Ukraine is the new obsession for Washington’s war hawks. ‘As long as it takes’ remains the mantra of the Biden administration regarding support for Ukraine. 

According to reports from September’s U.N. General Assembly meeting, U.S. and G-7 allies expect the war in Ukraine to continue for at least six to seven years. Of course, the other implication is ‘as much as it takes.’ No price tag is too high. No weapons system is off the table. All questions of risk and tradeoffs, along with those who raise them, are causally dismissed. 

Ukraine is officially America’s new endless war.

The deep state’s memory is short and rose-tinted. The Biden administration employs the same rhetoric and tactics that the Bush and Obama administrations used to conduct indefinite military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention undeclared intervention in Libya, Syria, and beyond. With billions flowing from the U.S. to the Ukrainian government in ‘economic support,’ long-term security guarantees, and the reconstruction effort already underway, we can’t help but feel a sense of deja vu. 

The United States is heading down the same path that mired us in Middle Eastern conflicts for over two decades, all without clearly articulating the objective or how victory is achieved. 

The time is ripe for a national conversation regarding a real strategy for Ukraine.

Last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S. prompted members of Congress to ask ‘how he plans to win the conflict.’ Such deference to the interests of one foreign leader on the receiving end of a massive payday from the American taxpayers should be raising more eyebrows. The Biden administration extends President Zelenskyy unlimited access to America’s checkbook without accountability or communicating U.S. objectives and expectations for success.

When pressed on accountability concerns, the Biden administration heralds the Offices of Inspector General from the Department of Defense, State, and USAID now overseeing the $113 billion in appropriated funds for Ukraine. They point to ‘a decade of shared experience gained from joint oversight of eight different overseas contingency operations.’ 

The administration conveniently forgets to mention the spectacular failure of oversight of these overseas contingency operations, and how the same agencies in charge covered up instances of waste, at times deliberately misleading the American public on the progress made in Afghanistan and Iraq. They also fail to mention their opposition to a more formal structure of establishing a Special Inspector General.

Thus far, Congress has been content to placate Ukraine by punting on any conversation regarding an actual strategy. But the winds are shifting. Skepticism from some, and outright opposition from others, continues to grow among fiscal conservatives and foreign policy realists on additional supplemental appropriations. The time is ripe for a national conversation regarding a real strategy for Ukraine.

The American people deserve answers before more of their money is sent to Ukraine. To that end, we are introducing the Define the Mission Act, legislation that would require President Biden to submit a comprehensive strategy to Congress regarding U.S. involvement in Ukraine. 

Further, it would require the president to be upfront with Congress and the American people by explaining how Ukraine fits into our national interest, how much more time and money will be expected to achieve our objectives, and how much Europe plans to contribute to the war taking place in their backyard. 

Congress owes it to the American people, who are fatigued from decades of war in the Middle East, to hear from their president, not President Zelenskyy, the plan for U.S. engagement in Ukraine moving forward. 

‘As long as it takes’ will no longer suffice.   

Republican Mike Lee represents Utah in the United States Senate.

Republican Warren Davidson represents Ohio’s Eighth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

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FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are sounding the alarm over a former Biden aide’s 2017 messages to Hunter Biden regarding his CCP-linked business partner willing to wire Hunter tens of thousands of dollars to help him pay off several bills, according to a new batch of messages released by the House Ways and Means Committee last week.

Fran Person, who had previously served as a longtime adviser to the elder Biden and was a failed congressional candidate in 2016, told Hunter in a July 2017 WhatsApp message that he and Bo Zhang, Person’s business partner with ties to top CCP leaders, wanted to help Hunter financially in the midst of his rocky divorce.

‘100K at least gets me until next month,’ Hunter wrote at the time, prompting Person to respond, ‘He will help you with what you need,’ referring to Zhang.

House Republicans told Fox News Digital the exchange further points to alleged influence peddling by the Biden family.

‘The House Ways and Means Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Jason Smith, has uncovered more damning evidence showing how involved senior members of former Vice President Biden’s senior staff were with Hunter Biden and his corrupt foreign business dealings in Communist China,’ said House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. 

‘The American people have a right to know if their President is compromised, and House Republicans will follow the facts wherever they lead us during our impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Accountability is here.’

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which is leading its own probe of the Biden family, slammed the Biden family and said their ‘corrupt deals and affiliations with CCP-linked individuals and companies are a threat to America’s national security.’

