Fox News Latest Headlines
Trump pushback, Biden 'disaster' and gender surprise: 5 key moments from Kansas Senate debate
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton sparred over President Donald Trump, immigration, Iran, transgender athletes, artificial intelligence and personal controversies during a contentious Kansas Senate debate Wednesday night.
The hourlong showdown came less than two weeks before Election Day as Marshall seeks a second term and Hamilton, a longtime pastor, tries to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas since 1932.
The race has drawn increased national attention as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of the Senate, with Trump traveling to Kansas earlier this week to campaign for Marshall.
Here are five moments that stood out from Wednesday night's debate.
SLEEPER SENATE RACE EMERGES AS UNEXPECTED HEADACHE FOR REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
The debate wasted little time getting contentious, opening with questions about controversies that have fueled attacks against both candidates.
Marshall was confronted with a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills.
"Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business," Marshall responded. "We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric."
Hamilton, meanwhile, was questioned about his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church's summer camp who was accused of sexual abuse.
Hamilton acknowledged that he should have ensured the individual did not return to the camp following an initial investigation.
FROM 'THIRD REICH' TO âNOT THAT INFORMEDâ: SENATE DEBATES DELIVER FIREWORKS BEFORE MIDTERMS
"I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back," Hamilton said. "That was a mistake on my part."
Trump became part of the debate after moderators played footage from the president's campaign appearance for Marshall in Kansas earlier in the week.
"And at this election, I'm asking you to pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just pretend," Trump told the crowd.
Marshall was then asked whether Trump's support meant Kansans should expect him to back every part of the president's agenda.
"No," Marshall responded, saying there had been "multiple times" when he objected to Trump.
Pressed to identify a specific disagreement, Marshall pointed to recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and Trump's approach to beef imports.
"Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right," Marshall joked. "And President Trump is not always right."
Marshall nevertheless urged Trump voters to turn out for him, arguing that electing Hamilton could help Democrats capture the Senate.
The two rivals found themselves in agreement when the moderator asked each candidate how many genders there are.
"There's two. There's a boy and there's a girl," Marshall said. "I delivered 5,000 of them and almost half were boys and half were girls."
"There are two genders, male and female," Hamilton responded.
TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM JD VANCE TOWN HALL: COSTLY GAS, DC CORRUPTION, IMMIGRATION HOT TAKES AND THE WAR
The candidates then turned to the debate over transgender participation in women's sports.
Hamilton said decisions over athletic eligibility should generally be made locally but was unequivocal about whether biological males should compete against females.
"I have a 12-year-old granddaughter. I don't want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her," Hamilton said. "It's not a fair, fair fight."
Marshall argued that by high school, "boys need to be in boys sports, girls in girls sports," while accusing national Democrats of pushing "transgender ideology."
Hamilton later accused Marshall of using the issue to "pick on" and "bully" people.
Hamilton called for greater federal oversight of artificial intelligence and compared the emerging technology to the development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
"We developed a Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We need to do the same thing with AI," Hamilton said.
But when the moderator pressed him to identify specific federal regulations he would support, Hamilton acknowledged he did not yet have an answer.
"You know what? I'm not sure, to be honest," Hamilton said, arguing that even experts are struggling to understand the technology's potential dangers.
Marshall advocated a "light touch" approach focused on national security, transparency, protecting children and privacy, while slamming a one-size-fits-all global order for artificial intelligence advancement.
Hamilton pushed back sharply.
"This is an existential â potential existential threat to the human race," Hamilton said. "We can't just go with a light touch and hope everybody does their best."
BIDEN CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT FROM CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS OBAMA, HARRIS STEP UP FOR MIDTERM PUSH
Hamilton sought to put distance between himself and former President Joe Biden when moderators challenged the Democrat over his claim that he would "lead from the middle."
The moderator pointed to Hamilton's past donations to Democrats, including Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., before asking him to identify a progressive policy he opposed.
"The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster," Hamilton responded. "I believe in strong and secure borders."
"I'm not somebody who favors the Socialist Party," Hamilton added. "I'm somebody who stands in the middle."
