A Honduran illegal immigrant has been charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in Iowa, Fox News Digital has confirmed. 

It’s the latest instance of a crime allegedly committed by someone in the country illegally.

Junior Manuel Dubon Benitez, 18, was charged with sexual abuse in the second degree, according to Iowa court documents obtained by Fox. The incident allegedly happened in February and involved “sexual abuse upon Jane Doe, a 12-year-old child.”

The documents were first reported by the Washington Examiner, which reported that Benitez pleaded guilty in Iowa District Court in Black Hawk County May 14.

OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AREN’T UNDER FEDERAL SUPERVISION: ANALYSIS 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News Digital Dubon Benitez is a Honduran national who illegally entered via Hidalgo, Texas, in April 2022. ICE said it has issued a detainer with the prison, which is a request that, upon his release, he be turned over to the agency so it can place him in removal proceedings. 

The charges come amid an ongoing crisis at the southern border that has become one of the top political issues in the country, in part, due to a number of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants.

Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants were charged last month with capital murder in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. Authorities said she was “lured” under a bridge in Houston before she was tied up and killed. 

The arrests came the same week as the arrest of an Ecuadorian national in the U.S. illegally for a broad daylight sex attack in which police said a machete-wielding man raped a 13-year-old girl at a New York City park. 

Police also announced that an illegal migrant from El Salvador had been arrested for the murder of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five. The crimes are part of a broader wave of crimes across the U.S. committed by those in the country illegally.

BLUE STATE DEPLOYS OFFICIALS TO THE BORDER WITH SURPRISING WARNING FOR MIGRANTS

The issue was highlighted in the presidential debate last week, with former President Trump blaming President Biden for the crimes.

“They’re killing our people in New York and California and every state in the union because we don’t have borders anymore. Every state is now a border,” Trump said. “And because of his ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in, and they’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen.

“We call it migrant crime. I call it Biden migrant crime. They’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen before.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Biden pushed back, accusing Trump of torpedoing bipartisan reform efforts for political purposes.

“This bipartisan deal — more fentanyl machines to be able to detect drugs, more numbers of agents, more numbers of all the people at the border. And when we had that deal done, he went … he called his Republican colleagues, said, ‘Don’t do it. It’s going to hurt me politically.’ He never argued it’s not a good bill. It’s a really good bill.”

Amid growing calls from some Democrats and liberals for President Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate performance last week, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been touted as a possible replacement, raising questions about how she would handle the border crisis.

Whitmer, as a governor of a swing state, has been named as someone who could step into the role of the 2024 presidential nominee for Democrats if Biden were to step down. Previous polling has suggested she would fare the best out of a number of candidates against former President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Should she receive the nomination and win in November, she would step into a federal leadership role at a time when immigration policy and the ongoing crisis at the southern border are top issues for voters and for the country.

DO THESE POTENTIAL BIDEN REPLACEMENTS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT TRUMP?

Whitmer has been largely supportive of what President Biden has done in terms of immigration policy. When Biden announced additional restrictions on asylum last month, she issued a glowing statement approving of the move and saying that he is “delivering.”

“President Biden’s executive action will help secure our country’s border by making it easier for immigration officers to remove those who are here unlawfully, reducing the burden on our Border Patrol agents. Today’s announcement builds on the president’s work to deploy a record number of border agents and officers to the southern border,” she said. “The American people want real solutions, and President Biden is delivering today.”

Like other Democrats, she also backed Biden’s broader calls for a comprehensive immigration bill to fix what the administration has called a “broken” immigration system.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

That plan included sweeping reforms, additional visa pathways, extra funding and a pathway to U.S. citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. It was rejected by Republicans in part due to the inclusion of an amnesty. Whitmer wants it passed.

“President Biden sent Congress a comprehensive immigration reform plan on day 1 and repeatedly requested more border resources from Congress, only to be blocked by Republicans,” she said last month. “They should stop playing political games and work with the administration on a coordinated, bipartisan federal solution to fix our broken system.”

