Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is seeking a Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has pledged to sign a federal ban on abortion.

On Wednesday, Haley spoke at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she committed to banning the procedure, should a bill doing so clear a Republican-controlled Congress.

She did not specify details of a potential bill and said passage of such a bill through the U.S. Senate would be highly unlikely unless more Republicans are elected.

‘It would take a majority of the House, 60 senators and a president to sign it,’ Haley said Wednesday, referencing Republicans’ ability to overcome a potential Democratic filibuster. ‘We haven’t had 60 Republican senators in 100 years.’

Answering a question from an attendee, Haley described abortion as ‘incredibly personal’ and said her opposition to it would not waver, even if she were to campaign in a more liberal state.

‘I can’t suddenly change my pro-life position because I’m campaigning in New Hampshire,’ Haley said. ‘It’s incredibly personal, and I’m going to treat it with the respect it deserves.’

The issue of abortion has been front and center of the national conversation after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, returning the legality of abortion to the states.

‘Now it’s back in the states where it belongs,’ Haley said Wednesday.

Republican states have differed on abortion bans, with some lawmakers pushing for total bans, and some drawing the lines at six weeks or 15 weeks. Most bills allow exceptions in the case of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother.

While serving as governor of South Carolina, Haley signed an abortion ban after 20 weeks.

Earlier this week, the South Carolina Senate passed a new ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, has said he will sign it into law.

The bill is already facing legal challenges.

Several Republican presidential candidates have already said they would support similar bans.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who launched his presidential campaign on Monday, said he would sign a 15-week ban into law.

Republican frontrunners, including former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, appear to differ on the issue.

DeSantis, who launched his campaign Wednesday, recently signed a six-week ban in Florida.

Trump, who launched his presidential campaign last year, implied such a ban was ‘too harsh,’ although he has publicly expressed he is pro-life.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to announce a bid for the presidency, has expressed support for Florida’s bill and would sign a similar proposal into law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is hoping to give parents more control over their kids’ access to AI chatbots as Congress starts to wrestle with how to put guardrails around rapidly advancing artificial intelligence systems.

Scott introduced the Artificial Intelligence Shield for Kids (ASK) Act, and told Fox News Digital in an interview that he’s already winning support for the bill from Senate colleagues as well as American parents.

‘They like it. I mean, they’re worried about their kids’ access to social media sites,’ Scott said of parental feedback he’s received. ‘And I think that they’re going to do everything they can, the parents I talked to, but there’s also things that the government can do to make sure that their children are not subjected to things.’

‘Part of government’s responsibility is to keep people safe. And I think this is the basic premise of what government ought to be doing, is keeping kids safe,’ he said.

Snapchat, the popular photo and messaging app geared toward teens and young adults, recently introduced a chatbot feature called ‘My AI,’ powered by OpenAI’s technology. The feature can only be removed by paid Snapchat Plus subscribers. It’s already raised alarm bells among parents who are worried about what kind of exchanges their kids could have and whether interacting with a machine on that level would impede their social development.

Scott said the situation was ‘not fair’ and told Fox News Digital that he was partially inspired to introduce the bill by his own experience raising children.

‘I think about how my wife and I raised our daughters, you know, we signed off if they were gonna go to a school trip. If they were going to stay all night, we made sure we knew the family. We tried to make sure they’re around people that put them in a situation that kept them safe. And I think every parent probably thinks that way,’ the senator said.

‘So I think we’ve got to do the same thing with regard to technology,’ he said. ‘I don’t think that our children ought to be subjected to AI technology without parental consent.’

‘I think we need to have parents involved if their child’s going to see anything with AI technology. And then, don’t make people pay to get rid of it,’ Scott said.

Asked about what kind of feedback he’s gotten on the bill from fellow lawmakers, Scott said, ‘I think people were interested… I’ve been talking to a variety of senators about it, and some of my friends in the House.’

He added that he expects the legislation to move forward in committee, which would set it up for an eventual Senate floor vote.

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst called on a Justice Department watchdog Tuesday to investigate whistleblower allegations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars. 

In a letter sent to Inspector General Micahel Horowitz, Ernst cited ATF whistleblowers and an Office of Special Counsel (OSC) report that accused ATF of wrongfully classifying non-law enforcement jobs as law enforcement. ‘This resulted in ATF bureaucrats being provided pay and benefits reserved for those law enforcement personnel including enhanced retirement benefits and premium pay rates,’ Ernst wrote.

While acknowledging that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is working with the Department of Justice and ATF to take appropriate action, Ernst expressed concern about ‘the limited scope of the remediating actions.’ 

‘According to the whistleblowers, OSC’s report ‘did not adequately capture the extent of ATF’s illegal practices or the full impact of the harm.’ In fact, the whistleblowers believe ‘there were many more misclassified positions than were captured in [OPM’s] audit and that the agency significantly underreported the waste directly and tangentially associated with the widespread practice of misclassifying positions,’ including failing to account for the impact of the wrongdoing on ATF’s non-law enforcement personnel,’ she wrote. 

Earlier this month, Special Counsel Henry Kerner alerted President Biden and members of Congress to ‘substantial waste, mismanagement, and unlawful employment practices’ at ATF. In a May 2 report, the OSC substantiated whistleblower allegations that ATF unlawfully provided law enforcement pay and benefits to non-law-enforcement personnel, resulting in ATF overpaying agents by up to $20 million over a five-year period. 

The OSC said the full extent of waste at ATF ‘could be much higher given that the unlawful job classifications had been common practice at ATF far longer than the five-year timeframe reviewed by investigators.’ 

