. “I have to have support from everyone out there. And so, if you have any way you can contribute, any way to send this message, any way to bring things back to normal, to bring things back to sanity, I implore you to help with the movement.”

FOX NEWS POLL: OVER HALF OF VOTERS SAY THEY ARE WORSE OFF COMPARED TO 2020

Else is looking to receive 113,000 signatures from Texas non-primary voters before a May deadline to secure his name on the general election ballot. (Literally Anybody Else campaign)

Else told another news station there “really should be some outlet for folks like me who are just so fed up with this constant power grab between the two parties that just has no benefit to the common person.”

The 35-year-old middle school teacher from North Richland Hills, Texas, outlined his campaign priorities on his website. Some of those priorities include affordable housing, improving education standards, securing the southern border, and providing healthcare for all Americans.

Else’s mission to garner support for his campaign comes as many Americans have expressed frustration and doubt over whether former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden have the ability to properly lead the nation.

When asked who Americans would trust more to lead the United States as president between the two, an ABC/Ipsos poll from earlier this month found that more respondents trust Trump, 36%, over Biden, who received 33%. However, 30% of respondents said they would trust neither candidate.

Else’s mission to garner support for his campaign comes as many Americans have expressed frustration and doubt over whether former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden have the ability to properly lead the nation. (Getty Images)

“In a time when politics has become more about the fight than the future, our campaign is dedicated to real solutions over sound bites,” Else wrote of his campaign online.

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Else, regardless of whether he wins or loses, reportedly plans to change his name back to Dustin Ebey.

Following a two-week controversy in Alabama, Republican leaders are affirming that they both support in-vitro fertilization and respect the sanctity of human life from conception.

At the same time, there appears to be no comprehensive solution to bridge the gap between pro-life beliefs and the widespread destruction of human embryos that the IVF industry demands.

Fox News Digital spoke to top Republican leaders and policy experts to get a grasp on how the GOP plans to tackle the IVF issue moving forward.

How IVF was thrust into the spotlight

On February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are legally considered children under the state’s long-standing pro-life laws — opening the possibility for legal action when intentionally terminating them at fertility clinics.

Photo shows a view of the Alabama Supreme Court in Montgomery, Alabama. (Andi Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The justices cited language in the Alabama Constitution that allows parents to sue over the death of a minor child and said that the 1872 law “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.” 

The reliably pro-life Alabama public also voted in 2018 to add language recognizing the “rights of unborn children.”

“Unborn children are ‘children’ … without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics,” Justice Jay Mitchell wrote in the ruling.

The backlash from IVF clinics — concerned that the standard practice of terminating vast amounts of human embryos could lead to criminal lawsuits — caught the pro-life GOP off-guard.

Immediately, sweeping protections for IVF procedures were pushed by Republicans on the local, state and national levels. Pro-choice advocates characterized the situation as incoherent with the party’s firm stance against unrestricted abortion access.

Even former President Donald Trump announced via his proprietary social media platform Truth Social that he “strongly support[s] the availability of IVF,” saying, “Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families. We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!”

Within two weeks, a Republican-backed piece of legislation granting “civil and criminal immunity for death or damage to an embryo” for people “providing or receiving services related to IVF” was passed and immediately signed into law by the governor. It extended the same immunity retroactively.

How the Alabama GOP feels about the situation in retrospect

Fox News Digital reached out to the Alabama Republican Party for their thoughts on how the IVF debate has unfolded in their state.

“The Alabama Republican Party is proudly pro-life and pro-family, as demonstrated by our Party’s platform. We believe in protecting people’s rights and freedoms from the beginning of life to the grave,” Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl told Fox News Digital. “We feel that support of in-vitro fertilization is completely consistent with that position. IVF gives parents who otherwise may not be able to conceive the opportunity to bring new life into the world.”

In the cell laboratory at the Fertility Center Berlin, an electron microscope is used to fertilize an egg cell.  (Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Wahl pointed Fox News Digital to the fact that the state supreme court’s ruling favored couples who felt victimized by the accidental loss of their frozen embryos.

