National Security communications adviser John Kirby shot down multiple questions Wednesday about possible U.S. involvement in the explosion of hundreds of electronic devices used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon.

“We were not involved in [Tuesday’s] incidents or [Wednesday’s] in any way. And I don’t have anything more to share,” Kirby said when asked to respond to the attacks. 

Kirby’s comments came hours after several blasts were heard around Lebanon’s capital of Beirut and other parts of the country. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported the explosions were the result of walkie-talkies detonating. 

At least nine people were killed and another 300 were wounded in Wednesday’s attack, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. 

The explosions came just a day after pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded throughout Lebanon and parts of Syria, killing at least 12 people – including two children – and wounding thousands more. 

HEZBOLLAH’S NEIGHBORS: ISRAELI BORDER COMMUNITY UNDER CONSTANT ATTACK FROM TERROR GROUP

Both attacks are widely believed to have been the work of Israel, which has been fighting with Hezbollah almost daily since Oct. 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led assault in southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza. 

Since then, hundreds have been killed in strikes in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, while tens of thousands on each side of the border have been displaced. Hezbollah said its strikes are in support of its ally, Hamas.

Reporters repeatedly pressed Kirby on Wednesday to say whether the U.S. was involved in the back-to-back attacks targeting members of Hezbollah or had been informed beforehand.  

Kirby reiterated that he did not “have anything more to share today.” 

“We want to see the war end. And everything we’ve been doing since the beginning has been designed to prevent the conflict from escalating,” Kirby said. “We still believe that there is a diplomatic path forward, particularly up near Lebanon.” 

The attacks have heightened fears that what has been intermittent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into an all-out war. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli troops Wednesday: “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” 

Gallant made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.” 

Hezbollah announced three strikes on parts of northern Israel Wednesday, at least one of which took place after the latest round of explosions in Lebanon.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Standing in front of a packed arena on New York’s Long Island, former President Donald Trump predicted victory in November in the reliably blue state.

“It hasn’t been done for a long time. But we are going to win New York. And that’s the first time in many, many years that a Republican can honestly say it. And we’re going to do it,” Trump vowed.

“We have to do it. We do it, and the election nationwide is over,” Trump added as he spoke to what his campaign said was a capacity crowd of roughly 16,000 people packed into an arena in Nassau County, a suburban New York City Republican stronghold.

Trump made a similar pledge four years ago before losing his native state to President Biden by over 23 points. And polling strongly suggests that Trump has no serious chance of carrying New York in his 2024 election showdown with Vice President Kamala Harris.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘UNION SUPPORT’ AFTER TEAMSTERS SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT

It’s been 40 years since a Republican nominee has carried New York state in a presidential election. 

You have to go back to President Ronald Reagan, who won the state as part of his landslide re-election victory in 1984.

Trump promised New Yorkers that if he wins back the White House, “I’m going to reduce your taxes, reduce your crime, and reduce your levels of stress.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN

And the former president pledged that during a second Trump term, “I will officially make the Ground Zero site at the World Trade Center a national monument protected and maintained by the United States government.”

Wednesday’s rally was Trump’s second large campaign event this year in the Empire State, after drawing a big crowd in the New York City borough of the Bronx in May. 

While there was some chatter of New York potentially being in play as President Biden’s poll numbers started cratering following his disastrous late-June debate performance against Trump, the conversation was fleeting and quickly dissipated when Harris replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket two months ago.

So why — with less than 50 days to go until Election Day and time becoming a very precious commodity — did Trump hold a campaign rally just outside of New York City?

“Quite clearly, New York is the biggest media hub in the country,” Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told Fox News on the eve of the rally.

Murtaugh emphasized that “when [Trump] delivers a message there, it’s piped directly into homes in every market in every battleground state. The most valuable commodity we have is President Trump’s time. And that event is making efficient use of it.”

DOES TRUMP OR HARRIS HAVE THE EDGE IN THESE KEY BATTLEGROUNDS?

While Trump is extremely unlikely to carry New York in the White House race, the rally may help Republicans down-ballot, as they try to hold on to their House of Representatives majority in November’s elections.

Several GOP-controlled House seats in New York state are considered vulnerable this year, including one held by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of Long Island. A number of them were at the rally and spoke ahead of Trump. And the former president gave the House Republicans and congressional candidates shoutouts as he addressed the crowd.

