Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, has spent the last month reviewing plans, strategics and potential tough questions ahead of the Oct. 1 CBS Vice Presidential Debate against Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a source familiar with the preparations by former President Trump’s running mate. 

House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., was selected to play Walz during mock debates to prepare Vance for the Minnesota governor’s “folksy” Midwestern style, the source told Fox News Digital. 

The source revealed that Vance has been doing most of his preparations at his home in Cincinnati or in online sessions with his team. 

Members of Vance’s inner circle – including his wife Usha –  as well as Trump campaign strategist Jason Miller have been involved in prep sessions. The source said those helping Vance are immersing themselves in honing Walz’s debate style by watching videos of his past debates from his previous campaign runs. 
TRUMP-VANCE TICKET HAS DONE COMBINED 58 INTERVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH COMPARED TO 18 FOR HARRIS-WALZ

The source also pointed to Vance’s frequent media interviews as helping him prepare for the upcoming debate, set to take place in New York City.

During regular appearances on Sunday shows, Vance has gained experience in engaging in debate often with contentious network hosts and responding to attacks, the source added. 

VANCE SAYS HE WILL KEEP CALLING HAITIAN MIGRANTS ‘ILLEGAL ALIENS’ DESPITE PAROLE STATUS

Meanwhile, Walz’s mock debates will feature U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acting as JD Vance’s doppelganger, the Associated Press reported, citing people with knowledge of the candidate’s preparations. 

Trump already faced off against President Biden in a June 27 debate hosted by CNN, and Biden’s disastrous performance set into motion his eventual departure from the race and endorsement of Harris. After Trump and Harris took the stage in Philadelphia on Sept. 10 in the second presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle hosted by ABC News, Trump said on TRUTH Social there would be “no third debate.” 

Meanwhile, Harris said in an X post over the weekend she would accept the terms of a debate on Oct. 23 hosted by CNN. During his campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, Trump said Harris has done one debate, while, “I’ve done two. It’s too late to do another. I’d love to, in many ways, but it’s too late. The voting is cast.”

Fox News’ Caroline Elliott and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

In just the last few days, there’s been a tremendous media pile-on against Donald Trump.

Whether you think that’s warranted or not – much of it is based on his own words – we are back to a Trump-centric universe. Kamala Harris is making little or no news, despite such spectacles as the Oprah show, and Trump, as usual, is back to driving each news cycle.

I have been telling people since 2015 that negative stories are good for Trump because the ensuing debate then unfolds on his terms. In fact, he deliberately uses provocative or inflammatory language as catnip for the press, knowing that even if he’s denounced that will drive coverage for at least a couple of days.

The vice president generally gets such favorable press that many people assume she’s got this race wrapped up. When an NBC poll shows her leading Trump by 5 points, she’s said to have the momentum, although national surveys are basically meaningless.

SCANDALS, FAILED ASSASSINATIONS AND POLITICAL RHETORIC: BOTH SIDES GO HIGH AND LOW

And a New York Times poll shows Trump leading in the key Sunbelt states that the Harris camp hoped to pick off. He has a 5-point lead in Arizona, a 4-point lead in Georgia and a 2-point lead in North Carolina.

That’s within striking distance and in some cases a statistical tie. But the Times piece says that many voters believe Trump “improved their lives when he was president – and worry that a Kamala Harris White House would not.”

That’s the thing. Trump’s already had four years in the Oval Office. And while there was no shortage of chaos – two impeachments, January 6th – plenty of folks remember a strong economy. And they want more details about whether Harris would take the country in a more liberal direction, even as she puts her rhetorical focus on the middle class and small business (as well as abortion rights).

Plus, it’s hard to run as a change candidate when you’re part of the incumbent administration and large numbers see the country as being on the wrong track.

Virtually everyone in America has a set-in-stone view of the former president. His MAGA loyalists have been with him since he said in his first campaign that “I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue” and not lose support. 

That takes on a more ominous tone now that Trump has barely escaped assassinaton twice – and, after the Florida golf course attempt, blamed the attacks on “danger to democracy” language by Harris and the Democrats. Many in the media have made Hitler comparisons, and the truth is both sides have used incendiary language.

Sometimes Trump just resorts to trolling – “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” – to get chattering classes chattering, even though he much wanted her endorsement.