Hamilton also reiterated during the debate that he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats capture control of the chamber.
Antifa supporter charged with stealing GOP campaign signs in NY race to replace Stefanik
A New York man was arrested after he was allegedly captured on video stealing campaign signs belonging to Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino while driving his employer’s vehicle.
Josef Marris was charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, according to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. He was also fired from East Branch Organics, according to Constantino’s campaign.
Constantino, who is running in New York’s 21st Congressional District, said the alleged thefts were intended to intimidate his supporters.
"My campaign has lost more than $100,000 to sign theft and vandalism," Constantino told Fox News Digital. "There are now multiple attempts to intimidate my supporters by people who are clearly pro-crime and pro-violence. The media needs to stop pretending this is a both-sides problem."
Constantino’s campaign alleged that Marris carried out the thefts on behalf of Democratic candidate Blake Gendebien. Gendebien’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
TOP ELECTION SCHEMES ROILING KEY MIDTERM RACES AS BOTH PARTIES ACCUSE RIVALS OF TRICKERY
Constantino also criticized Gendebien in a post on X, writing that the Democrat "is surrounded by FAR LEFT EXTREMISTS."
WE NEED TO TALK TO COMMUNISTS BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH THEY NEED TO LEARN
Marris has described himself as a communist and an Antifa supporter, according to social media posts reviewed by Fox News Digital. In April 2023, he posted an image of the three-arrow symbol, which has historically been associated with several socialist and anti-fascist movements.
The symbol alone does not establish that Marris is a member of Antifa or that Gendebien’s campaign had any connection to the alleged thefts.
THE BLUE WAVE LOOKS REAL UNTIL YOU LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER
The incident comes as Gendebien leads Constantino in a closely watched race to succeed retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., in the 21st Congressional District.
One of the district's media stations, North Country Public Radio, has flipped the congressional district from "solid" Republican to "likely" Republican.
We represent Wyoming — California is waging war on our coal, we're going to keep mining
California Governor Gavin Newsom will spend more than $230 billion on a train that may never run, yet he won’t let a single trainload of Wyoming coal reach a port taxpayers already funded.
Last month, the California governor signed a bill to kill a coal export terminal in Oakland before it even opens. The project would be the West Coast’s first terminal, a direct link between Wyoming miners and buyers across the globe who want affordable, reliable power. President Trump backed it this summer with $75 million through the Defense Production Act. Far-left politicians in Sacramento responded to this historical investment with a new layer of environmental review written to stall the project until its investors give up.
California Democrats introduced the bill immediately after the president’s announcement. The bill’s author sold it as a way to block coal and defy the president. At least she was honest about her intentions.
GAVIN NEWSOM'S 'HIDDEN CLIMATE TAX' HITTING AMERICANS NATIONWIDE, LAWMAKER WARNS
The Oakland terminal spent years navigating the gauntlet of California’s burdensome regulatory and legal regime. The project passed environmental review, among the most punishing in the country. Hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in the site, including more than $240 million from California taxpayers. After years of litigation, all won by the developers, the City of Oakland conceded and began advancing development of the terminal.
California politicians didn’t like the result — so they changed the rules.
AMERICAN BUSINESSES AREN’T ALLOWED TO BUILD. IT’S TIME CONGRESS HELPED THEM
That should alarm anyone who builds anything in California, whatever they think of coal. America and the world need affordable, available, reliable energy. If lawmakers can void a permit retroactively because they dislike the product or the president who supports it, no approval in the state is safe. Today it is Wyoming coal. Tomorrow it could be an oil refinery, a manufacturing facility, or a housing development that runs afoul of Sacramento’s political priorities.
The governor further revealed his extreme priorities that same day when he vetoed another bill to speed up the hiring of auditors for California’s high-speed rail project. California spent $15 billion over 18 years. It has failed to lay a single mile of track.
California promised voters a passenger line connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2020 for a cost of $33 billion. It is now estimated to cost between $126 to $231 billion with completion not expected until 2040.