An OPM investigation subsequently ‘conclude[d] that ATF leadership had acted outside of merit system principles and demonstrated disregard for the rule of law and regulations that implement Federal human capital management policies and practices.’ A total of 108 ATF employees were found to have received law enforcement benefits despite not being eligible to receive them. 

‘I thank the whistleblowers for coming forward with these very serious allegations and am pleased that under OPM’s oversight, ATF has initiated corrective measures,’ said Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner. ‘While I find the report to be reasonable, progress toward full resolution has been slow, which may be attributable to the long-standing nature of the problems and the entrenched culture reinforcing ATF’s practices. I am pleased that OPM continues to monitor progress in implementing required corrective actions, and I urge ATF’s internal affairs to hold the responsible parties accountable.’

Though OPM is addressing the problem, Ernst said, ‘more work remains to be done on this important issue to ensure the ATF’s culture of gross mismanagement of taxpayer funds is fully examined and remediated to stamp out any willingness to abuse the public trust which may exist amongst ATF bureaucrats.’

READ ERNST’S LETTER BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

‘The American people deserve to know the full extent of the ATF bureaucrats’ dishonest dealings, she wrote. ‘It is incumbent upon all public servants to act with the utmost levels of professionalism but when bureaucrats abuse the public trust it is the responsibility of watchdogs to hold the bad actors accountable for their malfeasance.’

ATF spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua said the agency has taken ‘extensive corrective actions’ since the OPM’s findings were issued, including, ‘implementation of new policies and procedures, reclassification of numerous positions and reassignment of employees.’

‘Discussions between the Department of Justice, ATF and OPM regarding the appropriate classifications of law enforcement positions are ongoing. ATF and the Department are committed to expeditiously resolving the few remaining issues, in a manner that, consistent with applicable laws and regulations, maximizes public safety,’ Mastropasqua said. 

Orlando, Florida – On Wednesday night, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was announcing via a campaign video that he’s running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said that in his opinion, Donald Trump is going to be the GOP nominee. 

He also took a few decided swipes at President Joe Biden.

Wishing all GOP presidential candidates well, the Missouri senator — in Orlando for a faith and values-focused speech at the annual National Religious Broadcasters convention this week — said he feels Trump’s nomination is ‘inevitable,’ he told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

‘And that’s not against anybody else,’ Hawley said. ‘I just think that Trump is going to be the nominee and Biden’s going to be the nominee of the other party.’ 

He added, ‘And I can tell you I know where I am in that matchup.’  

Litigation and lawsuits are not hurting former president Trump, Hawley said. ‘Actually, I think the opposite,’ he said. 

He continued, ‘I think, you know — Bragg, the Manhattan D.A., coming after him in what I think is a blatantly illegal manner — I think he’s just consolidated his support.’  

The senator said, ‘I think he’s going to be the nominee. It’s going to be Trump and Biden — and I know where I’m going to be.’ 

‘Joe Biden has made us dependent on China. He’s made China rich. He’s made America poor.’

The challenge for the next president regardless of party is to ‘make America strong,’ said Hawley. 

‘I mean, you look at what this president has done,’ he said. ‘Joe Biden has made us dependent on China. He’s made China rich. He’s made America poor.’ 

Hawley continued, ‘We have seen blue-collar wages in this country decline, decline, decline. We see families unable to make ends meet.’ 

He added, ‘We see the continued overwhelming surge of drugs into this country, crime that threatens our families.’ 

The next president’s challenge is going to be, ‘How do we build up this country?’ said Hawley, noting border insecurities and crime, among other problems. 

For those who might be wondering, Hawley said he has no plans to try for a position in a Republican administration.

‘It’s infuriating to watch [the Biden administration] trample on the conscience of this nation and on the religious liberty of Americans everywhere.’

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‘I hope that the people of Missouri will have me for another six years in the Senate,’ he said. ‘My term is up in 2024, so I’ll be running for reelection then. I hope that they’ll have me for another term.’ 

The senator said that fighting daily battles with the current administration is ‘infuriating.’

He said, ‘Day to day, it is infuriating to watch them allow record numbers of drugs across our borders that go straight into our children’s hands and schools.’ 

And ‘it is infuriating to watch them have children be smuggled across that border and sold into sex slavery,’ he said. 

‘It’s infuriating to watch them trample on the conscience of this nation and on the religious liberty of Americans everywhere who thought we’d have an FBI that would try to put informants into churches in this nation,’ he added. 

‘It’s such an assault on who we are as Americans.’  

‘We’re going to get through this presidency and we’re going to have a chance to change course, hopefully soon.’

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Noting that sometimes it feels ‘overwhelming,’ he said he stands ready to ‘every day go and represent the people of my state, to stand tall for their principles and their values, no matter what the D.C. press or this establishment thinks of me.’

Hawley also said, ‘I just think we will get through this. We’re going to get through this presidency and we’re going to have a chance to change course, hopefully soon.’ 

Said Hawley, ‘Biden has intentionally tried to divide this country by calling half of the country — or more — fascists, calling them people who threaten our democracy.’ 

He also said, ‘It used to be in America that we could have heated disagreements, but you didn’t say that the other side was un-American and not fit to be citizens.’ 

He added, ‘And this president does that on a daily basis.’  

He also said, ‘Frankly, I think for that reason alone, he is not fit to be president.’ 

Hawley’s newest book is ‘Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs.’ 

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has the team in place that he hopes will help him win the Republican nomination and eventually the White House in 2024. And he’s selected an ex-employee of his top competitor, former President Donald J. Trump. 

First reported in the New York Post ahead of DeSantis’ formal candidacy announcement Wednesday night, DeSantis has cemented his campaign team, including Generra Peck as campaign manager, who helped lead his gubernatorial victory in 2022. 