Let’s look at the coverage in recent days:

TRUMP INDICATES HE WON’T MAKE ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN 2028 IF UNSUCCESSFUL THIS TIME

The Washington Post describes “Donald Trump’s imaginary world,” where “Americans can’t venture out to buy a loaf of bread without getting shot, mugged or raped. Immigrants in a small Ohio town eat their neighbors’ cats and dogs. World War III and economic collapse are just around the corner. And kids head off to school only to return at day’s end having undergone gender reassignment surgery.

“The former president’s imaginary world is a dark, dystopian place, described by Trump in his rallies, interviews, social media posts and debate appearances to paint an alarming picture of America under the Biden-Harris administration.

It is a distorted, warped and, at times, absurdist portrait of a nation where the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to deadly effect were merely peaceful protesters, and where unlucky boaters are faced with the unappealing choice between electrocution or a shark attack. His extreme caricatures also serve as another way for Trump to traffic in lies and misinformation, using an alternate reality of his own making to create an often terrifying — and, he seems to hope — politically devastating landscape for his political opponents.”

Trump also accused Tim Walz speaking positively about “execution” after a baby is born–though Washington Post’s Fact-Checker says the governor never said that, and that fewer than 1 percent of abortions are performed after 21 weeks of pregnancy.

In the New York Times, conservative writer David French uses self-described “Black Nazi” and pro-slavery GOP candidate Mark Robinson, who’s running for North Carolina governor, to slam Trump.

French says he’s endorsed Kamala “because I believe that a Harris victory gives Republicans ‘a chance to build something decent’ from the ruins of a Trump defeat.

“After enduring weeks of lies about the Haitian immigrants who live in Springfield, Ohio, and an entire news cycle devoted to covering Trump’s connection with Laura Loomer, one of the most overtly racist figures in MAGA America (she once spoke at a conference of white nationalists and declared, ‘I consider myself to be a white advocate, and I openly campaigned for the United States Congress as a white advocate’) — I’m hardening my view. Trump loses now or the Republicans are lost for a generation. Maybe more…

“This has changed the composition of the party. While many decent people remain — and represent the hope for future reform — Trump’s Republican Party has become a magnet for eccentrics and conspiracy theorists of all stripes.” 

64 DAYS: KAMALA HARRIS HAS YET TO DO FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE EMERGING AS DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

Back at the Washington Post, the Trump campaign is described as imploding: 

“In a single 24-hour span at the end of last month, for example, he amplified a crude joke about Harris performing a sex act; falsely accused her of staging a coup against President Joe Biden; promoted tributes to the QAnon conspiracy theory; hawked digital trading cards; and became embroiled in a public feud with staff and officials at Arlington National Cemetery.

“The Swift attack was especially concerning to Trump’s advisers, who are worried about attracting female voters.”

And there are his constant tributes to “the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” the movie serial killer.

“Some campaign advisers are eager to move on from Trump’s and Vance’s unverifiable claims about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs — a potentially detrimental news cycle that has stretched into its second week — but also acknowledge that Trump rarely retreats, even when it might be politically advantageous to do so.”

The piece describes Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager, as playing a divisive role, to which he responded: “Same old nonsense that has already been written by the Washington Compost. Your obsession with my volunteer efforts just demonstrates your continued hatred of Donald J. Trump and prove you will stop at nothing to try and prevent him from becoming the 47th President of the United States.”

Post op-ed columnist Ruth Marcus says Trump is “crossing a hazardous new line” by saying it will be the fault of Jewish people, insufficiently grateful for his pro-Israel policies, if he loses the election:

“They threaten, if he does lose, and especially if he continues this line of argument, to unleash the fury of disappointed Trump supporters on Jews. It does not take much to imagine the backlash, and the violence, that could ensue. We Jews know something about being scapegoated…

“Trump has long had an unnerving habit of bringing up the fact of people’s Judaism — sometimes mistakenly — on occasions when it seems irrelevant at best. ‘Who would have thought my top guys are Jews?’ Trump observed to aides Jared Kushner, Stephen Miller and Jason Miller aboard Air Force One, according to the New York Times’s Maggie Haberman. (In fact, Jason Miller, as he told Trump, is not Jewish.)” 

