Several Pennsylvania officials, particularly in the Scranton area where President Joe Biden hails from, are calling on the city to undo its 2021 renaming of a freeway spur in his honor.

State Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Dallas, appeared to lead the charge with a scathing statement highlighting Biden’s recent pardon of a judge convicted in a "kids-for-cash" scandal wherein he received kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to for-profit prisons.

Wilkes-Barre Common Pleas Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. were convicted in 2008. The former served time in prison, followed by COVID-induced house arrest until Biden’s pardon. 

Walsh said some of the children affected had been convicted of minor offenses like jaywalking. The Democratic-majority Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out 4,000 juvenile convictions as a result of the scandal. 

ECONOMY BORDER & ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN'S HOMETOWN AS RESIDENTS LOOK BACK ON NATIVE SON'S FIRST TERM

"In light of the recent decision made by the Biden administration to commute former Judge Conahan’s sentence, I implore city officials and Mayor [Paige Gebhardt Cognetti] to remove President Joe Biden’s name from the expressway sign that leads to the heart of the ‘Electric City’s’ downtown area."

In 2021, the mayor and city council unanimously approved the rebranding of the three-quarter-mile Central Scranton Expressway spur off Interstate 81 and its continuance via then-Spruce Street through downtown as the "President Biden Expressway" and "Biden Avenue," respectively.

The President Biden Expressway initially serves as a short bypass of PA-307 into the city, and continues as "Biden Ave" toward northbound US-11, which, in-turn, meets the terminus of the colloquial "Route 9" -- the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension.

"The children affected by Conahan’s actions of nearly 15 years ago are now adults suffering in their own ‘mental’ prisons due to his deeds of self-fulfillment," Walsh said in a statement.

WV DEMOCRATS RIP BIDEN'S ‘EGREGIOUS’ PUBLIC CORRUPTION PARDON CHOICES: ‘WHAT WE’D EXPECT FROM TRUMP'

"Crimes against children are everlasting, and there is no escape from the irreparable damage these predators caused by their actions."

Walsh argued that the issue is non-partisan but "right versus wrong" and that Biden no longer deserves the commemoration because his pardon "exonerates [Conahan’s] behavior" as a signal to future corrupt public officials.

State Rep-elect. Brenda Pugh, R-Luzerne, told WBRE that Conahan’s conduct is a "blight on Pennsylvania" and that Biden’s pardon is "nothing short of a travesty."

"[H]is clemency is a miscarriage of justice," Pugh said, adding the President Biden Expressway will therefore "forever be a scar reminding people of what happened here [in NEPA]."

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who was the GOP's 2022 gubernatorial nominee, told Fox News Digital it is embarrassing to see Biden's name while driving up I-81, especially given his choices of pardons.

"He's a failed president who couldn't help himself to pardon his corrupt criminal son from so many illegals schemes. His name is to be off the highway," Mastriano said.

Meanwhile, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak made his case directly to Cognetti, writing the mayor a letter saying that reverting "Biden Avenue to Spruce Street" would help restore confidence in city leadership and reaffirm a commitment to governing in the best reflection of city values.

"This [pardon] has brought significant negative attention to Scranton, tarnishing the city's reputation and reflecting poorly on Lackawanna County as a whole," Chermak wrote.

In a Friday interview, Cognetti said that Biden’s commutation of Conahan was a "grave error" that freshly opened "deep and horrific" wounds for Scrantonians and NEPA residents.

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She echoed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s remark earlier this week that Conahan’s sentence was too light in the first place.

"[The case] was just the stuff that you think a screenwriter couldn't make up -- how systemic and how deep that scandal went," Cognetti said.

She said she had contacted the White House with her concerns and that she was sad to learn Conahan’s commutation is irreversible.

Cognetti noted she is currently mayor in part because of other officials’ public corruption as well.

Predecessor Bill Courtright resigned in July 2019 amid a conviction for bribery, corruption and conspiracy. Courtright’s departure led to two brief interim mayors before Cognetti was elected that November as an independent and, in 2021, as a Democrat. 

