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FIRST ON FOX – Two Virginia boys who were suspended after complaining about a transgender classmate in their locker room have won emergency relief in federal court.

Earlier this year, the Loudoun County Public Schools district in Northern Virginia launched a Title IX sexual harassment investigation into two high-school-aged boys after they were videotaped by a biological female who identified as transgender inside the boys’ locker room. The video caught them outwardly complaining to each other about the fact that there was a girl using their facilities.

That moment resulted in a Title IX investigation launched by the Northern Virginia school district into the two boys, which ultimately found the pair responsible for sexual harassment, a mark that will be placed on their permanent records, and suspended them for 10 days. 

The boys’ parents and their legal representatives appealed the district’s Title IX ruling, but the appeal was denied. The parents then took their case to federal court. Within days of the federal court filing, a judge subsequently granted the parents and their boys emergency relief, blocking the district’s disciplinary repercussions once again while the case moves forward.

PARENTS: VIRGINIA BOYS SUSPENDED AFTER QUESTIONING TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM POLICY WERE IGNORED BY SCHOOL

“We are very pleased with the Court’s decision and we look forward to fighting on behalf of our clients,” said Ian Prior, senior counselor at the Trump-aligned legal group America First Legal (AFL). AFL joined the Founding Freedoms Law Center in the case after it went into federal court. 

One of the boys and their families moved out of state, but the other still goes to school within the Loudoun County public schools system. Amid the earlier Title IX appeal by the boys’ families and their legal counsel, the suspension was previously stalled, but it resumed after the district’s denial of their appeal last week. However, the suspension has now been placed on hold again, following the court’s order for emergency relief. 

Judge Leonie Brinkema, from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in her order that there was enough evidence showing that keeping the one boy suspended for the first 10 days of school could cause “irreparable harm.”

VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT VOTES TO KEEP GENDER BATHROOM POLICY, DEFYING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DIRECTIVE

“For a court to issue a temporary restraining order, a plaintiff ‘must establish that he is likely to succeed on the merits, that he is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, that the balance of equities tips in his favor, and that an injunction is in the public interest,’” the judge wrote in her order. “The loss of 10 days of in-person school early in the school year could have serious negative effects on [the plaintiff], and it appears from the record before the Court that [the plaintiff] has not had contact with the complaining student or continued communicating about that student. Therefore, the Court finds that the balance of equities tips in [the plaintiff’s] favor, given that [the plaintiff] is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of a temporary restraining order … The Court also finds that the public interest is best served by ensuring high school students remain in school and receive adequate process before being suspended.”

Brinkema added in her ruling that she is “not certain” that the plaintiffs will succeed on the merits of their argument, but she did concede that the allegations put forward by the parents and their legal counsel were “troubling.”

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The lawsuit from AFL and the Founding Freedoms Law Center on behalf of the boys and their parents is demanding that the “false Title IX charge” against both of the boys for sexual harassment be dropped from their records, an immediate termination of the boys’ suspension, and compensation for “severe emotional, reputational, and educational harm.”

“This isn’t just about our sons — it’s about every child in Loudoun County. If the district can weaponize Title IX in this way, no family is safe,” Seth Wolfe, the father of one of the boys said. “No parent should have to fear their child will be branded a ‘sexual harasser’ simply for standing up for their privacy.”

The Loudoun County Public Schools district did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who narrowly escaped censure on Wednesday, claimed that Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.,”needs to get help,” suggesting that her GOP colleague could potentially engage in self-harm or hurt another person.

In a razor-thin 214-213 vote on Wednesday, the House voted to table Mace’s resolution targeting Omar for censure and removal from House committees — four Republicans joined with 210 Democrats to table the matter.

“Ilhan Omar mocked the cold-blooded assassination of an innocent American husband and father,” Mace claimed in a post on X, referring to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “She’s supported ISIS. She’s supported the Muslim Brotherhood. She’s incited political violence. And tonight, Congress protected her.”

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER, NANCY MACE CLASH ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘YOU BELONG IN REHAB’

“Literally none of this is true and this woman needs to get help. We have to stop allowing members who are experiencing mental breakdown to continue to work without getting them the help they need. This is an emergency, let’s help her before she hurts herself or one of us,” Omar wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office to request a comment from the congresswoman.

