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Polling is a useful tool in politics, if somewhat blunt and slow, and this weekend Democrats were taking no small comfort in a ABC/Ipsos survey showing Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump by 4 points nationally.

But the important thing about this poll is not the margin. After all, Rasmussen has Trump up by 2 points. Nobody knows which is right. What’s important is that on August 13th, this same ABC poll also showed Harris up 4. Put another way, Kamala’s momentum isn’t just gone, it’s been gone for a while.

I first clearly felt the air escaping the Harris balloon a little more than a fortnight ago, in San Francisco of all places, where one would think she’d be viewed as a hometown hero. But already, from almost everyone I met, there were creeping questions as to what she stands for, what she would do as president.

We have all seen the viral videos, even from the Democratic National Convention, of delegates being asked what their favorite Harris policy is, only to stare off into the distance, looking for an answer that isn’t there as if they had been asked to conjugate some word in Ancient Greek.

I have now seen this expression more times than I can count, in red states, in blue states, in suburb, city and small towns, even many of those committed to voting for the vice president admit it is kind of like buying a political scratch-off ticket. They aren’t sure what they are going to win.

Now, make no mistake, from the time that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shoved President Joe Biden, face first, off of the stage until just before the Democrats gathered in Chicago, the momentum was there, the vibes were real, and Harris’ numbers were going up.

I felt that distinctly, and palpably in the Democrats I spoke with, who had felt a kind of doom and gloom surrounding Grandpa Joe. But vibes are funny things and they tend to run out of steam. In fact, just after Trump survived his assassination attempt, it was Republicans who were convinced that the image of a bloodied and defiant Trump had already won them the election.

But not so fast.

So why did the wheels fall off of Harris’ vibe bus just as the joyride was getting started? There are a few missteps to point to, including her obstinate and bizarre refusal to answer questions or do interviews.

This is where the slow nature of polling becomes a problem. For two weeks, we were told by the liberal media that Harris didn’t need to do any interviews. She was surging, they promised. But she wasn’t. And in that period, almost without fail, every voter I talked to said she needed to start answering questions. Today, it sure looks like the sponge bath she and Gov. Tim Walz received on CNN last week is too little, too late.

The bigger, related problem for Harris is that she simply does not have political chops. A candidate with political chops can do three interviews a day without breaking a sweat, they thrive on the unscripted moment that can be turned to their advantage.

Harris has none of these abilities, and she didn’t have to. Nobody without political chops and top-notch instincts can win a competitive presidential primary, because they lose to better candidates, but Harris never had to face any other candidates and that lack of battle testing is showing its ugly head.

As the first orange leaves flutter to the ground this week, we find ourselves where we were before Joe Biden’s inability to serve was spelled out in giant neon. This race is a toss up, the electorate is as divided as ever, and we are basically going into the fourth quarter all tied up.

For Donald Trump and JD Vance, who have now blunted the short-lived Harris surge, this means more of the same, staying in the public eye as much as possible. You wouldn’t be surprised to see either of them with giant scissors at the grand opening of a Dairy Queen.

Harris and Walz, on the other hand, need a second act. Kamala describing how she makes collard greens and Tim eating pork chops on a stick at the state fair isn’t going to cut it.

The American voters have questions, a lot of them, but do these untested Democratic candidates have any answers?

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Politics

McCarthy’s ‘final struggles’ threaten to haunt Johnson’s government shutdown fight

Roughly 11 months have passed since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster in October 2023. Now, his successor, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is navigating the same fraught political web on government funding that amounted to one of McCarthy’s ‘final struggles’ – but it is not yet clear that he will meet the same fate.

House Republicans are huddling for a conference-wide call on Wednesday, when Johnson is expected to roll out his plan for avoiding a government shutdown by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The plan, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, would extend the current fiscal year’s government funding levels through March and would be paired with a GOP bill requiring proof of citizenship to be part of the voter registration process, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.

However, at least three House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital would not commit to voting for such a short-term bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR). Meanwhile, others questioned the wisdom of spending the few weeks in session before Election Day on a bill virtually certain to die in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Most conservatives and Trump allies in the House, however, have emphatically backed the plan.

‘Certainly conservatives, spending hawks, frankly any Republican that doesn’t want to give Democrats or the kind of…uniparty the pen in December, so we want to kick spending into the new year,’ Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, explained to Fox News Digital. ‘Certainly kicking it to March gives us that benefit. And then we should have a robust fight over whether or not we should be very clear that only citizens are voting.’