Cognetti added that the calls to strip Biden’s name from roadways are not new and continue to be mostly grounded in partisanship.

"The president is from here, and there are few communities that can boast of being the hometown of a President of the United States. We will continue to celebrate and be very proud of having a hometown son of Scranton as president."

"The two issues are conflated, I think, for political reasons. And I'd like us to treat these things as what they are. We need to continue to address corruption in government," Cognetti added.

"That’s separate from the president's legacy of 50 years in office and being the most successful son of Scranton."

BIDEN'S HOMETOWN EXPRESSES HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’

When recently asked about Biden granting Conahan a pardon, Shapiro said that presidents have the "unique and absolute" power to do so, but should wield it "incredibly carefully."

"I study every single case that comes across my desk where there's a request for a pardon or clemency or worse, or a reduction in sentence. And I take it very seriously," said Shapiro, who previously served as attorney general.

"I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania. This was not only a black eye on the community because of the scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways," he said.

The hard work and vision of a top policy and advocacy group in the America First movement helped make the difference in the 2024 presidential election, as several of its chairmen prepare to join the new Trump administration, a top official said.

America First Works executive director Ashley Hayek told Fox News in a Monday interview that her group has succeeded in focusing on popular policies from the first Trump administration and bringing those to state governments.

As the 2024 race heated up, Hayek said, America First Works turned to voter turnout as its plan to continue the prevalence of the political movement’s message.

"How do we educate people on these policies even more and mobilize voters?" she recalled asking.

"So we did a major study and analysis of the over 3,100 counties across the country, and we identified 21 key counties that we knew would be really important to be successful. And keep in mind that these are states that some were blue, some were red, some were purple, but some of the states were called in favor of Joe Biden in 2020 by only a 10,000 vote advantage," she said.

MCCORMICK-CASEY RECOUNT TOPS $1 MILLION

The initiative, nicknamed "Project 19" after the original 19 counties it targeted, sought to bring out to the polls low- and no-propensity voters. The latter is largely unique in the campaigning realm: seeking out voters technically considered "active" on state rolls but who have not voted in the past four cycles.

It not only targeted counties in swing states or reliably conservative states, but also in blue states like New York and New Jersey. In the latter, Trump came within four points of flipping it red for the first time this century, while a majority of New York’s counties voted for the Republican but were outweighed by the five boroughs, Erie County (Buffalo) and a couple others.

"I think it's kind of no secret when you look at any of the major media markets and the counties that those touch – look at Phoenix – that's Maricopa County, Las Vegas, it's Clark County, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, these are major urban areas, but they all have collar counties as well that become battlegrounds for both parties."

"And when we were on the ground, we would see, from time to time, Kamala Harris door-knockers, not as often as we thought we would," Hayek said.

The group’s election integrity work led them to target voters in places like Bucks County, Pennsylvania – where the RNC had launched a lawsuit after early voters were turned away from the Doylestown elections office.

"We were able to message directly to voters saying, ‘Hey, stay in line, don't get out of line,'" she said.

"We would call ahead to find out how long the line was for some of our elderly folks who couldn't wait in line that long."

"Those are the types of tactics just making it more accessible to vote. That's what conservatives want to do. We want to make it easier to vote, harder to cheat. That's been our mantra the entire time."

FIVE KEY PA COUNTIES THIS ELECTION

Through its voter outreach operations, Hayek said her group’s canvassers noticed a shift in pro-Harris activity from the Sun Belt to the Rust Belt – noting the latter had been President Biden’s strategy.

Hayek suggested Harris shifted to shoring up areas that had been in Biden’s pocket because her lack of "strategic messaging" was not resonating in those places as his once did.

A California native, Hayek said her group is also very involved in the Golden State despite its blue bent.

"I do think you're seeing more of a cultural shift. I do think that we're going to have to do things at a more local level in the state of California, and we're going to have to start working together in a lot better ways," she said.