D’Esposito, in an interview with Fox News’ Bryan Ilenas, said “it is very clear – perhaps New York is not a battleground state, but what there is – is there’s a battleground right here on Long Island. And when Trump wins on Election Night, he is going to need a House majority and that House majority runs through the Empire State.”

Trump’s rally was his first since this past weekend’s apparent second assassination attempt against the former president, and the 78-year-old GOP nominee insisted that the incidents had “hardened my resolve.”

“These encounters with death have not broken my will,” he emphasized. “They have really given me a much bigger and stronger mission. They’ve only hardened my resolve to use my time on Earth to make America great again for all Americans, to put America first.”

And Trump said that “God has now spared my life — it must have been God, thank you — not once but twice.”

Fox News’ Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report

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

With fewer than 47 days until the November election, Vice President Harris and former President Trump are tied with likely voters in Pennsylvania, which could be the state to decide the contest on Election Day. 

Trump and Harris each garnered 49% of likely voters in the Keystone State, per a new Marist Poll. 

Furthermore, 90% of likely voters who said they had a candidate preference also reported strongly supporting them. 

GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE

“Pennsylvania is attracting the most attention of the Rust Belt states from the presidential candidates and with good reason,” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “It’s the biggest prize in the region and the most competitive. Winning Pennsylvania doesn’t guarantee the White House, but it goes a long way.”

In two other so-called “blue wall” states, Michigan and Wisconsin, Harris topped Trump in the survey. 

The vice president is up five points in Michigan, 52% to Trump’s 47%. However, the margin is razor-thin in Wisconsin, where she only beat him by one point, 50% to 49%. 

According to Miringoff, “of the three so-called blue wall states, Michigan is the one where there is a difference between Harris and Trump.”

SECRET SERVICE TOLD LOCALS THEY WOULD ‘TAKE CARE OF’ BUILDING USED BY THOMAS CROOKS TO SHOOT TRUMP

“The Michigan vote is being driven by Trump’s high negatives with Vance certainly providing no help for the GOP ticket,” Miringoff added, referencing the 53% of Michigan likely voters that view Trump unfavorably. 

Inflation was the top issue for most Pennsylvanians by far, with one-third saying so. Despite it being a campaign priority for Democrats across the country, abortion was the fourth most likely to be a top issue for voters, at just 11%. It was beaten by immigration at 15%, and preserving democracy, which garnered 27%. 

The top issue breakdown among Wisconsin voters was similar to that of Pennsylvania, but in Michigan, the issue of preserving Democracy proved to be the most important for the greatest number of voters. 

‘AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS CONDEMN PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY’S UN BID TO UNDERMINE ISRAEL

At 30%, the most likely Michigan voters cited it as such. Inflation was close behind, at 29%. Immigration followed at 15%, while abortion received 10%. 

In all three states, an at least 20-point gender gap exists between Harris and Trump, with men breaking more often for the former president and women tending to choose Harris. 

GOP DEMANDS TRUMP HAVE ‘SAME LEVEL’ SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION AS BIDEN AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

While the gap exists for both of them, Trump’s woes with women seem to loom larger than Harris’ issue with men. Trump’s gap is particularly wide with women in Michigan, where Harris leads him by the most. In the state, the distance between Harris and Trump among likely women voters is 15 points. 

The close polls come as Trump seems to be losing his edge in two critical states, according to the most recent Fox News Power Rankings. Both North Carolina and Georgia, which were once considered Republican strongholds, are now rated toss-ups in the presidential race. 

With these presidential race shifts by Fox News Power Rankings, Harris has taken the overall lead in the forecast for the first time. 

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

The mother of a woman allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador gave emotional testimony to lawmakers Wednesday about the moment she found out about her daughter’s death while testifying that U.S. borders are “not safe.”

Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed last year in Maryland, testified at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the border crisis.

Police found Rachel’s body stuffed in a culvert and, after a months-long investigation, identified her suspected killer as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who is also accused of murder in his home country and raping a mother and her 9-year-old daughter in Los Angeles.

“It was such a complete shock to our whole family. It took ten months for them to find this suspected illegal immigrant,” she told lawmakers.

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

“An illegal immigrant that was a gotaway from El Salvador had waited for her on the trail. I was told that they grabbed her, dragged her through the woods, raped her, strangled her, murdered her. We were told that her body was blanketed in bruises. And I can tell you from looking at her when I went to the funeral home that it was probably the most graphic thing that I’ve ever seen,” she said.

The hearing, “A Country Without Borders: How Biden-Harris’ Open-Borders Policies Have Undermined Our Safety and Security,” saw lawmakers trade barbs over who was responsible for the crisis at the border, which saw a historic number of migrants hit the border and a number of criminals released into the U.S. as part of that wave.

Ahead of the hearing, Republicans released a report slamming the Biden administration’s policies and blaming it for the crisis and the consequences that followed.

“As we continue to witness Biden and Harris’ resistance to doing anything meaningful about this disaster, we have to ask — why? Why did they let this crisis take place and why have they let it continue,” Chairman Mark Green told the committee.

BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER CRISIS: VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME TESTIFY IN HOUSE HEARING

While Republicans blame the Biden administration for the crisis, the administration and Democrats say it is the fault of Congress for failing to pass broader immigration reforms to fix a “broken” system and provide additional funding. They have pointed, in particular, to a bipartisan Senate bill to provide more funding and limits on asylum entries. Republicans refused to back that bill, saying it would codify high numbers at the border.

With that stalling, President Biden signed an order limiting entries into the U.S. in June. The administration says that has led to a sharp drop in encounters at the border since then.

“While you probably won’t hear it from those on the other side, border encounters are at their lowest level in years since the president’s proclamation on June 4, and encounters along the border and ports of entry have decreased by 55%, with Border Patrol recording the lowest number of border encounters since September 2020,” ranking member Bennie Thompson said.

He also scolded Republicans for not backing the Senate bill.

TRUMP MEETS WITH RACHEL MORIN FAMILY AT BORDER

“At the direction of former President Trump, Republicans blocked the Senate bipartisan border deal, and they are refusing to move necessary border security funding. Republicans don’t want border security solutions. They want a political issue,” he said.

But Morin had a warning for Americans watching the hearing. 

“They say that the borders are safe. We live 1,800 miles away from the southern border. They’re not safe. They’re not safe. If you have a sanctuary city in your state, you’re not safe,” Morin warned.

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report. 

More than 100 former Republican officials, mostly those who worked in national security or previously in various GOP presidential administrations, have penned a letter endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and warning about the dangers of a potential second Trump administration.

“We appreciate that many Republicans prefer Donald Trump to Kamala Harris, for a variety of reasons. We recognize and do not disparage their potential concerns,” the letter released Wednesday reads. “But any potential concerns pale in comparison to Donald Trump’s demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior and disregard for our Republic’s time-tested principles of constitutional governance.”

The signatories insisted in their letter that when it comes to diplomacy, the former president’s “unpredictable nature is not the negotiating virtue he extols.” It added that Trump’s demeanor “invites equally erratic behavior from our adversaries, which irresponsibly threatens reckless and dangerous global consequences.”

The Wednesday letter comes roughly three weeks after more than 200 former GOP officials, including people who worked for former President George W. Bush, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, also came out in favor of a Harris presidency. The letter also comes shortly after former Vice President Cheney and his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, both indicated they would be voting for Harris as well.

KAMALA HARRIS: I HAVE THE ENDORSEMENT OF 200 REPUBLICANS

The letter on Wednesday was primarily signed by officials who had previously worked in either one of the Bush administrations or under former President Reagan. However, some former Republican members of Congress, including Illinois’ Adam Kinzinger and Virginia’s Barbara Comstock, also signed the Wednesday letter.

In total, it boasted 111 signatures but did include at least two repeats from the August letter endorsing Harris. Another name appeared to be a third repeat from the August letter, but Fox News Digital could not confirm if it was the same person ahead of publication time. Meanwhile, there were also two signatories on the Wednesday letter who also signed the infamous October 2020 letter from dozens of intelligence community officials asserting that the Hunter Biden laptop story broken by the New York Post was “disinformation pushed by Russia.”

A Trump campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, slammed the Wednesday letter’s signatories, arguing they are “the same people who got our country into endless foreign wars and profited off of them while the American people suffered.”

“President Trump is the only president in the modern era not to get our country into any new wars,” Cheung said.

HARRIS CAMPAIGN ORGANIZES TO TARGET REPUBLICAN VOTERS, TOUTS SUPPORT FROM GOP DISSENTERS

The letter on Wednesday pointed to several reasons why its signatories are supporting Harris for president. Among them were that Harris has “consistently championed the rule of law, democracy, and our constitutional principles.” The letter also said Harris has “pledged” to ensure the U.S. military will continue to be the most lethal fighting force in the world, and it highlighted her support for NATO, Israel and the bipartisan border security act that failed this year. The letter noted that Harris has pledged she will appoint a Republican to her Cabinet “in order to encourage a diversity of views and restore a measure of bipartisanship and comity to our domestic politics.”

On national security, the letter lauded Harris for what it described as her ability to “engage in orderly national security decision-making.” It added that a Harris presidency would likely be absent “the constant drama and Cabinet turnover of the Trump administration.” 

However, during Harris’ tenure as vice president, she has come under scrutiny for creating a poor office culture and having a nearly 92% staff turnover rate.

HARRIS-WALZ PRESENT CONFUSING FOREIGN POLICY THAT TOUTS SUCCESSES AMID CHAOTIC REALITY

Meanwhile, the letter blasted Trump for cozying up to U.S. adversaries: “Donald Trump’s susceptibility to flattery and manipulation by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, unusual affinity for other authoritarian leaders, contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior, and chaotic national security decision-making are dangerous qualities.”

On Monday, Trump surrogate Tulsi Gabbard praised Trump for the “tough work” he has done engaging with U.S. adversaries, which she insisted was a critical part of successful U.S. diplomacy.

“President Trump did in his last administration what President Obama refused to do, what President Biden refused to do, what Kamala Harris has made clear she refuses to do, which is to go out and do that tough work that a president and commander in chief has to do in diplomacy,” Gabbard said. “Not just hanging out with your friends and your allies and your partners, but actually going out and talking to your adversaries.”

The Wednesday letter concluded by saying Trump could not be entrusted “to support and defend the Constitution” against foreign and domestic enemies alike. “We believe that Kamala Harris can, and we urge other Americans to join us in supporting her,” the letter said. It also said Trump should never be able to hold political office of any kind in the future.

Currently, the Harris campaign is making a concerted effort to target vulnerable Republican voters, including through paid media and grassroots-driven digital efforts. Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams recently told Fox News Digital that Harris “has Republican momentum right now.”

“We are proud of the bipartisan groundswell behind Vice President Harris,” Sams said. “And we will continue working every day to earn the support of Republican voters who want a president like her who still believes in patriotism, freedom, and our Constitution.”

Twenty-four states signed onto a formal “comment letter” to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asking it to deny California a waiver that would allow Sacramento to compel visiting truckers to conform to its stringent emissions standards.

Any trucking company with 50 or more vehicles or $50 million in gross annual revenue would fall under the provisions that compel them to begin replacing their fleets with electric rigs in 2025.

The rules will apply to California trucks and those with out-of-state tags that operate in the Golden State for at least one day per year while meeting the above attributes.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement the move would unfairly give California “a slice of sovereign authority” over other states and highlighted how Mountaineers rely heavily on big rig commerce in their rugged, landlocked state.

EPA SUED OVER CAPRICIOUS BIG RIG EMISSIONS STANDARDS, AS CRITICS CLAIM IT COULD CRIPPLE CORN INDUSTRY

Nearly 85% of Mountaineer communities rely on trucks to deliver their goods, and the state has spent millions to expand its Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System by creating wide, multi-lane trucking routes that carve through topography otherwise steep, windy and unsafe for tractor-trailers.

More than 65,000 tons of goods are trucked through West Virginia daily, according to Morrisey, the state’s GOP nominee for governor.

The petitioners alleged that California’s stringent restrictions on access to its state and ports will place an undue burden on commerce.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who is leading the effort, said California lacks the legal authority to export its electric truck mandate nationwide.

“Our comment calls on the Biden-Harris administration to favor the rule of law over its radical climate agenda and block California’s ban on internal-combustion trucks. Electric trucks are inefficient and costly and will harm Nebraskans by increasing the costs of interstate transportation, raising prices for goods, reducing demand for biofuels and burdening the electric power grid,” Hilgers said.

Hilgers and his signatories also took issue with some of California’s reasoning for the standards.

“California points to its air quality to show that it has ‘unique environmental problems’ that justify Advanced Clean Fleets (policy). But by relying on state and federal ambient air quality standards, California proves only that its ‘severe air pollution conditions’ are shared by much of the country,” the letter said.

LAWMAKERS WARN EPA ‘CLEAN POWER 2.0’ COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC IMPACT ON ELECTRIC GRID

The letter also argued that nowhere in federal law is it permitted for the state or feds to ban internal-combustion vehicles altogether. It also noted California’s key position as a hub for international trade and echoed other state prosecutors’ concerns about access to such being restricted for diesel-powered trucks in the future.

“California is playing games with America’s livelihood. This mandate doesn’t just affect California — it weaponizes the state’s massive ports to force the entire nation to bow to an extreme environmental agenda,” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a separate statement.

Miyares, another signatory to the letter, called California’s pending policy an “export of [its] economic chaos.”

“[That chaos has been] creating real harm across American industries and raising costs for families everywhere,” Miyares said.

“The federal government should not preference California to the detriment of the other 49 states.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In addition to state governments, private trucking entities have also lobbied against the proposed waiver.

Officials at the American Trucking Associations said Wednesday they are “adamantly opposed” to what they call “unattainable” regulations.

“This destructive rule sets wildly unrealistic targets and timelines that are already creating confusion on the West Coast and threaten to cause severe disruptions to our supply chain nationwide,” ATA President Chris Spear said.

“To protect our supply chain and achieve the cleaner future that we all want, EPA should reject this waiver,” Spear said. 

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond added in comments to Ponca City Now that the mandate “overreaches and would do significant harm to the fossil fuels industry and spur chaos to the supply line from coast to coast.”

“The far-left climate agenda being pushed by California must not be allowed to upend the rest of the United States. In effect, it is the tail wagging the dog,” Drummond, another signatory, said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the California Air Resources Board, which has spearheaded the regulations and was originally founded in the 1960s in response to Los Angeles’ smog crisis, for comment.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the EPA and CARB for comment.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here’s what’s happening…

– Top House committee shreds Biden-Harris admin on border…

– Liberal group claims Harris is lying about moderating on the border…

– Secret Service facing staffing shortage ahead of the election…

As San Francisco’s district attorney, Kamala Harris told legal gun owners in her community that authorities could “walk into” their homes to inspect whether they were storing their firearms properly under a new law she helped draft.

“We’re going to require responsible behaviors among everybody in the community, and just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home doesn’t mean that we’re not going to walk into that home and check to see if you’re being responsible and safe in the way you conduct your affairs,” Harris told a group of reporters in May 2007. 

The remarks came during a press conference introducing legislation that Harris helped draft, which sought to impose penalties for gun owners who fail to store their firearms properly at home. 

During the May 2007 press conference discussing the safe-storage bill, Harris said the new measure was about legislating “our values” in an attempt to “encourage certain kinds of behavior.”

“When we create laws, it’s not only about creating an opportunity, if you will, to prosecute someone for committing a crime, but more importantly, when we legislate our values, it’s about trying to encourage certain types of behavior,” Harris said at the time. ….Read more

THE BUTLER DEBACLE: Secret Service told locals they would ‘take care of’ building Crooks shot Trump from …Read more

400 SHORT: Secret Service facing staffing woes ahead of election …Read more

‘VOCALLY ANTI-TRUMP’: Concerns mount surrounding FBI lead agent investigating Trump assassination attempt …Read more

‘FULL FORCE’: FBI director promises to dedicate entire department’s resources to investigating second Trump assassination attempt …Read more

ELECTIONEERING: EXCLUSIVE: House Small Business Committee to present SBA with letter proving existence of key document in electioneering case …Read more

‘CRISIS BY DESIGN’: Top House committee report shreds Biden-Harris admin on border …Read more

FIRST INTERVIEW: New House Freedom Caucus chair reveals group’s next ‘big fight’ …Read more

BORDER DEAL?: Cartel gun trafficking at border targeted in new bipartisan House bill …Read more

MIXED MESSAGES: Harris appears to undercut her own economic plan, says ‘few’ companies engage in price gouging …Read more

BLUE WALL BATTLEGROUNDS: New poll shows one candidate has an edge key states in Harris-Trump showdown …Read more

BATTLEGROUND BRAWL: New poll indicates whether Harris or Trump has the edge in this key battleground state …Read more

‘CODING OVERSIGHT’: Battleground state election database finds 100,000 voters lacked proof of citizenship …Read more

‘KNOW AND TRUST’ HER: Liberal group indicates they think Harris is pretending to moderate her immigration views before election …Read more

STATISTICAL TIE: Trump leads within margin of error in key battleground state …Read more

‘CAREER POLITICIAN’: Vulnerable Dem senator’s claims about ‘fighting’ lobbyists come back to haunt him in new report …Read more

‘TOXIC’ TALK: Watch: Battleground state voters blame Dems’ rhetoric for attempts on Trump’s life …Read more

ICEBREAKER: Alaskans on alert as China, Russia war-game offshore …Read more

DIRTY FUEL: Western nations have bought $2B in Russian oil this year despite sanctions …Read more

‘OUR TEAM VS THEIR TEAM’: ‘Trump Train’ trial defendant says convoy participants engaged in free speech …Read more

200% TAX: Trump says he will make Chinese auto imports from Mexico ‘unsellable’ …Read more

AID DELAYED: $6B in Ukraine aid could go wasted if authority to spend it is not extended …Read more

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More than 150 House Democrats voted against a bill that would deport illegal immigrants convicted of a sexual offense or conspiracy to commit such a crime.

The Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act passed the House of Representatives along bipartisan lines on Wednesday. All present Republicans voted for the bill, as did 51 Democratic lawmakers. The measure passed 266 to 158.

Among the Democrats who voted for the bill are Reps. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska; Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez, D-Wash.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; and Hillary Scholten, D-Mich.

Two of the Democrats who voted for it are seeking higher office — Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is running for Senate, and Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., is running for governor.

In addition to deporting migrants convicted of sex crimes, the legislation would also deem illegal immigrants who admit to domestic violence or sex-related charges — or are convicted of them — to be inadmissible in the U.S.

EX-BORDER CHIEF WARNS OF ‘SIGNIFICANT THREAT’ AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SKYROCKET: ‘ENTIRE SECTORS’ MISSING AGENTS

It’s part of a wider legislative push by the House GOP to spotlight issues stemming from the border crisis, which has for months affected cities and states across the country.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital hours before the vote that she “100%” anticipated Democrats voting against her bill.

“If you vote against it, you’re sexist against women,” Mace declared.

“I mean, truly, because we’re talking about illegals who are here who are committing domestic violence, rape and murder on women and children — they’ve gotta go. They shouldn’t be allowed into our country.”

GERMANY CLAMPS DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS COUNTRY FORCED TO RETHINK POLICIES AMID VOTER ANGER

Democrats have panned the bill as xenophobic, however.

“Here we are again, debating another partisan bill that fear mongers about immigrants, instead of working together to fix the immigration system,” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said during debate on the bill.

“I probably shouldn’t be too surprised. Scapegoating immigrants and attempting to weaponize the crime of domestic violence is appearing to be a time-honored tradition for Republicans.”

TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE RAMPS UP PRESSURE TO OBTAIN ‘IMPORTANT’ DOCS ON HARRIS’ ROLE IN BORDER CRISIS 

Despite the wider pushback, however, GOP efforts to highlight the border crisis have gotten modest Democratic support.

House Republicans previously passed a bill to detain and deport migrants convicted of assaulting law enforcement with the help of 54 Democrats — while 148 lawmakers voted against the measure.

Meanwhile, the GOP-backed Laken Riley Act, named after an Augusta University nursing student who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant, netted support from 37 House Democrats.

New video of U.S. troops being shot at overseas contradicts Vice President Kamala Harris’ claim the U.S. does not have troops in an active combat zone, according to Rep. Jim Banks.

The harrowing footage shows a firestorm of bullets and explosives targeting U.S. troops and was taken within the last “few months,” according to the Indiana Republican, who obtained it from a service member. 

The time and place of the footage cannot be divulged due to national security concerns. 

During her debate with former President Trump last week, Harris boasted of the Biden administration’s efforts to get U.S. troops out of war zones like Afghanistan.

MILITARY EXPERTS REJECT HARRIS CLAIM OF ‘NO US SOLDIERS IN COMBAT ZONES’ 

“There is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world, the first time this century,” she claimed. 

“That is just a complete lie,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “This video proves that we have troops being fired on.”

“Without a doubt,” U.S. troops are being fired at regularly, added Banks, an Afghanistan veteran and Armed Services Committee member. 

“We have troops currently in Syria. We still have troops in Iraq. We have troops in the Middle East. The Houthis are using our Navy ships as target practice. We have dangerous threats around the world, and Kamala Harris is trying to score cheap political points and lie to the American people right before the election to say that we don’t have troops in combat zones,” Banks said. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS

Iraq and Syria are designated combat zones, and troops that serve there earn combat pay. The U.S. has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria. The Defense Department is in talks about a plan to pull Americans out of Iraq beginning next year.

In an operation last month, U.S. troops and Iraqi forces killed a senior commander with the Islamic State, in addition to several other prominent militants, for a total 14 ISIS operatives. 

Five U.S. troops were wounded in the raid itself and two were injured from falls during the operation. 

The Islamic State group seized territory at the height of its power and declared a caliphate over swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. It was defeated in Iraq in 2017, but attacks by ISIS sleeper cells across Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past few years. 

The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that service members are stationed in various dangerous locations but noted that those deployments are made by the executive branch and not due to wars declared by Congress.

“An aspect of military service includes serving in locations where hostile actions may occur,” a defense official said. “Those locations are designated by executive order and/or the secretary of defense.

“However, it’s important to note that just because a service member is in one of these locations does not mean they are engaged in war,” the official added. “The U.S. is not currently engaged in a war and does not have troops fighting in active war zones anywhere in the world.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a partial government shutdown failed on Wednesday. 

It was voted down 202 to 220, with two Republicans – Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. – voting “present.”

At least nine Republicans voted against House GOP leadership’s bill, a six-month extension of the current year’s federal funding levels coupled with a measure to require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

Three Democrats voted in support of the measure – Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Don Davis, D-N.C.

The bill began hemorrhaging support soon after Johnson rolled it out during a conference call with House Republicans earlier this month – to the frustration of the majority of the House GOP.

CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION

A significant number of Republicans object to a stop-gap spending patch called a continuing resolution (CR) on principle – believing it to be an unnecessary extension of government bloat.

National security hawks expressed concern about the impact of a six-month funding extension on military readiness without added funds to keep up with rising costs.

The discord has caused tensions to run high within the House GOP.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a vocal supporter of the bill and author of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, said of fellow Republicans: “I would dare any one of my colleagues who are against this plan, come forward with a better plan that we will actually be able to move, pass, and unite the Republican Party to go beat Democrats.”

“Don’t predict failure and then be the reason why we fail – and that’s what some of my friends are doing, unfortunately,” Roy said on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” program. 

Johnson allies have also pointed out that this plan would be a strong opening salvo in a negotiation with the Democrat-controlled Senate on government funding – the speaker himself has repeatedly said the SAVE Act is worth fighting for.

JOHNSON UNVEILS TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE GOP PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SETS UP BATTLE WITH SCHUMER

Both Republican and Democratic leaders have conceded a CR is necessary to give congressional negotiators more time past the Oct. 1 deadline to hash out fiscal year 2025’s priorities.

Democrats, however, have called for a “clean” CR free from conservative policy riders. And senior lawmakers in both parties argued that a CR through December is the best course of action to allow Congress to reevaluate after the election.

Johnson has repeatedly insisted he had no “plan B” beyond Wednesday’s vote. He said as much to GOP lawmakers in a closed-door Wednesday morning meeting, two sources told Fox News Digital.

MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT

But with his initial plan defeated, Johnson is now caught between two warring Republican factions – one that wants him to leverage a partial government shutdown, and one that is reluctantly conceding that the House GOP could be left with no choice but to pass a “clean” CR into December.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who initially backed the six-month CR plus SAVE Act plan, more recently advocated for congressional Republicans to shut down the government if they did not get “absolute assurances on election security.”

A majority of Republicans, however, are publicly and privately conceding that they would bear the brunt of public anger over a government shutdown weeks before Election Day.

Vulnerable Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., insisted to reporters on Wednesday morning that “there’s not going to be a shutdown.”

When asked directly about Trump’s insistence, Lawler answered, “I’m not shutting the government down. My colleagues aren’t shutting the government down.”