By contrast, a Times piece on Harris’ record as a prosecutor soberly finds “a coherent record that is for the most part consistent. Ms. Harris seemed particularly focused on protecting the most vulnerable victims by cracking down on violent offenders while seeking alternatives to incarceration for less serious criminals.” 

It’s not that each individual story isn’t based on reported facts. But the tsunami of anti-Trump pieces is a reminder of how relentlessly negative his coverage is – his supporters just don’t trust the media – when compared to the general praise for the Democratic nominee.

Footnote: As I was typing this column, I got a statement from Trump saying “the Kamala Harris/Joe Biden Department of Justice and FBI are mishandling the second assassination attempt on my life since July.” He says Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida should handle the investigations and prosecutions instead.

Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis has been crisscrossing the country to attend fundraisers for her re-election campaign with Democratic allies in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and beyond. 

Earlier this month, Willis traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend her own “2024 Re-Election Fundraising Reception” on Sept. 13. 

“All contributions up to $3,300 are appreciated,” the invitation read. 

Willis also headlined a panel in Washington, D.C., during the Annual Congressional Black Caucus Weekend with Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, where they discussed ways to “clapback against MAGA.” 

Last week, Willis continued her fundraising swing, holding another “Re-Election Fundraising Reception” in Los Angeles on Sept. 17. 

That event drew different levels of contributions. 

“Team Fani” donors were asked to give $101; “Ally” donors were asked for $250; “Partner” donors were asked for $500; and “Supporter” donors were asked for $1,000, with maximum contributions of $3,300 requested. 

Willis, on Sept. 13, had been subpoenaed to testify before Georgia’s State Senate Special Committee on Investigations. 

That committee was holding a hearing as part of its investigation into allegations that Willis had profited off former President Donald Trump’s prosecution and colluded with Democrat officials to bring charges against the former president. 

FORMER SENATOR LAUNCHES 6-FIGURE AD BLITZ AGAINST FANI WILLIS AHEAD OF GEORGIA ELECTION

The subpoena compelled Willis to testify and also to provide documents related to the investigation, and to her relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis reportedly had an “improper affair” with Wade, who she hired to help bring the case against Trump. Wade later resigned from his position. 

Willis filed an emergency motion to stop the subpoena from compelling her testimony before the Georgia State Senate committee. 

A Fulton County judge, however, denied her motion. 

While in Washington, D.C., Willis also headlined a panel during the Annual Congressional Black Caucus Weekend with Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, where they discussed ways to “clapback against MAGA.” 

This week, Willis continued her fundraising swing, holding another “Re-Election Fundraising Reception” in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 17. 

That event drew different levels of contributions. 

“Team Fani” donors were asked to give $101; “Ally” donors were asked for $250; “Partner” donors were asked for $500; and “Supporter” donors were asked for $1,000, with maximum contributions of $3,300 requested. 

There were more fundraisers for Willis on Friday and Sunday in Houston.

“Instead of doing her job, Fani Willis is gallivanting across the U.S. raising money and rubbing elbows with her radical cronies in California and Washington — abandoning the families of Fulton County, and her oath to uphold the law,” Greater Georgia Chairwoman and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler told Fox News Digital. 

“Time and time again, she puts her financial and political interests above serving our citizens,” Loeffler said. “No amount of blue state cash can hide the fact that she’s only fighting for herself.” 

GEORGIA JUDGE DISMISSES TWO CRIMINAL COUNTS AGAINST TRUMP IN FANI WILLIS’ 2020 ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

Loeffler launched Greater Georgia in 2021. It is the only organization in the state working to oust Willis ahead of the Nov. 5 election. 

The conservative advocacy group launched a $100,000 ad campaign against Willis earlier this month, aimed at exposing her “failures” ahead of Election Day. 

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee dismissed two criminal counts in Willis’ Georgia 2020 election interference case against Trump, ruling that Georgia prosecutors had no authority to bring the charges that related to the alleged filing of false documents in federal court. 

McAffee, earlier this year, dismissed six other charges against Trump, saying Willis failed to allege sufficient detail. 

Trump had pleaded not guilty to all counts. 

In June, the Georgia Court of Appeals paused the proceedings until it hears the case to disqualify Willis in October.

The Georgia Court of Appeals said it would hear Trump’s argument to have Willis disqualified on Dec. 5 — a month after the 2024 presidential election. 