“If you looked at what really happened in Alabama, this court case originated with families asking for help and a redress of grievance after they were victimized, losing the children they had hoped and prayed to bring into this world,” Wahl said. “The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court was actually in support of families engaged in the IVF process.”

Wahl told Fox News Digital that the most frustrating part of the media circus surrounding the court’s ruling was watching many outlets spin it as a purposeful encroachment by the government against couples seeking IVF.

“It’s sad to see the Democrat Party and the leftist mainstream media distort this court case and use it as a political weapon. If you looked at what really happened in Alabama, this court case originated with families asking for help and a redress of grievance after they were victimized, losing the children they had hoped and prayed to bring into this world,” Wahl said.

He continued, “The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court was actually in support of families engaged in the IVF process. The Alabama Republican Party has consistently demonstrated its commitment to protecting all human life, and speaking for those who have no voice. Liberal talking heads from around the country should remember what this case was about, and not twist it for their own agenda. We call on them to remember the Alabama families who were victimized and to be respectful of their loss.”

Having passed the legislation to stop an immediate shut-down of the IVF industry in the state, the Alabama Republican Party is now looking to craft a “solution that provides ethical boundaries while making sure families have access to IVF.”

“Where the problem lies is the lack of policy and regulation concerning the process as it pertains to the embryos themselves, which desperately needs to be addressed by the states, including Alabama,” Wahl told Fox News Digital. 

He continued, “Currently, Louisiana is the only state that has a law concerning IVF, which gives personhood status to embryos. The Alabama Republican Party believes strongly that IVF can be done while still respecting the sanctity of life.”

Louisiana is unique for its categorization of human embryos as “juridical persons” — protecting them from intentional destruction. It is only after the embryo fails to further develop naturally that it is considered non-viable and loses that protection.

Embryo tanks sit in the IVF lab of a women’s hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.  (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe)

“A viable in vitro fertilized human ovum is a juridical person which shall not be intentionally destroyed by any natural or other juridical person or through the actions of any other such person,” according to Louisiana civil code. “An in vitro fertilized human ovum that fails to develop further over a thirty-six hour period except when the embryo is in a state of cryopreservation, is considered non-viable and is not considered a juridical person.”

Understanding the GOP’s internal conflict between ‘sanctity of human life’ and IVF

“We often call the fertility industry the ‘Wild West,’ because these aspects of the practice are unregulated,’ said Emma Waters, a senior research associate at the DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family. 

She explained, “For example, the CDC requires fertility clinics — without an enforcement mechanism — to report their overall success rates in a single IVF cycle. This only considers the embryos implanted in a woman that result in a live birth, it does not consider the total number of embryos created.”

In her position, Waters is responsible for evaluating and contributing to research regarding key social issues related to conservative values and policy. 

IVF has become one of her most in-demand areas of expertise — despite only 2.3% of births in the U.S. being the result of IVF, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Waters told Fox News Digital that her data research — hampered by the lack of required logistical reports from clinics — shows a tremendous gap between the number of embryos created and the number of embryos implanted in hopes of a viable pregnancy.

A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. (REUTERS/Tami Chappell/File Photo)

“From 2021 data from the CDC (the most recent year available) we know that over 413,000 assisted reproductive technology cycles, of which the majority are IVF, were completed in a single year. Of these 413,000 cycles, only a little over 97,000 children were born. This is a ‘success rate’ of about 23%. From anecdotal data, a conservative estimate suggests that as few as eight embryos may be created in a single round, but it is more likely than 15–20 embryos are created in a single round of IVF,” Waters explained. 

She continued, “If we assume that, on average, 10 embryos are created in a cycle of IVF or reproductive technology, this means that over 4.1 million embryos are created annually, and yet only 97,000 children born. This means that roughly 97% of embryos created do not result in a live birth and are instead destroyed, frozen or donated to research. For the embryo involved, IVF has very low success rates indeed.”

This means that the fundamental question for members of the pro-life movement who voice support for IVF, as it is practiced today, is whether intentional destruction of embryos is acceptable practice for fertility clinics.