Peck, known as a savvy political tactician, is close to both DeSantis and his wife, Casey DeSantis, and was lauded by name at DeSantis’ January inauguration, the Post wrote.

David Abrams, former communications director for New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, will handle the campaign’s messaging and paid media initiatives, according to the newspaper.

Dustin Carmack, who served as chief of staff for the director of national intelligence during the Trump administration, will reunite with DeSantis as his policy director. Carmack was a policy advisory to DeSantis during his tenure in Congress. Carmack most recently was a research fellow for cybersecurity, intelligence and emerging technologies at The Heritage Foundation

Florida pollster Ryan Tyson, a longtime member of DeSantis’ inner circle, will reportedly serve as a senior adviser.

Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ gubernatorial press secretary, will step into the same role for the presidential campaign.

Lauren Lifstrom, who handled finances for Cruz’s 2016 campaign, will oversee the books for Team DeSantis.

Carl Seusa, who established the WinRed digital fundraising platform, will serve as chief technology officer.

DeSantis is expected to announce he’s a candidate for president on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET during a conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter.

The 2024 GOP presidential nomination race – at this early point – appears to be a heated battle between former President Donald Trump – the clear front-runner – and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who’s firmly in second place.

After months of buildup and speculation, including multiple stops the past couple of months in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, the first three states to lead off the GOP presidential nominating calendar, DeSantis has formally joined the growing field of declared Republican candidates.

Here’s a look at the eight major candidates who’ve launched campaigns – starting with the former president and listed in the chronological order in which they declared their candidacies – and the list of potential contenders for the Republican nomination who may be gearing up – or are just mulling – a White House run in 2024. 

Plus, a look at the Republicans whom pundits viewed as potential contenders who ultimately decided against launching campaigns.

DONALD TRUMP

The 76-year-old former president became the first major Republican to declare his candidacy when he launched his third straight campaign for the White House in mid-November, soon after the 2022 midterm elections.

More than two years after leaving the White House following his 2020 election defeat at the hands of President Biden, Trump remains the most popular and influential politician in the Republican Party, and continues to be the overwhelming front-runner in the early 2024 GOP presidential nomination polls. In early March, Trump once again overwhelmingly won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The largest annual gathering of conservative leaders and activists has become a Trump-fest since the former president’s 2016 election.

But Trump’s taken plenty of incoming fire over his impact on the GOP’s lackluster performance in the midterms, received some unfavorable reviews following his mid-November campaign launch at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and has faced of criticism over controversial comments and actions in the past two months.

Since he declared his candidacy, the former president’s made three trips to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar. He’s also campaigned in Iowa, whose caucuses lead off the Republican schedule, and he’s made on stop in South Carolina, which votes third.

Trump had dominated the 2024 spotlight, thanks in part to his indictment and early April arraignment in New York City, which made him the first former president in U.S. history to be charged with a crime.

Trump was indicted for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 to keep her quiet ahead of that year’s presidential election over her claims she had had sexual encounters years earlier with Trump. The former president denies sleeping with Daniels and denies falsifying business records to keep the payment concealed. The president pleaded not guilty at his April 4 arraignment to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The indictment fueled Trump’s fundraising – his campaign touted that the former president hauled in $15.4 million in the first two weeks after the news broke on March 30. And it’s padded his lead over DeSantis and the rest of the emerging field of rivals in the latest 2024 Republican nomination polls. 

In May, a federal jury in a civili case in New York City found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in an upscale Manhattan department store nearly three decades ago, but not liable for the rape Carroll accused Trump of committing.

The jury concluded within a couple of hours that Trump was also liable for defamation and awarded Carroll nearly $5 million in damages for her battery and defamation claims..

Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation from Carroll, calling her a ‘wack job,’ and her claims a ‘fake story.’

The former president’s numerous legal controversies have not put any dents to date in his commanding lead in the polls.

NIKKI HALEY

Former two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, launched her presidential campaign in February in her hometown of Charleston before heading straight out onto the campaign trail in New Hampshire and Iowa.

Haley’s been going on the attack — both against President Biden and the Democrats as well as members of her own party. At a major donor retreat in March Haley blasted both parties — including Trump — for massive government spending that contributed to an exploding national debt.

‘I’m not afraid to call BS on all the bailouts and handouts that are bankrupting America. And I’m not afraid to call out my fellow Republicans,’ the 51-year-old Haley said.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY

Vivek Ramaswamy, a health care and tech sector entrepreneur, best-selling author, conservative commentator, and crusader in the culture wars, declared his candidacy in late February.

The 37-year-old Ramaswamy, author of ‘Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam,’ says his vision centers on restoring the ‘national identity in America.’ He repeatedly called for the scrapping of the FBI and the Department of Education and has said he’d repeal federal affirmative action on his first day in the White House.

The multi-millionaire candidate told Fox News Digital earlier this year that he’s ‘making a big personal investment’ in his campaign.

PERRY JOHNSON

Businessman Perry Johnson declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in early March.

Perry, who last year ran for the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nomination in Michigan, was considered a top contender before he and four other Republican hopefuls were disqualified because of invalid signatures.

Earlier this year the 75-year-old Johnson signaled his White House ambitions by spending big bucks to run an ad during the Super Bowl targeting Iowa voters and showcasing his pledge to cut federal spending by 2% per year.

Johnson’s made two swings through Iowa and one in New Hampshire since lauching his campaign.

LARRY ELDER

Conservative radio talk show host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder jumped into the race for the White House in April, announcing his candidacy in a live interview on Fox News.

‘America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President,’ Elder wrote in an accompanying statement.