When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revoked $4 billion in federal grants to California’s bullet train boondoggle last year, Newsom sued and lost. He still defends the wasteful spending. Meanwhile, California Democrats continue to sacrifice economic growth, jobs, and taxpayer dollars at the altar of climate extremism.
CEO SAYS DOING BUSINESS IN STATE ‘SUCKS’ AS COMPANY HEADS TO TEXAS AMID CALIFORNIA EXODUS
Wyoming offers the opposite model. We sit atop more than 600 years of coal reserves. Demand for electricity across Asia is climbing fast. Those nations will burn coal whether California approves of it or not. The only question is whose coal. American coal offers the United States an abundance of affordable, reliable power here at home, and enhanced diplomatic leverage abroad.
Wyoming will not sit quietly while California politicians attempt to shut our energy producers out of global markets. Wyoming has made clear that we will use every tool at our disposal, including legal action, to defend our state and its industries. Wyoming coal supports families and communities across our state, strengthens America’s energy security, and can help meet enormous global demand for reliable energy.
This fight is bigger than coal. California has already driven out its builders and manufacturers. Now it wants to export its dysfunction to every state that relies on its port.
Wyoming will keep mining. California can keep its train.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is a Republican from Wyoming who sits on the Senate Banking, Commerce, and Environment and Public Works committees.
Harriet Hageman, a Republican, is the lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming.
Bringing back the Monroe Doctrine is the ideal America First strategy
More than 200 years ago, President James Monroe established a simple principle: the security of the United States is directly tied to the security of the Western Hemisphere. Today, that principle is just as vital. With communist China expanding its influence throughout Latin America and transnational criminal organizations threatening American communities, it is time to reaffirm the Monroe Doctrine and put American interests first in our own hemisphere.
President Donald Trump's efforts to expand military training and security cooperation with Latin American partners represent the exact forward-thinking America First policies our national security demands. Deploying elements of the 10th Mountain Division to Panama for jungle training and joint exercises marks an important step toward strengthening the Shield of the Americas initiative.
By strengthening our regional allies, we take the fight to criminal organizations before their operations reach American communities. Providing partners with the training, equipment and intelligence they need helps them dismantle drug-trafficking networks, disrupt smuggling routes and stop deadly drugs before reaching our borders. This protects American interests while allowing allies to take the lead in securing their own countries.
The Trump administration is also expanding regional intelligence capabilities by shifting MQ-9 Reaper drones from U.S. Africa Command to U.S. Southern Command. Supporting operations in Colombia and Ecuador, these aircraft deliver critical surveillance to track trafficking networks across remote jungles, borders and maritime routes. Combined with greater intelligence sharing and coordinated operations, these efforts help dismantle criminal networks at the source.
However, drug trafficking is only one part of the threat. During a recent congressional delegation trip to Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, we saw firsthand the growing influence of communist China. Beijing has spent years expanding its economic and strategic footprint through investments in ports, mining operations, critical infrastructure and key industries. These investments are not simply about trade; they give China leverage over regional economies, access to critical resources and influence over historically reliable American partners.
TRUMP ADMIN'S LIST OF US-DESIGNATED 'FOREIGN TERRORIST' GROUPS IN LATIN AMERICA EXPANDS TO 21
One of the clearest examples is the Port of Chancay in Peru. Built and operated by Chinese state-owned COSCO, this deep-water port has the capacity to transform trade between South America and Asia. While increased trade benefits Peru's economy, China's control of critical infrastructure raises serious security concerns regarding intelligence collection, logistical support or future military use. The United States cannot stand by while our greatest strategic competitor establishes a foothold in our backyard.
While in Peru, our delegation met with U.S. Ambassador Bernie Navarro, who is actively strengthening this crucial partnership. Navarro is demonstrating the value of strong American diplomatic leadership. His recent coordination with Peruvian defense officials and Southern Command commander General Francis Donovan to combat narcoterrorist organizations, including those in the Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro (Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers), also known as the VRAEM region, is the results-driven engagement we need.