What pro-life leaders in the party are saying about IVF

Perhaps the most prominent pro-life Republican pushing to protect IVF clinics is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Johnson, a deeply religious evangelical Christian, has been a fierce advocate for pro-life policies throughout his career.

When pressed on IVF and the large-scale termination of human embryos it currently produces, Johnson acknowledged ethical concerns and urged responsible policymaking, but he didn’t offer concrete recommendations.

“Speaker Johnson has long advocated for the sanctity of every human life and worked to help foster a culture that encourages family creation and supports mothers and babies,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

A container with frozen embryos and sperm stored in liquid nitrogen is removed at a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The spokesperson added, “He has touted the positive benefits of IVF treatments and has encouraged states to take up the issue responsibly and ethically.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence, another long-standing ally of the anti-abortion movement in a similar vein to Johnson, is in a similar situation after voicing support for IVF following the Alabama ruling.

Fox News Digital reached out to Advancing American Freedom (AAF), the conservative policy advocacy group founded by Pence. The organization is the center of the former VP’s political activity following his time in office.

Similar to Johnson, AAF said it supports both IVF and pro-life policy ethics, but it was more explicit in condemning current IVF practices and offered some starting points.

“Life begins at conception. Advancing American Freedom celebrates the millions of people who were born as a result of in vitro fertilization (IVF), but mourns the countless unborn children who are carelessly discarded or indefinitely frozen under current industry practices,” said AAF Policy Director John Shelton. 

Shelton continued, “American families deserve more humane technology, more compassionate practices (like embryo adoption), and better safeguards for their children. No other countries settled for such a tragic status quo, and neither should the greatest nation on earth.”

‘Controversial practices’ beyond normal IVF 

Intentional terminations of human embryos usually occur at multiple points along the IVF treatment process, and for a variety of reasons. 

Embryos are at risk of perishing due to failure to develop after fertilization, or they could fail to implant inside the woman hoping to become pregnant.

The pro-life position regards these instances no more ethically questionable than natural impregnation — which can also result in the unintended death of the embryo or fetus.

More concerning is when IVF embryos are intentionally destroyed for selective breeding purposes.

“Seventy-five percent of clinics offer such preimplantation genetic testing, and 73% allow for sex-selection and other eugenic practices that are often illegal even in abortion,” Waters told Fox News Digital.

An embryologist works on a petri dish at a fertility clinic in the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Medical literature available from the government and other health regulatory bodies affirms this reality. While often acknowledged as “controversial,” the U.S. has virtually no restrictions on terminating IVF embryos for disabilities or undesired characteristics.

“If you or your partner is at risk of passing on a genetic disorder to your child, your health care team might recommend getting a procedure that involves IVF,” the Mayo Clinic explains in its website’s in vitro fertilization overview. “It’s called preimplantation genetic testing. After the eggs are harvested and fertilized, they’re checked for certain genetic problems.”

Sex-selective IVF — which leads to the freezing or destruction of any created embryos not of the patient’s desired gender — is available in many states.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has acknowledged the reality of sex-selective IVF being advertised as a flagship service by boutique clinics, as well as the moral questions it raises. 

But ASRM explicitly avoids taking an ethical stance on the practice.

“Nonmedical use of preconception sex selection and in vitro fertilization (IVF) with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) for sex selection are controversial practices,” the ASRM Ethics Committee wrote in a document outlining the practice. 

The text continues, “Because these practices are ethically controversial, clinics are encouraged to develop and make available their policies on the provision of nonmedical sex selection, and to accommodate employees’ decisions about whether or not to participate in such treatment.”

In its policy platform, the Republican Party “[calls] on Congress to ban sex-selection abortions and abortions based on disabilities — discrimination in its most lethal form.”

A model of the female reproductive system and an embryo transfer catheter, in a medical office in Fountain Valley, California. (Jay L. Clendenin/for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The future of IVF in the Republican Party platform

The Republican Party’s platform on IVF is still largely undefined, and its future will be determined by voters’ priorities and discussions by policymakers.

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“Many Republicans may feel like they are trapped in a strict binary between either being ‘pro-IVF’ with no regulations, or painted as anti-IVF, a politically suicidal position. Most Republican lawmakers, however, seem instinctively drawn to a position of enforcing a well-regulated form of IVF,” Waters told Fox News Digital.