In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Mace said, “I can’t reason with someone who thinks 9/11 wasn’t a big deal, thinks siblings make suitable spouses and cheers 31-year-olds being assassinated, so I won’t try. Now she wants to lecture others about stability? Give us a break. If anyone in Congress needs serious help before they hurt someone, it’s her. ALSO – Ilhan Omar supports terrorism – I came bearing receipts. AMERICA FIRST. Not Somalia.”

4 HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTE WITH DEMS TO BLOCK RESOLUTION CENSURING ILHAN OMAR FOR CHARLIE KIRK COMMENTS

Mace’s censure resolution claimed that while speaking with Mehdi Hasan, Omar “smeared Charlie Kirk and implied he was to blame for his own murder.” 

The resolution also pointed to a video Omar reposted which included comments such as “Charlie Kirk was Dr. Frankenstein and his monster shot him through the neck.”

“Thank you to my colleagues for having my back and not furthering lies on the House floor. Appreciate them safeguarding first amendment protections and the usage of the censure. Finally some sanity in the House,” Omar said in a post on X after escaping censure.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN NANCY MACE MOVES TO REMOVE ILHAN OMAR FROM COMMITTEES AFTER KIRK ASSASSINATION REMARKS

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Mace and Omar had also sparred on social media before the vote on Wednesday.

“We would love to see you deported back to Somalia next,” Mace wrote to Omar.

“Would love to see you get the help you need next. You belong in rehab, not Congress,” Omar fired back.

Mace is currently running for South Carolina governor.

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Coast Guard has seized more than 75,000 pounds of cocaine and apprehended nearly 60 suspected narco-terrorists and drug smugglers since launching Operation Pacific Viper in August, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Operation Pacific Viper is a joint effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy aimed at countering the influx of illegal drugs to the U.S. as part of President Donald Trump’s larger effort to crack down on drug cartels. 

Video footage shared with Fox News Digital depicts the Coast Guard cutter Seneca, which is part of Operation Pacific Viper, completing a drug interdiction Sept. 10 northeast of the Galápagos Islands, which resulted in the seizure of 5,500 pounds of cocaine from a low-profile vessel.

Operation Pacific Viper also was responsible for conducting the two strikes against alleged drug-laden vessels from Venezuela. The first strike took out 11 suspected Tren de Aragua (TdA) narco-terrorists, while the second strike took out three individuals. 

“You had massive amounts of drugs,” Trump told reporters Sept. 3 after the first strike. “We have tapes of them speaking. It was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people. And, everybody fully understands that fact. You see it, you see the bags of drugs all over the boat, and they were hit. Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, let’s not do this. We have to protect our country and we’re going to. Venezuela has been a very bad actor.” 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

FIRST ON FOX: More than a dozen state attorneys general sent a letter to public university and college presidents in their respective states Thursday warning them against invoking the assassination of Charlie Kirk to chill conservative free speech, or face investigations and potential lawsuits, Fox News Digital exclusively learned. 

“Unfortunately, we have heard troubling reports that some university officials are using the murder of Charlie Kirk as a justification to shut down speech on campus,” the letter reads. “While considering safety concerns, it is critical that universities are not imposing what would effectively be a tax on free speech.” 

“Particularly at this moment, when free speech itself was attacked, our universities must show through their actions that they will defend free speech and resist the ‘Assassin’s Veto.’ You have an obligation to protect free speech—you must not use the burden of protecting free speech to prevent free speech.”

The “assassin’s veto” is understood as a phenomenon of using violence or threats of violence to silence opposing views. 

CHARLIE KIRK’S KILLING AT UTAH UNIVERSITY PROMPTS SCRUTINY OF SECURITY MEASURES 

At the heart of the letter is the issue of security costs as it pertains to conservative speakers. Colleges and universities previously have come under fire over accusations of charging higher security fees for conservative speakers.

Such accusations have led to free speech lawsuits in the past, including the University of California, Berekely, settling a lawsuit with campus conservative groups, the College Republicans and Young America’s Foundation, in 2018 concerning allegations the school discriminated against conservative speakers by leveling higher security fees and other safety restrictions that led to the cancellation of right-leaning speakers on campus. 