Elder, a longtime conservative commentator and popular nationally syndicated radio host, easily topped the field of replacement candidates in California’s gubernatorial recall election in September 2021 that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom convincingly survived. Elder passed on taking on Newsom a second time when the governor easily won reelection last year in the heavily blue state.

The former attorney and author had been flirting with a White House run for months, saying on numerous occasions that he was ‘very likely going to run for president,’ with an announcement coming in the early spring.

ASA HUTCHINSON

Former two-term Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson formally declared his candidacy for president at an event Bentonville, Arkansas on April 26.

‘Bentonville holds a special place in my heart and my story,’ Hutchinson told Fox News Digital ahead of his campaign launch. ‘I have experienced many firsts here: my first law practice, launching Bentonville’s first FM radio station, my first home with Susan, and announcing my first run for public office. I owe so much to Bentonville, it is only right to make my formal announcement among my many friends and supporters from this amazing community.’

A former federal attorney turned two-term congressman who served as Drug Enforcement Administration administrator and Department of Homeland Security undersecretary during then-President George W. Bush’s administration, Hutchinson has become a vocal GOP Trump critic.

TIM SCOTT 

Saying that he will ‘never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional,’ Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina took a major step towards running for the White House as he launched a presidential exploratory committee in mid-April. 

Showcasing his message of faith, hope, and unity, Scott emphasized in a video that was shared first with Fox News that ‘this is the fight we must win. And that will take faith. Faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in America.’

Scott, who notes that he ‘was raised by a single mother in poverty,’ is a rising star in the GOP and the only Black Republican in the Senate. He charges that Democrats ‘weaponize race to divide us to hold onto their power,’ and highlighted that ‘when I fought back against their liberal agenda they called me a prop. A token. Because I disrupt their narrative. I threaten their control. They know the truth of my life disproves their lies.’

The 57-year-old Scott campaigned in Iowa and New Hampshire immediately after he launched his presidential exploratory committee. A ferocious fundraiser, the senator nearly $22 million in his campaign coffers at the beginning of the year, which could be transferred to a presidential campaign.

Scott filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission in mid-May, which officially launched his presidential campaign. And the senator formally declared his candidacy at an event in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina on May 22.

RON DESANTIS

Saying that he’s ‘running for president to lead our great American comeback,’ Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida formally launched his White House campaign in a video released by his political team on Wednesday, May 24.

Florida’s governor, who saw his popularity soar among conservatives across the country over the past three years due to his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a culture warrior going after media, corporations and teachers unions, won an overwhelming 19-point re-election victory in November.

DeSantis has showcased that his wins as governor have ‘transformed’ Florida from a top general election battleground ‘into the nation’s leading red state,’ and that his policy victories in Florida can serve as a roadmap for the entire nation. 

The 44-year-old governor racked up conservative victories – including a controversial six-week abortion ban, tougher immigration laws, restrictions on gender and diversity instruction in schools, and green-lighting the ability to carry a concealed weapon without a permit – during Florida’s recently concluded legislative session, courtesy of a GOP super majority in Tallahassee.

But the governor’s agenda in Florida didn’t prevent him from traveling across the country as he highlighted his ‘Florida blueprint’ and promoted his newly released book, ‘The Courage to Be Free.’ And he’s beefed up his political staff at his homebase in Tallahassee.

DeSantis last year routinely dismissed talk of a 2024 White House run, but dropped plenty of hints following his re-election victory. But the governor’s travel itinerary, which took him multiple times to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, sparked more speculation about an increasingly likely White House run.

Trump and his allies repeatedly targeted DeSantis starting last autumn, and stepped up the attacks in recent months.

DeSantis has mostly refrained from responding, but he appeared to verbally swipe at the former president, who’s been criticized for contributing to the GOP’s less than stellar overall performance in last year’s elections.

‘There is no substitute for victory. Republicans need to the shake the culture of losing that has developed throughout our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over. We must get it done once and for all,’ DeSantis at a keynote address on April 14 to a sold out crowd at a state GOP fundraising gala in New Hampshire

DeSantis, who has been criticized for not excelling at the art of candidate-to-voter interactions and retail style politics, which are traditions in Iowa and New Hampshire, spent roughly an hour after his speech in New Hampshire, walking the ballroom and greeting the crowd. It was a repeat performance of his interactions with Republicans during his two stops in Iowa in March. And he made a handful of retail stops during his return visits to both states in May.

Along with his video launch, DeSantis also filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) ahead of a gathering in Miami, Florida the following day with top donors and bundlers.

DeSantis set a gubernatorial fundraising record last cycle, and had $110 million cash on hand in his fundraising committees at the start of the spring. Much of that money could likely be transferred to Never Back Down, a super PAC backing the expected DeSantis presidential campaign, which has pledged to spend $200 million.

MIKE PENCE

Former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate in 2016 and 2020, has repeatedly said that Republican voters will have ‘better choices’ than the former president in 2024.

Pence spent last autumn and the first couple of months of 2023 crisscrossing the country on a book tour for his new memoir ‘So Help Me God,’ in which he showcased successes of the Trump-Pence administration, but also spotlights criticisms of Trump that have generated plenty of headlines. That tour, and other trips, have taken him numerous times to the early voting states.

The 63-year-old former vice president emphasized that the positive response he’s said he’s receiving from his new autobiography ‘has been very encouraging’ as he weighs a 2024 bid.

The former congressman turned Indiana governor, who has long been a champion for social conservative voters, appears to be making a play for evangelical voters with meetings earlier this year with some of the right’s most influential pastors.

Pence told Fox News Digital earlier this year that Republican voters’ familiarity with his story affords him some breathing room as he makes a decision on whether to launch a presidential campaign. 