She continued, “We should continue encouraging lawmakers to pursue a nuanced and life-sparing form of IVF as they seek to govern it in a way that is consistent with the pro-life ethic; namely that life begins at the moment of conception and deserves the right to life, regardless of where they are conceived.”

It was a rough week for No Labels, the influential centrist group that’s been working for over a year towards launching a bipartisan, third-party 2024 presidential ticket.

Hours after former New Jersey governor and two-time Republican White House contender Chris Christie announced he wouldn’t join the No Labels so-called “unity” ticket, their most well-known champion died.

The group suffered a major loss with the death of former longtime Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee and a 2004 presidential candidate who later became an independent and was a No Labels founding co-chair.

In public, Lieberman was a tireless defender of the group’s push for a third-party ticket. And privately, he was a key player in No Labels’ recruitment efforts.

No Labels founding co-chair and former Sen. Joe Lieberman appears at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Lieberman also repeatedly emphasized that Americans were anything but enthused about a 2024 rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, and he regularly pushed back against warnings from Democrats that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in November.

“That’s not our goal here,” Lieberman told Fox News Digital late last year. “We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.“

Hours before Lieberman’s death, Christie became the latest high-profile politician to decline to join a 2024 No Labels ticket, along with fellow Republicans in former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, and moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

CHRISTIE SAYS NO TO RUNNING ON NO LABELS PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

There was also plenty of speculation that former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was the final 2024 GOP presidential nomination rival to Trump before she ended her White House run earlier this month, would consider running on a No Labels ticket. No Labels had expressed interest in her earlier this year.

But Haley repeatedly nixed joining a No Labels ticket, most recently in an interview on “FOX and Friends.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a two-time candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, speaks to Fox News Digital in Derry, New Hampshire, on Nov. 21, 2023. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser )

Christie, a vocal GOP critic of Trump who made his opposition to the former president the centerpiece of his unsuccessful 2024 campaign, said in a statement that “while I believe this is a conversation that needs to be had with the American people, I also believe that if there is not a pathway to win and if my candidacy in any way, shape or form would help Donald Trump become president again, then it is not the way forward.”

As Christie looked into the possibility of joining a No Labels third-party ticket in recent weeks, sources confirmed to Fox News he commissioned polling before deciding against the move. 

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, another vocal GOP critic of Trump, was also courted. No Labels repeatedly reached out to Sununu and indicated in conversations that he was one of their top choices based on focus group data, a source familiar with those conversations confirmed to Fox News. 

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“The Governor politely entertained their appeals, and indicated at numerous stages throughout the conversations that he had no interest in serving on their ticket. They reached out again at the beginning of March, and he once again told them no,” the source said.

Longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams said that much of the hesitancy appears to be “a great concern that a third-party run on any ticket could help Trump. If you don’t like Trump, you don’t want to help him.”

And Williams, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, noted that running for president is a massive endeavor which “takes up much of your life. Without a clear path at this point for a third-party candidate, that’s a big sacrifice to make.”

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. gestures next to Nicole Shanahan as she becomes his running mate in Oakland, California, on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Laure Andrillon)

Complicating No Labels efforts is independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty is grabbing plenty of attention as he polls higher than any other third-party White House contender since Ross Perot over three decades ago.

NAMING A RUNNING MATE MAY BOOST ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR’S BALLOT ACCESS BID

Despite setbacks this week, No Labels continues its mission of obtaining ballot access across the country. Hours before word of Lieberman’s death, the group announced that it has officially qualified for the ballot in 19 states.

No Labels leadership and guests, from left: Pat McCrory, Co-Executive Director Margaret White, Dan Webb, National Co-Chair Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis and former Sen. Joe Lieberman speak about the 2024 election at the National Press Club, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Lieberman, in announcing earlier this month the formation of a committee to vet contenders for the potential bipartisan ticket, wrote that “if we find two candidates that meet our high threshold, we will recommend that ticket to No Labels’ delegates for a nomination vote at a National Nominating Convention that will be held later this spring.”

