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Dem governor withdraws electric vehicle mandate in stunning blow to environmentalists

Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is withdrawing his plan to mandate future electric vehicle (EV) purchases after the proposal received bipartisan pushback from lawmakers on a key legislative panel. Lamont ultimately pulled the proposal just four months after unveiling it and characterizing it as “decisive action to meet our climate pollution reduction targets.” In July, Lamont unveiled the proposal, tethering Connecticut’s emissions standards to those set in California, which mandates that every passenger vehicle sold is electric by 2035, the most aggressive target of its kind nationwide. “Common sense has prevailed,” Connecticut Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly said in a statement. “The Governor’s decision to withdraw the regulations is a reasoned approach to address the growing concerns raised by working and middle-class families. Adopting California emission standards which ban the sale of gas-powered cars is a substantial policy shift which must be decided by the General Assembly.” “There are too many questions regarding the capacity of our electric grid, the cost and location of grid improvements, and the negative impact on urban, rural and working poor families,” Kelly added. “More than 90% of our pollution comes from outside the control of Connecticut. We need a national – and international – approach to improve our air quality. A state-by-state strategy will only prolong the attainment of cleaner air.” NEW REPORT UNMASKS TRUE COSTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES: ‘REMAIN MORE EXPENSIVE’ Kelly is one of the Republican members of the Connecticut General Assembly’s 14-member bicameral Legislative Regulation Review Committee, which is tasked with approving regulations proposed by state agencies. The GOP minority leader and other Republicans on the panel led opposition to the proposed EV mandate over the last several months. After Democrats on the committee voiced concerns with the regulations, Lamont ultimately pulled the proposal from the agenda of a committee hearing Tuesday, when lawmakers were set to vote on it. BEIJING-BACKED GREEN ENERGY FIRM IS EXPANDING IN US, POSING SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY RISK: REPORT “This is a prudent step,” said Connecticut state Sen. John Kissel, the panel’s GOP co-chair. “The people’s elected representatives are the ones who should be making this decision. Something so life-changing – something that will take our choice away – needs to be decided by the full state legislature.” “Ask anyone on a Main Street anywhere in Connecticut those questions,” he added. “They will tell you that they – the people – should get to decide. It should be the people’s choice. The people of Connecticut deserve credit for speaking out. I thank my colleagues on the committee – and the governor – for withdrawing these regulations.” Another Republican on the panel, state Sen. Paul Cicarella, said Democrats realized “there was no plan to implement” the EV mandate proposed by Lamont.  In addition to the EV mandate mirroring California’s regulations, under Lamont’s proposal released in July, 75% of trucks and buses would need to be electric by 2035. The passenger car mandate was enabled by a bill passed by the Connecticut legislature in 2003 that ties the state’s clean air rules to California’s program. The latter mandate impacting trucks and buses was enabled by the 2022 Connecticut Clean Air Act. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own emission standards and electric vehicle sales mandates, allowing other states to also adopt California’s rules. The state then approved its 2035 mandate, which states such as New Mexico and New Jersey have followed. BIDEN’S AMBITIOUS EV PLANS COULD MAKE US MORE DEPENDENT ON CHINESE SUPPLY CHAINS, EXPERTS WARN Lamont’s decision to halt the proposal marks a setback for the EV industry and is an unexpected blow to environmentalists who have advocated for such mandates nationwide. Democrats have dominated control of the Connecticut General Assembly for years and maintain a large majority in both the state Senate and House of Representatives. “The Committee’s failure to advance these regulations aligns Connecticut’s environmental policy with that of Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia rather than Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and the dozen other states we’ve been proud to call our clean air partners,” Charles Rothenberger, climate and energy attorney with Connecticut-based Save the Sound, told Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, we will now lose one more critical year in which the environmental, health and economic benefits of this program are not enjoyed by Connecticut’s residents,” Rothenberger said. “And there will be less consumer access to cutting-edge, low-cost clean vehicles as these vehicles are shipped elsewhere.” The Sierra Club Connecticut, Conservation Law Foundation, Acadia Center, Union of Concerned Scientists, Nature Conservancy, Environment Connecticut and Connecticut League of Conservation Voters also ripped Lamont’s action Tuesday. “It is outrageous that members of the regulations review committee overstepped their bounds to roll back environmental progress and block important clean air regulations,” said Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters. “If our state fails to move forward, it will be due to partisan politics and not what is best for the people of Connecticut.” MORE THAN 3,000 AUTO DEALERS SIGN LETTER OPPOSING BIDEN’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE The environmentalists also blamed the fossil fuel industry for waging a lobbying campaign in Connecticut to block the mandate from passing the committee. But energy industry and right-leaning groups in the state praised the failure of the proposal to move forward as a win for consumers. “This is a victory for consumers who would have paid a big price tag for the state’s efforts to ban gas-powered cars and trucks in the future,” said Connecticut Energy Marketers Association President Chris Herb. “However, the battle may not be over. It’s unclear what could happen next, but CEMA will continue to be vigilant in our opposition to this reckless policy. This is too much too fast, and we are not ready for an EV-only future.” According to the group, the plan may effectively be killed, replaced with a watered-down version or be put up for a vote in the state legislature. “This is a victory for Connecticut’s people,