‘I think the advantage that we have is I think the American people know the Pences,’ he said. ‘By and large they know our story and our career, and some are getting to know it better every day. So, we think we have time to be discerning, to be reflective, to listen,’ Pence said.

Pence returned to Iowa and New Hampshire in April and May, and is expected to launch a presidential campaign in June. 

CHRIS SUNUNU

Gov. Chris Sununu was easily re-elected in November to a fourth two-year term steering the key northeastern battleground state of New Hampshire.

Sununu, like Hutchinson, has in recent years become a vocal GOP critic of the former president and has repeatedly predicted that Trump won’t win the 2024 nomination. Sununu has emphasized that the GOP should ‘move on’ from Trump and that ‘there’s lots of other great leaders out there.’

The 48-year-old governor called Trump ‘the orange-haired elephant in the room’ in a speech recently at a 2024 GOP cattle call.

Similar to DeSantis, Sununu is currently dealing with his state’s legislative session, and has said a 2024 announcement likely would come in mid to late June, following the conclusion of that session and the signing of the state’s next biennial budget.

‘I think the entire presidential timetable will start coming into full vision, full gear, later this summer sometime. We’re not rushing anything. There’s a lot of interest and that’s kind of exciting,’ Sununu told Fox News Digital recently.

DOUG BURGUM

Two-term North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former software company CEO, may soon jump into the burgeoning race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Burgum is moving closer to making a decision on declaring his candidacy for the White House. He is currently shooting TV ads in preparation for a potential launch, sources with knowledge of the governor’s thinking told Fox News in mid-May.

And Fox News confirmed that Burgum had begun working with political consultants with presidential campaign experience.

If Burgum, who is not known well outside of North Dakota, does launch a 2024 campaign as expected, he would be considered a dark-horse contender in a field of actual and expected candidates with much higher name identification.

Burgum steered his one-time small business, Great Plains Software, into a $1 billion software company. His business — and its North Dakota-based workers — were eventually acquired by Microsoft, and Burgum stayed on board as a senior vice president.

If Burgum does enter the 2024 presidential race, he would become one of the wealthiest members of the Republican field along with multi-millionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump.

KRISTI NOEM

Gov. Kristi Noem, a conservative congresswoman who spent eight years in the House of Representatives before winning South Dakota’s governorship in 2018, was overwhelming re-elected in November in the reliably red state.

Pundits view Noem, 51, as a possible contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, or as a potential running mate. 

‘I’m focused on doing my job here in South Dakota,’ Noem said when Fox News Digital asked earlier this year whether she’s mulling a White House run. 

But she also said that ‘I’m focused here, but I’m going to continue telling South Dakota’s stories,’ adding ‘that’s a story that I think can bring hope to the rest of the country.’

CHRIS CHRISTIE 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie predicts that in a 2024 Republican presidential nomination race that’s shaping up to be combustible, ‘it’s not going to end nicely’ for Trump.

And Christie, a former two-term Republican governor and 2016 presidential contender who’s seriously mulling another White House run, argued that he’s got the debate chops to potentially take down Trump should he face off with the former president.

Christie made his comments as he headlined a nearly two-hour long town hall late last month in New Hampshire. He returned to New Hampshire in April and has said he’ll decide on a 2024 run sometime in May.

Christie, who is considered one of the best communicators in the GOP and was known during his tenure for the kind of in-your-face politics that Trump has also mastered, was asked by Fox News after the town hall if he thought any of the other actual or potential contenders in the emerging Republican presidential field also had the debate skills to effectively take on Trump.

‘I don’t know the answer to that question but what I would say is no one has to wonder if I do,’ the former governor emphasized.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Christie explained that the three factors going into his decision will be ‘seeing a pathway to winning… believing that you have something at that moment to offer the country that it needs to hear,’ and whether he would have the support of his family.

‘If I answer yes to all three of those questions, then I’ll run. If I answer no to one of them, then I won’t,’ he said.

GLENN YOUNGKIN

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 election victory — he was the first Republican to win a gubernatorial election in Virginia in a dozen years — energized the GOP. And last year he was a politician in demand on the campaign trail, crisscrossing the country on behalf of fellow Republicans. 

Youngkin, 56, has repeatedly reiterated that he’s focused right now on his 2023 agenda for Virginia, and on flipping the state Senate from blue to red in this year’s elections in Virginia. But he faced a setback in his policy push for a 15-week abortion ban when Democrats captured a GOP held state senate seat in a special election earlier this year, increasing their razor-thin majority.

When asked on May 1 by the Wall Street Journal if he’ll head out on the presidential campaign trail this year, the governor answered ‘no.’

However, Youngkin did not appear to directly rule out a 2024 presidential bid. And a campaign style video he releated in mid-May sparked further speculation about his national ambitions.

WILL HURD

Former Republican Rep. Will Hurd of Texas has made three trips so far this year New Hampshire and one to Iowa, sparking speculation that the one-time clandestine officer in the CIA who went on to serve three terms in Congress, is gearing up for a potential White House run.

‘The GOP will continue to lose to Democrats if Donald Trump is the nominee,’ Hurd told Fox News recently.

Hurd, who was the only Black Republican in the House during his tenure in Congress from 2015 to 2021, is not a fan of the former president, so his criticisms of Trump come as no surprise.

But Hurd added that ‘I’m not satisfied with the field as it stands right now. No one is taking on Trump effectively, or presenting a vision for the future.’

‘I’ve served my country before, and I won’t rule out the opportunity to do it again,’ he emphasized.

LIZ CHENEY

Former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has repeatedly vowed to do ‘whatever it takes to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office.’

Cheney, a longtime Trump critic who was stripped of her House GOP leadership position and last summer routed in the Republican primary in her bid for renomination by a Trump backed challenger, was a co-chair of the Democrat-dominated Jan. 6 select committee that in its final report recommended barring the former president from ever holding office again.

Cheney, 56, has mulled a presidential bid in order to directly take on Trump, but has said she hasn’t ‘made a decision yet about what I’m going to do.’

JOHN BOLTON 

Former national security adviser John Bolton, who served under Trump, has been weighing a Republican presidential run since December. 

That’s when he told Fox News he was ‘prepared’ to get into the White House race if other potential Republican contenders didn’t ‘repudiate’ controversial comments Trump had made days earlier suggesting the ‘termination’ of parts of the U.S. Constitution in order to ‘throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT.’

‘I view it really as roughly equivalent to saying he [Trump] wants to overthrow the government,’ Bolton argued at the time. 

The74-year-old Bolton has a long history serving in Republican administrations, from working in the Justice Department under then-President Ronald Reagan and the State Department under then-President George H.W. Bush.

As a leading State Department official during former President George W. Bush’s administration, he was a strong proponent of the Iraq War. He later served as ambassador to the United Nations during Bush’s second term.

Bolton, who’s long been known as a foreign policy hawk and advocate of U.S. military action overseas, called for the scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal signed during the Obama administration.

Bolton tested the presidential waters in the 2016 cycle with trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote in the GOP’s presidential nominating calendar. But he eventually decided against making a White House run.

MIKE ROGERS

Former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who along with his wife formed a group called ‘Lead America’ to try to remedy the growing discouragement with politics and find solutions to national problems, has been road testing his message and his suggested solutions in recent months with trips across the country, including with stops in Iowa and New Hampshire.

‘I think it’s important to get here to have this discussion of ideas about the future of the country with people who are going to have an outsized impact on what happens in 2024,’ Rogers stressed.

When asked about his 2024 timetable, Rogers told Fox News he will jump into the race ‘if I can get to that point where people are really ready for those hard solutions, and creative solutions, and innovative solutions, and an optimistic position for our future.’

FRANCIS SUAREZ 

After a stop in Iowa in March, Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami headed to New Hampshire in April.

The visits to the first two states to vote in the GOP presidential nominating calendar are sparking further speculation that the Florida Republican is seriously mulling a White House run in 2024.

‘Look, I’m seriously considering a run. It’s something I discussed with my family. My family is on board,’ the two-term mayor said in a recent interview on the Fox News Channel.

The 45-year-old Suarez, the son of former Miami mayor and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez, is also currently on a 10-city cross-country swing to speak with law enforcement, politicians and community groups about keeping Americans safe from crime.

GREG ABBOTT

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott topped Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke — a former congressman who unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination — by 11 points in November, his third straight double-digit gubernatorial victory in the reliably red state.

Thanks to his actions on immigration, abortion and a host of other issues, he’s become very visible and popular with conservatives across the country.

Asked in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this year about a possible 2024 presidential run, the governor emphasized that ‘my primary focus right now is to maintain those conservative principles and policies for the state of Texas and do my part to expand them across the country. But for the next six months, I’ve got to get these policies passed for the state of Texas to ensure that we put our state on a pathway for not just the next four years but for [the] next 40 years.’

Asked if he’s not ruling out a potential White House run, the 65-year-old Abbott said, ‘I think a more accurate way to say it is it’s not something I’m ruling in right now. I’m focused on Texas, period.’

CRUZ, (RICK) SCOTT, POMPEO AND HOGAN STAYING ON SIDELINES

As political prognosticators speculate about who may still run, three potential contenders whom pundits had viewed as likely candidates have declined to run.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the runner-up to Trump in the combustible 2016 GOP presidential nomination race, is running for re-election in the Senate next year, and is already gearing up for what may become a bruising battle.

While he has repeatedly said that ‘when I ran in ’16, it was the most fun I’ve had in my life,’ the senator is clearly passing on any 2024 presidential bid. And two of his top outside politcial advisers are now helping DeSantis.

But Cruz doesn’t rule a future White House run, telling Fox News Digital in March that ‘there is a season for everything. I can tell you this. I am 52 years old. And life is long, and I intend to be in this fight for as long as there is breath in my body.’

Sen. Rick Scott, a former two-term Florida governor who this past cycle chaired the Senate GOP campaign committee, has already started ramping up his 2024 re-election campaign.

But some political pundits still view Scott, a former health care executive who’s the wealthiest member of the Senate, as a possible White House contender.

Fueling more speculation was an ad Scott went up with earlier this year with an ad where he calls for ‘change’ the Republican Party. The seven-figure ad blitz, which was first reported by Fox News, didn’t run just in Florida, but from coast to coast on national cable TV.

While the 70-year-old Scott virtually headlined a weekly gathering of top conservative leaders and activists in New Hampshire earlier this year, it’s unlikely he’ll change course and launch a presidential campaign.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, Army veteran, and former congressman from Kansas who later served as CIA director and America’s top diplomat in the Trump administration, announced during an appearance on Fox News’ ‘Special Report’ in April that ‘this isn’t our moment.’

And former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced in March he won’t seek for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Hogan, a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump who in January was term-limited after eight years in office, worried that his candidacy in a potentially packed presidential primary field could help Trump win the nomination.

‘I want to avoid what we saw in 2016 where we had so many candidates all fighting over… a limited chunk of votes and Donald Trump became the nominee,’ Hogan said on Fox News’ ‘Your World with Neil Cavuto.’

The House voted Wednesday to repeal President Biden’s plan to forgo more than $400 billion in federally backed student loan debt.

Lawmakers approved a resolution disapproving of Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan that was announced last year and is now stalled because of an ongoing legal challenge. The Supreme Court is expected to consider the legality of Biden’s plan later this summer.