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But he acknowledged that “if No Labels is unable to find candidates who meet this high threshold, then we simply will not offer our ballot line to anyone.”

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

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican and local attorney running to unseat a Democrat in a battleground House district appears to have scrubbed his law firm’s website of work it had done defending people accused of violent crimes prior to launching his campaign for Congress last year.

Tayler Rahm, who runs Rahm Law, PLLC in Minnetonka, Minnesota, is running to represent the state’s 2nd Congressional District, a seat currently held by Democrat Rep. Angie Craig and being targeted as a top flip opportunity by national Republicans.

Rahm launched his campaign in June of last year, but with a notable change to his firm’s website that excluded references touting its experience with “many major felony cases including: drugs, assault, criminal sexual conduct, theft/embezzlement, murder and more” that still appeared on the site just months earlier.

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT FACING PRESSURE TO RESIGN AFTER MOCKING EASTER ONLINE WITH DRAG, ABORTION REFERENCES

Republican congressional candidate and attorney Tayler Rahm. (Rahm for Congress)

“There is no case too small or too big for the Law Firm, as Mr. Rahm has been involved in hundreds of DUI/DWI cases achieving incredible results and he has been involved in many other major Cases,” the firm’s website now reads.

Rahm previously served as the defense attorney during the sentencing phase for a man convicted of sexually assaulting a pre-teen girl, in addition to defending an individual convicted of possessing child pornography, and another individual convicted of first-degree murder.

It is unclear exactly when or why the change to the website was made. However, since launching his campaign, he has dedicated part of his platform to addressing “out-of-control” crime.

“Tayler has had a front row seat to witness the progressive prosecutors and progressive judges create a standard that erases or lessens the consequences of criminal actions, thus emboldening the criminals,” Rahm’s campaign website says. 

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

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

”It is time to reduce violent crimes by arresting, prosecuting and sending violent criminals to prison. This is an urgent issue that cannot wait and we must be proactive because if we continue to wait, the violent crime and massive amounts of illegal drugs will be in our neighborhoods and our children’s school before we know it,” it adds.

When reached for comment, Rahm did not address the website change, but instead told Fox News Digital that through his experience as a trial attorney, he had “a front-row seat to the two-tier justice system in this country.”

“We have seen corrupt prosecutors across the country go after Donald J. Trump, and here in Minnesota, we have watched the U.S. Attorney’s office and Attorney General’s office target and convict law enforcement officers,” Rahm said. “It is not defense lawyers who create the two-tier justice system but prosecutors.” 

“If we live in a country where they can go after President Donald Trump and Law Enforcement, everyone should have a defense lawyer on speed dial,” he said. 

HILLARY CLINTON WADES INTO CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND SENATE RACE THAT COULD DETERMINE BALANCE OF POWER

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump gestures to supporters during an election night watch party at the State Fairgrounds on February 24, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Rahm went on to blast an unnamed primary opponent — likely Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab — for giving “sweetheart plea deals” in his former role, and said that the U.S. Constitution “guarantees everyone the right to an attorney, the presumption of innocence and due process.”

“Prosecutors are signing off on plea agreements, allowing criminals to escape serious consequences. Trust me, I see it every day,” he said. “The D.C. swamp is trying to put its thumb on the scale of picking the MN-02 candidate. Still, the district delegates know who will fight to represent them, not the swamp, and they know who will defend their constitutional rights and civil liberties.”

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Rahm faces two Republican opponents in the GOP primary field, including Teirab, and Mike Murphy, a former mayor. The winner will face Craig, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Elections analysts rate the race as “lean Democratic.” 

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

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s 2024 legislative session again showcased contrasting Republican approaches to governing, while minority Democrats couldn’t leverage those differences to advance top policy priorities.

And while many GOP initiatives in the state Senate seemed like appeals to that party’s primary voters, Republicans are hoping tax cuts and a harder line on immigration will carry them to victory in November’s legislative races. Democrats walked away more furious than ever about the failure to expand Medicaid health insurance, one cornerstone of their campaign to make gains in the state House.

