The family of a Georgia woman who died after undergoing a medication abortion – and was subsequently cited by Democrats as a tragic example of red states’ “restrictive” abortion laws – is blaming the hospital for the woman’s death and readying a lawsuit, according to their attorney. 

Amber Thurman, 28, died in 2022 after experiencing complications from taking abortion pills. She traveled to the Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge to receive a dilation and curettage procedure to remove the remaining tissue from the terminated pregnancy, but hospital staff allegedly waited about 20 hours before performing the procedure. 

High-profile civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will represent the family in their upcoming case against the hospital. Crump pinned blame for Thurman’s death on the hospital and not Georgia’s recent law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, Spectrum News reported. 

“Even under Georgia law, the doctors had a duty to act to save Amber,” Crump said last week. “She had taken the abortion pills and there were tissues left. There was no viable fetus or anything that would have prevented them from saving her life while she suffered.”

HARRIS ECHOES DEBUNKED CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA ABORTION LIMITS CAUSING WOMAN’S DEATH DESPITE PUSHBACK FROM DOCTORS

“You have a duty to stabilize her and then give her the option to go to another hospital facility,” Crump said. “But you cannot let her suffer and die on your hospital bed when the death is preventable.”

WALZ REPEATS GEORGIA ABORTION DEATH FALSEHOOD DECRIED BY DOCTORS AS ‘FEARMONGERING’

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed the LIFE Act into law in 2019, but it did not take effect until 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which effectively ended the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion. 

Thurman’s death in August 2022 has since become the first known abortion death since the Supreme Court’s decision, with Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, citing her death as the result of “restrictive” Republican-backed abortion laws. 

GEORGIA DOCTORS SPEAK OUT TO CHALLENGE MISINFORMATION ON STATE’S ABORTION LAW, DEATH OF AMBER THURMAN

Georgia’s heartbeat law states that “no abortion shall be performed if the unborn child has a detectable human heartbeat except in the event of a medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy.” The law makes exceptions for abortions after the six-week mark, including in the event of a medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy, or a pregnancy through rape or incest when the probable gestational age of the baby is less than 20 weeks. 

ProPublica first published an article on Thurman’s death last month, blaming her death and another Georgia woman’s death, Candi Miller, on the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the state’s new abortion limits. 

Harris cited Thurman’s death on Sunday during an interview on the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

“[Thurman] was, as described by her family, so excited and so ambitious, and she had plans. Then she found out she was pregnant, and she didn’t want to go through with her pregnancy. And she was living in Georgia, and she couldn’t receive care there because she was past six weeks. And so she ended up going to another state, and…she couldn’t get there on time. And because the other state had been so overwhelmed by all these women coming from all these southern states who couldn’t get treatment in their own state, her window for her appointment had closed and instead of having a surgical procedure, she had medication and basically went back home and then had some complications and went to the hospital because she was bleeding.”

“And they delayed 20 hours before they treated her,” Harris continued, suggesting that Georgia’s laws prevented her from receiving lifesaving care.

In a previous press release announcing Crump would represent Thurman’s family members in court, he did blame Thurman’s death on Georgia’s abortion law. 

OB-GYNS DECRY THE ‘FEARMONGERING’ ABOUT GEORGIA’S ABORTION LAWS: ‘THE LIES ARE HURTING WOMEN’

“Amber Thurman’s preventable death is a horrifying consequence of draconian abortion laws that put politics ahead of women’s lives. These lawmakers bear responsibility for creating hesitation among health care workers, who are fearful of the legal consequences when providing necessary care. Her family deserves accountability for the delays in life-saving care that cost Amber her life. We are committed to seeking justice for Amber and fighting for a country where no other family suffers such a devastating loss due to dangerous, unnecessary legal barriers,” Crump said in the press release. 

OB-GYNs have criticized the recent narrative from Democrats as a misleading story that is pushed by the media. 

“I was not surprised to see this pro-abortion media try to point the blame at Georgia’s pro-life laws, but, in fact, Georgia’s laws allow doctors to intervene to save the life of the woman,” Charlotte Lozier Institute Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs Dr. Ingrid Skop recently told Fox News Digital. 

“I think the focus of the Democratic Party upon abortion as an issue is only because the American people do not understand the laws. Many times, women are hurt by abortions. It is not necessary for women to live their best life. And, of course, it’s the fearmongering and lies that have led us to this place where we are today, where people even think there would be a reason to point at the law.”​​

AMBER NICOLE THURMAN WAS A ‘VICTIM OF HIGH-RISK ABORTION DRUGS’: DR. CHRISTINA FRANCIS

Thurman’s stepfather, Elijah Warren, has called on Democrats, specifically Harris, to stop politicizing the death, saying when he sees politicians talking about Thurman’s death, it is “like a funeral happening over and over.”

“I can see [Harris] using that as the only tool in Georgia against Trump,” Warren told the New York Post this week. 

“She is going to push that; I expect it. But it’s too much. It’s kind of like a funeral happening over and over again every time I see that.”

Warren said he views Thurman’s death, which was caused by septic shock, “more as a neglect of the hospital” than the Georgia law. 

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“They should have watched over my stepdaughter … The abortion already happened. There wasn’t a heartbeat going on,” he said. “They should have just cleaned the tissue; that would have saved her life.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crump’s office for updates on the upcoming suit as well as to the Harris campaign but did not receive responses by publication deadline.

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

Kamala Harris’ most likely path to the presidency hinges on her winning the swing state of Michigan – but with just weeks left until Election Day, she is facing an unexpected groundswell of opposition from the state’s Jewish population, which has increasingly soured on the Biden administration’s response to the Middle East conflict. 

The drop-off in support among Jewish voters could spell trouble for Harris in Michigan, considered to be a must-win state, and where the state’s Muslim and Arab American populations have been increasingly vocal about their disapproval of the U.S. response to Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Now, discontent now appears to be spreading to the state’s Jewish voters as well, threatening a key bedrock of support in the state.

IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., whose suburban Detroit district is home to a large Jewish American population, told the New York Times this week that she has seen a drop-off in support for Harris among younger Jewish voters who are disenfranchised by the Biden administration’s handling of the Middle East crisis and failure to take stronger action on a policy reset in the region.

Stevens told the Times that the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that Hamas launched on Israel have indeed rallied some Jewish constituents together to combat what they see as rising hatred and antisemitism. But she noted that other, younger voters in the community are turned off by the administration’s unwavering support for Israel in the face of the intensifying conflict – policies enacted under the Biden administration, but which Harris must now confront as the party’s presidential nominee.

GEORGIA’S MUSLIM VOTERS OPPOSING HARRIS, TRUMP IN ELECTION OVER BOTH CANDIDATES’ SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL

Nearly two-thirds of Michigan’s Jewish electorate identifies as Democratic or Democratic-leaning, according to data collected by Brandeis University’s Steinhardt Social Research Institute. In previous elections, this majority has been a fairly reliable bedrock of support for Democratic presidential nominees.

But that support is anything but guaranteed this year. “I do know some more independent-type voters, and I have heard from friends with young families, of friends of theirs who have traditionally voted Democrat, that they feel a little split,” Stevens told the Times.  

This loss of support among Jewish voters in the state could be particularly damaging to Harris’ chances of victory in Michigan and her broader path to the presidency, which hinges on victory in the key battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Still, it’s Michigan where Harris could find herself in particularly hot water. 

As the violence in the Middle East escalates, Harris has struggled to earn the support of Michigan’s Muslim and Arab American populations, including some who have organized local voters to withhold support for the vice president in order to protest the Biden administration’s response to the war. 

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The state is home to roughly 300,000 voters of Middle Eastern descent, according to the most recent census data.

In recent months, some groups have urged communities to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein, while others said they are weighing the idea of backing Republican candidate Donald Trump – an almost unthinkable position just four years ago, when the former president’s so-called “Muslim ban” and other policies prompted Muslim voters to support Joe Biden by a strong 64% to 84% majority in 2020, according to exit polls.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 96, her family announced Thursday.

Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman, announced Ethel’s passing in a post on social media.

“It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” Kennedy wrote.

She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie,” he added. “Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.”

Ethel’s death comes at a time of division within the Kennedy family, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Trump to the anger of his siblings and other family members, who support Vice President Harris.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. LAMBASTS ‘DNC-ALIGNED MAINSTREAM MEDIA,’ ACCUSES THEM OF ENGINEERING HARRIS’ RISE

Kennedy faced has faced questions about the family drama in recent weeks following a letter from Kennedy’s siblings condemning his endorsement of Trump.

“You know, my family is at the center of the Democratic Party. I have mbers of my family that are working for the Biden administration. Biden has a bust of my father behind him at the Oval Office, and he’s been a family friend for many years,” Kennedy told Fox News in August.

KENNEDY FAMILY CHOOSES POLITICS OVER FAMILY WITH ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

“My family is – I understand that they’re troubled by my decisions. I love my family. I feel like we were raised in a milieu where we were encouraged to debate each other and debate ferociously and passionately about things and still love each other,” he added. “They’re free to take their positions on these issues. There are many, many members of my family working at my campaign and who are supporting me.”

“I think we all need to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other,” he concluded.

Kennedy had previously noted that his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has not been totally on board. Hines posted on social media about the decision to withdraw, and Kennedy acknowledged that she was “very uncomfortable” with his decision.

Kennedy has not yet publicly acknowledged Ethel’s death.

The legal battle surrounding the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program continues to play out in court.

The current clash involves arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday as multiple states, including New Jersey, face off with the federal government and other parties.

The DACA program pertains to permitting undocumented individuals who arrived in the U.S. as young people to remain in America.

OBAMA MARKS 12 YEARS SINCE ‘DREAMERS’ EXECUTIVE ACTION, SEEKS ‘PERMANENT’ SOLUTION FOR DACA RECIPIENTS

“DACA temporarily delays the deportation of people without documentation who came to the U.S. as children,” according to USA.gov. 

But the policy has previously been deemed unlawful amid legal wranglings.

A 2021 order signed by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen instructed the Department of Homeland Security “to post a public notice, within 3 calendar days of this Injunction, to be displayed prominently on its website and on the websites of all other relevant agencies, that a United States District Court has found the DACA program to be illegal[.]”

REPUBLICAN STATES ASK FEDERAL JUDGE TO END ‘UNLAWFUL’ DACA PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY BIDEN, OBAMA, OPPOSED BY TRUMP

But Hanen indicated that the government was not being instructed to nix the DACA status of any recipients in good standing at the time.

Similarly, a Biden-era rule pertaining to DACA has also been slapped down. 

In 2023, Hanen wrote that “the Court finds that the Final Rule, like the 2012 DACA Memorandum before it, is subject to this Court’s (and the Fifth Circuit’s) prior rulings. There are no material differences between the two programs. As such, the Final Rule suffers from the same legal impediments.”

TEXAS JUDGE WHO PREVIOUSLY DEEMED DACA ILLEGAL REAFFIRMS RULING

“We are deeply disappointed in today’s DACA ruling from the District Court in Southern Texas,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement in September 2023.

“On day one of his Administration, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the federal government to take all appropriate actions to ‘preserve and fortify the DACA policy. Consistent with that directive, the Administration has defended the DACA policy from legal challenges, and issued a final rule codifying this longstanding policy,” Jean-Pierre noted.

FIRST ON FOX: An incumbent House Democrat, who is involved in one of the tightest House races in the country in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, threatened to “kill” and “bury” a fellow student during a dispute while attending college, according to police records obtained and verified by Fox News Digital.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez, while enrolled as a college student at New Mexico State University, was the subject of a police report filed by another student that claimed Vasquez used the “telephone to terrify, intimidate, threat, harass” him and threatened to “kill” and “bury” him.

In the February 2005 police report, obtained by Fox News Digital, Vasquez admitted to making a call that was construed as threatening but apologized and said, according to police, he was “very upset” over the condition of a friend of his who was suffering from alcohol poisoning on his birthday after being pressured to drink and later died.

The victim claimed in the police report that in addition to threatening the lives of the people involved, Vasquez used “several bad words in Spanish.”

Vasquez got off with a warning after promising not to contact the individual again and the matter was closed.

ANDREW CUOMO SLAMS ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ MOVEMENT IN FIERY CHURCH SPEECH: ‘DUMBEST WORDS EVER UTTERED’

Fox News Digital reached out to the individual who filed the complaint against Vasquez, but he refused to speak about the complaint and said they “conciliated” and “went on with our lives.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Vasquez’s campaign manager Dylan McArthur said, “It’s sad to see Yvette Herrell stoop as low as using a close college friend’s death from nearly 20 years ago to lie about the Congressman’s character because she is trying to distract people from her horrible history of wanting to ban all abortion in the state.”

Vasquez’s interaction with the police was not the only time that he has had issues with law enforcement. 

The year before, Vasquez reportedly had a controversial interaction in New Mexico when he was accused in a police report of using the “n word” while calling a former employer of his, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Vasquez denied being the individual who placed that call in a statement to the Daily Mail saying, “I have not and would never use language like this, this attack is categorically false.”

BALANCE OF POWER: FIVE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER

Police records, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, also show that in 2005, Vasquez was arrested by the Las Cruces Police Department after neighbors called in a noise complaint. Vasquez is alleged to have attempted to flush marijuana down the toilet before his arrest.

Vasquez was also involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend in Las Cruces after an argument over her drinking too much, which led police to his home “in reference to a possible domestic.” Vasquez was not arrested in that incident, which did not include physical violence.

It has also been reported that Vasquez failed to appear in court in El Paso, Texas, in 2002 for driving without insurance and that a warrant for his arrest was issued in April 2008. That warrant was finally carried out in March of this year, resulting in Vasquez posting a roughly $900 cash bond and pleading no contest, the Washington Free Beacon reported. 

Vasquez is running against former New Mexico Congresswoman Yvette Herrell in a race the Cook Political Report ranks as a “Democrat toss up.”

“Threats to kill and bury someone should not be glossed over,” Herrell told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This is extremely dangerous and unhinged behavior from Gabe Vasquez, and he owes New Mexico’s Second District an immediate explanation and apology.”

Under the backdrop of Vasquez’s run-ins with police departments in New Mexico and Texas, the congressman has advocated for policies that defund police departments.

Vasquez appeared on a local news station seemingly dressed in disguise during the 2020 George Floyd unrest and said, “It’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges White people over everyone else.” 

Vasquez previously vowed he would “fully support” cutting in half the police budget of Las Cruces, where he served on the city council, Fox News Digital previously reported.

“I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50% reduction of the Las Cruces police department budget.

In a statement to Fox News Digital in 2022, Vasquez said, “I oppose defunding the police. As a Las Cruces Councilmember, I repeatedly voted to increase funding for the police and partnered with them, while supporting common sense reforms.” 

“Gabe Vasquez has a long track record of extreme verbal abuse,” NRCC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News Digital. “Between calling a former colleague the n-word and now this, it’s very clear that Gabe is not fit to serve in public office, and he does not represent New Mexico values.”

Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report

A Republican congressman from hard-hit North Carolina is accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of playing politics with Hurricane Helene after the storm ravaged the Southeast and killed more than 230 people.

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., implored his district’s residents to not believe “outrageous rumors” about the response to the storm in an open letter published Tuesday. 

“[Federal Emergency Management Agency] FEMA officials have repeatedly affirmed that the agency has enough money for immediate response and recovery needs over the next few months,” Edwards wrote. “Secretary Mayorkas’ statement indicating otherwise was an irresponsible attempt to politicize a tragedy for personal gain.”

He also defended FEMA from “outrageous rumors” that disaster funds were being diverted to help illegal immigrants, and that aid was being blocked from reaching its destination.

TRUMP LAUNCHES GOFUNDME TO HELP HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, RAISES MORE THAN $1M

“We have seen a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide; but amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains,” Edwards wrote.

It comes after Mayorkas warned last week that FEMA did not have the funds to make it through the current hurricane season, spurring alarm across the country.

Mayorkas was forced to clarify those comments during the same conversation with reporters, stating FEMA had funding to meet its “immediate needs.”

The comments were met with skepticism by GOP leaders after Congress made $20 billion in FEMA funds available in federal funding legislation last month, and it exacerbated tensions as some North Carolina residents are already struggling with adequate supplies and aid.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested to Fox News Digital last week that the House would act on additional disaster aid as soon as possible but noted it likely will not be possible until November, when Congress returns after the election. 

FOX CORPORATION LAUNCHES DONATION DRIVE FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS

Edwards said in his letter that he was already helping prepare a supplemental funding bill for when the time comes.

The funding woes also prompted some Republicans to point to a separate FEMA-run program that provides support to illegal immigrants at the border, questioning whether the roughly $1 billion allocated there over the last two fiscal years was taken from money for disaster relief.

However, Edwards unequivocally denied that in his Tuesday letter, despite top Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., promoting the claim.

HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE

“Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts,” Edwards said. “FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues.”

Edwards admitted FEMA had “shortfalls” in its response but denied the federal agency was seizing private property or providing only $750 to disaster survivors, claims that were spread on the internet by unverified sources.

He also said FEMA was not conducting road closures or vehicle inspections, nor was it restricting airspace for rescue operations.

“Nobody seeking to fly resources into Western North Carolina will be prohibited from doing so by the FAA or North Carolina Emergency Management so long as they coordinate their efforts with NC Aviation,” Edwards wrote.

It comes after Elon Musk spread rumors that FEMA was blocking the distribution of supplies and that airspace was blocked amid his efforts to distribute Starlink internet connections.

Edwards also assured that Hurricane Helene “was NOT geoengineered by the government,” noting, “Nobody can control the weather.”

That came in response to online conspiracy theories that the federal government intentionally created the hurricane to take control of the area’s lithium mines.

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

Republicans in Michigan are attempting to capitalize on Vice President Kamala Harris’ struggles with blue-collar voters in the state, a demographic that has traditionally supported Democrats but has been trending in the direction of former President Donald Trump.

“Michigan’s working class isn’t fooled by Kamala Harris’ word salads and dog and pony shows. Her policies, like the radical Green New Deal, are anti-worker,” Team Trump Michigan Communications Director Victoria LaCivita told Fox News Digital. “Her attack on American energy has made the cost of living unaffordable, and her plan to ban gas-powered cars will decimate the backbone of our economy.”

The comments come as the race to win Michigan, a vital swing state in the upcoming election, heats up, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing Harris with just a slim 0.5 point lead in the state with just under four weeks to go before the election.

Republicans have hit the state repeatedly in recent weeks, with both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, making several appearances in the state.

KAMALA HARRIS CONFRONTED ON NOT EARNING TEAMSTERS ENDORSEMENT: ‘WHAT WAS THEIR REASONING?’

Those appearances come as Michigan Democrats have begun to worry about the vice president’s prospects in the state, with some imploring her to visit the state more frequently as the race hits the home stretch.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, prominent Michigan Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have made appeals to the Harris campaign to focus on the state more as the election draws to a close. They have also warned Harris to sharpen her economic messaging, the report notes, with fears spreading that Trump has done well to court the state’s working class voters.

Harris has struggled to distance herself from past positions that remain unpopular in the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, including her previous support for transitioning fully to zero-emissions vehicles by 2035 and a ban on fracking.

Those concerns were also highlighted by an internal poll shared with the Wall Street Journal that was conducted by Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s campaign that showed Harris down by three points in Wisconsin, another key Midwestern state with similar voting habits to Michigan.

“The big thing is people don’t know her—they need to see more of her,” former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, a Democrat, told the Wall Street Journal.

FIREFIGHTERS UNION PRAISED FOR ‘SIGNIFICANT NON-ENDORSEMENT’ AFTER BACKING BIDEN IN 2020: ‘HUGE WIN FOR TRUMP’

Republicans believe that is because Harris has failed in her outreach to the types of workers that have now started gravitating toward Trump.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital that Harris’ message does not “resonate with working class voters” such as those in the upper Midwest, something that could also help down-ballot Republicans in the critical swing states.

Harris’ struggles have also extended to union members, a group that has long been a stronghold for Democrats in the state. However, an internal poll conducted by Teamsters, one of the country’s largest and most influential unions, found that members in Michigan preferred Trump (61.7%) over Harris (35.2%), while national union leaders declined to make an endorsement in this year’s presidential race, despite supporting President Biden’s campaign in 2020.

Harris also failed to gain the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which also supported Biden in 2020, though she did gain the support of both United Auto Workers and the Service Employees International Union.

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“The Teamsters’ own polling shows exactly what we knew – that rank and file Michigan Teamsters are supporting President Trump and his pro-worker policies,” LaCivita said. “While local chapter leadership refuses to disrupt the status quo, the Michiganders who make up these chapters want strong leadership that will protect their jobs, lower inflation, and support American industries – and that’s President Donald J. Trump.”

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

New polling shows Republicans are likely to take control of the Senate in the upcoming election, with the GOP challenger leading against a Democrat incumbent in Montana.

Republican challenger Tim Sheehy leads the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Jon Tester, in a 52% to 44% matchup, according to a New York Times/Sienna poll released Thursday. Democrats currently hold a 51-seat majority in the Senate, and Sen. Joe Manchin’s, I-W.V., decision to retire virtually guarantees a seat flipping toward the GOP.

While there are competitive races elsewhere in the Senate, Republicans appear to be holding strong, according to Marist polling. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is leading his race with 51% support, compared to the 46% of his challenger, Collin Allred.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., faces a closer race in Florida, where he holds a slim 50%-48% lead over challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

VULNERABLE DEM JON TESTER TURNS ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER DEI AFTER MONTANA UNIVERSITIES STRIPPED OF FEDERAL FUNDS

That story is reversed in Ohio, however, where Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown holds a 50%-48% lead over Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.

TRUMP, REPUBLICANS VENTURE TO BLUE AREAS IN WISCONSIN TO BOOST GOP TURNOUT

The Cook Political Report also shifted the Wisconsin Senate race from “lean Democrat” to “toss-up” this week.

The handicapper cited changes in polling in recent days, with Republican challenger Eric Hovde appearing to close the gap with Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

SENATE REPUBLICANS MARK OCT 7 ATTACK 1 YEAR OUT AS ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR CONTINUES

The latest Marquette Law School poll showed Baldwin winning the battle, 51% to Hovde’s 45%. The survey interviewed 882 registered voters over Sept. 18-26. The poll’s margin of error was +/-4.4 percentage points.

The most recent Fox News Power Rankings from last month had Wisconsin at “Leans Dem.”

Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report

The influx of Haitian migrants into the U.S. has become a major political issue in recent months, as both former President Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance repeated claims about the impact they are having on towns like Springfield, Ohio. 

It has become a political issue in part due to the Biden administration’s parole processes for four nationalities — Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Under that program, migrants can arrive in the United States and be given a two-year parole term, along with temporary work permits.

Some of those are eligible for protection from deportation by the redesignation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status by the Biden administration this summer. 

MAYORKAS MOVES TO SHIELD HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS FROM DEPORTATION BACK TO TROUBLED CARIBBEAN NATION

The Biden administration announced on Friday that it will not be extending those parole periods for any of the four nationalities, meaning they will have to apply for a different immigration status or leave the country.

The impact that the influx of migrants has had on some towns in the U.S. has become a 2024 election issue after it was put into the spotlight by former President Trump. Most notably, Trump repeated claims that migrants have been eating cats and dogs in Springfield Ohio, which officials have denied. 

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

But others have pointed to the impact it has had on social services.

Vance recently said that he does not consider those who come through via the parole programs to be legal immigrants as he sees the programs as illegal. Here is what to know about Haitian migration into the U.S.

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

There are approximately 1,152,604 Haitian immigrants residing in the US according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey (ACS).

That is up from nearly 731,000 Haitian immigrants in 2022.

Florida has the largest Haitian population in the U.S., at about 511,621 individuals, while New York’s population is a distant 2nd with 196,698 individuals. Massachusetts has 72,677 and New Jersey has 69,069.

The top four counties for Haitian immigrants were Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties in Florida, and Kings County in New York. Together, these counties accounted for 41 percent of Haitian immigrants in the United States.

Meanwhile, in Springfield, officials estimate that between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitians live in the city.

More broadly on the CHNV program, during an eight-month period from January through August 2023, roughly 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via the program from all four nationalities. Of those, 80% of them, (161,562) arrived in the state of Florida in four cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained via a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News.

The Biden administration expanded the CHNV program to include Haitians in January 2023 and since then, 214,000 Haitians have entered the U.S. under the program. Recipients are given a two-year parole and a work permit if they have a sponsor and pass certain background checks.

However, the administration announced this month that it will not be extending those paroles beyond that period, meaning Haitians and others protected under the program will have to find another immigration status or potentially leave the country.

The Biden administration, however, has also redesignated and extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which protects designated migrant groups from deportation and allows work permits, until February 2026. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

To be eligible, Haitians must have been in the U.S. as of June 3. DHS predicts that it will allow an estimated 309,000 additional nationals to file for TPS, on top of those already protected.

TPS grants protection to nationals in countries found to be unsafe for them to be returned and is based on three grounds: armed ongoing conflict, environmental disasters or “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” 

“Several regions in Haiti continue to face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water. Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and mudslides, and often experiences significant damage due to storms, flooding, and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges have resulted in ongoing urgent humanitarian needs,” DHS said in a release.

It has led to concerns from conservatives that the revoking of parole status will not lead to significant numbers of Haitians leaving the U.S. after their status expires.

President Biden, making calls with elected officials in Florida on Wednesday evening, as powerful and extremely dangerous Hurricane Milton crashed into the state.

And the president also speaking with Democratic and Republican senators from the states hard hit by Hurricane Helene, which tore a path of destruction through the southeast nearly two weeks ago.

“I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit,” Biden said at the end of a long day overseeing the federal response to the storms.
 
And the president stressed that “my most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety…instructions and evacuation orders. This is serious, very serious.”

BIDEN CANCELS OVERSEAS TRIP AS MILTON BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA

With less than four weeks to go until Election Day in November and Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump locked in a narrow margin-of-error showdown in the race to succeed Biden in the White House, and with two of the hardest-hit states from Helene — North Carolina and Georgia — among the seven key battlegrounds that will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 election, the politics of federal disaster relief are again front and center on the campaign trail.

Trump for nearly two weeks has repeatedly attacked Biden and Harris and accused them of being incompetent in steering the federal efforts in responding to the back-to-back deadly hurricanes.

EYE OF THE STORM: BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES IMPACT HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

“The worst hurricane response since Katrina,” the former president charged on Wednesday as he pointed to the much-maligned initial federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which was heavily criticized for being slow and ineffective.

Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in battleground Pennsylvania, lobbed another political bomb at Harris, arguing that “She just led the worst rescue operation in history in North Carolina…the worst ever, they say.”

And the former president once again made false claims that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) diverted money intended for disaster relief and spent it on undocumented migrants in the U.S. as he turned up the volume on his inflammatory rhetoric over the combustible issue of illegal immigration.

“You know where they gave the money to: illegal immigrants coming,” Trump said as the crowd of MAGA supporters loudly booed.

CLICK HERE FOR UP-TO-DATE FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE STORMS

A couple of hours earlier, as the president and vice president received their latest briefing from FEMA and other federal agencies on storm preparations in Florida and relief efforts across the Southeast, Biden said that “we have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis, and we’re going to continue to do so until the job is done.”

Biden also took aim at Trump, accusing him of leading an “onslaught of lies.”

The president charged that the rhetoric from Trump and other Republicans was “beyond ridiculous” and that “it’s got to stop.”

Harris, who in July replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, had a similar message during an interview Wednesday on the Weather Channel.

“This is not a time for us to just point fingers at each other as Americans,” Harris said. “Anybody who considers themselves to be a leader should really be in the business right now of giving people a sense of confidence that we’re all working together and that we have the resources and the ability to work together on their behalf.”

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS WEATHER UPDATES ON HURRICANE MILTON

But earlier this week, Harris and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida traded verbal fire over whether he ignored hurricane-related calls from her.

The vice president called DeSantis “selfish,” and the governor accused Harris of playing “political games.”

“Natural disasters present perils and promise for presidential hopefuls,” longtime Republican strategist Colin Reed, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, told Fox News.

Reed noted that “for the incumbent, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate competence and steady leadership and prove that their government is able to function at a core level during a time of peril.”

But it doesn’t always play according to the script for an incumbent president.

Then-President George H.W. Bush took a political hit over FEMA’s disorganized efforts to provide relief in Florida from Hurricane Andrew, which pounded the then-key battleground state weeks before the 1992 election.

Fast-forward a decade and his son – then-President George W. Bush – enjoyed a political bounce in Florida during his 2004 re-election thanks to his aggressive response to Hurricane Charley, which hit in August of that year.

Bush was narrowly re-elected, thanks in large part to carrying the Sunshine State, but his administration’s image in handling storms took a major hit the next year, over the botched response in Louisiana to Hurricane Katrina.

As he ran for re-election in 2012, then-President Barack Obama’s aggressive response in dealing with Superstorm Sandy -which slammed into the Eastern Seaboard days before the election – likely boosted him to victory.

Reed argued that “without a real role to play in the response to Helene and now Milton, Vice President Harris is betwixt and between, wary about being seen as too close to a deeply unpopular administration but also well aware that its failures will be seen as her failures and political baggage to carry the next three weeks.”

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