Fox News Politics: Raising the steaks

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail.  Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s happening: -Former President Carter and all living first ladies attend funeral of Rosalynn Carter -Legislation to be introduced expelling Rep. Santos from Congress -Religious leaders call on Congress to protect Jews and Israel A lead United Nations agency overseeing food and agriculture policy is expected to issue a road map in the coming weeks which will call on the West, including America, to dramatically reduce its meat consumption. The UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) will publish its so-called global food systems’ road map during the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai which will kick off on Thursday and extend nearly two weeks until mid-December. FAO’s first-of-its-kind document will recommend nations that “over-consume meat” to limit their consumption as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ‘WEAKNESS’: Iran shows off new military technology, sparking more calls for Biden to take action …Read more CRISIS OF FAITH: GOP AGs blast Biden HHS for plan they say would effectively ban Christian foster parents …Read more BLAME GAME: Biden shifts blame away from administration after admitting prices ‘still too high’ …Read more CALL TO ACTIVISM: AOC lauds pro-cease-fire ‘activism,’ says US enables human rights abuse by Israel …Read more HUNTER BIDEN SUBMITS: Hunter Biden submits to House Oversight Committee testimony …Read more ‘HELL NO’: Sen. Marshall is spearheading a standalone aid to Israel bill and tighter border security provisions …Read more ‘UNWAVERING COMMITMENT’: Religious leaders call on Congress to take steps to protect Jews, Israel …Read more SIGHTS TRAINED: California Dem looks to make George Santos the first Republican expelled from Congress …Read more MAJOR ENDORSEMENT: Influential conservative group AFP jumps into presidential race …Read more TWO NEW DISTRICTS: Georgia Senate GOP proposes map with 2 Black-majority districts …Read more SENATE SHOWDOWN: Sen. Lee takes a side in Ohio’s competitive GOP Senate primary …Read more BIDEN’S POLLING BLUES: Biden’s polling position worse than Obama’s 12 years ago …Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Senate and House to negotiate military spending budget this week with several diversity initiatives gutted

Democrat and Republican lawmakers will hash out the next fiscal year’s military spending budget, also known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), during this week’s formal House-Senate conference.  The ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., managed to score a victory before Congress broke for Thanksgiving recess to get the conference scheduled. A Wicker aide previously told Fox News Digital that if the conference process hadn’t started before the recess, “it wouldn’t have happened this year” due to other priorities. The chambers will convene on Wednesday, according to the Senate schedule. According to a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) aide, top negotiators for the NDAA include Wicker, SASC Chairman Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and SASC ranking member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. SENATE AND HOUSE HEADED FOR SHOWDOWN OVER DEFENSE BILL In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, which was first reported by Punchbowl, Wicker said Monday, “There are a number of things that need to be fixed” in the NDAA. “But things are moving,” he added.  The Senate approved its version of the annual military defense bill with bipartisan support in July in an 86-11 vote, granting authorization for $886 billion over the next year to bolster national defense, right before the chamber’s five-week August recess. Notably, in the Senate’s version, military personnel will see a 5.2% pay increase, and it includes $9.1 billion to foster competitiveness with China, investments in advancing military drone technology, and $300 million in aid to Ukraine. ONLY 4 DEMS VOTE WITH GOP TO PASS DEFENSE POLICY BILL ROLLING BACK ABORTION POLICY, ‘WOKE’ INITIATIVES The Senate’s bill avoids addressing the issues of abortion and transgender services. However, it does acknowledge the concerns expressed by Republicans about what they call an excessive influence of progressive policies within the Pentagon. As such, Senate Republicans were able to get provisions in the policy that prevent mandating the inclusion of preferred pronouns in official correspondence as well as a proposed hiring freeze on “new diversity, equity, and inclusion positions.” “Military readiness depends on the guarantee of equal opportunity, without the promise of an equal outcome, because warfare is a competitive endeavor and the nation’s enemies must know that the United States Armed Forces is led by the best, brightest, and bravest Americans,” the bill text reads. “The tenets of critical race theory are antithetical to the merit-based, all-volunteer, military that has served the country with great distinction for the last 50 years.” SENATE GREENLIGHTS MILITARY DEFENSE SPENDING BILL, PAVING WAY FOR HIGH-STAKES CLASH WITH GOP-LED HOUSE Just two weeks prior to the Senate’s passage, the House approved its version of the bill, which incorporated several Republican amendments aimed at dismantling the Pentagon’s abortion policy for service members seeking procedures out of state as well as restricting transgender-affirming treatments. President Biden has previously indicated he would not sign a package filled with hardline GOP priorities like what’s included in the House’s version.

US Dept of Education opens investigation of Harvard over antisemitism on campus

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is opening an investigation into Harvard University following antisemitism on campus in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, Fox News has learned.  In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital dated Tuesday, Kristi R. Harris, Chief Attorney for the OCR Boston Office said that the OCR will be opening an investigation into whether Harvard “failed to respond to alleged harassment of students based on their national origin (shared Jewish ancestry and/or Israeli) in a manner consistent with the requirements of Title VI.”  “Please note that opening the complaint for investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination on the merits of the complaint. During the investigation, OCR is a neutral factfinder, collecting and analyzing relevant evidence from you, the University, and other sources, as appropriate,” the letter says.  “Our goal is the prompt resolution of the complaint,” Harris wrote, noting that the complaint can be resolved before the conclusion of the investigation or through mediation with the university. UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS FROM HARVARD, MIT TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON RAGING ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUSES The letter was addressed to a Harvard alum, who spoke with Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity, and who previously filed a complaint with OCR alleging the Ivy League school discriminated against students on the basis of national origin by not appropriately responding to incidents of harassment last month. The complaint came in response to a first-year Israeli student at Harvard Business School reportedly being shoved and accosted by pro-Palestinian protesters amid a “die in” demonstration held in October at the Massachusetts campus in reaction to Israel’s retaliatory strikes against the Gaza Strip. The FBI and Harvard police received a complaint saying the Israeli student had his phone ripped from his hands and was “assaulted both physically and verbally,” according to The Washington Free Beacon.  Harris’s letter says complainants may also have a right to file a private suit in federal court whether or not OCR finds a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national original in any program or activity actively receiving federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education.  “Please be advised that the University must not harass, coerce, intimidate, discriminate, or otherwise retaliate against an individual because that individual asserts a right or privilege under a law enforced by OCR or files a complaint, testifies, assists, or participates in a proceeding under a law enforced by OCR,” the letter says. “If this happens, the individual may file a retaliation complaint with OCR.”  OVER 1,600 JEWISH ALUMNI DEMAND HARVARD CRACK DOWN ON ANTISEMITISM IN SCATHING LETTER Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard for comment, but they did not immediately respond.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The investigation was revealed the same day it was announced that college presidents from Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania will be testifying on Capitol Hill about rampant antisemitism on their campuses that followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks. Dr. Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, Ms. Liz Magill, President of the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Sally Kornbluth, the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are expected to testify on Tuesday, Dec. 5, before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.