TRUMP APPEALS GEORGIA COURT ORDER THAT KEEPS FANI WILLIS ON THE CASE: ‘SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED’

In the background of 2024 campaigns for all 236 state legislative seats is jockeying for elections to statewide office in 2026. Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, displaying a conservative edge, seems more likely than ever to run to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, as many GOP lawmakers try to satisfy an activist base.

Georgia House Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington and Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Auburn, speak to reporters after the House adjourns in the early hours of Friday, March 29, 2024 in Atlanta. Georgia’s two-year legislative session ended early Friday, after lawmakers stayed past midnight on Thursday pass some bills and reject others as the term ended.  (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP)

Some issues unified Republicans, including speeding up an income tax cut, uniting around a crackdown on undocumented immigrants in jails, and pay raises for teachers and state employees.

But there’s a continuing power struggle between the chambers. Last year, that conflict burst into the open, with House and Senate leaders killing bills from the other chamber in a dispute that was set off by Jones’ push to loosen health care permitting requirements.

Jones won a partial loosening of those rules this year, and conflict overall was less public. But sharp disagreements were evident as each chamber completely disregarded measures passed by the other.

“You know, some folks choose politics. The House chooses results,” Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington told reporters moments after the House adjourned at 12:58 a.m. Friday. He and other House leaders said they instead focused on “kitchen table” issues often funded through the budget, like a spending boost for prekindergarten programs.

Divisions showed in how, even more than normal, decisions cascaded into the last hours of the last legislative day. Both the House and Senate blew past a once-sacrosanct midnight deadline.

“There were a lot of challenges and tensions between the two chambers. It’s not the first time, but it was particularly elevated this year.” said Rep. Scott Holcomb. The Atlanta Democrat again saw the Senate snub his push to compensate people released from prison after they are exonerated, even though top House Republicans supported the effort.

That was far from the only initiative that failed. The Senate spent precious time on the session’s last day passing a ban on puberty blocking drugs for transgender youth, but the bill sank without a trace in the House. So did an education bill that sought to cut back on sex education and write a ban on transgender girls playing girls’ sports into law, as well as a Senate bill banning public money from being spent on what Republican senators say is the left-wing American Library Association.

“To me, the 2024 session was a battle of the far-right Senate versus the moderate Republican House, in which the House ultimately prevailed by stopping the vast majority of these culture war issues, from attacks against transgender youth to putting a Clarence Thomas monument on the Capitol grounds,” House Minority Whip Sam Park, a Lawrenceville Democrat, said Friday.

But on some other terms, the Senate may the winner. All of the priorities the Senate Republican Caucus announced in January became law. That included a bill requiring cash bail for more crimes, and a call for private and home school vouchers that finally passed the House after Kemp and House leaders joined the push. A Senate-backed bill requiring parental consent before children younger than 16 can sign up for social media is also on the way to Kemp’s desk.

“I’m proud of all that the Senate accomplished this session, promoting an agenda to help Georgia families, expand access to health care, support HBCUs, crack down on sanctuary policies and protect women’s sports,” Jones said in a statement Friday. “These issues are a marathon, not a sprint, and we’ll continue to build on our accomplishments year after year to enact policies that lift up the middle class and fight back against radical Democrats’ insanity.”

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For Democrats, though, it was another year of frustration. After Burns opened the door to Medicaid expansion, the minority party worked feverishly to try to expand health coverage to lower-income adults. They even believed they had a deal with Senate leadership to bring forward a bill at the last minute, only to claim betrayal after it was voted down in committee by Republicans who said they wanted to support Kemp’s struggling Pathways program that offers insurance only with proof of work or study.

“The problem is that Georgia’s health care policy failures are deliberate choices made by Gov. Kemp and the Republican leadership in the legislature,” outgoing House Minority Leader Gloria Butler, a Stone Mountain Democrat, told reporters. “We were told to let them cook. We were told that if we were nice to Republicans and if we asked politely, Medicaid expansion would be on the table. But guess what? It is still on the table.”

President Biden appealed to supporters of Nikki Haley in a new campaign ad on Friday. 