RUBIO WARNS CHINA AFTER PANAMA SHIP DETENTIONS, CALLS HEMISPHERE SOVEREIGNTY 'NON-NEGOTIABLE'
These efforts reinforce a central truth: a strong American presence in the hemisphere does not require us to act alone. It requires working with willing partners who share our interest in combating criminal networks, protecting sovereignty and preventing hostile foreign powers from gaining strategic influence. That is why renewing our commitment to the Monroe Doctrine is critical.
The Western Hemisphere cannot be treated as a secondary priority while China expands its influence and criminal organizations exploit weak institutions and porous borders. The threats emerging from Latin America directly affect American national security, our economy and the safety of our communities.
WALTZ WARNS OF CHINESE, RUSSIAN-FUELED ‘NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT’ LOOMING CLOSE TO US SHORES
As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, I believe our foreign policy and assistance must produce tangible benefits for the American people. Our embassies, security partnerships and diplomatic resources must focus on advancing American interests, countering Chinese influence and helping allies confront shared threats.
That also means demanding accountability. Taxpayers deserve to know their dollars are spent effectively, that partners contribute their fair share and that investments deliver measurable results. We should cut wasteful programs and direct resources toward initiatives that strengthen national security.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
America First does not mean America alone. It means recognizing that American strength, backed by capable regional partners, is the best defense against regional threats. Trump's expanded security cooperation in Panama, increased intelligence capabilities in Colombia and Ecuador, and renewed diplomatic engagement in Peru are vital components of that strategy.
The Monroe Doctrine was built on the understanding that foreign threats in our hemisphere cannot be ignored. Two centuries later, that lesson remains true. A secure Western Hemisphere is essential to a secure United States — it is time we start treating it that way.
Trump can’t let Iran turn a military defeat into a diplomatic victory
Throughout the history of Middle Eastern wars, one strategic mistake has been repeated time and again: great powers achieve victory on the battlefield, only to give their defeated adversaries an opportunity at the negotiating table to transform military defeat into political triumph. President Donald Trump faces precisely this danger. After eight months of war, the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite suffering devastating military and economic losses, continues to seek political survival through nuclear blackmail, threats to global energy security and the deliberate prolongation of negotiations. Washington must not allow a regime that has paid a heavy price for its reckless adventurism to regain, through a hastily negotiated agreement, the very position it occupied before the war.
The developments of Oct. 20 demonstrate that Tehran has abandoned none of its familiar tactics of confrontation, intimidation, bluffing and extortion. On the one hand, Islamic Republic officials speak of negotiations and ending the war; on the other, they impose imaginary conditions on Washington that, if accepted without credible guarantees, could dismantle much of America's leverage.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Islamic Republic's Supreme National Security Council — a former terrorist affiliated with the Islamic terrorist group Mansouroun, who even sought to visit the United States in the 2000s but was opposed by the CIA — emphasized during his meeting with Pakistan's army chief that not a single gram of Iran's enriched uranium would leave the country.
IRAN RULES OUT TRANSFERRING URANIUM TO A THIRD COUNTRY
Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi — a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member acting as foreign minister — has made reopening the Strait of Hormuz conditional upon acceptance of Tehran's proposed plan. Far from demonstrating a genuine willingness to compromise, these positions reveal the regime's determination to preserve its instruments of coercion on the eve of a potential agreement.
The most significant issue, however, lies in the political calculations of the Islamic Republic's rulers. Tehran is deliberately dragging out negotiations to weaken Trump's political standing ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections — in other words, to exert psychological pressure on the American president.
IRAN REGIME UNDER PRESSURE AS REBEL GROUPS ESCALATE ATTACKS IN VOLATILE SOUTHEAST
This is no longer merely a dispute over centrifuges or economic sanctions. The Islamic Republic is attempting to weaponize the exhaustion of war, the anxieties of American voters and rising energy costs as instruments of political pressure against the president of the United States. Such calculated deception must be understood in Washington as part of Tehran's asymmetric warfare strategy, not dismissed as an ordinary diplomatic tactic.