Like Biden, she has also been deeply critical of former President Trump’s attitudes toward the border. She previously noted that she sent the National Guard to the border during Trump’s term in office, and she has blamed him for killing a separate bipartisan Senate deal to provide funding for the border.

HOW WOULD A PRESIDENT NEWSOM HANDLE BORDER, IMMIGRATION POLICY?

“He told the Republicans to walk away, and they did,” she said in April.

In the state itself, she has given some indications that she may take a harder line on illegal immigration, certainly tougher than some activists would want.

She has provided multiple National Guard deployments to the border, both during the Trump administration and the Biden administration in support of Texas.

According to her office, she sent 175 personnel between 2020 and 2021, and 37 have been stationed since 2020. She also visited Michigan soldiers at the border in 2022.

BIDEN VOWS TO KEEP WHITE HOUSE, UNDETERRED BY DEMOCRAT PANIC AFTER DEBATE DISASTER

Unlike other potential Democrats, like Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, she has taken a hard line against illegal immigrants receiving state benefits. In California, illegal immigrants are eligible for state Medicaid. But Whitmer has shown no sign of echoing that approach.

“If you are here illegally, I do not believe that you should have access,” Whitmer said in April, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Whitmer has come under fire from some Republicans for a Newcomer Rental Subsidy program, which provides some immigrants up to $500 in rental assistance. However, it is aimed to help asylees, refugees and others who have valid immigration status in the U.S. and explicitly states that those in the country illegally are not eligible for the program.

The congressman whose district is less than 100 miles from Cuba sounded the alarm after a bombshell investigation revealed several images of advanced spy bases in the communist nation.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said in a Wednesday interview there is no doubt China has a big hand in the construction and operation of the bases.

Gimenez elaborated after the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released the imagery while noting China’s official activity there “remain[s] shrouded in secrecy.”

Gimenez voiced counterintelligence concerns, noting his district alone houses the Key West Naval Air Station, Homestead Air Force Base and is within a mile of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

LAWMAKERS TORCH FEDS AFTER CUBA REGULATION ADJUSTMENT: LIFELINE TO GREATEST ENEMY IN OUR HEMISPHERE

“[This] is an example of the growing influence of China and Russia in our hemisphere,” Gimenez said.

“The Biden administration continues to placate our enemies in the hemisphere instead of trying to do what they can to get [nonviolent] regime change,” he said.

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., attributed Biden’s “weakness” to the proliferation of CCP influence offshore.

“America must respond with strength and tell the Cuban regime that we will not allow them to restart this new Cold War right on our doorstep,” Salazar said.

One or more of the sites mapped out by CSIS, Gimenez said, are less than 100 miles from his district. He said it is like having a spy base surveilling Miami from as close as the other end of Alligator Alley in Naples.

He slammed the White House for continuing Obama-era diplomatic “opening” toward Cuba’s totalitarian regime.

BLOODIED PRO-CUBA DEMONSTRATOR SLAMS BIDEN: CUBANS DON’T WANT VACCINES, THEY WANT FREEDOM

However, Gimenez added that some Democrats, particularly in Florida, are equally concerned about China’s malign influence in Cuba and the Diaz-Canel regime itself, naming Reps. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz and Frederica Wilson.

He warned the Chinese could use the Cuban bases to observe offshore U.S. military training and simulation exercises. That would give China an inside look at how the U.S. would respond to an invasion of Taiwan, he said.

CSIS’ Hidden Reach researchers Matthew Funaiole, Aidan Powers-Riggs, Brian Hart, Henry Ziemer, Joseph Bermudez Jr., Ryan Berg and Christopher Hernandez-Roy warned of the proximity between the bases and the numerous sensitive U.S. installations in Florida and the southeast in their report.