“If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote,” the ad begins, showing clips of the presumptive Republican nominee Trump calling the former South Carolina governor Haley “bird brain” and claiming she made an “unholy alliance with RINOs, Never Trumpers, [and] Americans for No Prosperity.” 

Another clip later in the ad shows Trump telling a reporter he didn’t think “we need too many” after he was asked about how to “bring Haley voters back into the tent.” 

“Nikki Haley voters, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote,” Biden wrote on X, linking to the ad. “I want to be clear: There is a place for you in my campaign.”

WEALTHY NIKKI HALEY VOTERS LAUNCH EFFORT TO BOOST BIDEN OVER TRUMP: REPORT

Biden and Trump are vying for Nikki Haley’s voters in the general election.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Haley dropped out of the presidential race after Super Tuesday earlier this month, following losses in almost every state to Trump. She had remained in the race as Trump’s last opponent for the nomination despite his almost insurmountable lead, because she felt voters deserved another choice. 

After leaving the race, Haley, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, didn’t endorse him. 

TRUMP’S AIMS TO TROUNCE BIDEN’S RECORD $26 MILLION HAUL AT UPCOMING FLORIDA FUNDRAISER: ‘WE FEEL REALLY GOOD’

In just Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada — three important battleground states — Haley earned nearly 570,000 votes. 

After Super Tuesday, Trump said on Truth Social he would “like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY.” 

Before she dropped out, Trump had warned that anyone who donated to Haley’s campaign would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”

Nikki Haley, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President Trump, didn’t endorse him when she dropped out of the race earlier this month.  (Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign and a representative for Haley for comment. 

Embattled Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis in a speech Friday seemed to defy a judge’s recent warning to not play “the race card,” insisting she’ll talk about race “anyway.”

During her remarks at the South Fulton Women of the Shield Awards, Wills said that “it’s hard out here always having to prove yourself two and three times.” 

“Recently, they tell me they don’t like me to talk about race. Well, I’m going to talk about it anyway,” she remarked. 

Wills’ comments seemed to be in reference to the recent order by Judge Scott McAfee in which he said that her racially charged rhetoric of “playing the race card” was “legally improper.”

JUDGE IN GEORGIA SLAMS FANI WILLIS’ ‘IMPROPER’ CHURCH SPEECH, ‘PLAYING THE RACE CARD’

Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on March 1. (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)

McAfee’s comments were in his decision that said Willis could stay on the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump if she removed special counsel Nathan Wade, with whom she was accused of having had an “improper” affair. 

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

In his order, McAfee separately took issue with a speech made by Willis at an Atlanta church in January of this year, when she claimed she and Wade were being scrutinized because of their race. 

While Willis later claimed not to be referring to the defendants in her accusations of racism, McAfee warned that such a distinction was not clear.

“In these public and televised comments, the District Attorney complained that a Fulton County Commissioner ‘and so many others’ questioned her decision to hire SADA Wade. When referring to her detractors throughout the speech, she frequently utilized the plural ‘they.’ The State argues the speech was not aimed at any of the Defendants in this case. Maybe so. But maybe not. Therein lies the danger of public comment by a prosecuting attorney,” McAfee wrote.

The judge found that Willis’ reference to “so many others” in her speech at the church left ambiguous who she was accusing of racial motivations — coming dangerously close to compromising the case.

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Feb. 15. (Alyssa Pointer)

“Truth is, there’s some challenges that come with being Black. And I see so much greatness in this city that has so many great African American leaders. And I appreciate all of the sacrifice that you all have had to make to be in these positions,” Willis said to the crowd on Friday.

KEY WITNESS IN FANI WILLIS CASE TESTIFIES HE MAY HAVE LIED IN TEXTS ABOUT FRIENDS’ AFFAIR

Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images )

The event, hosted by the South Fulton Police Department, was held to “shine a spotlight on 12 extraordinary women who have made remarkable contributions to law enforcement and community impact.”

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Willis thanked South Fulton Police Department Chief Keith Meadows for having “the intelligence to create an event like this where we recognize that you’ve had to go through a little more to serve.” 