House GOP spending momentum sputters as long holiday break looms

Government funding is not on the menu for House lawmakers returning from their Thanksgiving district work period this week, even as the holiday schedule puts Congress in a time crunch to make a deal on federal spending. The House is expected to hold several votes related to the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the U.S. border crisis, according to a schedule obtained by Fox News Digital on Monday. Not listed are the remaining five appropriations bills that House Republicans are aiming to pass out of 12 total. Similarly, there are no upcoming meetings or hearings on appropriations listed on the websites of the House Rules Committee and the House Appropriations Committee. The House has been in recess since Nov. 17, returning on Tuesday afternoon. Lawmakers will be gone again from Dec. 15 until the new year. JOHNSON’S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING – AND SOME VICTORIES Just before leaving, Congress passed a temporary extension of last year’s government funding levels, but with two separate deadlines: Passing appropriations bills concerning military construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; Energy and Water; Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, by Jan. 19, while the remaining eight appropriations bills must be worked out by Feb. 2. Before that, the Senate passed its own three spending bills in a joint “minibus” and is potentially weighing a similar effort with the other nine.  HOUSE PASSES BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SPEAKER JOHNSON NOTCHES FIRST BIG LEGISLATIVE WIN And despite the solidarity shown by passing the extension to avoid a government shutdown, the two chambers are still far apart on a final deal. The topline budgets the House and Senate have said they are expected to be working toward are about $120 billion apart. Conservative policy riders on issues like abortion and the LGBTQ community have also made the House GOP’s bills a nonstarter for the Democrat-controlled White House and Senate.  The lack of expected votes on appropriations this week comes after House leaders were forced to pull key spending bills from the schedule over the last month over opposition from both moderates and the GOP Conference’s right flank. SPEAKER JOHNSON ROLLS OUT PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, PREVENT ‘SPENDING MONSTROSITY’ But House conservatives have made clear that the pressure is on GOP leaders to not only move forward with the appropriations process, but also fight for deep spending cuts along the way.  “If the [House GOP] cannot 1) cut spending off of the massive Pelosi omnibus… 2) demand the U.S. border be secured before even mentioning the word Ukraine… & 3) make our military great again w/o social engineering… what’s the point of being in the majority?” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said on the platform, “Consistently high inflation is continuing to rage and hurt our economy. Washington must take these issues seriously by working together to cut wasteful government spending. Both parties created this mess, and we must work together to fix it.”

California Dem to introduce privileged resolution to expel George Santos from Congress

A California Democrat will introduce a privileged resolution to expel the disgraced New York GOP Rep. George Santos from Congress. The spokesperson for Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., confirmed to Fox News Digital that the congressman will be noticing a privileged resolution in a Tuesday floor speech to expel Santos from the House of Representatives. Garcia is expected to speak on the floor at 2 p.m. to notice the resolution. New York Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman is also leading the resolution with Garcia. THIRD TIME THE CHARM: WILL GEORGE SANTOS SURVIVE THE LATEST MOVE TO OUST HIM FROM THE HOUSE? Because it is a privileged item, it will have to be taken up by the House within two legislative days. This means the House Republican majority would be forced to vote on the measure to remove Santos from Congress, narrowing the already slim majority for Republicans. Santos said he would stand for his expulsion vote on the House floor in a Tuesday post. “Setting the record straight, My conversation with the speaker was positive and I told him [I’d] be standing for the expulsion vote,” Santos posted in response to a report about his meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. CHAOS AT THE CAPITOL AS GEORGE SANTOS RAGES AGAINST ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTER: ‘F—ING TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER’ “Expel me and set the precedent so we can see who the judge, jury and executioners in Congress are,” he continued. “The American people deserve to know!” Santos said earlier this month that he would not be seeking re-election to Congress after a damning House Ethics Committee report accused Santos of having “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations. In the 56-page report, the bipartisan subcommittee unanimously agreed that Santos “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House.” That includes $50,000 in campaign donations that were wired to Santos’ personal account on Oct. 21, 2022 and allegedly used to, among other things, “pay down personal credit card bills and other debt; make a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes; and for smaller purchases at OnlyFans; Sephora; and for meals and for parking.” Should Santos get expelled, it will be the first time a lawmaker has been removed from the House since expelled Ohio Democrat Rep. Jim Traficant. Traficant was expelled from the House in 2002 after being convicted of 10 felony counts that included bribery and racketeering. Only four other members besides Traficant have been expelled in the House’s history. All five expulsions were Democrats, meaning Santos could be the first Republican expelled from the chamber. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed reporting.

Trump, Ramaswamy campaigns clap back after Romney says he wouldn’t vote for them in 2024

Presidential candidate and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy clapped back at Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a longtime vocal critic of former President Trump, after he said he would rather support “a number of Democrats” over Trump and Ramaswamy in the 2024 election. “Turns out he’s opposed to America-First itself, not just one man. Newsflash, Mitt: I didn’t vote for you either, and I still call on your niece Ronna to resign,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital in a statement Monday. Ronna McDaniel is chair of the Republican National Committee. Ramaswamy’s response comes after Romney said to CBS’ Norah O’Donnell that he’d “be happy to support virtually any one of the Republicans” except Ramaswamy, and that a “number of the Democrats” would be an upgrade from Trump.  “Maybe not Vivek, but the others that are running would be acceptable to me, and I’d be happy to vote for them,” Romney stated.  FOX NEWS POLL: SUPPORT FOR TRUMP HITS 62% IN GOP PRIMARY “I’d be happy to vote for a number of the Democrats, too. I mean, it would be an upgrade, in my opinion, from Donald Trump – and perhaps also from Joe Biden,” he continued.  Romney’s comments, which aired on CBS last month, went widely unnoticed until this week. In an emailed statement Tuesday to Fox News Digital, a Trump spokesperson said, “Voters aren’t going to take advice from a loser and quitter like Mittens.” Romney, a former presidential candidate, will not be running for re-election in 2024 and announced in September his retirement from the Senate. “I have spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-eighties. Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in,” Romney said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital in September. “We face critical challenges – mounting national debt, climate change, and the ambitious authoritarians of Russia and China. Neither President Biden nor former President Trump are leading their party to confront them,” Romney said. Trump called Romney’s retirement “fantastic news” for America, Utah and the Republican Party on TruthSocial shortly after his announcement, NBC News reported at the time. Romney was one of the Republicans who voted to impeach the former president twice.  BLACK VOTERS SAY THEY’RE TURNING AWAY FROM ‘WEAK’ BIDEN IN 2024: ‘HE DIDN’T CHANGE ANYTHING’ Romney’s term ends in January 2025. He was first elected to the Senate from Utah in 2018, winning the GOP primary in a landslide. But his willingness to reach across the aisle and criticize other national Republicans has caused friction with the Utah GOP. Last month, more than 60 GOP Utah state lawmakers endorsed Utah state House Speaker Brad Wilson to mount a primary challenge against Romney.  Fox News Digital has reached out to Romney’s office and the RNC for comment. UTAH REPUBLICAN SEEKING TO REPLACE ROMNEY ACCUSED OF FALSIFYING ENDORSEMENTS, STRONG-ARMING GOP FOR SUPPORT

Watch a Dec. 13 conversation with University of Austin president Pano Kanelos

Kanelos will discuss the path to creating the new liberal arts school, why higher education needs a transformation and why Austin was the right place for this mission.

AOC lauds pro-Palestinian ‘activism,’ accuses US of aiding ‘gross’ human rights abuses in Gaza

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., accused the Biden administration of enabling “gross human rights violations” in Gaza by sending military aid to Israel as it seeks to eradicate Hamas. The progressive lawmaker held a tele-town hall on Monday evening where she fielded multiple questions on the Middle Eastern conflict, including a constituent who said the U.S. should “just defund Israel and send funding and aid to Gaza.” She also encouraged pro-Palestinian activists to keep putting pressure on Democratic lawmakers to support a cease-fire, even as heightened tensions around the issue have led to instances of vandalism and threatening behavior.  “Forces that are recipients of U.S. military aid cannot be engaging in gross human rights violations,” Ocasio-Cortez said, citing a set of statutes known as the Leahy law. “And if they are engaged in gross human rights violations, then that aid must be either pulled, reconsidered, conditioned, etc.” ISRAEL, HAMAS CONFRIM LIST OF HOSTAGES, PRISONERS TO BE EXCHANGED OVER 2-DAY CEASE-FIRE EXTENSION: LIVE UPDATES The Leahy law stops the government “from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights,” according to the State Department. “What we are witnessing is the gross violation of human rights in Gaza, and that is being done with U.S. military assistance,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I don’t think that the American people want to see our public resources going to finance gross human rights violations.” ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: US LOOKS TO INCREASE AID INTO GAZA THROUGH EGYPT, INCLUDES WARNING FOR ISRAEL At another point, a caller asked what Americans who support a cease-fire should do to keep pressuring lawmakers. Ocasio-Cortez replied, “I want to also be clear about how powerful that is, constituent engagement.” She said the flood of calls and messages from pro-Palestinian activists to pro-Israel Democrats was increasing support for a cease-fire. ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: IDENTITIES OF 11 RECENTLY-RELEASED ISRAELI HOSTAGES REVEALED “These are not just progressives,” she said. “We have seen representatives from swing seats, that just barely won their seats, are now starting to come out in favor of a cease-fire. So all of this activism is making this a politically tenable and a politically normalized position. So I want to encourage individuals who are, you know, making that call or perhaps if you haven’t made that call yet, to please do so.” But some of that pressure has led to heightened security concerns when the activism goes beyond phone calls. Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., who is Jewish, saw his Brooklyn office vandalized earlier this month with pro-Palestinian messaging.  And a demonstration outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters grew so heated that one Democratic lawmaker who was inside at the time compared it to the violent Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol.

Haley lands endorsement of influential conservative group with powerful grassroots outreach

Americans for Prosperity Action, the political wing of the influential and deep-pocketed fiscally conservative network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, is endorsing Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The group, which has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars to help push the Republican Party past former President Trump, made its announcement Tuesday morning in a memo. AFP Action said that “it is proud to be throwing the full weight and scope of its grassroots operation behind Nikki Haley to help her become the next President of the United States. That effort will begin with a multimillion dollar ad campaign launching this week in all early and several Super Tuesday states calling on Americans to unite behind Haley’s positive vision to turn the page on today’s broken politics and move our country forward.” THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: TRUMP HOLDS COMMANDING LEAD WITH 50 DAYS TO GO UNTIL IOWA CAUCUSES  Haley, the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, launched her 2024 GOP presidential campaign in February. She’s enjoyed momentum in the polls in recent months, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates.  GAME ON IN IOWA AS DESANTIS AND HALEY BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP Haley has leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire — which holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican nominating schedule — and in her home state, which holds the first southern contest. And she’s pulled even with DeSantis in some of the latest polls in Iowa, whose caucuses kick off the GOP nominating calendar on Jan. 15. But Haley and DeSantis remain far behind Trump, who continues to hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field as the former president makes his third straight White House run. The AFP Action endorsement should help Haley, whose campaign lacks the grassroots outreach and organizational strength that DeSantis enjoys, due to the major assist from the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down. The endorsement by AFP Action will likely support Haley with the group’s powerful direct-mail and field operations, as well as a major ad blitz in the early voting states. In the 2022 midterm election cycle, the group knocked on roughly 5.5 million doors, made 2 million calls, and sent out nearly 70 million pieces of mail on behalf of candidates it was backing. AFP Action senior adviser Emily Seidel, who called her group “a true grassroots organization,” highlighted that “when we announced our decision to engage in our first ever Republican presidential primary, we made it clear that we’d be looking for a candidate who can turn the page on our political dysfunction — and win. It’s clear that candidate is Nikki Haley.” Seidel pledged that “we will be doing everything we can to help make her the next President of the United States.”  Haley, reacting to the endorsement, said the group’s “members know that there is too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines. This is a choice between freedom and socialism, individual liberty and big government, fiscal responsibility and spiraling debt. We have a country to save, and I’m grateful to have AFP Action by our side.” The DeSantis campaign, reacting to the news, argued that the AFP Action endorsement of Haley will only bolster Trump as he aims to win the GOP presidential nomination. “Congratulations to Donald Trump on securing the Koch endorsement. Like clockwork, the pro-open borders, pro-jail break bill establishment is lining up behind a moderate who has no mathematical pathway of defeating the former president. Every dollar spent on Nikki Haley’s candidacy should be reported as an in-kind to the Trump campaign. No one has a stronger record of beating the establishment than Ron DeSantis, and this time will be no different,” DeSantis campaign communications director Andrew Romeo charged in a statement. The Trump-aligned super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. also blasted the endorsement. “Americans for Prosperity has already lit millions of dollars on fire this primary only to watch President Donald Trump’s lead grow. No amount of money can break the bond President Trump has with voters. He kept his promises,” MAGA Inc. spokesperson Karoline Leavitt argued in a statement. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.