Berkeley argued that the higher security fees were based on assessment from law enforcement officials that the speakers were likely to face an increase in public disruption and violence, before reaffirming its “commitment to free speech” and changing its security fee operations. 

The state attorneys general called on colleges to ensure they “impose security fees in a content-neutral and viewpoint-neutral manner” or face potential investigation and legal action. 

YEARS OF CAMPUS ATTACKS ON CONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS RESURFACE AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER

“Any security policy that appears neutral on its face must not be applied in a discriminatory manner. There is a long and troubling trend of universities misusing security policies to unconstitutionally chill conservative speech on campus. For example, just last year, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico issued a preliminary injunction against the University of New Mexico after the university attempted to charge Turning Point USA over $5,000 in security fees for an October 2023 event featuring conservative speaker Riley Gaines. As the Court found, that was unacceptable,” the letter continued, pointing to another instance of colleges using security fees to allegedly silence conservative voices. 

The letter was spearheaded by Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. A total of 17 Republican state attorneys general signed onto the letter, including top law enforcement officials from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah. 

“The tragedy of Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a sobering reminder that the right to free speech must be protected,” Bird told Fox Digital. “Charlie was murdered while debating on a university campus, a place where the free exchange of ideas should be encouraged; we cannot allow the actions of an assassin to stop free speech in any way. Colleges and universities must take steps to keep their students safe while preserving free discussion and open debate.” 

Kirk was killed Sept. 10 while he was at Utah Valley University’s campus as part of a Turning Point USA event. The conservative powerhouse was sitting under a tent while chatting with students when a single shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck. 

“We were shocked and saddened by the assassination of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday,” the letter reads. “As the chief law enforcement officers of our states, we unequivocally condemn political violence of any kind. The fact that the slaying took place on a college campus, during a debate, makes it even more tragic.” 

“It is critical our state institutions of higher learning serve as forums for robust debate from all perspectives,” the letter continued. “The campus should be the very place where the First Amendment rings loudest for all to hear. We urge you to say no to the ‘Assassin’s Veto.’” 

The attorneys general argued that students might be considered “consumers” under the respective states’ Consumer Fraud Acts or Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices laws, and that the universities might violate state “laws if you invoke ‘security concerns’ to impose exorbitant fees on student groups,” while simultaneously advertising to students that the school is open for discussion and dialogue across the political spectrum. 

CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: TIMELINE OF UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING DETAILS ATTACK, MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT

“If we receive complaints about your school, we will fully and fairly investigate those complaints subject to the authority of our respective offices,” the state attorneys general wrote. “Our offices are committed to ensuring that all our state entities, including our public colleges and universities, follow the Constitution.” 

Conservative nonprofits, including President of Parents Defending Education Nicole Neily, celebrated that the AGs’ calls for better protecting free speech is the ideal way to honor Kirk’s legacy. 

“This is a moment for leadership, and we are deeply grateful that the nation’s attorneys general are using their authority to remind university administrators of their sacred obligation to protect free speech and open discourse on college campuses,” she said. “I can think of no better way to honor Charlie’s legacy than through ensuring that students voices cannot be silenced by fear or malice.” 

Will Hild, the executive director for Consumers’ Research, a longtime nonprofit dedicated to consumer information, lauded Bird for leading the charge on ending the “assassin’s veto.”

“By sustaining the assassin’s veto, these University bureaucrats are actively aiding Charlie’s murderer, using the threat of violence to cut off free debate,” Hild told Fox Digital. “Such a practice is not just antithetical to everything Charlie Kirk represented but to the very principles of America. Attorney General Bird’s leadership in rallying states’ top law enforcement officers to oppose the Assassin’s Veto in all its forms is encouraging and should be emulated by others. Last week’s atrocity should be a turning point for every American campus.” 

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Kirk’s funeral is scheduled for Sunday in Arizona and is expected to be attended by President Donald Trump and other administration leaders. 

OREM, Utah – As Utah Valley University students returned to campus following conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination, those who spoke to Fox News Digital were divided over whether Tyler Robinson should face the death penalty. 

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced on Tuesday that Utah prosecutors would seek the death penalty against Robinson on multiple charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. 

“I think it’s totally necessary,” Ryder Warner, a UVU student who was entering the courtyard when Kirk was shot last Wednesday, said of a potential death penalty against Robinson. 

Warner told Fox News Digital that, as a Christian, he didn’t believe in taking another human’s life, but “with this situation, where somebody was just here to share an opinion and lost their life because of their opinion, I think that whoever took their life should be killed, too.”

“I think that’s only fair,” he said. 

CHARLIE KIRK’S KILLING AT UTAH UNIVERSITY PROMPTS SCRUTINY OF SECURITY MEASURES

Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to UVU students last Wednesday, Sept. 10. After a 33-hour manhunt, Robinson was arrested for allegedly assassinating Kirk. Gray outlined the formal charges against Robinson during a press conference on Tuesday, which was followed by the suspect’s first court appearance. 

UTAH LEADERS URGE UNITY FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION: ‘TURNING POINT FOR AMERICA’

Afton Miller, a junior at UVU who said she was 5 to 10 feet away from Kirk when he was shot, said Robinson facing the death penalty “hurts a little bit.”

“I’m pro-life,” Miller said. “I believe that somebody deserves to live, but in moments like this, it’s very hard that their family is also losing their son as well. It’s just as painful to lose somebody.”

She said it was “extremely traumatic” to witness the assassination of one of her “greatest heroes” on her college campus. 

UVU student Jessie Ball, who was also on campus when Kirk was assassinated, said last week’s tragedy inspired her to use her voice and speak up like Kirk did. 

“It’s a hard thing to watch, and as people who probably didn’t see the signs coming, it has to be heartbreaking,” Ball said. “I know my family and I will be praying for them to feel God’s love and the peace through it, but his actions have consequences, and they have a lasting impact, and if that’s what the state agreed on…”

James Whitney, another UVU student, told Fox News Digital that “they found the gun in my parents’ backyard.” According to Robinson’s charging documents, investigators found a “bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel” in a wooded area on the northeast end of campus, but authorities have not confirmed the exact location. 

Whitney said it was “scary” returning to campus. He said he typically tries to stay out of politics because political violence is “becoming normalized.”

“I don’t agree with what happened here,” Whitney said. “I don’t think any human being ever deserves to have that kind of hate taken out on their life, ever, including in front of their kids. With the death penalty, I mean, a lot of people here are religious. What would Jesus do?” Whitney asked.

And while Whitney emphasized that he didn’t agree with what Robinson did, “especially on my own school grounds,” the UVU student said he didn’t “condone any sort of death in any sort of way,” as the Utah County attorney seeks the death penalty. 

Meanwhile, Trae Stevens, who is not a UVU student but said he grew up about an hour’s drive south and was visiting the campus on Tuesday to pay his respects, told Fox News Digital it’s “fair” for Robinson to face the death penalty. 

“I think it’s sad for anybody to die,” Stevens said. “It’s a crazy situation and just to see how it’s affected almost the entire world and that this one man could have such evil in his heart. It’s sad, but I think it’s fair, yes.”

UVU classes resumed on Wednesday, one week after Kirk’s assassination. The campus began reopening on Monday as students and locals visited campus to pay their respects to Kirk by leaving flowers and posters. 

An American flag is now hanging inside the UVU courtyard, where Kirk was standing when he was shot. 

The campus is planning a “Vigil for Unity” on Friday for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to gather in “remembering, healing and reaffirming shared values.”

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“This attack was not just on an individual, but on the spirit of free expression, civil discourse, and intellectual inquiry that sits at the very foundation of our university,” UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez said in a statement. “The violence that occurred on our campus has shaken us deeply. We remain steadfast in our commitment to learning, dialogue, and the values that unite us, even in times of grief. Together we choose hope for the future, and care for each other during this time.”

Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Thursday in the federal trial of Ryan Routh — accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024 — after Wednesday’s testimony centered on a gray storage box, a 12-page “Dear World” letter and accounts from longtime acquaintances.

Prosecutors used FBI Special Agent Garett Foo to walk jurors through the gray box recovered in North Carolina, which contained phones, ammunition, an “improvised firing mechanism” and Routh’s alleged handwritten “Dear World” letter. 

Per Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling, jurors were shown only the first three sentences of that letter, including: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump … I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”

FBI PHONE EXTRACTIONS, DNA TESTIMONY HEADLINE DAY 7 OF RYAN ROUTH TRIAL

Routh – representing himself – had argued the whole letter should be brought into evidence, but Judge Cannon had only approved those first three lines. Routh argued that if the whole letter didn’t get into evidence, at least include three words from near the end of the letter, “shred his airplane.”

Routh told Cannon there’s “nothing about a golf course” in the letter and that the jury at least needed “some context… this is about shredding his airplane,” not assassinating him at his golf course. 

“How can you take three sentences out of 12 pages?” asked Routh. “How fair is that?” He added that the main object here was to “ascertain the truth.”

RYAN ROUTH TRIAL CONTINUES AFTER AGENT TESTIFIES SUSPECT AIMED RIFLE AT HIM ON TRUMP’S GOLF COURSE

Two former associates, brothers Samuel and Lazaro Plata, also testified with Spanish-English interpreters. Samuel Plata described finding the gray box with cartridges, pipes, four phones and a letter and said he alerted law enforcement. 

Lazaro told jurors Routh left the box at his home and said three phrases from the letter stuck in his memory: “Dear World,” “Donald Trump,” and “$150,000.” 

RYAN ROUTH TRIAL CONTINUES AFTER AGENT TESTIFIES SUSPECT AIMED RIFLE AT HIM ON TRUMP’S GOLF COURSE

In a text shown in court, Routh wrote: “Ryan Routh here. Want to give you my son Oran’s number in case I die in the next 10 or 20 years, so you can reach him.” On cross-examination, Routh asked, “Are you mad at me?” Lazaro replied, “How do you want me to feel?” Routh: “I want you to be happy.” Cannon ended the exchange after Routh continued trying to pivot.

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Prosecutors plan to finish their case and Cannon told the defense to be ready with witnesses Friday morning. Routh has indicated he plans to call a firearms expert and character witnesses, but it remains unclear whether he will testify on his own behalf.

House Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., and other Republican lawmakers expressed strong support for President Donald Trump’s decision to label Antifa a terrorist organization and investigate who funds the group.

“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president declared on Truth Social.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment Thursday morning.

TRUMP TO DESIGNATE ANTIFA A ‘MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’

“President Trump is right. ANTIFA is a dangerous, radical group that thrives on chaos and violence. Rightfully declaring them a terrorist organization will help protect our communities. It’s time to investigate those who fund them and stop the lawlessness once and for all,” Rep. Harris declared in a post on X.

The House Freedom Caucus account reposted Harris’ post, and posts by GOP Reps. Eli Crane and Andy Biggs, both of Arizona, in which they shared screenshots of the president’s post about Antifa and thanked him for it.

FROM ‘LEGISLATIVE TERRORISTS’ TO CENTER OF TRUMP’S DC REVOLUTION: WHERE KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS IS NOW

GOP Sens. Rick Scott, of Florida, and Mike Lee, of Utah, also thanked the president.

“Antifa has gotten away with its evils and terrorized cities across our country for far too long. This was 100% the right move. Thank you, @POTUS!” Scott declared in a post on X.

“ANTIFA is like a group of arsonists masquerading as firefighters,” Lee wrote. “Thank you, President Trump, for designating ANTIFA as a major terrorist organization.”

REPUBLICAN BILL WOULD PUT ‘ANARCHIST JURISDICTIONS’ ON NOTICE, THREATEN FEDERAL FUNDING

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On May 31, 2020, during his first term in office, Trump declared in a tweet, “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.”

A new watchdog group aiming to hold major institutions accountable and promoting good governance says it plans to become a “leading voice” for conservative values and effective governance across the country.

The Safety and Prosperity Oversight Coalition, which launched on Wednesday, will be led by seasoned political operative Chris Zeller. The group announced its creation this week and said it will be focused on promoting transparency, integrity and efficiency across American governmental institutions and the private sector. Zeller has a long history in GOP politics, including work on numerous national campaigns and a stint as the executive director for multiple state Republican parties. 

“The coalition brings together some of the nation’s top attorneys and financial investigators, leveraging their expertise to scrutinize institutional practices, expose inefficiencies, and advocate for policies that prioritize safety and prosperity for all Americans,” stated a press release from the group. “Backed by a team of established professionals, the coalition is poised to become a leading voice for conservative values and effective governance.”

EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE GOP REPORT ALLEGES $20B GREEN GRANTS ENRICHED BIDEN ALLIES 

Per the press release, the watchdog will focus on three core pillars: “rigorous oversight of government spending, accountability for corporate and public sector misconduct, and advocacy for common-sense reforms to strengthen democratic institutions.” This work will subsequently be accomplished via independent audits, legal challenges to governmental overreach brought forward by the nonprofit, and public education campaigns “to empower citizens with the facts.”

A GOP strategist who was willing to speak on background said the new watchdog group is a much-needed entity to combat efforts from the left. The strategist highlighted how the new conservative watchdog will help Republicans hold corporate America’s feet to the fire the same way the left did during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, or the same way they did with “woke” diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

DEPT OF ED SPENDING SOARED 749% DESPITE DOWNSIZING, NEW DOGE-INSPIRED INITIATIVE REVEALS

“The Safety and Prosperity Oversight Coalition is a response to the growing need for accountability in our institutions,” Zeller added. “Americans deserve leadership that upholds integrity and delivers results. Our coalition will shine a light on waste, corruption, and mismanagement, ensuring that those in power serve the public, not themselves.”

Zeller most recently spent time as a top aide for Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., which followed his stint working on Kari Lake’s Arizona Senate bid in 2024. Lake ultimately lost to Democrat challenger Ruben Gallego.

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Zeller also worked as the campaign manager for Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., when she successfully won her 2021 bid to represent New York’s 22nd Congressional District by a razor-thin margin of just over 100 votes.

Meanwhile, Zeller has spent time as the Executive Director at both the Connecticut and New Hampshire state Republican parties as well.

Former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said he spoke more with President Donald Trump in the first two years of Trump’s term than with former President Barack Obama during Obama’s eight years in office.

In his new book, “Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense,” released this week, Manchin outlined a cordial working relationship with Trump and a far chillier, less active back and forth with Obama.

Manchin, who switched from the Democratic Party to become an Independent before retiring from the Senate last year, wrote that he considered Trump a fellow “outsider” when he arrived in Washington, D.C., for his first term and lauded him as the “most engaged president I ever worked with” since former President Bill Clinton.

MANCHIN SAYS HE WANTED GOP TO WIN SENATE TO STOP DEMOCRATS’ QUEST FOR ‘RAW POLITICAL POWER’

“From the start, President Trump had an open line of communication with me,” he wrote. “I spoke to him more in the first two years of his presidency than I did to President Obama during all eight years of his time in office.”

He noted, “If you want to have influence with Donald Trump, you have to be the last person he talks to about a topic,” and said he would jokingly ask that the president ensure he was the last person he called.

“He’d laugh, and we’d talk it out,” he said.

He recalled his 2018 election campaign in the wake of Trump’s dominant, 40-point win in the state. Trump told Manchin that he was being pressured to campaign against him and promised he wouldn’t. Ultimately, Trump visited the state five times, but Manchin still came out on top.

JOE MANCHIN TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ WHY HE COULDN’T ENDORSE KAMALA HARRIS

He was later invited to the Oval Office to meet with Trump, where, in front of then-Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump, the president “blurted to his other guests, ‘I told you we couldn’t beat him,’” Manchin wrote.

Manchin’s relationship with the former president goes back to his time as governor of West Virginia, when Obama was still a senator. The two worked together on a coal deal in Illinois that had previously excluded West Virginia.

During the 2008 election cycle, he said he invited both then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Obama to come to West Virginia to campaign, but said Obama shook off the invitation and told him, “Let’s be honest with each other —­ my demographics don’t work well in your state.”

NEW BOOK REVEALS WHAT OBAMA AND ‘CONQUEROR’ TRUMP CHATTED ABOUT IN VIRAL MOMENT DURING CARTER’S FUNERAL

“But he didn’t come, and that night belonged to Hillary,” he wrote. “She made the most of her visit and won the primary by 41 points.”

He said their relationship became even chillier when Obama launched his “war on coal” with a push for green initiatives that targeted fossil fuels and states like West Virginia.

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Manchin argued that the Democratic Party had grown dismissive and lost touch with the working class as a means to reshape their agenda through a progressive lens. That led to a seismic shift in West Virginia’s political alignment, from Democratic to now largely Republican, he said.

And in the process that began when Obama won in 2008, he said that rural states like his felt “overlooked and undervalued.”

“But that’s exactly how Democrats handled West Virginia, and no one embodied that disconnect more than President Obama,” he wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office and the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters Charlie Kirk’s assassination has not changed the way he plans to approach campaigning, even after dropping a threatening name for an upcoming anti-Trump campaign. 

The rally was originally called the “FAFO50” campaign, a reference to the phrase “F— around and find out,” which is a slang warning meaning “if you keep doing something, you’ll regret it.”

“DONALD TRUMP IS F—— AROUND. NOW HE’LL FIND OUT,” the campaign’s marketing materials read before they were changed, according to archived images of the campaign’s website, as well as screenshots from the campaign’s official X account. The website for the campaign, which is aimed at passing an anti-gerrymandering ballot measure called Proposition 50, was ultimately changed from “FAFO50.com” to “YesOn50Live.com.” 

“FAFO” messaging on the campaign’s website and social media account was also removed, and a related event was subsequently referred to as a “Voter Registration Day Rally” on the campaign’s social media. 

LAWMAKERS SHARE VIEWS ON POLITICAL DISCOURSE IN US FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION

During an event promoting a new initiative to improve the well-being of young men and boys on Tuesday, Newsom was asked whether the rebrand was part of a changing calculus for the governor on how he intends to approach campaigning going forward.

“No,” Newsom insisted. “Because I’m the same guy that walked on the tarmac with Donald Trump. I’m the same guy that would pick up his phone call. I’m the same person that sat down not just with Charlie Kirk, but with Steve Bannon, with the guy who created this space, you know, ‘Language, Borders and Culture,’ Michael Savage, back in the ’90s, you know, was the dominant voice on talk radio. The person that sat down with Newt Gingrich, who was one of the leaders of my recall. I’m that same person.”

Newsom’s response followed a different question about the California governor’s new initiative supporting young men and boys. The governor was asked whether Kirk’s death played any role, or inspired the governor, in shaping the newly announced initiative, which builds on efforts Newsom initiated through a statewide executive order he signed earlier this summer.  

“I appreciate the question. I mean, I believe in civility. I believe in an open hand, not a closed fist,” Newsom responded. “I just think, at the end of the day — I said it inside a moment ago — divorce is not an option, period. Full stop. We’ve got to live together, across our differences, and there are a lot of differences in this state, this nation, for that matter, the world we’re trying to build.”

The nature of political discourse in the United States has become a major point of debate following Kirk’s assassination that occurred last week. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called on others to “turn down the heat” in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. 

NEWSOM WARNS AMERICANS ‘YOU WILL LOSE YOUR COUNTRY’ UNDER TRUMP AT CALIFORNIA SUMMIT

The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) put out a call for “the media, leftist groups, and sanctuary politicians” on Wednesday to tone down the “hateful rhetoric” targeting immigration enforcement officers, arguing it has contributed to “political violence in our country and a more than 1000% increase in assaults against our brave ICE law enforcement.” 

“This demonization is inspiring violence across the country,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warned. “We have to turn down the temperature before someone else is killed.”

One example cited by DHS were comments by Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a member of the cohort of progressive lawmakers on Capitol Hill known as “the squad.” During an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Crockett likened ICE officers to slave catchers. “As someone who understands history, when I see ICE, I see slave patrols,” Crockett said.

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Meanwhile, rhetoric from Newsom’s “Voter Registration Day Rally” similarly likened Republican-led redistricting efforts to “pre-Jim Crow” era policies. 

“It’s about knowing that you can walk outside your home and not be detained and deported, not be lynched, because of the color of your skin,” California state legislator, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, said during the Tuesday night virtual rally promoting her state’s Proposition 50. “[Republicans] are doing every single thing that they can to take us back to pre-Jim Crow. And I am not being hyperbolic.”

Fox News Digital did not receive a response after reaching out to Newsom’s office and campaign team to see if the governor, or any of his representatives, wanted to comment further about the decision to rebrand Tuesday night’s event promoting Proposition 50 and the broader issue of inflammatory political rhetoric following Kirk’s assassination.