The Strait of Hormuz stands at the center of this calculation. The terrorist organization known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed — without presenting any evidence — that Iranian naval mines prevented three oil tankers from passing through the waterway. Nevertheless, the widespread disruption of regional shipping is an undeniable reality.
TRUMP'S MOAB THREAT COULD PUT IRAN'S DEEPEST BUNKERS IN AMERICA'S CROSSHAIRS
The Islamic Republic understands perfectly well that it does not need to win a conventional naval battle to inflict economic pain on the United States. It need only increase the risks facing oil tankers, drive up insurance and transportation costs, and keep global energy markets trapped in uncertainty. Under this strategy, commercial tankers become hostages to Tehran's security calculations, while American consumers pay the price of the Iranian regime's policies at the gas pump.
This is the very essence of the rogue Islamic Republic's asymmetric warfare: a form of conflict in which military weakness is compensated for through economic, propaganda, intelligence and proxy instruments. Tehran possesses limited capabilities in a direct confrontation with American military power, but it can exploit maritime routes, militia networks, cyberattacks and influence operations to multiply the costs of the crisis.
IRAN SETS RED LINES FOR US TALKS: LIFT SANCTIONS, END THREATS — 'NOT A GRAM' OF URANIUM LEAVES
Reports of efforts by Iran and Russia to intensify unrest in France, together with the rearrests of two suspects in Britain on suspicion of intelligence cooperation with Iran, serve as further reminders that Western security concerns extend far beyond the Persian Gulf. Ignoring this pattern would undoubtedly be a dangerous mistake. The Islamic Republic came to power through terrorism, sustained its rule through terrorism, destruction and manufactured crises, and its eventual collapse may likewise be possible through war.
The nuclear file exposes another danger. Tehran's insistence on retaining its enriched uranium, while simultaneously demanding relief from economic and military pressure, raises a fundamental question: If the Iranian regime genuinely intends to address international concerns, why does it refuse to demonstrate flexibility over one of the most sensitive components of its nuclear program?
IRAN IS TRYING TO ‘CREATE A ROT FROM WITHIN’ THROUGH ‘INFORMATION WARFARE,’ ANALYST WARNS
Uranium enrichment does not, by itself, prove a decision to manufacture nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, enriched uranium stockpiles, centrifuge capacity and the possibility of independent monitoring remain decisive factors in assessing the risk of a nuclear breakout. An agreement that postpones these questions while granting Tehran immediate and irreversible concessions could merely defer the crisis to an even more dangerous stage rather than resolve it. The principal global threat remains Islamic terrorism and Iran's transnational terrorist network.
Trump must recognize the distinction between ending military operations and eliminating a security threat. The destruction of military equipment, damage to facilities and degradation of the Revolutionary Guards' operational capabilities — however extensive — do not automatically mean the elimination of the rogue mafia regime's command structure, political will, or capacity for reconstruction.
HOW SAUDI ARABIA'S DEFENSE VULNERABILITIES COULD BECOME TRUMP'S PROBLEM AMID HOUTHI ONSLAUGHT
Over the decades, the Islamic Republic has demonstrated its ability to exploit periods of reduced pressure to rebuild its military and security structures and its terrorist networks. Accordingly, America's measure of success must not be limited to the cessation of missile launches or the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Genuine success will come only when the regime's ability to repeat those same threats has been curtailed.
Another mistake must also be avoided: equating Iran with the Islamic Republic. The Iranian nation and the ruling establishment in Tehran are two fundamentally different realities. For years, the Iranian people have paid the price of domestic repression, systemic corruption, international isolation, and the regime's regional adventurism. No sustainable American strategy should portray the survival of the Islamic Republic as synonymous with stability in Iran.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
On the contrary, a policy that merely guarantees the regime's security in exchange for temporary concessions could deprive Iranian society of the opportunity to shape a different future. While safeguarding its own national security interests, Washington must defend the Iranian people's right to determine their country's political future, without bargaining away their destiny behind the closed doors of a security agreement. The Iranian people want regime change.