‘The Oversight Committee will continue to investigate and follow the money to determine whether President Biden is compromised by his family’s dealings,’ Comer continued. ‘Americans deserve to know that their public offices are not for sale.’

‘We know how the CCP operates,’ added Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., a member of the House Oversight Committee. ‘They don’t do anything that isn’t for their own good in the long run.’

‘Individuals that are very close with Xi Jinping wanted to make sure they could keep Hunter and Joe Biden in their pocket and were willing to pay big bucks. I don’t think there’s any way they didn’t get policy decisions in exchange,’ Burchett said.

Fox News Digital reported last week that Person, who went into business with Zhang shortly after leaving the White House, had offered Zhang’s financial help to Hunter in the 2017 messages.

‘I talked to Bo previously about the 37K – he didn’t flinch. I will talk to him about 56K and possibly 100K,’ Person said. ‘It really depends on his liquid assets in the US…I will ask. His only problem is getting large sums out of China (especially right now).’

The next day, Hunter asked Person if he knew whether anything was wired or if they were in a ‘holding pattern,’ prompting Person to respond, ‘No holding pattern…he was on his way to the bank this morning. He will be in touch when it’s confirmed.’

‘He will help you with what you need. He also mentioned that you should take a trip to China some time this month to just get away for a week or so…just decompress,’ Person added. An email in late August 2017 shows that Hunter was scheduled to fly first class to Hong Kong, but it is unclear whether that was related to visiting with Bo.

Fox News Digital first reported on a 2015 email from Fran to Hunter laying out how powerful Zhang’s family was in China with their real estate empire and that he was ‘being groomed to take over his family’s dynasty.’ The email also said the Zhang family has ‘great respect and relationships in China’ and that his father-in-law was the governor of the Hainan province.

His father-in-law, Liu Cigui, is a longtime member of the CCP and has held several leadership positions over the last 15 or more years.

Cigui is also considered a ‘loyalist’ of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Another one of Zhang’s CCP ties was revealed in a December 2013 Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing with the Justice Department, which listed Zhang as the ‘foreign principal.’ The filing noted his relationship with Chinese government official Liu Guoqiang, who was the vice chairman of the Liaoning Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is a ‘key part’ of China’s ‘United Front’ work, The Diplomat reported last year.

‘We continue to reveal incredibly condemning evidence of influence peddling by Hunter Biden, and vast sums of cash delivered to Biden family members through 20 shell companies,’ Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., another Oversight Committee member, told Fox News Digital on Monday. 

‘Joe Biden’s influence in DC is exactly what was for sale,’ he said. ‘Our inaugurated President is clearly compromised, and the repeated behaviors we’ve revealed most certainly call for his impeachment. Abuse of power, betrayal of oath, bribery, crimes of high office, and ultimately perhaps… once the totality of evidence is considered… treason.’

‘It’s been widely reported that Hunter Biden received $80,000 in diamonds from a now-defunct Chinese energy interest, let a political supporter pay his delinquent tax bill to the tune of $2 million, and deceived about paying $50,000 per month in rent,’ added Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. ‘Why would anyone be surprised he would reach out to CCP contacts for additional spending money?’

Another text message at the end of July 2017 reveals that Zhang offered his home for Hunter to stay at. During a July 24, 2017, message exchange, Hunter and Person were determining whether to meet with Zhang at his house or the pricey mansion in McLean, Virginia, that Hunter’s father was renting shortly after leaving office.

‘Let’s meet at Beaus [sic] house or even better 626 Chain Bridge – JRB’s I’m only one that will be there,’ Hunter said.

Person apologized that he was on a conference call and listed a few meetings he had before Hunter said, ‘Ok then let’s say 1 PM at chain bridge Rd. I will plan on that unless I hear other wise.’

‘Ok sounds good. I talked to Bo. He’s good for anything He said 11am, 1pm your house, his house its all good,’ Person said.

Person went on to say that Zhang’s house was ‘unreal’ and that he ‘won’t be there much at least for another couple years.’ He added that Hunter should ‘f’n stay at his house’ and that it was furnished. It is unclear whether Hunter took Bo up on the offer to stay at the McLean, Virginia, mansion, which, according to online records, has six bedrooms and nine full bathrooms and was recently sold for over $5 million.

At the beginning of August 2017, Hunter texted Fran ‘Ok- want to talk Hong Kong and whether Bo intends to do 100 or understandable — done his part.’ Fox News Digital could not confirm whether Bo wired the full $100,000 or whether there were other wire payments to Hunter.