On Wednesday, lawmakers voted 218-203 in an attempt to speed up the process and end Biden’s plan through legislation. Every Republican present voted to pass the resolution, along with just two Democrats.

During floor debate, Democrats argued that voting to end Biden’s plan would hurt the roughly 13% of Americans who are likely to qualify for loan forgiveness.

‘At a time when students need relief the most, Republicans are working to upend student loan forgiveness that started under Trump and now continues under President Biden for more than 40 million borrowers,’ said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif.

‘Why for the love of God do Republicans want to continue to punch down on America’s students and divide our country?’ he asked. ‘The Biden administration’s student debt relief plan is not a bailout, it is a lifeline, and I implore my Republican colleagues in Congress to speak with borrowers in their own districts about this very issue.’

Another Democrat, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, argued that Republican opposition to Biden’s plan was based on the argument that most Americans don’t need loan repayment aid, and said by that logic, women and Black people would never have been allowed to vote.

‘Why do you bring that bigoted logic to this issue?’ he asked. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., asked for those politically charged words to be stricken from the record, and they were removed.

Republicans rejected Democrats’ arguments by saying Biden has no legal authority to wipe away hundreds of billions of dollars in student debt.

‘In fact, he even admitted that to CNN host Anderson Cooper in February 2021 by saying, ‘I don’t think I have the authority to do it by signing with a pen,’’ said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., the sponsor of the resolution.

Foxx argued that Biden’s plan only helps the wealthy, going against the Democrats’ progressive values.

‘Student loan cancelation is regressive,’ she said. ‘Two-thirds of this debt transfer plan would go to the top half of earners. It takes from those in the lower half and gives to the upper half.’

She added that the loan repayment pause that was instituted during the COVID pandemic resulted in a de facto $65,000 loan cancelation for the average lawyer.

‘This is a professional class bailout,’ she said. ‘More specifically, it is a professional class, graduate degree-holder bailout.’

Biden announced last summer that he would cancel up to $10,000 in student loans for people making less than $125,000, and up to $20,000 for students who received Pell Grants. That program was expected to cost the government more than $400 billion in lost debt repayment, but the program was put on hold after a court blocked it.

Good’s resolution was written under the Congressional Review Act, which lets Congress reject an executive branch policy as long as both the House and Senate pass a resolution disapproving of that policy. House passage sends it to the Senate, where it’s highly unlikely to win approval.

If it could be approved in the Senate, the White House said this week that Biden would veto it.

Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a ‘state of emergency’ this week in an attempt to prevent a school choice bill from passing the state legislature, despite sending his own daughter to a private school in Raleigh.

Announcing the move in a video message released Monday, Cooper said the state of public education is ‘no less important’ than other emergencies.

‘It’s time to declare a state of emergency for public education in North Carolina. There’s no executive order like with a hurricane or the pandemic, but it’s no less important,’ Cooper said. ‘It’s clear that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education. I’m declaring this state of emergency because you need to know what’s happening. If you care about public schools in North Carolina, it’s time to take immediate action and tell them to stop the damage that will set back our schools for a generation.’

Cooper, highlighting efforts from Republicans in the state as a ‘private school voucher scheme,’ said the North Carolina he knows ‘was built on support for public schools’ and insisted that more money should be geared toward public schools and teacher pay raises.

The comments from Cooper come after he sent at least one of his three daughters to Saint Mary’s School, an expensive private school in Raleigh, according to A.P. Dillon, a reporter for the North State Journal.

‘In terms of folks being able to send their kids to the private school of their choice using an Opportunity Scholarship, it’s worth remembering Cooper sent one of his daughters to St. Mary’s, a private school with hefty tuition cost,’ Dillon wrote in a tweet last month.

Furthermore, Cooper’s daughter, Natalie, was recognized as being a graduate from the college-preparatory, boarding and day school in a press release from the institution in 2017.

‘The Coopers have three daughters, Hilary, Claire, and Natalie, a 2011 Saint Mary’s graduate,’ the school wrote in a press release to announce that North Carolina first lady Kristin Cooper would serve as its 2017 commencement speaker.

Cooper faced immediate criticism from social media users and school choice advocates for his remarks about public schools in the state while sending his own child to a private school.

Jason Williams, executive director of the NC Faith and Freedom Coalition, was quick to call out Cooper’s remarks in a tweet.

‘Why doesn’t Roy Cooper want your child to have the same quality, private education his kid had?’ Williams wrote. ‘If he believed so much in public education, why did he spend thousands for his own kid to avoid it?’

Expounding on his comments, Williams told Fox News Digital, ‘We support Gov. Cooper and anyone else having the freedom and responsibility as parents to do whatever they feel is in the best interest of their children. We simply believe that every parent in North Carolina should be given that same opportunity.’

‘We do have a state of emergency with our public school system. The problem with Gov. Cooper’s state of emergency is the focus is on the wrong thing,’ he added. ‘The true emergency is the leftist attempts to indoctrinate our children and the failure to adequately educate them.’

Similarly, school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis wrote in a tweet, ‘This hypocrite sent his own kid to a private school. We’re freeing families from the clutches of the teachers unions once and for all & there’s nothing he can do about it.’

‘What a hypocrite. Public schools aren’t good enough for his kids, but they are for yours,’ Independent Women’s Forum senior policy analyst Kelsey Bolar blasted.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sam Chan, Cooper’s press secretary, said, ‘Two of his daughters spent their entire educations in public school and another attended public schools except for the last four years in a private school.’

‘This isn’t about whether kids should go to private schools, it’s about whether taxpayers should foot the bill at the expense of public schools,’ Chan added.

In April, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina announced efforts to move forward with education reform bills that promote school choice. One measure, Senate Bill 406, would provide equal funding to charter school students along those who attend public school. Critics, such as Cooper, said the bill mostly serves to cut funding for public schools.

The measures by state Republicans followed the announcement by state Rep. Tricia Cotham that she would be defecting from the Democratic Party to join the GOP. Her decision, she said at the time, came from her support for school choice.

‘On issues like school choice, like charters, we have to evolve,’ Cotham said. ‘One-size-fits-all in education is wrong for children … [Democrats] didn’t really want to talk about children. They had talking points from adults and adult organizations.’

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this article.

FIRST ON FOX: Pro-lifers rejoiced as Planned Parenthood announced it would be cutting up to 15 percent of its national office staff to fund non-abortion care in pro-life states.

On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood said they would be laying off between 10% to 15% of their over 700 employees in June, with the layoffs affecting possibly 100 employees.

The funding from the firings will be used to fund non-abortion services in pro-life states with abortion bans, such as sexually transmitted disease testing, cancer screenings, contraception and gender surgery.

Pro-lifers rejoiced at the Planned Parenthood staffing cuts after the abortion advocacy organization announced its upcoming layoffs.

Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser told Fox News Digital it’s ‘no coincidence that while popular pro-life protections, that save lives, gain momentum in states like North Carolina, South Carolina and Nebraska we are seeing cutbacks and layoffs impacting Planned Parenthood.’

‘The nation’s largest abortion business is forced to downsize to protect their bottom line,’ Danenfelser said. ‘Meanwhile, compassionate pro-life measures, that match the will of the people, advance in states across the country.’

‘Those measures include millions of dollars in compassionate care for mother and child in need of financial and physical resources,’ she added.

March for Life Education and Defense Fund president Jeanne Mancini told Fox News Digital ‘March for Life is heartened to see strong pro-life momentum building across the country as states continue to re-affirm the humanity and dignity of the unborn child, and enact commonsense protections for innocent human life.’

‘Abortion giant Planned Parenthood’s recent move to cut staff from their national office and reallocate funds to its state affiliates is indicative of the changing culture in which more and more Americans have awakened to see the beauty of unborn life, the horrors of abortion, and the need to stand up in states around the country to protect our nation’s most vulnerable,’ she continued.

Planned Parenthood’s planned June layoffs and shift in funding to non-abortion services shows the abortion organization is having to shift gears since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision last year overturned Roe v. Wade.

The pro-life movement has been gaining momentum in the wake of the historic Dobbs decision.

Earlier this month, hundreds of pro-life Mainers flocked to the state legislature for a 20-hour marathon hearing to testify against a new abortion bill removing most limitations on abortion.

Other state legislatures across America have taken up pro-life legislation, with the South Carolina House passing a fetal heartbeat bill on Tuesday that would change the state’s current 20-week abortion law.

South Carolina’s heartbeat bill needs to pass the Senate before it’s sent to the governor’s desk.

The GOP-controlled North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday overrode Democrat Governor Roy Cooper’s Mother’s Day weekend veto of a 12-week abortion ban, putting the bill into law.

Additionally, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, a Republican, signed into law a state abortion ban at 12 weeks as well as a restriction on sex change surgeries for people under 19 years old.

Each of the state legislatures’ pro-life bills have exceptions for rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother.

It appears very unlikely there is any chance to get a deal on the debt ceiling over the next couple of days.

If that’s the case, the House likely cuts the rank-and-file members loose tomorrow for the Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is one of the most important periods for lawmakers to be back in their districts (parades, events, et al). But lawmakers will be on standby to race back to Washington. The House is SCHEDULED to be OUT of session next week. The Senate is out this week, but SCHEDULED to return next week.

The calendar may read May. But in reality, the LEGISLATIVE calendar reads June.

Negotiators will likely stay in Washington and talk over the weekend.

There is nothing which will infuriate lawmakers any more than having to be in Washington with nothing to vote on. Also, if conservatives don’t get the deal they want or don’t like where things are headed, keeping Members away from one another actually helps. That tamps down potential dissent. 

That said, it may help count the votes if everyone is present in DC.

Once a deal is cut, it will take a day or two to get the bill into proper legislative form. 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says he will adhere to the ’72 hour rule’ for Members to consider the bill (purportedly in final form) before the House debates and voted on the bill. But that will also buy some time for the bill to be scored and evaluated by the Congressional Budget Office. Some lawmakers may wait to decide to vote yes or no based on the CBO score. 

It may also take a day or two to ‘whip’ the vote to know where members stand and if they have they the votes to pass the bill. 

Inevitability, there will be other hiccups which could slow down the process.

And we have not even discussed how long it will take the Senate to move the bill. The Senate could take five to seven days once it gets the bill from the House. However, if the Senate got agreement among all 100 senators, it could move VERY fast.

Any bill is going to require a special cocktail of Democratic and Republican votes – perhaps well over 100 Democrats. If that’s the case, the bill must reflect Democratic priorities. But are Republicans willing to absorb a hit which eliminates some of their goals. That’s the risk to McCarthy. How does he finesse this politically so some GOPers don’t rebel.

We are seeing McCarthy speak multiple times a day now before cameras and as he comes and goes from his office. Keep an eye on this. The more McCarthy speaks, the worse shape the talks are in. If they have a deal, the theory goes, McCarthy would speak less.

McCarthy is speaking more often publicly now to gin up his base, keep his members in line and fill the vacuum.

Bottom line: we don’t truly know exactly when the U.S. will collide with the debt ceiling. But the chances of working out a deal, let alone voting – in the House alone – probably gets this to the edge of June if not a few days into June.