To prevent such an outcome, the Trump administration needs a clear strategic framework and a decisive course of action. Any agreement must include explicit nuclear commitments, enforceable independent monitoring, credible verification mechanisms, guarantees for maritime security and clearly defined consequences for violations. Sanctions relief and the release of financial resources must not be granted in advance without securing genuine concessions. Threats against commercial vessels must never become an instrument through which Tehran acquires political control over one of the world's most vital waterways. Diplomacy has value when it reduces threats.
Two suspected gunmen killed after shooting wounds 5 Israelis in West Bank
Five people were wounded, including two critically, and two suspected gunmen were killed in a shooting Friday in the southern West Bank, officials said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that it responded to a shooting in the Judea Junction area Friday and killed two people it identified as "terrorists."
A blockade was established while the agency continued to search the area, the IDF said.
INSIDE ISRAEL'S MISSION TO TRAIN CIVILIANS TO STOP THE NEXT OCT 7-LIKE TERROR ATTACK
Five Israelis were wounded in the shooting, according to The Times of Israel.
Two people were critically wounded and three were in light-to-moderate condition, first responders told the outlet.
ISRAELI COMBAT MEDICINE SLASHES IDF DEATHS AFTER OCT 7, DRAWS US MILITARY INTEREST
Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, said it treated two people in critical condition at the scene of the attack.
The identities of the suspected gunmen were not immediately released.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
Trump's MAGA faithful send warning to Republicans ahead of high-stakes midterm elections
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — President Donald Trump’s loyal base of supporters still have his and Republicans’ back in Iowa, but some are growing concerned over lingering issues, like the economy and gridlock in Congress, as Election Day nears.
Trump and Republicans ran on a platform of lowering inflation, halting "forever wars" and repairing an economy that they say was wrecked by former President Joe Biden and his administration. But prices are still high, and the war in Iran is still ongoing, causing a spike in fuel prices that have stuck around heading into Nov. 3.
Outside of Trump’s rally in Sioux City, Iowa, where the president was set to rile up support for Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, in a tightening Senate race against Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, his supporters who spoke with Fox News Digital still backed Republicans but expressed hope that change would soon come.
VOTERS PREPARE TO WEIGH-IN ON TRUMP'S ECONOMY AS COSTS CONTINUE TO SURGE
Beth Fitzl, an Iowa voter, said of Trump that she didn’t "agree with everything he does, but in the end, he's here for us."
"This is the way I see it," Fitzl told Fox News Digital. "He's like the Packers, OK? They may be getting in deep, but they always pull it off in the end, and I truly think he's going to do something to turn it around. I really think he's going to pull something to turn it around."
Chuck Jones, a veteran and Purple Heart recipient who made the trek from Minnesota for the Iowa rally, was frustrated about the divisive, tribal nature of politics.
He told Fox News Digital that "these politicians, they're fighting for one thing on one side, and other people are fighting for something on the other side, but there's nobody sitting at the table in the middle."
TRUMP VOTERS REVEAL THEIR BIGGEST FEAR HEADING INTO MIDTERMS — AND IT'S NOT RISING PRICES
When asked if Republicans and Trump needed to do something different should they hold onto control of Washington, D.C., after the election, Jones said, "Well, I think it's time that we're going to have to show some difference, because people aren't happy with the way things have been in the last few years."
"And we're going to have to do something about it and decisively show the American public that you can get it done and get it done correctly," he said. "They're going to have to work together instead of fighting each other."
Hinson’s race is one of six toss-ups that Republicans in the Senate are trying to hold onto. She and Turek are vying for Sen. Joni Ernst’s, R-Iowa, seat after she opted to retire from the upper chamber last year.
Their race, like others during this cycle, has become surprisingly close, given that Trump won the state in 2024 by roughly 13 points and has won it each time he’s been on the ballot.
THUNE MAKES BOLD PREDICTION ABOUT REPUBLICANS' SENATE CHANCES AS GOP PULLS MILLIONS FROM KEY RACES
Dawn Stanley, an Iowa voter who has voted for Trump in each of the last three elections, still planned to support him and Hinson. She told Fox News Digital that Turek hadn’t "showed up" for Iowa and noted that he’d been absent from the state legislature "42% of the time" — Turek missed 261 votes between January and May of this year while on the campaign trail.