In another WhatsApp message released by the House Ways and Means Committee, Hunter told Person in October 2017 to ‘Send me terms on cash you’re trying to raise please and Bo’s bank wiring instructions.’ 

There was no response to that message from Person in the latest batch of messages, but the batch says the message was related to ‘CEFC’ China Energy. One of the earlier texts between Person and Hunter revealed that Zhang wanted to do a ‘due diligence check’ on Hunter’s CEFC contact for him. It is unclear whether these messages are related or whether Bo was involved with CEFC.

In one of the earlier text exchanges, Person told Hunter he ‘selfishly want[s] to work’ with him ‘because I know what the hell your capable of, AND I want to learn from you. I’m putting myself out there right now, and I’m learning quickly.’ He continued, ‘But I’d love to be there with you doing some of this stuff. I mention the 500K on 10M raise be I’m about to get started on that, and I could really use your help. We could knock it out together. I’d think that’d help take some bite out, and you wouldn’t feel like your ‘resorting’ to anything.’

‘I’ve got one loyalty brother. That’s to my family. Your family,’ Person added.

A Politico profile on Person that was written when he left then-Vice President Biden’s office in 2014 shows how close he was with Biden and other top administration officials. The piece said that Person traveled to 49 of the 50 countries Biden traveled to, including China and Serbia. 

Then-Second Lady Jill Biden was quoted saying, ‘Fran has been like a son to Joe and me. For eight years, we traveled the country, shared holidays together … Fran may be leaving the office, but he will always be a part of our family.’

Biden reflected on Person’s tenure working for him by saying, ‘In times of urgency, everyone from the Secret Service to my communications and policy teams, the first guy they go to is Fran.’ He added, ‘People know that he has my ear whenever he wants it.’ 

Less than six months later in January 2015, Person helped launch Harves Global Entertainment, an affiliate of the China-based Harves Century Group that has deep ties to the CCP. 

Person frequently emailed with Hunter and his longtime business partner, Eric Schwerin, then-president of the now-defunct Rosemont Seneca Partners, about business dealings associated with the Harves Group in 2015 and 2016, and he made multiple visits to the White House during that time, including attending a White House holiday reception in December 2015 with Zhang. Person previously told Fox News Digital the White House visits were ‘personal in nature’ and that he was ‘visiting with old colleagues and friends.’

Emails from Schwerin said that Hunter’s company held financial interests in multiple Harves affiliates, including a 5% stake with Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both of which fall under Harves Group.

Person repeated his previous claim to Fox News Digital for a story last month saying that neither Hunter nor any of his associates ever owned equity in any Harves entity or affiliate, despite multiple emails from Schwerin to Hunter contradicting this claim. A recent Washington Post fact check also noted that Rosemont Seneca Advisors had ‘a 5 percent stake in Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both in China.’

‘Like many similar companies in the attractions industry affected during the global pandemic, Harves Global Entertainment’s operations shut down,’ Person told Fox News Digital in August. ‘The projects mentioned by Eric Schwerin in that email never passed the early deal stage and were never executed. Harves Amusement Parks entity never even existed.’ 

During his time at Harves, Fran launched a failed bid for Congress in South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District in 2016. While he was campaigning, Hunter and Schwerin were recruiting their business associates behind the scenes to donate thousands of dollars to Fran’s campaign, according to emails previously reported by Fox News Digital. Then-Vice President Biden attended multiple campaign events for Person in South Carolina.

Hunter and Schwerin were also simultaneously working behind the scenes to secure business deals for Harves at the time, Fox News previously reported. 

Zhang isn’t the only wealthy individual to help with Hunter’s finances. Kevin Morris, a prominent attorney who has been dubbed Hunter’s ‘sugar brother,’ loaned more than $2 million to Hunter to help pay off the first son’s overdue taxes. He also advised Biden on a host of legal, personal and financial matters, ranging from his child-support lawsuit to how to respond to ongoing federal probes into his taxes and business affairs. Earlier this year, Hunter flew to and from the courthouse for his recent Arkansas child-support hearing aboard a luxury private jet owned by Morris.

Person, Hunter’s attorney, and Zhang did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Fox News’ Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report.

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE—Hunter Biden is expected to plead not guilty to federal gun charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware Tuesday morning after being charged out of Special Counsel David Weiss’ years-long investigation. 

The president’s son is set to appear in person in court for his arraignment Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET. 