In a separate decision earlier this month, though, McAfee upheld the racketeering charge in the case, which has been brought against all the defendants. 

Missouri and North Carolina joined the growing list of states that have started early voting in the 2024 election Tuesday.

Here’s everything you need to know about the key races and how to participate.

North Carolina last voted for a Democrat president in 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama won the state by 0.3 points, or 14,177 votes.

Trump pulled out a convincing 3.7 point win in 2016, but that margin shrank to 1.3 points against Biden in 2020.

Late last month, the Fox News Poll had the two 2024 presidential candidates just a point apart from each other, with Democrat nominee Vice President Harris at 49% and GOP nominee former President Trump at 50%. North Carolina is ranked a Toss Up on the Fox News Power Rankings.

HOUSE GOP DOUBTS GROW AS JOHNSON DIGS IN ON FUNDING FIGHT: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’

The state has become more competitive as its population has grown. Over the last full decade, North Carolina added roughly 1.1 million people, the fourth-largest gain among all states.

Much of that growth has been in urban and suburban areas like those in solidly blue Mecklenburg and Wake counties.

The pandemic brought more wealthy, urban Americans from surrounding states, and there are pockets of college voters as well.

Rural areas have experienced some population decline, but they remain a powerful part of the state’s overall vote, and they vote overwhelmingly Republican.

Across the states that begin early voting today, there are three competitive U.S. House races in North Carolina:

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Missouri.

Missouri began absentee voting on Tuesday. Applicants need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 23, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day.

Missouri residents can register to vote online, by mail or in person through Oct. 9.

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for North Carolina.

North Carolina began absentee voting for registered voters on Tuesday, having begun sending absentee ballots to military and overseas voters on Friday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5.

Early in-person voting varies by location in North Carolina. Check the state’s website for more information. The last day to vote in-person is Nov. 2.

North Carolina residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 11. They can also register in-person during early voting between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.

A new poll indicates surging support among America’s youngest voters for Vice President Harris in her 2024 showdown against former President Trump.

Harris tops Trump by 31 points among people aged 18-29 likely to vote in the presidential election, according to a poll released Tuesday morning by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Harvard Kennedy School.

That’s a dramatic switch from Harvard’s survey from this spring, which indicated President Biden topping Trump by just 13 points among likely youth voters.

The numbers in Harvard’s spring survey, as well as similar findings in other polls, raised alarms among Democrats, as younger voters have long been a key part of the party’s base. 

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Biden dropped his re-election bid in July in the wake of a disastrous debate performance against Trump, and Harris instantly enjoyed a wave of enthusiasm and momentum as she replaced her boss atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket.

“This poll reveals a significant shift in the overall vibe and preferences of young Americans as the campaign heads into the final stretch,” longtime IOP polling director John Della Volpe said. “Vice President Harris has strengthened the Democratic position among young voters, leading Trump on key issues and personal qualities.”

CASH DASH: THIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HOLDS A SUBSTANTIAL FUNDRAISING LEAD 

Harris grabs the support of 61% of likely voters aged 18-29, according to the poll, with Trump at 30%. Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver and independent Cornel West each stand at 1% support, with 6% undecided or refusing to answer.

The vice president’s lead over Trump exceeds the roughly 25-point victory by Biden over Trump among younger voters, according to a Fox News Voter Analysis of the 2020 presidential election.

The latest Fox News national poll, conducted this month, indicated Harris topping Trump by 17 points among voters under age 30.

The poll points to a number of factors fueling Harris’ very large margin over Trump.

Among them, a significant enthusiasm gap of nearly three-quarters of young Democrats saying they will “definitely” vote, compared to 6-in-10 Republicans, and a jump in Harris’ approval rating as vice president, from 32% in the spring to 44% now. Harris’ favorable rating now stands at plus five points, while Trump’s favorables are 30 points underwater.

Also boosting Harris: She outperforms Trump on key issues and personal qualities asked of both major party nominees in the survey.

The poll also points to a boost for Harris from social media, highlighting that just over half of young voters questioned “encountering memes about Harris online in the last month, 34% of whom say it positively influenced their opinion. Conversely, 56% have seen memes about Trump, with 26% reporting a negative impact on their perception.”