Still, her biggest frustration with Republicans was their inability to pass the SAVE America Act, voter ID and election security legislation that has been consistently blocked by Senate Democrats.
"I really do think it comes down to the SAVE Act," Stanley said. "I really do, because we can't have all these Democrats in there and bringing over all these illegals who are going to vote for those people and have chaos. That's what it is."
"The United States is in chaos and I really believe it's because of the illegals and the Islamic terrorists that are coming over," she continued. "And just look at what's going on in France. I mean, it's terrible. And I don't want that for our country, and that's what Trump can stop. And that's why we need to bring in all the conservatives that we can."
Others were concerned about Democrats regaining power and feared that Republicans may not show up on Nov. 3 to support GOP candidates.
"We need to get the people out to vote," Kurt, who traveled from South Dakota for the rally, told Fox News Digital. "Republican people need to get out the vote. They stay home too much. This is a war to be won with the Left, as far as I'm concerned."
Supreme Court blocks use of student IDs as voter identification in New Hampshire
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed New Hampshire officials to reject student IDs as a valid form of identification when voters cast their ballots in next month's midterm elections.
A lower court judge previously found that state officials had improperly gone further than a new law restricting the use of student IDs to obtain a ballot, ruling that officials still had to consider student IDs alongside other evidence when voters lacked other means of verifying their identity.
But the Supreme Court took issue with the judge intervening this close to the elections.
ARIZONA VOTER LAW FIGHT REACHES SCOTUS AS ELECTION GROUPS WARN ‘ABSURD’ CONSEQUENCE COULD ENSUE
The high court has said orders handed down too close to an election can cause voter confusion, an idea known as the Purcell Principle. The court cited the recent legal back-and-forth over Missouri’s redistricting maps.
"Here, the District Court did not point to anything that would justify deviating from that principle," the majority wrote in its opinion.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, saying the rule did not apply since the lower court judge was helping ensure the public received accurate information.
JACKSON RIPS INTO SUPREME COURT COLLEAGUES' 'SERIOUS LEGAL ERROR' ON TRUMP MAIL-IN VOTING ORDER
"When a federal court determines that material misrepresentations are being made about a State’s election rules, an injunction to prohibit that conduct does not contribute to public confusion, it prevents that very problem," Jackson wrote. "I would not disturb a clearly justifiable federal-court order issued to ensure that the public receives accurate information about a State’s electoral processes," she wrote.
This comes after Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 323 into law in April, removing student IDs from the list of identification expressly considered valid for obtaining a ballot. The law took effect June 2. After the law went into effect, New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan issued guidance to election officials about the change, and multiple trainings were held.
"New Hampshire has a responsibility to protect the integrity of its elections and ensure that election laws are applied as written," New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, a Republican, said in a statement.
"The Supreme Court’s decision is an important victory for our efforts to defend those laws and prevent last-minute court orders from creating uncertainty for voters and election officials. We will continue to defend New Hampshire’s election laws and the safeguards they provide," he continued.
The Supreme Court's decision was not a final ruling on the merits of the case, and the underlying litigation over the law remains ongoing.
Blanche won't rule out DOJ blocking election certification in 'doomsday' scenario
Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to rule out whether the Department of Justice could seek to intervene in states’ midterm election certification processes, saying there are extreme scenarios that could prompt federal action.
Speaking to reporters in Virginia on Thursday, Blanche said it was not his intention to "improperly interfere with elections," but declined to rule out federal involvement if a "doomsday scenario" were to happen.
"Of course, there’s scenarios that we can all come up with hypothetically, you know, some doomsday scenario, for example, right?" he said. "So, I don’t think it’s proper to make any kind of conclusory statements about what’s going to happen in the future, because I have no idea what’s happening in the future."
Blanche said he could not say there were no circumstances under which the DOJ would get involved.
NEWSOM SPARS WITH TRUMP-APPOINTED PROSECUTOR OVER 20,000 SUSPECTED NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS
"Of course, I’m not going to say that," he said. "But am I planning my days around the election to be somewhere to not certify? Of course not, no, not at all."