Biden was charged by Weiss this month with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

His attorneys, who initially requested for the court appearance to take place via video conference, earlier this month, signaled that he would plead not guilty to the charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge from the District of Delaware Christopher Burke rejected Hunter’s request, saying he should not receive special treatment. 

‘In the end, the Court agrees with both the Defendant and the Government, that Defendant should not receive special treatment in this matter — absent some unusual circumstance, he should be treated just as would any other defendant in our Court,’ Burke stated in a filing earlier this month. 

Hunter’s court appearance comes after an original plea agreement collapsed in July. Hunter Biden was expected to plead guilty in July to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of the plea deal to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge.

Hunter Biden was forced to plead not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and one felony gun charge when the deal collapsed in court. 

The federal gun charges are the first charges Weiss has brought against Hunter since being granted special counsel status by Attorney General Merrick Garland in August. 

According to the indictment, ‘on or about October 12, 2018, in the District of Delaware, the defendant, Robert Hunter Biden, in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, that is, a Colt Cobra 38SPL Revolver with serial number RA 551363…knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive that dealer with respect to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale of the firearm…in that the defendant, Robert Hunter Biden, provided a written statement on Form 4473 certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious.’ 

The indictment also states: ‘on or about October 12, 2018, through on or about October 23, 2018, in the District of Delaware, the defendant Robert Hunter Biden, knowing that he was an unlawful user of and addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance…did knowingly possess a firearm, that is, a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver with serial number RA 551363, said firearm having been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.’ 

Fox News first reported in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018, when a gun owned by Hunter was thrown into a trash can outside a market in Delaware.

A source with knowledge of the Oct. 23, 2018, police report told Fox News that it indicated that Hallie Biden, who is the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau, and who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster behind a market near a school.

A firearm transaction report reviewed by Fox News indicated that Hunter purchased a gun earlier that month.

On the firearm transaction report, Hunter answered in the negative when asked if he was ‘an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance.’

Hunter was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.

The National Security Agency (NSA) will launch a new artificial intelligence security center to both protect U.S. AI systems and defend against external threats.

The new security center launches as the U.S. government has increased its use of algorithms and AI systems in defense and intelligence and is seeking to safeguard systems from theft or sabotage. The NSA center will also be responsible for protecting the homeland from external AI-related threats, according to a report from Yahoo News on Monday,

Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, NSA director, told the Associated Press that the new center could be incorporated into the NSA’s existing Cybersecurity Collaboration Center, which works with the private sector and internal partners to strengthen U.S. defenses from near-peer rivals such as China and Russia.

Christopher Alexander, the chief analytics officer of Pioneer Development Group, told Fox News Digital such a center is ‘desperately needed for intelligence analysis and is crucial for national security.’

‘The most obscure details can complete an intelligence estimate and that requires intelligence analysts who can comb through every piece of information, recognize a [pattern] and turn that data into information – and ultimately a finished analysis,’ Alexander said. ‘AI and machine learning can take on the role of literally 1000s of lower-level analysts. It works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the sheer amount of data collected allows for whole new methods of analysis.’

Alexander pointed to allied intelligence collection efforts during World War II, ‘Part of the reason the intel community realized the Germans would attack at the Battle of Bulge was because of the size of buttons coming from German factories. AI will find and alert human analysts to small details that may otherwise be missed.’

Alexander said that ‘In the future predictive analytics will also be improved by collecting and sifting through massive data sets as well. That could completely revolutionize the spycraft trade.’

The report comes after a top CIA official warned that China’s use of AI programs could be a threat to national security.

‘They are growing every which way,’ Lakshmi Raman, the CIA’s director for artificial intelligence, said at the Politico AI & Tech Summit, according to a report on Fox Business.

Those concerns seemingly mirror those of the Department of Homeland Security, which released a threat assessment that said ‘the proliferation of accessible artificial intelligence tools likely will bolster our adversaries’ tactics.’

‘Nation-states seeking to undermine trust in our government institutions, social cohesion, and democratic processes are using AI to create more believable mis-, dis-, and malinformation campaigns, while cyber actors use AI to develop new tools and accesses that allow them to compromise more victims and enable larger-scale, faster, efficient, and more evasive cyber attacks,’ the assessment said.

But Jon Schweppe, the policy director of American Principles Project, is wary of the use of AI by the NSA, pointing to the controversial spying scandal that was made public by whistleblower Edward Snowden just over a decade ago.

‘Nobody is clamoring for more data mining and invasion of privacy from three letter agencies. The NSA has already demonstrated a history of abusing their power with the data collection operation previously uncovered by a whistleblower,’ Schweppe told Fox News Digital. ‘We don’t even know the full scale of the dangers we’re facing with this emerging technology — should we really be entrusting a corrupt bureaucratic agency with even more power? Congress should be looking to limit the scope of these domestic spying operations, not giving them a de facto green light.’

‘We maintain an advantage in AI in the United States today. That AI advantage should not be taken for granted,’ Nakasone told reporters.

But an NSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that the new security center is simply ‘consolidating its various AI security related activities into a new entity, the NSA AI Security Center (AISC). Since AI security is principally a cybersecurity responsibility, the AISC will be located within and part of NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center.’

The new center comes amid increased fears that China or Russia could look to use AI to interfere in the U.S. presidential election next year, though that threat is something Nakasone said the NSA hasn’t seen yet.

Instead, AI will still mostly be used for threat detection analysis, something Nakasone stressed the U.S. has already been doing.

‘AI helps us, but our decisions are made by humans. And that’s an important distinction,’ Nakasone said. ‘We do see assistance from artificial intelligence. But at the end of the day, decisions will be made by humans and humans in the loop.’

But the new security center comes after an NSA study found that securing AI models would be a major national security challenge going forward, noting that generative AI technologies continue to emerge that can be harnessed for both good and evil.

Nakasone said the center will become the’NSA’s focal point for leveraging foreign intelligence insights, contributing to the development of best practices guidelines, principles, evaluation, methodology and risk frameworks,’ adding that both protecting the nation from AI threats and protecting the country’s own AI will fall within ‘our national security systems and our defense industrial base.’

Ziven Havens, policy director at the Bull Moose Project, told Fox News Digital that the new center ‘has the potential to bolster America’s national security,’ pointing to the threats posed by adversaries such as China.

‘With China continuously improving and building out their AI capabilities, we have no choice but to lead the way in the development and implementation of this emerging technology,’ Havens said. ‘America must be first, or else we will be left behind in the AI race.’

Meanwhile, an NSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that the agency ‘is uniquely well positioned to bring its technical expertise, threat insights, and authorities as National Manager for National Security Systems and its work with the Defense Industrial Base to support whole-of-government efforts in conjunction with the private sector to ensure an enduring U.S. advantage in AI.’

‘NSA’s principles and values, along with our culture of compliance and protection of privacy and civil liberties, will serve as the foundation for the AISC’s activities,’ the spokesperson added.

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., floated the idea of removing GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida from the House Republican Conference.

Gingrich wrote Sunday that he thinks expelling Gaetz fully from the lower chamber would be a step too far.

However, Gingrich said booting Gaetz from the House GOP conference and his committee assignments may be more of a ‘rational response.’

‘The effort to expel Matt Gaetz for being a destructive, irresponsible anti-Republican may be a step too far,’ Gingrich wrote on X, formerly Twitter. ‘Expulsion from the House requires a two thirds vote.’

‘However expelling him from the House Republican Conference and eliminating all his committee assignments and all resources other than those an individual member is entitled to would be a rational response to his suicidal efforts to cripple the House GOP,’ Gingrich continued.

Fox News Digital reached out to Gaetz’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

According to the House Republican Conference rules set for the 118th Congress, it takes a two-thirds vote to expel a GOP member from the conference.

As for committee assignments, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is free to remove Gaetz from select and conference committees – such as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence – but standing committees, like the House Judiciary Committee, are a different animal altogether.

To remove a member from a standing committee, the House is required to vote on a resolution for removal – like when ‘Squad’ Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February of this year.

Gingrich’s tweet comes as Republican members of the House look to expel Gaetz from the lower chamber amid his renewed threat to pursue a motion to vacate McCarthy.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., blasted efforts to oust McCarthy on Sunday, saying the move would be a ‘disaster’ for congressional Republicans.

Graham made the statement during an appearance on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ with host Margaret Brennan. Graham endorsed McCarthy as the ‘right guy’ for the job and said he only faces opposition from a handful of House Republicans.

‘I think Kevin is the right guy at the right time,’ Graham said. ‘The only way he loses his job is if a handful of Republicans join up with the Democratic Party to fire him.’

‘That would be a disaster for the future of the Republican Party. That’s not gonna happen. Kevin has the overwhelming confidence of his membership, he worked to avoid a shutdown. He will fund Ukraine, but he’s telling everybody in the country, including me, you better send something over for the border for me to help Ukraine, and he’s right to make that demand.’

Graham is the latest of a flurry of lawmakers to weigh in on a potential bid to oust McCarthy from the speakership. Gaetz vowed on Sunday to file a motion to vacate against McCarthy sometime this week.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed reporting.

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., recently stepped down from his House Democrat leadership role in a move that Fox News Digital is told was not forced but the ‘writing was on the wall’ over his calls for a primary challenger to President Biden.

‘I have decided to step down from the DPCC & Democratic Caucus leadership,’ Phillips announced in a social media post on Sunday. ‘While politics & official work do not mix, it’s clear my convictions about 2024 are incongruent with the position of my colleagues & that was causing discomfort. I was not pressured or forced to resign.’

Fox News Digital is told that Phillips was not pushed out of his role and that leadership was generally supportive of Phillips but that his criticism of President Biden caused ripples in the caucus. 

‘The writing was on the wall,’ said one source.

In a follow-up post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Phillips said that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has ‘provided space & place for all perspectives, and I celebrate him and our DPCC Chair, [Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo.] for their authentic & principled leadership.’

The straw that broke the camel’s back, Fox News Digital is told, came at a House Democratic Caucus meeting last week. During the meeting, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., was outspoken against Phillips for suggesting the president step aside.

Fox News Digital is told that this is the first time that Phillips may have realized his position was causing what was termed ‘significant discomfort’ among some Democrats.

Fox has learned that the Minnesota Democrat later spoke to Kamlager-Dove on the floor and asked why she did not come to him privately to express her concerns.                                                                                                         

One source told Fox News Digital that Phillips is ‘thinking about bigger things,’ including a potential run for president, which the congressman has previously floated. 

In August, Phillips urged his Democrat colleagues to jump into the race and told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ that he ‘adores’ Biden but wants him to ‘pass the torch’ to new leaders.

‘I would like to see a moderate governor, hopefully from the heartland, from one of the four states that Democrats will need,’ Phillips said.

He continued, ‘Anybody who wants to run, Joe Manchin, Cornel West … that’s why we have primaries because that doesn’t undermine the likelihood of returning, in this case, a Democrat to the White House. I’m actively inviting, encouraging to some degree, imploring that people who are ready and know it’s probably time to do so take the chance.’

Phillips told ‘The Warning’ podcast last week that he is ‘thinking about it’ when asked if he is considering running against Biden. 

‘I haven’t ruled it out,’ he added.

‘I think there are people who are more proximate, better prepared to campaign with national organizations, national name recognition, which I do not possess,’ Phillips added. ‘I’m concerned that there is no alternative.’

Phillips did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Kamlager-Dove declined to comment.

A recent U.S. State Department strategy memo detailing the top priorities for Ukraine — ravaged by war against Russia since last year — shows the Biden administration has concerns over purported corruption in the Eastern European country but still supports continued aid to the region.

According to the 22-page document, called the Integrated Country Strategy, the ‘biggest challenge is winning the war,’ but ‘Ukraine has a unique opportunity in the current moment to commit to the anti-corruption and judicial reforms needed to realize the aspirations of the Ukrainian people.’

The document outlines several objectives and timelines for each that the U.S. government wants to see Ukraine reach.

The document reiterates U.S. support for Ukraine with ‘continued military and security assistance’ but adds, ‘A clear, transparent strategy to deoligarch the economy and deliver prosperity for all is central to these reforms.’

‘Even as Ukraine fights to liberate its territory, the fight for the future is also important,’ the document states. ‘President Zelenskyy campaigned on a promise to clean up corruption and remains publicly committed to rebuilding a Ukraine that benefits all of society. Ukraine cannot afford to push reforms to a post-war period. The country must lay the framework to win the future even now.’

It adds, ‘Ukraine must move against entrenched, politically influential interests to succeed now and in the post-war recovery. Reforms in the energy sector, a bastion of corruption and oligarchic control, are essential to cementing Ukraine’s European integration.’

The mostly unnoticed document, approved for public release on Aug. 29, provides another layer to the administration’s support for Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of not only making public commitments to reform but also ensuring their actual implementation. This, it suggests, will not only bolster confidence among private sector investors for the country’s recovery but also strengthen U.S. and international support in military, development, and economic spheres.

Following through on U.S. commitments to provide equipment and training is crucial in supporting Ukraine’s armed forces against Kremlin-led aggressions, the document notes. 

The document also outlines enhancing the U.S. diplomatic presence in Ukraine, including exploring the possibility of expanding U.S. presence beyond Kyiv to possibly Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro.

Meanwhile, mostly GOP lawmakers have repeatedly called for more rigorous oversight to Ukranian aid, and the U.S. government averted a shutdown this weekend in a spending bill passed by Congress that left out assistance to the nation.

President Biden said in a statement Sunday after the funding bill passed late Saturday night that America’s support for Ukraine ‘cannot be interrupted.’

‘We have time, not much time, and there’s an overwhelming sense of urgency,’ he said. The spending bill expires on Nov. 17.

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Department of State for comment but did not hear back by time of publication. 

A new Monmouth University poll released Thursday revealed a huge gap in the level of concern from voters over President Biden’s advanced age versus former President Donald Trump’s.

According to the poll, 76% of voters agreed Biden, 80, was ‘too old’ to serve another term, compared to just 48% who said the same about Trump, 77, despite the difference in their ages being just three and a half years. 

Of the 76% who said Biden was ‘too old,’ 55% strongly agreed versus just 26% of the 48% who said the same about Trump.

Trump also edged Biden when it came to voter enthusiasm about their candidacies with 56% of voters saying they were either enthusiastic or very enthusiastic about him becoming the Republican nominee for president. Just 46% of voters said the same about the prospect of Biden becoming the Democrat nominee.

When broken down to just independent voters, 35% were enthusiastic about a Trump candidacy versus just 19% for a Biden candidacy.

In a hypothetical 2024 matchup, 43% of voters said they would definitely or probably vote for Trump while 42% said they would definitely or probably vote for Biden. 57% said they definitely or probably wouldn’t vote for Biden, and 56% said they definitely or probably wouldn’t vote for Trump.

Biden’s 42% support was down from the 47% a Monmouth poll found in July, and Trump’s 43% was an increase from 40% in the same poll that month.

According to the poll, Biden’s support from Black, Latino and Asian voters dropped significantly from the July poll, down to 47% from 63%. Trump, however, jumped to 33% from 23% in July.

Biden narrowly came out on top in favorability with 41% of voters viewing him as very or somewhat favorable compared to just 38% for Trump. 59% said they viewed Biden as very or somewhat unfavorable, compared to 62% for Trump.

When it came to Trump’s ongoing legal issues surrounding his response to the 2020 presidential election, 46% of voters said he committed a crime. Just 22% said Trump did something wrong, but did not commit a crime while 29% said he did nothing wrong.

On the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden, 34% said Biden should be impeached, 16% said Biden may have violated his oath of office but shouldn’t be impeached, and 43% said Biden did not violate his oath of office.

Just 15% said they had ‘a lot’ of trust in the House to conduct a fair investigation into Biden, 33% said ‘a little,’ and 50% said not at all.

Concerning Hunter Biden’s legal troubles, 27% said they made it less likely they would support Biden for president, but 72% said they would have no impact on their voting decision.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign reportedly asked the Republican National Committee to significantly limit the number of GOP presidential candidates on stage for the party’s next presidential primary debate. 

In a letter to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Committee on Arrangements co-Chairs David Bossie and Anne Hathaway, Vivek 2024 CEO Ben Yoho requested that the RNC restrict the next debate stage to the four Republican candidates polling the highest nationally, after former President Donald Trump, according to The Hill. 

The campaign also asked the RNC to increase the donor threshold to 100,000. 

‘[A]gainst the backdrop of a chaotic second debate and the reality of a frontrunner who has declined to participate, we respectfully call on the RNC to revise its approach so that Republican voters can focus on serious candidates who have a viable path to beating Joe Biden – or whomever the Democrats put up to replace him,’ Yoho wrote. 

‘Time is running out. Early-state voting is rapidly approaching in January,’ he continued, according to the letter obtained by The Hill. ‘Another unhelpful debate in November is not an option: voters deserve a real choice for who will best serve as our party’s nominee. Voters are not well-served when a cacophony of candidates with minimal chance of success talk over each other from the edge of the stage, while the overwhelming frontrunner is absent from the center of that same stage.’ 

The RNC has already raised the threshold to qualify for the third presidential debate of the 2024 cycle. 