The researchers on Monday revealed four sites believed to be supporting Chinese efforts to spy on the U.S. using signals intelligence (SIGINT). CSIS defines SIGINT as a “core” aspect of spycraft and a venue through which civilian and military entities can intercept others’ transmissions.

A top national security expert said China is expanding into places like Cuba to interfere in America’s sphere of influence.

“Communist China’s latest actions are unprecedented and to-date the Biden administration has made no response. It will fall to the next president to stand up for the security of the American people in our own hemisphere,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates said.

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Coates said China is also simultaneously interceding in America’s backyard through its new Bahamian embassy in Nassau and a Peruvian deepwater “mega-port.”

Gimenez, who is the only Cuban-born congressman, said he holds out hope the island rids itself of Chinese and Russian influence.

When asked how long it might take to see real change in Havana, Gimenez pointed to the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and how Germany quickly returned to a democracy.

If former President Trump returns to the White House in 2025, he said, the Republican’s past overtures toward the Cuba situation show change could be possible within his next term.

In turn, he faulted the Biden administration for repeatedly acting “counter to American interests.”

“This secretary of state is the worst secretary of state that we’ve had in American history. I think he’s done more damage in four years than just about anybody else that I can remember,” he said.

The State Department did not directly address Gimenez’ criticism of Blinken, but it cited remarks from spokesperson Vedant Patel on the bases themselves.

“I’m not going to comment on or confirm or get into the specifics of that report, but what I can say is that we remain confident that the United States is going to be able to meet our security commitments at home and in the region,” Patel said Tuesday.

“PRC activities in Cuba have been going on for decades, and … we know that the PRC is going to keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba and the United States is going to keep working to disrupt it.”

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., a member of the Homeland Security Committee, echoed concerns over the White House’s handling of the China threat when asked about the photos.

“[China] will continue to expand their espionage of the United States without fear of consequence because they know Joe Biden will not hold them accountable,” Marshall said.

“Not only are they using Cuba to house Chinese ‘spy bases,’ they are sending in Chinese nationals through our southern border, shipping over lethal fentanyl, stealing our intellectual property, and purchasing land near our military bases.”

The office of Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines declined comment. The White House also did not respond.

Several Democrat lawmakers also did not respond to requests for comment.

As calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race increase in the wake of last week’s presidential debate, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer may be a top pick to replace him on the ticket, despite denying involvement in a “Draft Gretch” shadow campaign. But her chances against former President Donald Trump in November would be an uphill battle, according to one expert.

“She’s doing the right thing in terms of denying that she’s interested because she can’t appear to be disloyal,” said Tevi Troy, a former White House aide and deputy secretary of Health and Human Services under the Bush administration, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“I had a politician friend of mine describe this to me as the Cinderella at the ball scenario. Everyone knows that the clock is running out and that at midnight everything changes, but at the same time, the prince is handsome, and the champagne is flowing, so you’re enjoying the dancing. But the smart people are kind of eyeing the door and making sure they’re positioned at the door while they’re dancing around midnight.”

NEWSOM’S PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISM, DEBATE SKILLS AMONG VULNERABILITIES IN POTENTIAL NATIONAL CAMPAIGN: EXPERT

Whitmer, who won re-election in 2022 by a double-digit margin, has previously hinted at interest in a presidential run and has reportedly vaulted to the top of the list in terms of donor preference in recent weeks.

Online supporters have been pushing a “Draft Gretch” message, and Politico reported after the debate that Whitmer spoke with Democratic Party leadership and disavowed that movement while disagreeing with reports that said she warned Biden has no chance of winning Michigan, calling it “total bulls—.”

“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump,” Whitmer said in a statement on Monday. “Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts.”

NEWSOM TO HEADLINE DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN EVENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENT

Her weakness, however, is that Whitmer is not particularly well-known among the average American as someone of prominence.

“She’s a popular governor in a swing state,” said Troy, who is also a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “So, she’s got a lot of positive qualities, but at the same time, she’s not truly vetted, and most of these people who could potentially face Trump or replace Biden are not fully vetted.”