Five Democrats voted with Republicans earlier this year to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, but it has since been stalled in the Senate. The White House is also opposed.

Roy, however, was also part of last year’s doomed effort to pass a conservative CR with House Republicans’ marquee border security bill attached – one that was similarly panned by Democratic leaders.

That CR failed in late September after 21 Republicans, mainly opposed to a CR on principle, voted against it.

McCarthy was then forced to put a ‘clean’ funding extension on the House floor hours before a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, which was later the public catalyst for his ouster by eight fellow House Republicans.

When asked whether he was concerned about history repeating itself, Roy said, ‘Last year, I had good friends that fell on both sides of that divide. But I think there’s one considerable difference, and that is President Trump has publicly called for us to fight.’

Trump urged House Republicans to leverage a shutdown to get a CR with the SAVE Act passed on Monica Crowley’s podcast earlier this week.

Additionally, with the November House races expected to run close in many key districts, these weeks could be Republicans’ last chance to try to force through conservative priorities before Democrats possibly win back control of the chamber.

However, with the slim chances of it being taken up by the Senate or White House, the possibility of a government shutdown just before Election Day could put those same vulnerable Republicans in a tight spot.

‘Whether it passes the House or not is irrelevant and those who are pushing for SAVE to be included know that. Or maybe they don’t. I’m not sure which is worse,’ one senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital.

However, Roy suggested he was not worried about a potential shutdown, arguing his constituents ‘don’t give two flying s—s’ about the politics of government funding.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., similarly said, ‘I’m worried about a stolen election…the legacy media makes these shutdowns worse than they are.’

Meanwhile, like last year’s conservative CR, it is not clear this spending patch will even have enough support within the GOP to pass.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., a House Freedom Caucus member in his final term who voted both against last year’s conservative CR and for McCarthy’s ouster, is already against the plan.

‘It’s disingenuous and dishonest to even do, because there’s no one in Congress that believes that by attaching the SAVE act to the CR…we’re going to get the SAVE Act passed,’ Rosendale, who has never supported a CR, told Fox News Digital.

He also said the play violates House GOP leaders’ pledge for single-subject legislation.

However, he would not say if he would support ousting Johnson over it.

‘I think people keep doing the same thing, hoping they will have different results, because there’s different people doing it,’ Rosendale said.

When pressed on Johnson multiple times, Rosendale said, ‘There’s plenty of people that you can go, they’re more than glad to make comments about other members and about leadership. All I know is what I’m going to do.’

Burchett, another anti-McCarthy rebel, said he would ‘lean towards supporting’ the CR but would not commit.

He said, however, that Johnson was not in danger of being ousted, adding, ‘A lot of other things went on’ before ‘one of the final struggles’ about spending in McCarthy’s case.

McCarthy did not make himself available for an interview when asked by Fox News Digital. Johnson’s office also would not comment on the record about the CR.

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Politics

I worked for Ronald Reagan and I love how liberal critics are upset about the new movie

With regard to the new movie ‘REAGAN,’ I fully admit to a very large and enduring bias in favor of the former president. I worked as a writer in the White House of President Ronald Reagan from 1987 until the end of his administration in January 1989.

More than that, I was blessed to share a deeply personal and emotional moment with the president. He had invited me to the Oval Office to commend me for something I had written.

As we flowed into a very warm discussion, I mentioned that my parents, like his father, were dysfunctional alcoholics. As soon as I did, he stepped closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder and began to speak about the cruelty of other children when they see your father or parents in such a condition. As he spoke to me, his voice became almost a whisper as he asked me to tell him about my mom and dad.

No sooner did I do so than his eyes began to fill with tears. Upon seeing that, I am not the least bit embarrassed to say I broke into tears of my own. Taking note of my tears, the leader of the free world stepped in and gave me a hug.

I had never felt such grace, empathy and kindness. Quite ironically, the reason the president invited me over was to thank me for defending him against the critics of that time.

Flash ahead to now, and filmmaker Sean McNamara’s exceptional movie ‘REAGAN’ starring Dennis Quaid is in the theaters. Sadly, but quite predictably, it is being savaged by a number of far-left movie critics. Several gloatingly declaring it ‘the worst movie of the year.’

While these far-left, seemingly soulless haters may be virtually slapping each other on the back for their predictably biased and unprofessional attacks on the film and our 40th president, they are forgetting — or purposefully ignoring — one critical fact. That being, Ronald Reagan was a man of the people.

Americans from all walks of life loved him because he was one of them. He had walked in their shoes and they knew it. Not the least bit surprisingly, while these insuffable critics — who oftentimes exist only to tear down the blood, sweat, and tears of truly creative people — look down their entitled noses at ‘REAGAN,’ the people absolutely love it.

Those who have seen the movie are not only giving it an amazing 98% ‘fresh’ audience score on ‘Rotten Tomatoes,’ but rave reviews in exit polling. More than that, it is exceeding expectations at the box office.

While we would need an army of trained psychologists to explain why these entitled critics hate so, two reasons seem self-evident. The first being that they have been indoctrinated from birth, in some cases, to loathe anything remotely connected with the president or his incredibly successful administrations. Second, is the fact that ‘REAGAN’ star Quaid has mentioned that he will be supporting former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.

As we have discovered, if there is a president the far left more irrationally hates than Reagan, it is Trump. A man who has folded in much of the Reagan doctrine into his past administration and peppers his commonsense speeches with it now.

As these critics know, Reagan was also a part of Hollywood back in the day. Even then, he saw that industry taking a hard turn to the left. It was a socialist-leaning movement which helped to push him closer to his conservative and populist principles.

Were Reagan alive today, I suspect he would not be the least bit shocked by the hate directed at him and his legacy by these far-left critics. However, with his trademark smile and laugh, he would have most likely said: ‘Well … there they go again.’

Afterward, that man of the people would have taken humble joy in the reviews the film ‘REAGAN’ is getting from not only those who loved him, but those who wish they could have experienced his leadership firsthand.

‘REAGAN’ — 1. Liberal critics — 0.

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Politics

With 2 days until voting starts, ‘election season’ kicks off sooner than you think

There are 62 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

But if Americans vote like they did in the last two election cycles, most of them will have already cast a ballot before the big day.

Early voting starts as soon as Sept. 6 for eligible voters, with seven battleground states sending out ballots to at least some voters the same month.

It makes the next few months less a countdown to Election Day, and more the beginning of ‘election season.’

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, like members of the military or people with illnesses.

In some states, almost every voter casts a ballot by mail.

Many states expanded eligibility in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in-person.

That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in-person and 41% voting by mail.

Early voting remained popular in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot before Election Day.

Elections officials stress that voting early is safe and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed after the 2020 election did not reveal evidence of widespread fraud or corruption.

The difference between ‘early in-person’ and ‘mail’ or ‘absentee’ voting.

There are a few ways to vote before Election Day.

The first is , where a voter casts a regular ballot in-person at a voting center before Election Day.

The second is , where the process and eligibility varies by state.

Eight states vote mostly by mail, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Registered voters receive ballots and send them back.

Most states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot and send it back. This is also called mail voting, or sometimes absentee voting. Depending on the state, voters can return their ballot by mail, at a drop box, and/or at an office or facility that accepts mail ballots.

In 14 states, voters must have an excuse to vote by mail, ranging from illness, age, work hours or if a voter is out of their home county on Election Day.

States process and tabulate ballots at different times. Some states don’t begin counting ballots until election night, which delays the release of results.

Voting begins on Sept. 6 in North Carolina, with six more battleground states starting that month

This list of early voting deadlines is for guidance only. In some areas, early voting may begin before the dates listed. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, go to Vote.gov and your state’s elections website.

The first voters to be sent absentee ballots will be in North Carolina, which begins mailing out ballots for eligible voters on Sept. 6.

Six more battleground states begin early voting the same month, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.

September deadlines

In-person early voting in bold.

Sept. 6

North Carolina – Absentee ballots sent to voters

Sept. 16

Pennsylvania – Mail-in ballots sent to voters

Sept. 17

Georgia – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas

Sept. 19

Wisconsin – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 20

Virginia – In-person early voting begins
Minnesota, South Dakota – In-person absentee voting begins
Idaho, Kentucky, West Virginia – Absentee ballots sent
Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas

Sept. 21

Maryland, New Jersey – Mail-in ballots sent
Indiana, New Mexico – Absentee ballots sent
Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas

Sept. 23

Mississippi – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent
Oregon – Absentee ballots sent
Vermont – Mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 26

Illinois – In-person early voting begins & mail-in ballots sent
Michigan – Absentee ballots sent
Florida – Mail-in ballots sent
North Dakota – Absentee & mail-in ballots sent
Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent to voters outside the state

Sept. 30

Nebraska – Mail-in ballots sent

October deadlines

Oct. 4

Connecticut – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 6

Maine – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent

Oct. 7

California – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
Nebraska – In-person early voting begins
Georgia – Absentee ballots sent
Massachusetts – Mail-in ballots sent
Montana – In-person absentee voting begins

Oct. 8

California – Ballot drop-offs open
New Mexico, Ohio – In-person absentee voting begins
Indiana – In-person early voting begins
Wyoming – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent

Oct. 9

Arizona – In-person early voting begins & mail ballots sent

Oct. 11

Colorado – Mail-in ballots sent
Arkansas, Alaska – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 15

Georgia – In-person early voting begins
Utah – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 16

Rhode Island, Kansas, Tennessee – In-person early voting begins
Iowa – In-person absentee voting begins
Oregon, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 17

North Carolina – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 18

Louisiana – In-person early voting begins
Washington – Mail-in ballots sent
Hawaii – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 19

Nevada, Massachusetts – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 21

Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas – In-person early voting begins
Colorado – Ballot drop-offs open

Oct. 22

Hawaii, Utah – In-person early voting begins
Missouri, Wisconsin – In-person absentee voting begins

Oct. 23

West Virginia – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 24

Maryland – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 25

Delaware – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 26

Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, New York – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 30

Oklahoma – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 31

Kentucky – In-person absentee voting begins

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Politics

DOJ charges Hamas leaders over ‘terrorist atrocities’ in Oct 7 Israel attack

The Department of Justice on Tuesday unsealed criminal charges against Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and other leaders of the brutal organization over the ‘terrorist atrocities’ of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

The criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction resulting in death.

It also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support and weapons, including rockets, that were used in the attack.

The complaint marks the first time that U.S. prosecutors have formally called out the masterminds of the Oct. 7 massacre.

‘The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations,’ Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video address. ‘These actions will not be our last. The Justice Department has a long memory. We will pursue the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans – and those who illegally provide them with material support – for the rest of their lives.’

Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds more hostage.

Tuesday’s charges come days after Israel Defense Forces recovered the bodies of six hostages – including 23-year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin – in the tunnels beneath Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas chief Sinwar is believed to be hiding out somewhere in Hamas’ vast tunnel network beneath Gaza. It’s unclear how much contact he has with the outside world.

Sinwar was appointed the overall head of Hamas after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and sits atop Israel’s most-wanted list.

Other Hamas leaders charged include Haniyeh; Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza who helped plan last year’s attack and who Israel says was killed when fighter jets struck an underground compound in central Gaza in March; Khaled Mashaal, another Haniyeh deputy and a former leader of the group; Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ longtime shadowy military leader who is thought to be dead after an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza in July; and Ali Baraka, Hamas’ head of external relations.

The DOJ said at least one person – whose name they did not specify in the complaint – is ‘expected to be first brought to and arrested in the Southern District of New York.’

Fox News’ David Spunt and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Politics

Trump plans to plead not guilty to Jack Smith’s revised federal election interference charges

Former President Trump plans to plead not guilty to the revised charges in the federal election inference case against him, a new court document shows.

According to a court filing obtained by Fox News, Trump signed an entry of not guilty plea. In the document, which was filed on Tuesday, Trump also waived his right to be present at his arraignment.

‘I authorize my attorneys to enter a plea of not guilty on my behalf to each and every count of the superseding indictment, Doc. 226,’ the document says. ‘I further state that I have received a copy of the superseding indictment and reviewed it with my counsel.’

The case pertains to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Last week, the former president was indicted and given revised criminal charges by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who alleges that the Republican candidate pressured former Vice President Pence to reject legitimate electoral votes, in addition to mounting fake electors in key states that went to President Biden, to attest to Trump’s electoral victory.

Smith revised the charges after a recent Supreme Court ruling extended presidential immunity for official White House acts in a 6-3 decision.

The recent indictment retains the criminal charges against Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump had previously pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Speaking with Shannon Bream during Sunday’s episode of ‘Fox News Sunday,’ Trump said he had ‘every right’ to do what he did after the 2020 presidential election.

‘Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it?’ Trump said.

Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign released a statement blasting Trump on Monday and claimed that the Republican candidate’s recent comments ‘make it clear that he believes he is above the law.’

‘Now, Trump is claiming he had ‘every right’ to interfere in the 2020 election. He did not,’ a Harris campaign spokesperson said in the statement.

Reuters and Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

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Politics

Kamala Harris still unclear on whether she would stop weapons shipments to Israel

After the United Kingdom paused some arms shipments to Israel on Monday, it’s not entirely clear whether Vice President Kamala Harris could follow the same path.

The Democratic presidential candidate is under intense pressure from progressives to get tough on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the war with Hamas drags on for nearly a year.

Harris insists she’s committed to Israel’s defense. But as a peace deal continues to evade the war in Gaza, Harris has declined to answer questions on whether the U.S. could use its soft power in halting weapons shipments to a top ally in the Middle East to affect policy change under her leadership.

Last week, Harris was pressed on whether she would do anything differently from President Joe Biden with Israel and the war in Gaza. She answered in the negative, but quickly pivoted to the need for a peace deal.

The Harris campaign did not respond to a request from Fox News Digital on whether halting weapons shipments would be on or off the table if Harris takes the White House.

‘President Biden has tried unsuccessfully to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He’s been doing it for months and months, along with you. Would you do anything differently? For example, would you withhold some U.S. weapons shipments to Israel?’ CNN’s Dana Bash asked the vice president on Thursday.

‘Let me be very clear. I’m unequivocal and — and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself,’ she said, before detailing the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and noting ‘too many Palestinian civilians have been killed.’

Some 42,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict since October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

‘We have to get a deal done. This war must end,’ she went on. ‘Let’s get the hostages out. Let’s get the ceasefire done.’

‘But no change in policy in terms of arms and — and so forth?’ Bash pressed again.

‘No. We have to get a deal done. Dana, we have to get a deal done. When you look at the significance of this to the families, to the people who are living in that region — a deal is not only the right thing to do to end this war but will unlock so much of what must happen next.’

‘I remain committed, since I’ve been on Oct. 8, to what we must do to work toward a two-state solution where Israel is secure and in equal measure the Palestinians have security and self-determination — and dignity.’

Israel said last week the U.S. had shipped more than 50,000 tons of arms and military equipment since war broke out in October. Congress passed a bill that included $26 billion in arms assistance for Israel and aid for Gaza in April.

The United Kingdom on Monday paused dozens of weapons exports to Israel over concerns those arms could be used to violate international law.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told lawmakers on Monday that the decision related to about 30 of 350 export licenses for equipment that includes parts for military aircraft and drones and items used for ground targeting.

Lammy said the British government believes the equipment ‘is for use in the current conflict in Gaza’ and represents a ‘clear risk’ that some could be used to ‘commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.’

Back home, Netanyahu is under attack from all sides after it was revealed that six Israeli hostages were found dead in a Hamas tunnel. Protesters took to the streets to demand a hostage deal over the weekend. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American whose parents made an emotional plea for a hostage deal at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last month, was among the dead.

President Joe Biden replied ‘no’ over the weekend when asked if Netanyahu is doing enough to secure the hostages.

Over the weekend, Biden and Harris worked on a hostage deal with their negotiating team as the news of the additional deaths broke.

The president said ‘we’re very close’ to securing a hostage deal that all sides could agree to, though such a deal has evaded negotiators for months. ‘Hope springs eternal,’ he said.

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Politics

GOP leaders vow ‘action’ as Columbia University swarmed by anti-Israel agitators

House Republican leaders are vowing to push back on anti-Israel protests that are once again taking over college campuses as students return for the fall semester.

It comes as activists have already begun defacing property and staging demonstrations at Columbia University in New York City, which was a hotbed of controversial activity in the spring.

‘There should be a zero tolerance policy for antisemitic violence on campus that targets Jewish students. If universities won’t hold protestors accountable, Congress will,’ Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital. ‘Just last month, we subpoenaed several Columbia University officials, and we will continue our investigations and take action on the floor as students return to campus.’

GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., similarly said, ‘Columbia University has repeatedly enabled radical pro-Hamas mobs, putting Jewish members of their community at risk and allowing antisemitic hate to take root at a once acclaimed institution. House Republicans will use every tool at our disposal to demand immediate action from Columbia University on behalf of the Jewish students who want to pursue their education without fear.’

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital, ‘It’s no wonder the pro-terrorist mob is back at Columbia — the Democrats have enabled and empowered the antisemites in their party.’

Emmer said House Republicans would ‘continue to send a resounding message’ of support for Israel and for Jewish students in the U.S.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, urged the White House to speak out against the protests as well.

‘It is the first day of class at Columbia University and the pro-Terrorist, antisemitic mob is already back,’ Johnson wrote on X. ‘The Biden-Harris Administration should condemn this mob immediately.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.

At least one protester was arrested during the Manhattan demonstrations on Tuesday, video shows. Footage also shows activists pushing barricades, and a second person was taken into custody outside of Columbia’s sister school, Barnard College.

Republicans have seized on Israel as a unifying issue for their own party as the left continues to fracture over U.S. relations with its close Middle Eastern ally.

Moderate Democrats, however, have pointed to the primary losses of anti-Israel progressives as proof that the left is capable of policing its own anti-Semitism problem.

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Politics

Trump is ‘getting ready’ for debate by ramping up campaign schedule

Former President Donald Trump is ramping up his campaign schedule ahead of the highly anticipated debate against Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, with campaign officials telling Fox News Digital that meeting with voters and taking questions from the press is his way of ‘getting ready.’

Trump and Harris are expected to face off for the first time in a debate on Tuesday, Sept. 10 on ABC News. The debate will be held in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center.

The Harris campaign has agreed to the terms set forth in the initial agreement — the same terms used during the debate between Trump and President Biden in June.

Biden’s debate performance against Trump led to his ouster, shaking up the election cycle and forcing a switch to the top of the Democrat ticket. Biden suspended his re-election campaign shortly after and endorsed Harris.

‘We’re glad Kamala has finally agreed to the debate terms after trying to open up negotiations again,’ a Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital.

The rules are as follows: no notes, no sitting, no audience and no open microphones.

The Harris campaign had argued last month that microphones should be open, and not muted, throughout the debate but ultimately agreed to the initial terms.

Ahead of next Tuesday’s debate, Trump is ramping up his campaign schedule with multiple events per day.

Trump will be in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for a town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Trump will travel to New York City to give a speech at the New York Economic Club. Later Thursday, he will deliver remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition.

On Friday, Trump is headed to North Carolina to meet with law enforcement groups, where he is expected to deliver remarks.

On Saturday, the former president will hold a rally in Wisconsin.

‘He uses rallies and speeches as a big part of debate prep,’ a campaign official told Fox News Digital. ‘Meeting with voters and interacting with the press is a form of getting ready — you have seen him doing more media engagements in the last couple of weeks.’

The official added: ‘In a lot of ways, that’s his preparation.’

Fox News Digital has learned that campaign senior adviser Jason Miller is leading debate preparations, with Stephen Miller and the policy team also involved.

As for the Harris campaign, Fox News Digital reported last month that the vice president had recruited Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison attorney Karen Dunn to help with debate prep. Dunn helped prepare Harris for her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Dunn is simultaneously working as Google’s lead defense attorney in the Biden-Harris administration’s lawsuit against the tech giant.

That lawsuit, United States v. Google LLC, is the Biden-Harris administration’s antitrust lawsuit targeting Google’s digital advertising practices. The trial is set to begin Sept. 9 — a day before the first presidential debate.

‘Kamala Harris will never stand up to Big Tech because she’s being coached on what to say in the debates by Google’s top lawyer,’ Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh told Fox News Digital. ‘Think about how outrageous it is — their administration is suing Google, but Harris is taking political advice from the defendant’s lawyer.’

Murtaugh said, ‘Any first year law student knows that’s a conflict of interest.’

Neither the Harris campaign nor Dunn responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Politics

US DOJ charges Hamas leaders over ‘terrorist atrocities’ in October 7 Israel attack

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday unsealed criminal charges against Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and other leaders of the brutal organization over the ‘terrorist atrocities’ of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

The criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, resulting in death.

It also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support and weapons, including rockets, that were used in the attack.

The complaint marks the first time that U.S. prosecutors have formally called out the masterminds of the Oct. 7 massacre.

Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds more hostage.

Hamas chief Sinwar is believed to be hiding out somewhere in Hamas’ vast tunnel network beneath Gaza. It’s unclear how much contact he has with the outside world.

Sinwar was appointed the overall head of Hamas after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and sits atop Israel’s most-wanted list.

Other Hamas leaders charged include Haniyeh; Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza who helped plan last year’s attack and who Israel says was killed when fighter jets struck an underground compound in central Gaza in March; Khaled Mashaal, another Haniyeh deputy and a former leader of the group; Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ longtime shadowy military leader, who is thought to be dead following an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza in July; and Ali Baraka, Hamas’ head of external relations.

The DOJ said at least one person – whose name they did not specify in the complaint – is ‘expected to be first brought to and arrested in the Southern District of New York.’

Fox News’ David Spunt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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