To participate in the Nov. 6 event, GOP candidates are required to have two national polls that show them at 4% or higher, or they must receive 4% support in one national poll and two different early state polls. White House hopefuls are also required to meet a donor threshold of at least 70,000 unique donors, including at least 200 from 20 or more states each. That compares to the 3% polling threshold with a minimum of 50,000 unique donors required to participate in the Sept. 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., says he will file a ‘motion to vacate the chair’ this week. 

This is an effort to force a vote of no confidence on the floor for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and potentially prompt a new vote for speaker. 

Gaetz doesn’t believe McCarthy has held up his end of the bargain after the lengthy speaker vote in January. The Florida Republican threatened to use this motion if McCarthy relied on Democrats to advance spending bills. McCarthy turned to Democrats on Saturday to avert a government shutdown. 

Such a gambit to try to bounce a speaker in the middle of a Congress is rare. 

Former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., threatened to use the tactic on former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in the summer of 2015. Boehner saw the writing on the wall and resigned that October. 

The House last saw a formal effort to remove a speaker in 1910. A number of members were displeased with House Speaker Joe Cannon, R-Ill., and found him to be too dictatorial. Cannon got in front of his adversaries, who also wanted to call for a new speaker, by offering the motion to vacate himself. Cannon survived – but with the help of the minority party. 

He then became a very weak speaker. 

It’s unclear if Democrats could bail out McCarthy in this scenario. 

Keep in mind that McCarthy ally Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., has also filed a motion to vacate the chair. This is a protective measure that Graves could use to supersede Gaetz’s gambit. It was thought that McCarthy loyalists could try to call the bluff of Gaetz by filing their own motion first or daring Gaetz to follow through. 

By rule, Gaetz’s resolution is ‘privileged.’ That means that when Gaetz offers his resolution, the House must consider it immediately or within two legislative days. 

However, the vote will not immediately be on the motion to vacate the chair. It is highly probable that one of McCarthy’s lieutenants will then move to table (kill) Gaetz’s motion or make a motion to refer the effort to the Rules or House Administration Committee. So, the first vote is NOT actually on Gaetz’s motion, let alone an election of a new speaker. The vote is on the secondary motion to table or refer Gaetz’s measure to committee, not on the primary motion. 

If the House approves the secondary motion to table or refer, then Gaetz’s gambit is euthanized. The gig is up. 

But if the secondary motion fails, then the House votes on the primary motion. That would be Gaetz’s motion to vacate the chair. If the secondary motion loses, the primary motion likely prevails. If the primary motion (the motion to vacate) is successful, we are back to Jan. 3, the start of the Congress. The House must take a vote – or votes – to elect a speaker. 

Everything on the House floor would come to a screeching halt. The House can do nothing on the floor without electing a speaker. No legislation on the floor. However, committees can continue to meet, et al. 

It took 15 rounds spread over five days to elect McCarthy the first time. It was the longest speaker election since 1859. Consider how long it could take the House to re-elect McCarthy or tap someone else as speaker.

The House must continue to vote and vote and vote until it elects a speaker. The House consumed two months in late 1855 and early 1856 before finally electing Speaker Nathaniel Banks, R-Mass., on the 163rd ballot. 

The successful candidate must receive an outright majority of all members casting ballots for someone by name. ‘Present’ votes do not count. Members who do not vote don’t count against the vote total. 

The person with the ‘most votes’ does not win. That’s why electing the speaker can be a rather complex piece of parliamentary algebra. 

The House currently has 433 members. If all members vote for someone by name in a speaker’s race, the successful candidate must receive 217 votes. 

It’s uncertain if it will get to this stage. But this entire process is about the math. 

It’s unclear how many Republicans may vote against that secondary motion to table or refer. McCarthy’s move on government funding has inflamed many on the hard right. 

And it’s unclear if Democrats could potentially assist McCarthy. 

Some McCarthy opponents on the Democratic side of the aisle may vote with Republicans wanting to bounce the speaker. Others may not participate in the vote at all. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has said that Republicans must solve this civil war on their own. 

If Democrats don’t cast a ballot on the secondary motion, that drives down the total number of ballots cast. This is where things get very dangerous for McCarthy. McCarthy allies may not have enough votes to kill the motion to vacate, thus putting that motion in play on the next roll call. 

Again, if the second motion fails, the House then votes on the initial motion – the motion to vacate. If the House defeats the second motion, it probably adopts the primary Gaetz motion. And that scenario triggers an automatic revote for speaker of the House.