The DOJ's role in elections is limited under the Constitution and federal law, allowing it primarily to safeguard civil rights and prosecute people who violate election law. Federal law does not specifically authorize the department to challenge ballots or delay a state's certification of election results.
Under the Constitution and federal law, U.S. elections are run by state and local officials rather than the federal government.
During a news conference in Norfolk, Blanche was questioned about the DOJ's litigation against states, seeking to force officials to turn over unredacted voter data and halt the counting of ballots cast by thousands of voters the federal government argues are likely noncitizens.
TRUMP ADMIN SUED OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL COLLECTION OF SENSITIVE VOTER DATA FROM 47 STATES
Blanche said the DOJ was "not trying to create chaos" but wanted to alert officials to potential problems.
"I’m not trying to not have an election certified. Of course not," Blanche said. "What we’re trying to do is guarantee to the American people that the only people that are voting are people that are eligible to vote."
In response to Blanche's comments, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Senate Democrats "have been preparing for this for months and will be ready" for whatever administration officials try.
"As Trump and his cronies attempt to steal this election, we are fighting them at every turn," Schumer posted on X. "Our elections must always belong to the voters — not Donald Trump."
The administration sued California election officials last week, arguing they failed to act quickly enough to review names the federal government identified as likely noncitizens. The DOJ asked a judge to block the state from counting mail-in ballots from those individuals unless their eligibility could be confirmed.
The California secretary of state's office said it was given only 48 hours to review roughly 20,000 names.
The DOJ was also weighing additional election-related litigation against states, but a federal judge this week temporarily restricted certain election-related field operations and interviews in nine states through Election Day. The judge stayed the order until Friday evening to give the administration an opportunity to appeal.
Earlier this week, Democratic leaders and election groups filed a lawsuit against the administration, accusing it of "threats and intimidation" ahead of Election Day.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said noncitizen voting poses a serious threat to election integrity, although documented instances of noncitizens casting ballots in federal elections have historically been rare.
Drake Maye's end-zone interception proves costly as Patriots fall 30-24 to Bears in primetime
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams showed NFL fans once again that they're a match made in heaven.
Chicago didn't give the New England Patriots much of a shot in Week 7's Thursday night matchup. The Bears comfortably beat the Pats, 30-24, improving to 5-2.
In a game decided by just six points, Drake Maye leaving guaranteed points on the turf with a killer second-quarter end-zone pick loomed large. It forced New England into chase mode all night. It was Maye's third INT in the end zone this season.
BEARS VS. PATRIOTS THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PREVIEW AND WHY THE OVER 50.5 IS THE BEST PLAY
New England almost went into the halftime break facing a scary deficit, if not for a 48-yard TD run by Pats RB Rhamondre Stevenson. Chicago's defense fell asleep at the wheel; an effort on D unbecoming of this franchise.
In his second game back from a hamstring injury, Caleb continued to ride an offensive groove, throwing for 308 yards (22-of-32) and two touchdowns.
BEARS QB CALEB WILLIAMS SHUTS DOWN REPORTERS ASKING ABOUT HIS HAMSTRING INJURY: 'IT'S NOT DESERVING'
On the Al Michaels front — the play-by-play icon had another sleepy outing, stumbling through a few sequences, including calling a Pats "fumble" that never occurred. The 81-year-old broadcaster also mistook Williams and Maye for QBs from the "class of 2014." They were drafted in 2024.
Chicago extinguished New England's last-minute comeback bid courtesy of exceptional clock management by coach Johnson and a nail-in-the-coffin, career-best 58-yard field goal from Cairo Santos. The kick let the former Vrabel disciple stick it to his old boss, leaving the Patriots coach grimacing on the sideline knowing he'd been out-dueled.
Maye finished with 321 passing yards (24-of-31) with two touchdowns and that costly turnover.
Courtesy of the NFL scheduling gods, Vrabel and the Patriots have a prime get-right spot against the Dolphins in Week 8 after dropping to 4-3.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela