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Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, led by GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, making the argument that Republicans have a winning hand when it comes to messaging over the government shutdown — even as the stalemate drags on into a 15th day.

To the group’s chair, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., that’s because the ball is solidly in the Democrats’ court.

“We’re in the second week of a shutdown with no end in sight. Hopefully, the Senate Democrats change their minds and decide to reopen the government. But until then, the Republicans are standing together,” Harris said.

During the call, members doubled down on support for the clean-spending extension Republicans advanced last month — not just as a matter of policy, but also as a facet of public opinion.

“I think if the American people understand the truth, they will put pressure on their Democratic senators to actually open up the government,” McClain said.

Republicans need the support of at least seven Democrats in the Senate to clear the 60-vote threshold to pass spending legislation over a filibuster. The GOP holds 53 seats in the chamber.

JOHNSON TURNS UP SHUTDOWN PRESSURE ON DEMOCRATS AS GOP UNEASE GROWS

Congress remains gridlocked over funding allocations for the 2026 fiscal year which began at the start of October. Although Republicans had advanced a short-term spending plan to keep the government open through Nov. 21, the government entered a shutdown on Oct. 1 when Democrats made it clear they wouldn’t support any spending extension without a key add-on: the continuation of emergency, COVID-era healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of 2025.

“We passed it clean, no gimmicks. No gimmicks, no tricks, just at the exact same funding levels, of which, I might add, the Democrats put in place, that they voted for 13 times ago, as recently as March. But Democrats killed it,” McClain said, referring to the Republican-led stopgap legislation.

Republicans have framed the standoff as a Democrat attempt to take the government hostage over bloated government programs that would add billions to the country’s expenses.

JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3

Democrats see the shutdown as a Republican refusal to negotiate over healthcare — one that will spike the monthly premiums of anyone currently relying on the expanded COVID-era subsidies to pay for Obamacare health insurance plans.

Members of the Freedom Caucus said that consideration of some sort of tax-credit extension is still out of the question. 

“The bottom line is that the COVID-era enhancements have to end. Should we be looking at other reforms to Obamacare to stop the upward spiral of insurance premiums? Sure, we should. But to discuss, again, COVID-era enhancements as the Democrats want to do is a complete nonstarter,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Tx., said.

JOHNSON SHUTS DOOR ON NEGOTIATING SHUTDOWN DEAL AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON OBAMACARE

That’s of particular focus to the House Freedom Caucus; since its formation in 2015, the group has always had its eye on reeling in government spending.

Some members of the caucus noted that it’s unusual for the group to support a clean-funding extension at levels the group believes are too high to begin with.

“We’ve given [in] to the Democrats by extending the Biden policies, Biden funding. We could put Republican priorities — Republican funding requests on this, but we didn’t. So, we have already given [in] on this. They are demanding more. Well, not this time,” Harris said. 

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As the shutdown enters a third week, neither side has signaled an intent to blink any time soon.

The Senate will consider spending legislation again on Thursday. If it fails, it will mark the 10th time Democrats have rejected the Republican-led spending extension.

Democratic lawmakers stormed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office on Tuesday night, demanding that he swear in a newly-elected representative.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., joined arms and chanted “swear her in” with Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., as well as Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., as they marched on Johnson’s office with members of their staff. Capitol Hill police officers blocked the lawmakers from entering the speaker’s office.

Footage from various angles shows Jayapal and Stansbury messing with the sign in front of the speaker’s office and getting into an altercation with one of the officers.

Grijalva won her special election on Sept. 23, but she still has not been sworn into office. Her vote would be the final vote needed for the House to approve a discharge petition relating to the Epstein files, put forward by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3

The petition, which is currently just one vote shy of passing, calls on the GOP-controlled House to vote to urge the Justice Department to release the files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

Johnson, R-La., reacted to the incident on Wednesday, brushing off the action as merely a “political stunt.”

JOHNSON TURNS UP SHUTDOWN PRESSURE ON DEMOCRATS AS GOP UNEASE GROWS

“They stormed my office. Maybe you saw some of the video online that they themselves shared or someone did, they berated a Capitol Police officer, screamed at him. He was just merely standing at his post,” Johnson said.

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“It shows again their disdain for law enforcement, as we see all around the country, the Democrats and everyone in that party screaming, assaulting ICE officers. They did it right here in the Capitol last night. A few members of Congress went into the little foyer of my office and tore down a sign that I had up and, and just engaged in all sorts of political stunts and antics,” he added.

Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones is facing backlash online over an X post that came in the wake of his texting scandal.

“As the father of two young boys, I know what it’s like to feel the squeeze of grocery prices every week. I’m running for Attorney General to protect families’ pocketbooks from rising costs — whether it’s utility rate hikes or the price of berries,” Jones wrote on X.

Many critics took issue with him framing the post from his point of view as a father in the wake of a texting scandal that has rocked Virginia politics.

The Republican Attorneys General Association chimed in, saying, “As the father of two young boys, you must think anyone who fantasizes about killing children is seriously deranged and unfit for office!”

LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES’ TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, also responded by calling Jones a “dirtbag” and demanding he drop out of the race.

“‘As the father of two young boys,’ you should know that wishing death upon your political opponents’ children is abhorrent. Drop out, dirtbag,” Gill wrote.

While some critics dissected Jones’ wording, Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., simply asked, “What’s your take on political violence?”

JOE SCARBOROUGH TELLS DEM CANDIDATE JAY JONES TO LEAVE RACE OVER VIOLENT COMMENTS AGAINST GOP LAWMAKER

The scandal involving Jones came to light earlier this month when the National Review published text message exchanges between the attorney general hopeful and his former state legislative colleague, Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner. In the exchanges, Jones appears to call for violence against then-Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert, his wife, Jennifer, and their children.

“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote on Aug. 8, 2022. In a subsequent text he added, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know, and he receives both bullets every time.”

Coyner asked Jones to stop, adding, “It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them.”

WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATE’S TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: ‘STILL A SUPPORTER’

Jones excused the tirade by saying he was asking questions. Coyner denied that was the case, saying that Jones was “talking about [hoping] Jennifer Gilbert’s children would die.”

“Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” Jones replied.

Coyner told the National Review that she had not spoken to Jones since the exchanges, other than having short discussions about policy. She told the outlet in a statement that “what he said was not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.”

YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER

Jones acknowledged the text messages and apologized. In a statement to CBS News, he said, “I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”

Democrats have largely avoided calling on Jones to drop out of the race or pulling their endorsements of the embattled candidate.

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On Thursday, Jones is set to debate his opponent, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, at the University of Richmond. The text scandal is expected to be brought up during the debate.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jones’ campaign for comment.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia asserted that there are many “weak” men in the GOP, according to the Washington Post.

But she does not number President Donald Trump among them.

“Whereas President Trump has a very strong, dominant style — he’s not weak at all — a lot of the men here in the House are weak,” she said, according to the outlet. 

REP MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE EARNS RARE PRAISE FROM ‘THE VIEW,’ CNN HOST FOR SHUTDOWN STANCE

“There’s a lot of weak Republican men and they’re more afraid of strong Republican women. So they always try to marginalize the strong Republican women that actually want to do something and actually want to achieve,” she said, according to the report. “They’re always intimidated by stronger Republican women because we mean it and we will do it and we will make them look bad.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s office, but no comment from the congresswoman was provided.

GREENE CALLS FOR ENGLISH AS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AFTER BAD BUNNY URGES FANS TO LEARN SPANISH AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL

Greene, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are the only House Republicans who have signed on to a discharge petition to force a vote on legislation ordering the release of materials pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein. 

“I think for a few of us … me, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert, it’s such a disgusting issue that we’re like, we don’t care if we get attacked,” Greene noted, according to the Post.

THE REVOLT OF MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, NOW DONALD TRUMP’S FIERCEST CRITIC

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“I also think they don’t want to get yelled at by the president,” she noted, according to the outlet. “They don’t want to get yelled at by [House Speaker Mike] Johnson.”

Israel is preparing to deploy one of the world’s first combat-ready laser air-defense system, marking a historic shift in how nations defend against rockets, drones and missiles — and a sign that Jerusalem is intent on staying one step ahead of its adversaries even as active fighting subsides.

In an interview with Fox News Digital at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) conference in Washington, D.C., Rafael Advanced Defense Systems CEO Yoav Turgeman confirmed that the company has completed acceptance testing of its Iron Beam laser interceptor and is now delivering the system to the Israeli Air Force for operational use.

“We have demonstrated the first production-line system. It was very successful,” Turgeman said. “We are delivering the system to the Air Force, which will use it operationally.”

The Iron Beam represents a breakthrough in directed-energy technology — capable of destroying incoming rockets, drones and mortars with a beam of light that can strike targets moving as fast as the speed of sound and at a fraction of the cost of conventional interceptors.

US AND ISRAEL URGENTLY NEED TO REPLENISH WEAPONS STOCKPILES AFTER 12-DAY WAR, DEFENSE ANALYSTS WARN

“The interception cost is just a few dollars,” Turgeman explained. “There’s no interceptor debris, so the collateral damage is much smaller. It enables us to reduce the cost of interception and enhance the performance of our system.”

The Iron Beam’s rollout makes Israel the first nation to field a high-power laser interceptor integrated into a national air-defense network — a milestone that could redefine missile defense for decades to come.

Rafael designed it as part of Israel’s layered air-defense architecture, which also includes the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems.

The laser will handle short-range threats such as rockets, small drones, and mortar rounds, freeing up Iron Dome’s more expensive missile interceptors for higher-value targets.

“Each layer complements the other,” Turgeman said. “The system decides what is the optimized solution.”

Turgeman said Rafael will partner with Lockheed Martin to produce Iron Beam components and indicated the technology could be integrated into the U.S.’s Golden Dome plans.

“We are looking forward to start the production stage,” he told Fox News. “Lockheed Martin will take part in a significant part of the production. We were able to meet our schedule on time, even though we had a war.”

Modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome, the U.S. is currently developing plans for its own homeland missile defense shield.

“We would love to see [Iron Dome] as part of that solution,” he said. “We have Iron Dome, the Stunner interceptor, and the laser — all could help protect the U.S.”

AMERICA’S NEW STEALTH B-21 RAIDER TAKES NEXT STEP WITH SECOND BOMBER’S FIRST FLIGHT

The new technology comes amid relative calm in the Middle East. Israel and Hamas have maintained a cease-fire in Gaza, and Iran has not launched attacks since June’s 12-day war.

Still, Israel isn’t taking any chances: Turgeman said Rafael has doubled its research and development investment to ensure Israel maintains its technological edge.

“If there will be another war, it will be the surprise,” he said. “The idea is to deter the enemy from attacking Israel — that is the safest way to prevent war.”

At AUSA, Rafael also unveiled a new L-Spike loitering weapon, a drone-like missile capable of reaching a target rapidly and then circling overhead until a strike is authorized.

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Turgeman said it’s designed for “time-critical targets” and built to resist electronic warfare interference.

“Even though the system has its own brain and can identify the target, the operator must approve the attack,” he said. “One operator can run four systems — but the final decision is human.”

EXCLUSIVE: The White House unveiled a number of criminal illegal migrants who received Medicaid as the Senate remains in gridlock over the government shutdown. 

Fox News Digital obtained detailed information surrounding the arrests of 49 illegal migrants, who have all been deported under the Trump administration, who were arrested for an array of crimes that occurred in the U.S. Charges include murder, assault, theft, burglary, rape and sexual abuse of a minor among other serious charges.

In Congress, the federal government has remained shut down for more than two weeks as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and most Democrats push for a reinstatement of Medicaid policy that was altered under the “Big Beautiful Bill” to be included in legislation that would fund the government through Nov. 21.

SENATE SET FOR NEW VOTE TO END SHUTDOWN, BUT GRIDLOCK OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES REMAINS

Republicans argue that “more than 1 million illegal aliens” receive Medicaid under the previously existing program that was revised under Trump’s landmark bill. 

“Democrats shut down the government and are inflicting pain on hardworking Americans because they want to provide free healthcare to illegal aliens,” White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Due to previously lax federal controls and Democrat state policies, criminal illegal murderers and rapists received Medicaid at the American taxpayers’ expense.”

While federal law prohibits undocumented individuals from obtaining Medicaid, some states use federal funds to provide unique versions of state-funded healthcare that permit illegal immigrants to receive health benefits. 

MEXICAN GANGS OFFERING UP TO $50K BOUNTIES FOR ICE AGENT ASSASSINATIONS IN US, DHS SAYS

Under the Biden administration, states were not allowed to place limits on the length of time someone could attest to having eligible immigration status for Medicaid.

“President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act is ensuring taxpayer dollars are focused on American citizens and do not subsidize healthcare for illegal aliens – but Democrats are desperate to undo these important reforms, and they’re willing to make the American people suffer for it,” Jackson added.

A majority of the illegal migrants the White House shared with Fox News Digital come from Mexico, El Salvador and even include some that illegally emigrated from China. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GETS 30 YEARS FOR RAPING 11-YEAR-OLD VIRGINIA GIRL MULTIPLE TIMES

A White House official explained that illegal migrants could obtain Medicaid through different means, but, specifically, emergency care spending on those not legally in the U.S. rose from $3B to $9B under President Joe Biden across various states. Tax dollars spent on illegal migrants exceeded that of pregnant women, children, elderly and the disabled during the Biden administration. 

The “Big Beautiful Bill” removed these provisions, which Senate Democrats are fighting to include, among other Medicaid items, in the ever-failing continuing resolution that has kept the government shut down. 

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On Tuesday night, the eighth vote to pass the continuing resolution failed in the Senate. Only Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., broke ranks from her party. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., did not vote. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

President Donald Trump decried left-wing violence on Tuesday while speaking at the ceremony to posthumously honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“We’ve watched legions of far-left radicals resort to desperate acts of violence and terror because they know that their ideas and arguments are persuading no one. They know that they’re failing. They have the Devil’s ideology,” he asserted.

CHARLIE KIRK POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDAL OF FREEDOM ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 32ND BIRTHDAY

Trump also sounded off regarding the political firestorm surrounding Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones. At the center of the controversy are Jones’ texts, which envisioned the murder of a rival, have overshadowed the state’s top-of-the-ticket race as Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger descended on Jones’ backyard in Hampton Roads, Virginia, for their gubernatorial bout Thursday. 

Earle-Sears — who also represented nearby Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the state legislature two decades ago — and Spanberger met at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, Thursday for their one-and-only debate appearance. 

Kirk, 31, was assassinated last month while holding an event at Utah Valley University.

CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY GUIDING ‘UNHAPPY’ GENERATION TOWARD FAITH, FAMILY AND FULFILLMENT ENDURES AFTER DEATH

The ceremony was held on the day that would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.

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The president described Kirk as a “true American hero.”

Fox News Digital’s Charlie Creitz contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court will rehear oral arguments Wednesday in a case centered on Louisiana’s use of race as a factor when drawing its congressional map — a closely watched legal fight that some fear could be used to weaken protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

The case, Louisiana v. Callais, was first heard by the high court in March. It focuses on whether Louisiana’s updated 2024 congressional map, which added a second majority-Black district, constitutes an unconstitutional “racial gerrymander.” The outcome could shape how states nationwide apply the Voting Rights Act in redistricting battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Justices ordered both parties to reappear in court in the fall to take up additional arguments before the case is decided. They also asked parties to submit additional briefs answering whether the state’s “intentional creation” of the second majority-minority district runs afoul of the 14th and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The court’s ruling could have a major impact on voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, with critics warning that a decision favoring the state may further erode safeguards for minority voters under the Voting Rights Act.

JUDGES SAY THEY’LL REDRWA LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL MAP THEMSELVES IF LAWMAKERS CAN’T

Louisiana, for its part, has abruptly changed its position since March.

Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill asked the Supreme Court in August to invalidate the 2024 map — an about-face from its earlier position — and urged the justices to rule more broadly that race-based redistricting is unconstitutional.

Murrill said that the 14th Amendment “commands that the government ‘may never use race as a stereotype or negative.’ Yet race-based redistricting rests on an invidious stereotype: that all minorities, by virtue of their membership in their racial class, think alike and share the same interests and voting preferences.”

“Race-based redistricting is fundamentally contrary to our Constitution,” she said.

A group of Black voters and civil rights groups, meanwhile, urged the court to leave in place the newer map, which it said “comport[s] with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment guarantees of equal voting rights and the VRA’s requirements.” 

NEW MAJORITY-BLACK LOUISIANA HOUSE DISTRICT REJECTED, NOVEMBER ELECTION MAP STILL UNCERTAIN

Louisiana has redrawn its congressional map twice since the 2020 census. The first version — which included only one majority-Black district — was blocked by a federal court and later by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022.

Both courts sided with the NAACP voters, and the Fifth Circuit ordered the state to adopt by January 2024 a new state redistricting map. 

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The Supreme Court’s request for additional arguments comes at a pivotal time, as several Republican-led states have attempted to aggressively push through new congressional maps of their own.

They also argued in filings to the Supreme Court that non-Black voters failed to show the direct harm required for equal protection claims or prove race was the main factor in redrawing the map.

Republican leaders in North Carolina’s GOP-dominated legislature say they’ll vote next week to redraw the state’s congressional district map as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide effort to create more right-leaning House seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

When state lawmakers in the key southeastern battleground meet in special session next Monday, they’ll become the latest state to jump into the high-stakes political battle over congressional redistricting, pitting Trump and the GOP against the Democrats.

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are aiming to follow in the footsteps of Republican-controlled Texas and Missouri, which passed new congressional maps the past two months. 

VOTING UNDERWAY IN ELECTION THAT MAY DETERMINE IF REPUBLICANS HOLD HOUSE IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERMS

The moves are part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Democrats need a pickup of just three seats to win back control of the House.

Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

“We will stand with the president, defend the GOP majority, and secure an additional Republican congressional seat,” Republican North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall said Monday.

WHAT STATES ARE NEXT UP IN THE CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING BATTLE

North Carolina’s congressional delegation was split 7-7 between Democrats and Republicans until GOP state lawmakers created a new map two years ago that allowed Republicans to capture 10 of the state’s 14 congressional districts in last year’s elections.

The latest new map Republicans aim to pass in the state legislature will likely target Democratic Rep. Ron Davis, whose district is the only one left in North Carolina that’s considered a true swing seat.

Trump narrowly carried North Carolina in his 2016 presidential election victory, his 2020 re-election defeat, and his 2024 recapturing of the White House.

Hall said that the president “earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat.”

But North Carolina House Democratic leader Robert Reives charged that Republicans in the legislature “are stealing a congressional district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the ballot box.”

And Democratic Gov. Josh Stein highlighted in a statement that “the General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump.”

“These shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours. I will always fight for you because the voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” the governor added as he pointed to Republican state lawmakers.

TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS OVER KEY 2025 ELECTIONS

But the redistricting map that will likely be passed by the GOP-dominated legislature next week won’t be subject to a veto by the governor.

Democrats are trying to fight back across the country.

California state lawmakers approved a special ballot proposition this November to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature.

The effort in California, which aims to create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts and counter the shift of up to five seats in Texas, is being spearheaded by two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender.

And Democrats in heavily blue Maryland and Illinois are weighing redistricting.

Even before Trump initiated his redistricting push, Ohio was under court order to redraw its maps. That could boost Republicans in a one-time battleground state that now leans right.

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And Republicans in the GOP-dominated states of Indiana, Florida, and Nebraska are also mulling congressional redistricting.

Meanwhile, Democrats could pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah. This, after the state legislature drew new maps after a judicial ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering. 

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s death has not dimmed his legacy of encouraging an increasingly “unhappy” generation to seek meaning and purpose through faith and family, young Americans told Fox News Digital.

“I think we live in a world where people are more unhappy than ever,” Georgetown University student Elizabeth Oliver said. “Depression rates and suicide are so high, and people are longing for true happiness. Charlie always talked about how ‘desires of the flesh’ aren’t fulfilling or making people happy. Instead of pursuing those things, we should turn ourselves toward higher purposes like family, marriage and God, because those are what truly fulfill people’s lives.”

“I actually think most people are searching for something,” she said. “I think that searching should be directed toward God. But I think most people recognize nowadays that what the Left has to offer is not going to lead to a fulfilling life.”

Americans’ happiness has taken a nosedive in recent years, with the U.S. falling eight spots in the 2024 World Happiness Report, which ranks countries’ life satisfaction, due to American young adults reporting they are not satisfied compared to their parents’ and grandparents’ generations. Americans older than the age of 60 ranked number 10 for overall happiness, according to the study, while young adults under the age of 30 ranked 62nd internationally for happiness, CNBC reported in 2024. 

Suicide and depression rates have meanwhile skyrocketed in recent years, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that one-in-five high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2023, with suicide jumping by 62% among young adults when comparing 2007 data to 2021 data. 

‘SLEEPING GIANT’ LIKELY WOKE UP FOR TURNING POINT USA AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION

Amid the increasing rates of unhappiness among youths, Kirk landed under the national spotlight as a youth, himself, rallying his peers to embrace conservative and Christian values to find peace. 

“Marriage isn’t just a life milestone- it’s a calling. God didn’t say ‘wait until you feel ready.’ He said ‘it is not good for man to be alone.’ Get married young. Be fruitful and multiply,” Kirk posted to Facebook just months before his death. 

His comments were even praised by Trump, who celebrated his message to young adults to get married. 

“We have so many bad philosophies, ideologies, politics,” Trump said on Fox News following Kirk’s death. “His was basically just good. He talked about family, he talked about getting married, ‘go get married. It sounds old-fashioned when you think about it, but he’s right.” 

Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University, the first stop on TPUSA’s planned “American Comeback Tour.” 

After news of Kirk’s killing spread across the country and world, some college students are choosing to carry on his legacy by echoing the values he championed and encouraging political debate among Gen Z peers.

Oliver is one of those Gen Zers, a college senior and president of the university’s Right to Life group, a pro-life advocacy group. She told Fox News Digital that she believes open dialogue can help renew focus on Christian conservative values.

Kirk “dedicated his life to talking with other people respectfully and listening to them,” she said. “We desperately need more of that dialogue now, more than ever. In a world that has abandoned God and moral values, we have even abandoned the basic respect for other human beings and we need to reclaim it.”

Kirk often spoke of marriage, children and the importance of family — with his widow continuing the promotion of those values from the stage of his memorial service in Arizona in September.

“We have an uplifting message for America, one that is hopeful, one of family formation, one off church attendance going up one of business ownership of entrepreneurship,” Kirk said on “The Will Cain Show” on May 2.

“Trump voters, young men, they want family, children, and legacy,” Kirk added on the Ingraham Angle Sept. 8, only two days before he was killed. “Young women who voted for Kamala Harris, they want careerism, consumerism, and loneliness. That is a dramatic divide that is going to play out in our politics for the years to come.”

Americans’ pessimism toward the institution of marriage and family, however, currently outweighs their optimism, according to a September 2023 Pew Research Center report called, “Public Has Mixed Views on the Modern American Family.” 

“Americans most often point to job satisfaction and close friends, rather than being married or having children, when asked what contributes to a fulfilling life,” the report found. “Some 71% say having a job or career they enjoy is extremely or very important for people to live a fulfilling life, and 61% say the same about having close friends. Only about a quarter say having children (26%) or being married (23%) is equally important.”

CHARLIE KIRK ANSWERED ‘HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED’ LESS THAN 3 MONTHS BEFORE KILLING

However, young adults are picking up the mantle of Kirk’s promotion of traditional values as support for TPUSA continues to grow following his death. 

Since Kirk’s assassination, Boston University College Republicans Vice President Philip Wohltorf, who also works as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State Senate, said his group has seen a drastic increase in attendance. Democratic groups on campus, however, have not been open to debating, he said, allowing anti-conservative sentiment to spread across the student body. 

“We were thinking, well, the left is open-minded and tolerant, they want to talk,” he said. “Unfortunately, they don’t, and it doesn’t really help. I think it would be great on campus if we would have a civil, calm, challenging debate. It would show the student body that people can disagree with one another but still shake hands and be friends afterward.”

He said, “America was founded on the principle of freedom of speech and dialogue, and nobody did it better than Charlie Kirk,” as the cultural divide continues to widen.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Boston University College Democrats said the group sent a “polite decline” to a debate request, explaining that it is “very difficult to make debates worthwhile.”

“We feel it is very difficult to make debates worthwhile for participants and viewers, so we decline them with everyone, not just Republicans,” the group said. “Freedom of speech is something we value greatly but we believe that open bipartisan collaboration is the path forward at this time.”

The group condemned all political violence, adding, “Charlie Kirk should not have died. We believe everyone should be able to share their ideas and beliefs without fear.”

ANTI-TRUMP VOICES PRAISE CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY AFTER ASSASSINATION, SAY HE WAS DOING POLITICS ‘THE RIGHT WAY’

TPUSA exploded with new interest after Kirk’s memorial service, receiving more than 120,000 campus chapter requests, according to the organization. 

Prior to the memorial service, TPUSA had around 60,000 requests, Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” recently said. TPUSA operates 900 official college chapters and approximately 1,200 high school chapters across the country. 

Wohltorf said more young people are standing by their values, pointing to faith and family as the most important priorities to many in his generation.

“I like the saying that people were now posting in the past two weeks talking about how one Charlie Kirk is gone but one hundred thousand new Charlie Kirks were just created,” Wohltorf said. “The majority of the conservative movement feels obligated to continue Charlie Kirk’s legacy and to continue to preach those family values, faith, and Christianity … I think that the majority conservative movement is even more likely to fight now and to speak out,” Wohltorf said.

CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE

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Oliver and Wohltorf believe these values will continue to be upheld for years to come after this political turning point. They say they’re inspired by Kirk’s legacy to share their beliefs and not be afraid.

“I think the majority is trying to continue his legacy, feeling obligated to fight, feeling obligated to foster dialogue, debate, and challenge one another with ideas,” Wohltorf said.

“Ultimately, Charlie said he wants to be remembered for his courage, for his faith, and I think that message is resounding very strongly with my generation,” Oliver said.

Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, Tuesday at the White House.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.