A federal judge from Washington, D.C., is facing criticism for what experts are calling “inappropriate” comments about former President Trump in a media interview as Trump faces a federal trial in the judge’s district. 

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton for the District of Columbia appeared in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday after Trump criticized the daughter of New York Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case scheduled to go to trial April 15. 

Walton, in a rare media appearance for a sitting judge, sat for the interview Thursday and criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “very disconcerting.”

But legal experts tell Fox News Digital that Walton’s comments were “inappropriate” because Trump is a defendant in Walton’s district in a separate case brought by special counsel Jack Smith’s case.

NEW YORK JUDGE IMPOSES GAG ORDER ON TRUMP IN BRAGG HUSH MONEY CASE

Reggie B. Walton, judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

“Judge Reggie Walton is a sitting federal judge in a district where Donald Trump is currently a criminal defendant with an active case. He should not be publicly commenting in media interviews on anything related to him, full stop,” said Kerri Kupec Urbhan, former counselor to Attorney General Bill Barr and Fox News legal editor.

“This is yet another example of a lack of regard for the appearance of fairness when it comes to Donald Trump, which, whether you like Trump or not, flies in the face of what judges and the justice system are supposed to be about.”

TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL TO BEGIN APRIL 15, JUDGE RULES, DENYING MOTION TO DELAY

Merchan this week imposed a gag order on the former president and 2024 GOP presumptive nominee ahead of the trial next month. In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump referenced the judge’s daughter by name and called her a “Rabid Trump Hater” for her associations with a firm that’s consulted Democratic candidates and causes, suggesting that “totally compromised” her father and calling for his removal from the case. 

Merchan issued the gag order against Trump Tuesday, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they establish “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” 

Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation or about counsel in the case — other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff.

Former President Trump speaks during a press conference at 40 Wall Street after a pretrial hearing March 25, 2024, in New York City.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Trump also referred to a Twitter account formerly owned by Merchan’s daughter that features a picture of Trump behind prison bars as the profile image. 

Walton, who has also presided over Jan. 6, 2021, cases in his district, told CNN he was “concerned” about Trump’s comments. 

“We have had judges who’ve lost their lives or family members who’ve lost their lives as a result of individuals who have been litigants in their courtroom. And I think it’s important in order to preserve our democracy that we maintain the rule of law,” he said.

MANHATTAN DA BRAGG REQUESTS JUDGE IMPOSE GAG ORDER ON TRUMP DURING HUSH MONEY CASE

New York Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the hush money case scheduled to go to trial April 15.  (Marc A. Hermann/POLARIS)

“The rule of law can only be maintained if we have independent judicial officers … and that the law is applied equally to everyone who appears in our courthouse.

“I think it’s important that, as judges, we speak out and say things and reference to things that conceivably are going to impact on the process, because if we don’t have a viable court system, we have tyranny.” 

Walton’s office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

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John Shu, a constitutional attorney who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital Walton’s comments were “unseemly.” 

“It’s unseemly for Judge Walton to publicly discuss Trump or a Trump case, regardless of which one, because one of Trump’s active criminal cases is in Judge Walton’s court, the federal district court in D.C.,” he said. 

Shu added that “it seems that the interviewer wrongly conflated Trump’s harsh social media critiques about Judge Merchan and his daughter – which probably fall within First Amendment protections – and the awful, actual threats that Judge Walton and his family faced, which are considered criminal behavior and thus not protected speech.”

“Just like the awful, actual threats that Justices Alito, Coney Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Roberts and Thomas and their respective families had to deal with after the Dobbs draft opinion leak,” Shu noted. 

Following the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court opinion, which eventually overturned Roe v. Wade, crowds of protesters swarmed the homes of several of the justices in the majority opinion for several days. One man was charged with plotting an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 

Carrie Severino, the president of Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) and former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, said ensuring the safety of judges and their families is critical for the rule of law. 

But, she said, “it’s surprising that some of the people who have praised Judge Walton for his comments weren’t speaking out when there was an attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, or when left-wing groups doxxed six of the justices and illegally protested at their homes after the Dobbs opinion leaked.”

Merchan announced Monday that the trial will begin April 15. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.