Whitmer drew attention for her “heavy-handed” restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in her state, and she has also signed pro-LGBTQ+ legislation through implementing the state’s first LGBTQ+ Commission last year. She also repealed several of the state’s abortion restrictions, enshrining the right to the procedure in the state’s constitution.

“I think the biggest weakness is not any of the weaknesses we know but what we don’t know,” Troy said. 

That could change after the release of Whitmer’s book, “True Gretch,” next week.

BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

Biden’s lackluster debate performance has also put the spotlight on Vice President Harris, who has started to show off a more visible campaign role as November approaches.

Harris suddenly figures to play a defining role in the campaign, a turnaround for a vice president who many critics have panned as a potential liability for Democrats in November.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Michael Lee contributed to this report.

A Democrat Senate primary candidate is selling tickets to comedian Dave Chappelle’s show in Detroit this month to raise money for his underdog campaign against Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.

In an event advertised on fundraising platform ActBlue, actor Hill Harper’s campaign invited donors to a live show on July 11. 

The Democrat candidate described Chappelle as an “old friend” in a statement to the Detroit News. 

PRESSURE MOUNTS ON BATTLEGROUND STATE DEMS AFTER BIDEN DEBATE DISASTER

A representative for Chappelle told Fox News Digital that the show was just like any of the comedian’s other planned shows and Harper’s campaign had purchased a number of tickets to resell for his election effort, with Chappelle’s approval. 

Harper’s campaign was contacted by Fox News Digital.

A poster for the event says it is paid for by “Harper for Michigan” and the event is set to be at St. Andrews Hall.

“We are thrilled to extend an exclusive invitation to you for an unforgettable evening with comedy icon Dave Chappelle! Join us for a live show in Detroit on Thursday July 11th. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and the show starts at 7:30 PM,” the invitation reads. 

GOP SENATE CANDIDATE TIES OPPONENT TO BIDEN DEBATE: BOB CASEY KNEW

Guests can buy tickets for as much as $3,300 for “Gold Circle + VIP Reception,” which allows them to attend an event after the show with Harper. The least expensive tickets for the event cost $250 for balcony seating.

Cellphones are restricted at the performance, which is common for Chappelle’s shows.

Slotkin, considered the front-runner in the Michigan Democrat primary, is a current House member who previously flipped a Republican district in the swing state. With the retirement of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the state’s Senate race is rated “Lean Democratic” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMS BLAST RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY: ‘EXTREME RIGHT-WING SUPREME COURT’

The Senate primary elections in Michigan will be held on Aug. 6.

On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers, businessman Sandy Pensler and former Rep. Justin Amash are competing for the party’s nomination. Rogers appears to have a significant edge over his opponents with the support of former President Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

TRUMP ALLIES CELEBRATE BLOW TO ‘SENSELESS LAWFARE’ IN SUPREME COURT IMMUNITY DECISION

Michigan is expected to play a pivotal role in deciding both the presidential election and which party will control the Senate in 2025. The state’s significant Arab population has posed an issue for some Democrats already, including President Biden, as many have expressed frustration over his handling of the war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

Harper has seized on Slotkin’s reluctance to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, previously claiming she wouldn’t do so because of “checks.” 

Chappelle has been vocal about the war in Gaza, reportedly calling it a “genocide” during a show in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last month.

Slotkin’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

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

President Biden is “absolutely not” considering dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday. 

The White House has maintained Biden will continue running for a second term, even amid pressure from Democrats and former staffers and allies to step aside. 

A New York Times report was published Wednesday morning suggesting that Biden had spoken privately with confidants about the possibility of dropping out of the race.  

NEWSOM HEADS EAST FOR MEETING WITH BIDEN AS PRESIDENT TRIES TO KEEP HIS CAMPAIGN FROM HEADING SOUTH

But when asked during the briefing if Biden would drop out of the race, Jean-Pierre was defiant. 

“Absolutely not,” she said. “And you heard, I think, I believe directly from the campaign as well.” 

Jean-Pierre maintained that the president’s poor debate performance was due to his having “a cold” and echoed his own explanation from Tuesday night — that he was still recovering from “jet lag” following his trip to Europe for the G-7 summit. 

“It was not his best night. He understands that it is fair for people to ask that question, but we cannot forget his record and what he’s been able to do. We cannot forget how he has been able to deliver for the American people for almost four years,” she said. “That matters too. And he has the most historic record, the most in modern politics, and that should matter.”

Jean-Pierre said Biden “wants to continue to do that work.” 

“A lot of what’s on his agenda is very much popular with the majority of the American people, whether it is continuing to build a strong economic — economic policies — he’s done that, creating new jobs — he’s done that — 15 million jobs. He wants to work on that and continue to do that. And so he wants to continue to deliver, expanding health care — all of these things he believes is important,” she said. “He wants to make sure that people do not forget about the record that he has been able to lay out on behalf of the American people.” 

Jean-Pierre again stressed that the debate was just “a bad night.” 

“It was not his best night. He had a cold. He was jetlagged. You heard directly from the president about this,” she said. “And when we get knocked out, when he gets knocked down, he gets right back up.” 

She added: “That’s what I would focus on. The president continues to be very steady and continuing to work for the American people.” 

Jean-Pierre maintained Wednesday that Biden “is staying in the race.” 

MAJORITY OF VOTERS FAVOR BIDEN DROPPING OUT WHILE TRUMP’S BASE ‘APPEARS MORE SOLID’: POLL

Biden himself said: “I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out.” 

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly made a surprise appearance on a Democratic National Committee call, in a reported effort to try to calm chaos among allies within the party after the debate. 

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients urged people during an all-staff meeting Wednesday to tune out the “noise” and focus on the task of governing.

MAJORITY OF VOTERS THINKS BIDEN IS COGNITIVELY UNFIT TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT: POLL

Jean-Pierre confirmed Zients’ efforts, noting that he acknowledged to White House staffers that the last several days have been difficult. 

Biden reportedly has made outreach on his own, and spoke with top Democratic lawmakers like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons and South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn. 

But the chief of staff also encouraged White House aides to “continue being a team” and to tune out negativity and stay focused on the work of governing. 

Jean-Pierre was also asked about comments Biden made in 2020, in which he referred to himself as a transition candidate, and hoped to be a bridge to the next generation of Democratic leaders. 

She responded by saying Vice President Kamala Harris is “the future of the party.” 

“His statement stands. I mean, one of the reason why he picked the vice president, President Kamala Harris, is because she is indeed the future of the party,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden is “very proud to have partnered with her and continue to partner with her and delivering an unprecedented record for the American people.” 

“And I think he’s going to continue, certainly to do that. They’re going to do that as partners. Like I said, I just saw them before walking into the briefing room. We they stopped by to talk to me and my team, and they’re ready to go. They’re ready to continue. So the transition would happen in eight years,” she said. “I mean — I’m not going to get into, speculate from here. But you ask me if his remarks and statement still stands. Yes, it still does.” 

Meanwhile, Biden is planning to host Democrat governors Wednesday night for a meeting. 

Among the Democratic governors who were planning to attend in person were Tim Walz of Minnesota, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Daniel McKee of Rhode Island, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gavin Newsom of California, according to their aides. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were planning on attending virtually.

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released this week found that more four in 10 Democrats said the Democratic Party should intervene and replace Biden as the nominee. Overall, 54% of the voters polled were in favor of Biden dropping out.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who is facing a competitive challenge in November, won’t be joining President Biden during his campaign stop in Wisconsin Friday. 

The Biden campaign announced an appearance in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this week, which will be the president’s first visit to the battleground state since his poor debate performance against former President Trump last month. 

According to her campaign spokesperson, Baldwin won’t be joining Biden in Madison. Instead, the senator will be on a state tour that will take her to several Wisconsin counties, including Ashland, Oneida, Marinette, Brown, Door, Fond du Lac, Ozaukee and Dane.

PRESSURE MOUNTS ON BATTLEGROUND STATE DEMS AFTER BIDEN DEBATE DISASTER

“I’m so excited to kick off my Fired Up for Tammy tour,” Baldwin said in an announcement Tuesday about her campaign tour. “In the theme of our nation’s Independence Day, I’ll be meeting with voters from all over the state to talk about the ways we’re working to defend our freedoms and find solutions to the kitchen table issues that matter most to Wisconsin families.”

Baldwin’s spokesperson said the tour had been planned for weeks and was announced prior to the news of Biden’s visit. 

GOP SENATE CANDIDATE TIES OPPONENT TO BIDEN DEBATE: BOB CASEY KNEW

Quentin Fulks, Biden campaign principal deputy campaign manager, pushed back on speculation Biden may drop out of the presidential race Wednesday, touting his upcoming visit to Wisconsin, a pivotal swing state. 

“Obviously, there were 90 minutes of a poor debate performance, but that does not define the record of accomplishments,” Fulks said on CNN. “It does not define the vision that President Biden has and these interviews and these things that the president is doing — our campaign stop in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMS BLAST RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY: ‘EXTREME RIGHT-WING SUPREME COURT’

“We want everything to go well from the campaign’s perspective all the time. But if they don’t, I do not think that that has a bearing on whether somebody is going to continue running for president of the United States,” he added. 

After Biden’s debate performance, Baldwin reiterated to local Wisconsin outlets that she “supports the president.” 

TRUMP ALLIES CELEBRATE BLOW TO ‘SENSELESS LAWFARE’ IN SUPREME COURT IMMUNITY DECISION

However, her campaign said, “Tammy Baldwin is running her own race for the people of Wisconsin,” according to The Capital Times.

The Wisconsin Senate race is rated “Lean Democratic” by non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, making it one of the seven most competitive Senate matches this cycle. 

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients reportedly held an all-staff meeting Wednesday to urge team members to tune out the “noise” and focus on the task of governing, as senior aides scramble to contain the political fallout from President Biden’s disastrous debate performance.

Even as Zients acknowledged that the days since the Atlanta matchup between Biden and former President Trump have been challenging, the chief of staff stressed to White House aides the accomplishments and the track record of the Democratic administration and said governing will only become more crucial once the campaign season heats up, particularly after the Fourth of July holiday, The Associated Press reported, citing a White House official.

Biden himself began making personal outreach on his own, speaking privately with senior Democratic lawmakers such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons and South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, a second White House official and others with knowledge of the conversations told the AP.

TOP DEMOCRATS RAGE OVER BIDEN’S DEBATE DEFLECTION: ‘DON’T KNOW WHO’S MAKING DECISIONS’

On Capitol Hill, there is increasing anxiety as Biden has been slow to reach out to top Democrats and rank-and-file members, the AP reported, citing people familiar with ongoing conversations.

Top Democratic lawmakers also voiced their outrage to Axios about Biden dragging his feet in reaching out to the party’s leadership in recent days, much less the rank-and-file facing competitive races this year. The members, who were not named in the Axios reporting, took particular issue with Biden’s deflection, saying that his handling of the debate fallout, rather than the debate performance itself, could cost Democrats chances of flipping the House or maintaining their majority in the Senate in November. 

Democrats are unsatisfied with the explanations of Biden’s debate performance from both White House staff and Biden himself. And there is a deeper frustration among some Democrats who feel Biden should have handled this much sooner and has put them in a difficult position by staying in the race.

Zients tried to rally the staff’s confidence in Biden’s re-election apparatus, noting that the president has a “strong campaign team” in place and that the White House’s job was to focus on continuing to implement Biden’s agenda. He also told staff that Biden has always made it through tough times, despite being counted out during his decades in public office.

The chief of staff also encouraged aides to “continue being a team” and, while acknowledging the increasing political chatter, to “tune it out” and stay disciplined, according to the official who spoke to the AP. The official was granted anonymity to relay Zients’ private remarks. Zients also urged White House staff to ask questions and offer feedback.

Staff-wide White House calls aren’t unusual, but Wednesday’s 15-minute check-in came as Biden and senior White House officials were working to assuage rattled lawmakers, donors and other allies within the party amid sharpening questions about whether the 81-year-old president had the competency to run for a second term in office.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN SENDS ALL-STAFF MEMO HOPING TO CALM POST-DEBATE CONCERNS

According to Axios, major Democratic donors are now planning to move large contributions to House and Senate candidates before what they see as a likely second term for Trump.

Biden’s re-election campaign planned a staff-wide call of its own and says it will “be using emails and all staff calls more frequently to make sure you all have the latest updates and broader campaign priorities for the day,” according to a memo sent Wednesday by campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. The memo insists the election between Biden and Trump will still be close, seeking to downplay the lasting effects of the debate.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were also scheduled to hold one of their sporadic lunches on Wednesday, and the president was planning on hosting an assortment of Democratic governors at the White House in the evening.

Among the Democratic governors who were planning to attend in person were Tim Walz of Minnesota, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Daniel McKee of Rhode Island, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gavin Newsom of California, according to their aides. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were planning on attending virtually.

The White House has also been on the defensive against reporting that suggests that Biden was considering dropping out of the race. 

Andrew Bates, White House senior deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to the president, shot back in a response on X to the New York Times’ report Wednesday that Biden told an ally that he was weighing whether to continue his re-election prospects following the disastrous debate performance. “That claim is absolutely false,” Bates wrote. 

Biden also agreed to an interview Friday with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The state of New York’s universal mail-in voting law is being challenged by a legal watchdog group that claims the alteration to election protocol is unconstitutional.

A court brief has been filed in the New York Court of Appeals seeking to overturn the law, passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, which allows every registered voter in the state to vote via mail-in ballot.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation is leading the effort on behalf of multiple Republican leaders — including GOP Reps. Elise Stefanik and Claudia Tenney.

MAIL-IN BALLOTS MUST HAVE DATES ON ENVELOPES, PENNSYLVANIA APPEALS COURT RULES

New York residents overwhelmingly voted against universal mail-in ballots through a 2021 referendum seeking a constitutional amendment. 

Democratic lawmakers bypassed the failure of this referendum by simply voting the mail-in ballot expansion through the state legislature. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law late last year.

Public Interest Legal Foundation President J. Christian Adams accused the New York Legislature of having “unconstitutionally passed a law to allow every registered voter to cast a ballot in the mail” with this law.

NEW YORK REPUBLICANS SUE TO BLOCK DEMOCRAT GOV. KATHY HOCHUL’S NEW LAW EXPANDING EARLY MAIL-IN VOTING

“The plain text of the New York Constitution prohibits the expansion of mail voting,” Adams added. “If New York lawmakers want to expand mail voting, they need to pass a constitutional amendment.”

Democrats claim that the expanded avenue for absentee voting makes the democratic process easier for voters. Their critics contend this change in protocol makes voter fraud much easier.

This is not the Public Interest Legal Foundation’s first time in court fighting the expansion of absentee ballot eligibility. 

The foundation previously led the 2022 legal challenge against a similar law in Delaware. 

The campaign saw initial success when a state superior court sided against the proposed permanent absentee voting expansion.

However, the New York Supreme Court shot down that decision last month in a 5-0 ruling, finding that the Public Interest Legal Foundation did not have standing to sue.

An FBI supervisory special assistant—and registered Democrat—filed a whistleblower complaint that notes the bureau was pushing politics as part of decisions on security clearances. He… Read More

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