The survey also spotlights a widening gender gap of 30 points, up from 17 points in the spring.

“While both men and women are moving toward Harris, the rate of female support eclipses male support,” the poll’s release notes.

According to the survey, Harris holds a 53%-36% margin among likely male voters aged 18-29, but her lead surges to 70%-23% among likely female voters.

Pointing to his survey’s results, Della Volpe emphasized that “Gen Z and young millennials’ heightened enthusiasm signals a potentially decisive role for the youth vote in 2024.”

The survey by the Institute of Politics is Harvard’s 48th Youth Poll. Over the past quarter-century, Harvard University has become a leader in gauging young Americans’ political opinions and voting trends.

The latest edition of the poll was conducted Sept. 4-16 with 2,002 people 18-29 nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 2.65 percentage points.

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

ARIVACA, Ariz. — An Arizona rancher has seen massive numbers of migrants cross through his ranch, which he blames on not only the ongoing border crisis, but the Biden administration’s refusal to finish Trump-era wall construction.

Jim Chilton, with his wife Sue, own a massive cattle ranch which includes land along the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border. When Former President Donald Trump was in office, he built more than 450 miles of border wall, including both new construction and the replacement of prior fencing and other barriers.

Some of that construction occurred on the Chilton ranch with plans to keep building. However, when President Biden took office in 2021, construction stopped abruptly. Contracts were canceled and a stretch of land on the Chilton ranch was left either open or with Normandy barriers which are easy to traverse. There has been some construction under the Biden administration, but it has been largely limited to repairs and some small gaps.

EX-BORDER PATROL CHIEF RIPS BIDEN ADMIN FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPRESSING INFO ON MIGRANTS WITH POTENTIAL TERROR TIES

Chilton is furious.

“I am personally outraged that President Biden stopped the wall. The wall works,” Jim Chilton, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, told Fox News Digital at his ranch.

“It’s 32 feet high, and it’s got a solid five feet of metal on top, extremely hard to get over. Each of these [bollards] have cement inside. And it’s extremely hard to cut it,” he said.

“Biden stopped Trump’s wall. Hopefully, in my opinion, Trump gets elected so he can finish the wall and secure the border,” he said.

After the administration took office, the crisis at the southern border erupted, with record high apprehensions across the border. Those levels have come down this year, but Chilton says he has tracked over 3,560 suspected illegal immigrants on cameras set up in his ranch. He has caught a large number of them on camera.

TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE SHREDS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ON BORDER CRISIS IN NEW REPORT: ‘ASSAULT ON THE RULE OF LAW’ 

He says it isn’t the migrants, who turn themselves in to either Border Patrol or a humanitarian group that sets up near the wall gap, that concern him, but those coming in in camouflage and seeking to avoid detection. Backpacks are left on the Mexican side of the wall apparently in preparation for the next group planning to come across.

“People are going north in camouflage and carpet shoes. These are serious hombres,” Chilton said “They want to be in the United States without being detected. The Border Patrol rarely catches them. And many of them are packing drugs or other contraband. Some are MS-13 gangsters trying to get into the country. They don’t want to be apprehended.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

The dangers for the migrants are severe. In the intense Arizona heat, migrants can quickly get dehydrated, disoriented or fall and hurt themselves — and the vastness of the environment means someone may be unlikely to find them. Chilton, who opposes illegal immigration but doesn’t want people to die on his ranch, has set up a number of taps on the water sources for his cattle, so migrants can get clean water if they reach them and avoid dehydration.

Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation and to finish wall construction if re-elected. The Biden administration has said that walls are ineffective, and have promoted a strategy of expanding lawful pathways while implementing “consequences” for illegal entry.

While numbers hit record highs in 2023, numbers this year have dropped sharply, with a drop by more than 50% since June when President Biden signed an executive order limiting entries into the U.S.

Chilton isn’t too concerned for his own safety, given he knows that most migrants who get deep into the ranch are seeking to avoid detection, but he carries a gun — and drew it when approaching certain areas when he patrolled parts of the ranch with Fox News Digital.

Chilton, who has owned the ranch since the early 1990s, accused Biden and Vice President Harris of having “welcomed people to come into the United States, and they’ve done everything possible to make it very desirable.”

He pointed to reports of free travel, bank cards, medical care and housing that migrants can get in some parts of the country.

“Why aren’t we creating jobs for people here like veterans and bringing in more people that will need jobs? Why are we providing housing for the undocumented when our own people aren’t getting free hotels? I ask the question, why?”

FIRST ON FOX: Dozens of Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate are slamming the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children who have come into the U.S. since 2021 – alleging a “cover-up” of information and how policies have led to potential exploitation.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, led lawmakers in a lengthy letter to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the administration of failing unaccompanied migrant children “by rushing them out of the custody of your Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) into the hands of unvetted sponsors who often continue to exploit and abuse them.”

More than 500,000 unaccompanied alien children (UAC) have crossed the border without a parent or guardian since 2021. When unaccompanied children come to the border, they are currently turned over by Border Patrol to Health and Human Services (HHS) who will attempt to find them a sponsor within the country — typically a family member.

THOUSANDS OF MIGRANT KIDS MISSING ACCORDING TO WATCHDOG REPORT, GOP SENATOR SLAMS DHS: ‘RECKLESS DISREGARD’ 

The letter claims the administration has cut back on background checks and vetting procedures, as part of an effort to speed up the process. They say the administration “continued Vice President Harris’s longtime priority of cutting back on information sharing between HHS ORR and law enforcement related to unaccompanied children and sponsors.”

The letter is led by Grassley, and includes Senate Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Ron Johnson, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy and House Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock. 

The lawmakers point to what they say arer moves by the administration to limit familial DNA testing, and Trump-era proposals to provide post-release check ups for those handed over to sponsors. A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that allegations that familial DNA testing is being ended “are categorically false” and that migrants between the ages of 14 and 79 are tested at intake unless exempted. CBP also collects biometric data and biographical information, and those who pose a threat to national security or public safety are denied admission, removed, or referred to another agency for vetting and possible prosecution.

The issue came into the spotlight last year when the New York Times reported on how the agency has been unable to reach 85,000 minors and lost immediate contact with a third of them.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said at that time that the number “doesn’t sound at all to be realistic” and “what we do is we try and follow up as best we can with these kids.”

“Congress has given us certain authorities. Our authorities end when we have found a suitable sponsor to place that child with. We try and do some follow up but neither the child or the sponsor is actually obligated to follow up with us,” he said.

ICE LOST TRACK OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANT KIDS, DHS INSPECTOR GENERAL FINDS

This year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General sent a report to Congress finding that, over the past five years, more than 32,000 UACs did not show for immigration court hearings, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not account for the location of all of those who did not appear. 

The lawmakers said that HHS ORR is “actively attempting to cover up the results of its egregious decisions” to roll back vetting, also accusing the administration of silencing whistleblowers. The letter also says that DHS recently informed Grassley’s office that HHS has not complied sufficiently with two out of three subpoenas/information requests from his referral of possible child trafficking rings.

“By not supplying the information law enforcement requested, ORR denied Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents critical information, including the last known addresses of children and sponsors and the identity of other household members,” the letter says.

They also argue that HHS’s alleged failure to vet sponsors has led to the ignoring of possible gang affiliations, with no policy in place to refer suspected gang members for prosecution or investigation. It highlights the death of Kayla Hamilton, allegedly at the hands of an unaccompanied migrant.

HHS CHIEF ‘UNFAMILIAR’ WITH REPORTS THAT AGENCY CAN’T CONTACT 85,000 UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT KIDS  

“HHS must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,” they say. 

In response to the letter, the White House pushed back against the claims in the letter.

“The Administration has taken action to protect unaccompanied children through exacting sponsor vetting for those caring for unaccompanied children and post-release services for all children in sponsor care. HHS is also implementing the strongest rule to protect unaccompanied children ever through the Foundational Rule on Unaccompanied Children, which further implements detailed policies and procedures providing for the safe and timely release of unaccompanied children to vetted and approved sponsors, requiring background and criminal records checks for all sponsors and adults residing in the potential sponsor’s household, strengthened post-release services to ensure child well-being and immigration compliance, and enhanced standards for private care facilities that house unaccompanied children,” a White House spokesperson said. 

“It is outrageous that Republican Members of Congress are trying to end these protections for children through use of the Congressional Review Act to repeal this critical rule,” they said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

The letter comes as immigration remains a top 2024 issue. Republicans have pointed to the historic crisis at the southern border and tied it to the “open borders” policies of the administration.

The administration says that those numbers have dropped sharply in recent months after President Biden signed an executive order limiting asylum claims at the border. It has called on Republicans to support a bipartisan border security bill unveiled earlier this year. Republicans have said that bill will codify high levels of illegal immigration.

One group of voters could fuel a win for Democrats in the Arizona Senate race while also propelling former President Trump to victory in the key battleground state. 

Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris among registered voters in Arizona 49% to 45% in a new poll from the New York Times and Siena College. This was a notable shift from their numbers last month, when Harris came out on top. 

At the same time, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., bested Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake 50% to 41%. 

‘PRETTY DAMN SIGNIFICANT’: SLOTKIN SUFFERS BLOW IN MICHIGAN AS FARM BUREAU JILTS DEMS TO ENDORSE GOP CANDIDATE

According to the New York Times, “The respondents who said they were splitting their ticket – supporting Mr. Gallego and Mr. Trump – were much more likely to be Latino, less college-educated and lower-income.”

The poll was conducted in English and Spanish on cell phones and landlines in Arizona and 2,077 likely voters were surveyed between Sept. 17 and 21. The margin of error is +/- 2.5 percentage points for the likely electorate and +/-2.4 percentage points among registered voters.

Gallego voted 100% in line with President Biden and Harris’ administration in the 117th Congress, per FiveThirtyEight, and is by no means a fan of Trump, and the former president is an ardent supporter of Lake. 

Despite their political disagreements, they’ve managed to simultaneously attract a key group of voters. 

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

“You always have to consider in American politics whether gender is playing a role,” Melissa Michelson, the dean of arts and sciences and a political science professor at Menlo College in California, told Fox News Digital. 

Trump and Gallego are both facing off against women in their respective races. 

“What gender scholars will tell you is that when women are running, they face additional challenges,” she explained. 

With Trump’s election in 2016, his strength among those without college degrees became evident. He’s also shown an ability to appeal to non-White voters, including Latinos, who are considered integral to the Democrats’ coalition. 

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

His enduring appeal to these types of voters is on display in the latest poll as well. “And yes, those same voters would be more likely to prefer the Latino candidate,” said Michelson, explaining the preference of some of those voters for Gallego in the Senate race. 

She noted that Latinos tend to vote Democrat more often than not and that they also tend to vote for Latino candidates. “If a candidate before you is both your shared racial group and your shared party, then that’s easy,” Michelson remarked. 

When it comes to women perhaps feeling inclined to vote for women candidates, she pointed out that gender isn’t “as strong of an identity or as strong of a motivator of vote choice.”

“People just don’t think about their gender the same way they think about their race.”

The potential for a split result in Arizona, with Trump winning the presidency and Gallego taking the open Senate seat, would be notable given the recent decline in split-ticket voting. 

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Republican strategist Kevin Madden said the vote is ultimately “candidate-dependent.”

“Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Ruben Gallego in Arizona are examples of two candidates running very carefully tailored races that are customized to their state’s political environment,” he told Fox News Digital. 

It’s true that Gallego has made a concerted effort to reach a male, Latino audience. For Cinco de Mayo this year, his campaign held a watch party in Glendale at JL Boxing Academy for a match between champion Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez and fellow fighter Jaime Munguía, who was undefeated until that point. The venue was reportedly outfitted with large screens displaying the fight, and the event featured food trucks serving birria tacos and Mexican Cokes outside. 

The watch party was expected to draw over 100 guests, mainly Latino Arizonans and their families. 

Gallego held another boxing event last week at the same venue. 

“They’re doing whatever they can to get out of the national political jet-stream and make their campaign less of a proxy on the presidential contest,” Madden said. 

Michelson claimed that recent endorsements from the Arizona Police Association (APA) for both Gallego and Trump could encourage the increasingly rare practice of split-ticket voting. Despite backing Trump and reportedly endorsing Lake during her 2022 gubernatorial bid, the union chose Democrat Gallego in the Senate race in 2024. 

However, Lake did get the backing of a separate police union, the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, earlier this month.

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

The race between Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, for Senate in Texas is heating up, something one expert believes should serve as a warning to Republicans in the dependably red state.

“Texas is an interesting political environment and will become a bellwether within the next decade,” Jimmy Keady, the founder and president of JLK Political Strategies, told Fox News Digital. “With the recent influx of West Coasters, and a fast-growing Hispanic population, recent elections in Texas are closer than Republicans want.”

The comments come as Cruz seeks to fend off yet another tight challenge from a Democratic opponent, this time from Allred, who has represented Texas’ 32nd Congressional District in the Dallas area since 2019.

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While the Real Clear Politics polling average shows Cruz with a five-point lead in the race, there are some troubling signs for the Republican incumbent, including recent polls that show Cruz with a lead close to within the margin of error.

Allred has looked to capitalize on the momentum, taking to social media to highlight a Morning Consult poll that showed him with a slim lead in the race.

“For the first time in this race, a new poll has us leading Ted Cruz by 1 point. I don’t know about y’all but I’m fired up and ready to WIN,” Allred said on X. “We’ve got 47 days, let’s do this Texas.”

Prominent Republicans have noticed the challenge, with Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita taking to X to question what is “wrong with the Senate race in Texas” and calling for “some real professionals” to “save” Cruz.

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The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Some polls leading up to Cruz’s 2018 Senate race with former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, showed a similarly close race, though Cruz was able to hold off the Democratic challenger by under three percentage points.

But that close win was also a stark departure from Cruz’s 2012 victory, when he easily topped former Texas Democratic state Rep. Paul Sadler by nearly 16 percentage points.

That narrowing of the margins in Texas should have Republicans on edge, Keady argued, though he stressed he believed Cruz would be safe in 2024.

“Texas will stay red this November and Ted Cruz will win re-election,” Keady said. “But Republicans should not take the threat of losing this state lightly. As the Republican Party makes a play for blue states, Democrats are going to start making a play for red states… to hold these seats, Republicans will have to stay disciplined on messaging and prioritize candidate recruitment.”

The Cruz campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Request for comment.

EXCLUSIVE – Former Attorney General William Barr says he is “dumbfounded” that the Justice Department released a chilling letter penned by would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh on Monday, calling the decision “rash” and serving no purpose “other than to risk inciting further violence.”

Routh is the suspect in former President Donald Trump’s second foiled assassination attempt. The DOJ obtained the letter from a witness who says they received it inside a box delivered to them by Routh several months prior to the assassination attempt.

The box contained several handwritten letters as well as ammunition, among other things. One of the letters, addressed “Dear World,” admitted to an assassination attempt on Trump. He also offered money to anyone willing to finish the job.

“I was dumbfounded that the DOJ made public this morning the contents of the letter that, Ryan Routh, left with an acquaintance prior to the attempted assassination of former President Trump,” Barr said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

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“The letter calls on people to ‘finish the job’ of killing President Trump, attempts to rouse people in incendiary terms to do so, and offers $150,000 to anyone who succeeds. There was no apparent justification for releasing this information at this stage,” he continued. 

Barr, who served during both the Trump and George H. W. Bush administrations, says that “DOJ had more than enough evidence to have Routh detained pending trial, without publicizing these details.”

“Even if DOJ thought it important to provide the letter to the court, it could have redacted inflammatory material or arranged to have the letter submitted under seal. It was rash to put out this letter in the midst of an election during which two attempts on the life of President Trump had been made,” Barr said. 

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“It served no purpose other than to risk inciting further violence,” he added. 

The department’s detention memo revealed that Routh traveled from Greensboro, North Carolina, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on Aug. 14, a month before the Sept. 15 golf course incident. One of Routh’s cell phones pinged cell towers near Trump’s golf course and his Mar-a-Lago residence “on multiple days and times” from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, the detention memo alleged.

Investigators say they also found a book Routh had authored in 2023, titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea, WWIII and the End of Humanity.”

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The detention memo also provided a fresh detail on the witness who saw Routh flee the sniper’s nest. The witness made eye contact with the suspect before Routh jumped into a Nissan Xterra and sped away. The witness is credited with photographing the vehicle and reporting it to law enforcement.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Routh will likely face additional charges in the coming days, which could include aggravated assault for allegedly pointing the rifle at a Secret Service agent and making threats against a former president, State Attorney Dave Aronberg previously told Fox News Digital.