Republican Texas Congressman Lance Gooden announced Tuesday his endorsement of former President Donald Trump in his effort to win back the White House in 2024 despite what he said was a ‘positive’ meeting with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

‘I met with Governor DeSantis, and while he has done commendable work in Florida, there is no doubt in my mind that President Trump is the only leader who can save America from the leftist onslaught we are currently facing,’ Gooden said in a press release.

‘President Trump is a tireless fighter, a champion of American jobs, a guardian of our economy, and a bulwark against the relentless invasion of our borders by illegal immigrants. He unyieldingly supported our military and veterans, and bravely stood up to the dangerous socialist agenda propagated by the radical left,’ he said. 

‘I wholeheartedly endorse President Donald J. Trump for the 2024 presidential election and vow to fight alongside him to reclaim our country from the leftist forces that threaten to destroy it. Together we will ensure a prosperous and secure future for our great nation,’ he added.

Gooden is the latest in a long line of members of Congress to endorse Trump in recent days, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., among others.

DeSantis is reportedly mulling his own run for the White House, but has not yet said whether he will officially launch a campaign.

Polls have shown Trump as the clear front-runner in the race, far ahead of his already declared opponents, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and businessman Perry Johnson, as well as potential opponents DeSantis, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

A bipartisan bill designating carjacking as a criminal offense and creating harsher penalties for people who use a weapon to steal a vehicle received final approval in the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday.

Passage by the Assembly sends the bill to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has said he supports the measure. The Senate passed it last month on a bipartisan 23-8 vote. Evers earlier this month signed into law a Republican-sponsored bill to crack down on reckless driving.

The Republican-controlled Legislature has moved quickly this year to pass stricter criminal penalties after the GOP made rising crime rates an election issue in the 2022 midterm.

Currently, someone who uses force or threatens force to steal a vehicle can be charged with operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. The bill passed Tuesday would formally recognize that crime as carjacking.

Under the bill, someone who uses a weapon to steal a vehicle would be guilty of the second-highest level felony in the state and could be sentenced to up to 60 years in prison. Currently, the maximum sentence is up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

People who are charged with stealing a car by force without using a weapon would still face up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000 under the bill.

INDIANAPOLIS – EXCLUSIVE: Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took firm action over the weekend to strengthen the Second Amendment rights of people in her state, signing an executive order on stage during her address to the annual National Rifle Association convention to stop what she called ‘discriminatory action’ against those rights.

Speaking with Fox News Digital immediately after signing of the order, the rumored 2024 presidential candidate stressed the need to ‘lead by example’ when it came to the Second Amendment, and shared what was on her mind as she mulls a potential run for the White House.

‘We’ve recently seen in this country that banking institutions are discriminating against firearm companies or ammunition companies. So what I did was sign an executive order that would prevent the state of South Dakota from doing any business with financial institutions that would do that type of discriminatory action against our Second Amendment rights,’ Noem said when asked about the order she signed in front of the thousands of NRA convention attendees.

‘It’s incredibly important that we set and lead by example. And this executive order is one way that we can do that to continue to stand for constitutional rights of the people in our state right now,’ she said.

In addressing the numerous recent deadly shootings snatching headlines across the country, Noem argued there were laws already in place needing to be enforced that she said would protect citizens and ensure the safety of children. 

‘Now, it’s more important than ever that those of us who value this country, that they value what our founders gave us as our rights to continue to defend them and to explain why they’re in place. They’re in place so a normal, everyday citizen has the chance to deter a corrupt government that would come in and take away their ability to provide for their families,’ she said.

When asked about the rumors swirling around the possibility she might launch a campaign for president, Noem said she wasn’t going to announce a decision just yet, but instead said she saw a country ‘desperate for a president’ that would fight for the values and principles America was built on.

‘I’m looking for an individual like that. I hope that people in this country are as well, because now more than ever, we’re seeing federal government come in and take away our ability to even conduct business, to raise our families as we see fit and to use our values that we were raised with,’ she said. 

‘I do think that it’s important that we keep our eye on the ball and make sure that we have the best individuals stepping forward to take on that role because we’ve got some big fights ahead and we need to make sure that we have a president who will hang in there with us,’ she added.

Concerning the 34 felony falsification of business records charges facing Trump in a New York court, Noem described them as ‘unprecedented action,’ and argued district attorney Alvin Bragg was ignoring the statute of limitations on the former president’s alleged crimes.

‘It’s clearly all politics. You know, I’m sure President Trump will go through the process and will come out recognizing that these kinds of attacks can be withstood and that he will continue to work for the people in this country,’ she said.

Pornography websites that don’t require their users in Louisiana to present proof of age, such as by uploading their license, could face fines of $5,000 a day under a bill advancing in the House.

Lawmakers in the Louisiana House overwhelmingly approved the measure on Monday and sent it to the Senate for consideration. The legislation would allow the state’s Attorney General to investigate and fine pornographic websites that do not comply with the state’s recently enacted age verification law.

‘In preparation for this bill today, I went to one of the largest non-compliant porn sites, so I could tell you exactly what non-compliance to age verification looks like. With only one click I was able to access hardcore pornography on the landing page alone, depicting acts of incest, sexual assault, rape, and sex with minors,’ said Rep. Laurie Laurie Schlegel, the Republican sponsoring the bill.

The bill is a companion to a law that went into effect at the start of this year, which requires adult websites to screen their visitors using ‘reasonable age verification.’ The new law applies to websites, where at least one-third of their content is pornographic material considered ‘harmful to minors.’

Certain adult websites, including Pornhub, began using LA Wallet — which can maintain a copy of a Louisiana resident’s digital driver’s license, as well as vaccination records, virtual court appearances and hunting and fishing licenses. LA Wallet’s system simply tells a third-party verification company whether or not the user is at least 18 years old, The Advocate reported.

Schlegel, who also sponsored last year’s law, said she created the legislation to ‘protect children from the dangers of online pornography.’

While people can sue companies that aren’t complying, Schlegel said her new legislation is meant to address websites that have ‘simply disregarded’ the law.

‘I know that many of you have heard me say, ‘This isn’t your daddy’s Playboy’ —- but, heck. This isn’t even the Hustler you hid underneath your bed … what we’re discussing today is hardcore pornography that is one click away from our children,’ said Schlegel, who is a sex addiction therapist.

Those skeptical of the bill raised privacy concerns and fears of initially broad language. But by the end of the debate, most lawmakers agreed on the bill, which passed 101-1. The sole opposing vote was from Democratic Rep. Mandie Landry. The legislation will move to the Senate to be assigned to a committee for further discussion.

Officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, were forced to replace over 18,000 mail-in ballots after a printing error incorrectly restricted the number of candidates voters were allowed to select.Postal officials helped the southern Pennsylvania county intercept about 15,000 of the affected ballots.The Lancaster County elections board plans to ‘set aside’ any erroneous ballots that are returned.

Elections officials in a central Pennsylvania county were scrambling on Monday to fix an error on more than 18,000 mail-in ballots for the spring primary, when voters will elect judges for the state Supreme Court and other positions.

Late last week someone noticed that the ballot for Superior Court instructed Republican and Democratic primary voters to pick only one judicial candidate to nominate from their party, when in fact voters could pick two, according to Lancaster County’s elections board. There are two vacancies to fill on the mid-level appeals court.

By early Monday afternoon, postal officials had helped Lancaster, which is about 71 miles west of Philadelphia, intercept and safely secure over 15,000 of the affected ballots, officials said.

The problem comes as voters are just receiving mail-in ballots for the primary, which also includes a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.

Voters will receive replacements with corrected wording and a sheet of instructions. Those who received an erroneous ballot were told to throw it out and wait for a replacement. Ballots from those who fill out and return erroneous versions will be ‘set aside’ by the elections board, the county said.

The deadline to return mail-in ballots is May 16.

Pennsylvania is a closely divided swing state that is expected to be a major battleground in next year’s presidential contest. Lancaster is a Republican-majority area with a large farm economy and a growing suburban population. More than 220,000 Lancaster residents voted in the November gubernatorial election.

Lancaster County also had a printing problem with primary ballots a year ago, when a vendor mailed ballots with the wrong ID code, preventing scanning machines from reading them. About one-third of the 21,000-plus ballots affected last year were able to be properly scanned. The votes had to be painstakingly transferred to fresh ballots.

Lancaster also faced a ballot printing error in 2021, when a large number of primary mail-in ballots had to be counted by hand, delaying final results. In that case, the Lancaster County Board of Elections said some 14,000 multi-sheet ballots had been printed in the wrong order.

Lawmakers in North Dakota’s House passed a bill Monday that would criminalize abortions after six weeks of gestation — even in cases of rape or incest, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

The bill still requires approval from the Senate and governor to become law.

Opponents of the bill said six weeks is too early to ban abortions because many women don’t know they are pregnant by that time. Supporters of the bill said passing it would further the state’s tradition of protecting all life, including the unborn.

Republican Rep. Dan Ruby, of Minot, said in support of the bill on the House floor, ‘We have a chance to clean up language in our law, make some improvements to it, adjust to it due to the nature of what we did before the overturning of Roe v. Wade to what is being done now.’

Democratic Rep. Gretchen Dobervich, of Fargo, opposed the bill. The House panel had rejected her amendment to change the six weeks to 12 weeks for ‘a woman who has been the victim of sexual violence in which a pregnancy results.’

Last month, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that a state abortion ban will remain blocked while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds.

‘We’re going to send another message to the North Dakota Supreme Court. This is what this Legislature wants. We want pro-life in North Dakota,’ House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, a Republican of Dickinson, said Monday on the House floor in support of the bill.

The bill passed with a 76-14 vote, largely on party lines but with a few exceptions.

Democratic Rep. Alisa Mitskog, of Wahpeton, was the only person in her party to vote in favor of the bill. And three Republicans voted against it. They were Rep. Eric Murphy of Grand Forks, Rep. Shannon Roers Jones of Fargo and Rep. Steve Swiontek of Fargo.

New York lawmakers passed a three-day budget extension Monday to ensure state operations continue undisrupted as negotiations over the spending plan continue.

The budget was originally due April 1. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers missed that deadline as they tried to reach agreement on changes to the state’s bail law, a housing plan and other policy issues the governor had included in her budget proposal.

A key sticking point has been Hochul’s proposed changes that would give judges more discretion on setting bail for violent felonies. Liberal lawmakers have resisted further changes to the state’s bail law.

This was the third temporary budget extension approved by state lawmakers. Some state lawmakers expressed frustration at the holdup on a final budget.

‘This is the third (extender), and it’s happening despite the fact that one party is controlling our state government,’ said Republican state Assemblymember Edward P. Ra during the floor vote.

He voted in favor of an extender.

Lawmakers must pass another extender Thursday if a state budget isn’t finalized by then, New York City lawmaker Helene Weinstein said during floor deliberations.

The Biden administration is linking lower numbers of migrant encounters at the southern border in March compared to the same time last year to its ongoing efforts to discourage illegal entry by expanding legal pathways – as the Department of Homeland Security prepares for the end of Title 42 next month.

There were 191,899 encounters along the southern border in March, down 14% from 222,574 in March 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Monday. It marks a 23% increase from the 156,138 encounters seen in February, although increases in encounters are typical as the spring and summer months arrive. Over two-thirds (69%) of all encounters were of single adults. 

Specifically, Border Patrol encounters of migrants along the southwest border entering illegally between ports of entry – 162,317 in March 2023 – are down 23% from March 2022 (211,181) and 4% from March 2021 (169,216). An administration official also noted that the increase in Border Patrol encounters between February and March is lower (25%) than the prior two years (33% and 73% for 2022 and 2021.) 

The administration has pointed to measures introduced in January that expanded Title 42 expulsions to include Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians – four nationalities whose encounters had spiked in the prior months. The measures, which were followed by a sharp drop in encounters from a record high in December, also included a humanitarian parole program that allows for up to 30,000 of those nationalities to fly into the U.S. each month if they have not entered illegally and meet certain other criteria including background checks and having a sponsor. In March, 27,783 migrants of those four nationalities were paroled into the U.S.

Numbers remained relatively low through January and February compared to recent years, and while they have increased in March overall, the administration believes those measures are having an impact.

‘The January border enforcement measures continue to hold strong even against the typical migration patterns seen as we enter the warmer months,’ the administration official told Fox News Digital. ‘This month’s encounters are down 23% from last year, and the month-over-month change is the lowest seasonal increase seen in two years.’

Additionally, average encounters of the four nationalities are down from a 7-day average of 1,231 in early January to 339 at the end of March. 

While numbers in 2023 have so far been approximately the same or lower than 2022, it is unclear if that will change once the Title 42 public health order ends on May 11. The order, instituted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been used by both the Trump and Biden administrations to quickly expel hundreds of thousands of migrants at the border and has become a key tool in the ongoing migrant crisis now into its third year. In March, 87,662 (46%) of encounters ended in a Title 42 expulsion. 

The order will end along with the COVID-19 public health emergency and officials are concerned about a potentially massive surge at the border once the order drops as migrants believe they have a greater chance of being released into the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have pushed back against what they say is misinformation being spread by smugglers.

‘CBP will continue to enforce our immigration laws and ramp up efforts to combat smuggler misinformation as we prepare to return to expedited removal proceedings under Title 8 authorities, which carry stricter consequences like a five-year ban on reentry and potential criminal prosecution for unlawful entry,’ acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement on Monday.

The administration has taken a number of actions to tackle any such surge, including a multi-faceted plan which includes cooperation with NGOs and international partners as well as a surge in resources to the border.

More recently, the administration announced a proposed rule that would make migrants ineligible for asylum if they have crossed into the U.S. illegally and have failed to claim asylum in a country through which they previously traveled.

In anticipation of the order dropping, the administration has also temporarily paused an asylum reform that would allow asylum officers to adjudicate asylum claims at the border within months. It has also launched a pilot program to have migrants hold their ‘credible fear’ interviews while still in CBP custody.

Those moves have seen pushback from immigration rights activists, who claim such measures interfere with the right of migrants to claim asylum in the U.S. Meanwhile, the administration is also facing pressure from Republicans – who have sought to tie the ongoing crisis to the reversal of Trump-era policies by the Biden administration. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has faced a number of grillings on the Hill from Republicans, and will appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday.

The administration has taken aim at Republicans for failing to approve funding requests for border readiness, while also calling on Congress to fix what it says is a ‘broken’ immigration system.

The Republican supermajority in West Virginia’s House of Delegates became more lopsided Monday after Del. Elliott Pritt switched from the Democratic Party, the state’s GOP leader said.

Pritt, a teacher, is in his first term after defeating a Republican incumbent in the 2022 election.

‘I want to welcome Delegate Elliott Pritt to the Republican Party,’ West Virginia Republican Party chairwoman Elgine McArdle said in a statement. ‘Like so many West Virginians, Delegate Pritt has recognized that the Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that our parents grew up with.’

The move gives the GOP 89 members in the House, while the Democrats’ ranks dwindled to 11. Pritt’s decision was already accounted for by late morning on the West Virginia Legislature’s official House roster.

Pritt had been the last Democrat in the House in the state’s southern coalfields.

The 34-member state Senate also has a GOP supermajority with 31 Republicans and three Democrats.

The move continues a Republican wave in the state that started a decade ago. After the 2014 election, the GOP took control of the state Senate and House from Democrats for the first time in more than eight decades.

Buoyed by criticism of former two-term President Barack Obama’s energy policies in coal-rich West Virginia, registered Democrats in 2014 fell below 50% for the first time since 1932. There are now about 456,000 registered Republicans, or 39.6% of all registered voters in West Virginia, according to the secretary of state’s office. That compares with about 372,000 registered Democrats, or 32.3%.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is the only Democrat to currently hold statewide office.

California Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., differentiated between the prolonged absences from the Senate of Sens. John Fetterman, D-Penn., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., amid growing calls for Feinstein to resign, saying Feinstein has yet to solidify a return date while Fetterman has. 

‘[Sen. Feinstein] hasn’t been showing up and she has no intention. We don’t know if she’s even going to show up. She has no return date,’ Khanna told ‘Fox News Sunday’ host Shannon Bream. ‘In contrast, Senator Fetterman has said that he’s going to show back up on April 17. So, it’s one thing to take medical leave and come back. It’s another thing where you’re just not doing the job.’

Khanna made headlines last week for taking to Twitter to call for Feinstein’s resignation, writing, ‘We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty,’ and saying she can ‘no longer fulfill her duties.’ 

Feinstein, 89, was hospitalized last month for shingles and has faced other health issues, including concerning reports related to her mental fitness. A recent statement from her office said she will continue to work from her home in San Francisco while also asking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ‘to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work.’

Likewise, Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for clinical depression a little over a month after starting his six-year Senate term. He was later released from the hospital on March 31 after a six-week hospital stay and is expected to pick up his Senate responsibilities this coming week. 

‘The reality here is there’s the sense, ‘Well you need to have a deference to these senators who have served so long.’ How about a deference to the American people? How about an expectation that if you sign up to do one of these jobs, you show up?’ Khanna said Sunday. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. 

Most recently, Khanna again took to Twitter to respond to whether sexism was truly behind the calls for Feinstein’s resignation, saying it was instead ‘common sense.’

‘Or is it common sense? There is no job I know of where you can just continue to not show up and people think that’s perfectly fine. We live in a democracy. The people are the boss,’ Khanna wrote on Thursday. 

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently suggested sexism was at play amid Feinstein’s resignations calls.

‘It’s interesting to me. I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,’ Pelosi told reporters Wednesday. 

A spokesperson for Pelosi told Fox News Digital that ‘Speaker Pelosi’s comment was not referencing any specific case, but commenting on the historic attitude.’

A number of individuals have already announced they will be running to replace Feinstein come her retirement in 2025, among them Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., whom Khanna has already endorsed. When asked if his calls for Feinstein’s resignation were politically motivated, Khanna said they have nothing to do with the current race. 

‘This has nothing to do with the current race because a caretaker would solve that. This has to do with someone who is just not showing up,’ Khanna said. ‘And I said out loud what people have been saying in private, and this is how the Beltway works.’