With crime and taxation continuing to plague the elector-rich state, Hayek said she hopes to see America First Works’ work there continue to make inroads, similar to how former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., got relatively close to unseating Gov. Kathy Hochul in New York by focusing on issues and eschewing hyper-partisanship.

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America First Works’ partner group, America First Policy Institute, has since seen at least four of its leaders tapped for roles in the new administration, including Zeldin.

Co-founders Brooke Rollins and Linda McMahon are agriculture and education secretary-designates, respectively, while Zeldin and fellow co-chairman ex-Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., are also primed for White House roles in 2025.

"I think this is a really exciting time not just for America First Works, but for all Americans," Hayek said.

"And one of the things that was really important to us was having conversations with voters… so we made sure to collect information about what policies people cared about the most: is it the economy, is it the border, is it education? So to be able to continue those conversations throughout 2025, 2026 and beyond is going to be really important for this movement."

Fox News Digital's Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

A top Team Trump official disclosed the moment that "really set the campaign on a trajectory to victory" – the day President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Columbiana County, Ohio, to survey the East Palestine train derailment.

"The ripples from that day do not get enough attention," White House communications director-designate Steven Cheung said on X, formerly Twitter, in retweeting an op-ed making that assertion.

In February 2023, a Norfolk-Southern train hauling caustic industrial chemicals – including vinyl chloride – derailed in a small community near the Pennsylvania border, causing immediate chaos and long-lasting, widespread damage to the region.

A controlled burn held shortly after the derailment released toxic phosgene into the air.

WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGES MISTAKES IN INITIAL EAST PALESTINE DISASTER RESPONSE

On February 23 – Ash Wednesday – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, hosted Trump at the site, where the former and future president highlighted Americans "forgotten" by President Joe Biden – who had not yet shown up and would not visit for several more months.

The Republican mogul handed out "Trump"-branded water and met with local officials. Meanwhile, officials in both Ohio and Pennsylvania were also visibly working to hold the railroad accountable.

In his tweet, Cheung was responding to an op-ed by Pittsburgh-based Washington Examiner writer Selina Zito, who covered the crisis at the time.

Zito wrote that Trump’s arrival had happened at a political nadir for the Republican, following the 2022 midterm losses and amid a then-close presidential primary race with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

She noted in a tweet that it was Vance – his future running mate – who brought him to the site.

Trump’s mantra of "you are not forgotten" to Rust Belt residents too often forgotten by Washington helped change minds in the area, Zito wrote, quoting a local resident who said she had "switched parties because of the way he spoke directly to the concerns."

"I have voted for him both times since then," the woman, who owns an East Palestine farm, said.

TRUMP VISITS EAST PALESTINE, HANDS OUT TRUMP-WATER: ‘WE STAND WITH YOU’

Trump told residents that day that "in too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal."

The disparity between Trump’s eagerness to "show up" and Biden’s apparent putting-off of a visit to East Palestine helped turn the tide in the Republican’s favor, the column continued.

"100%," Cheung wrote in his tweet.

Trump’s former running mate, Mike Pence, also called out Biden at the time, saying he was "AWOL" and remarking to Fox News that the Delaware Democrat’s policies had "derailed the economy of East Palestine long before that train came through."

On the Pennsylvania side of the line, both Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his then-former gubernatorial opponent, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, also responded quickly to the derailment.

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Shapiro lodged a criminal referral at the time, and Mastriano led hearings that hosted affected residents along the Ohio border wherein Norfolk-Southern CEO Alan Shaw notably no-showed.

"It is very disheartening to hear that these alleged delays and botched response approaches took place – especially since those in East Palestine, Ohio, and areas in my district here in Pennsylvania have been dealing with the aftermath of this derailment for over a year now," state Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. told Fox News Digital at the time, after a whistleblower had spoken out about alleged mistakes from Biden’s EPA response – which the agency disputed.

President Biden has sparked anger among Pennsylvanians after he commuted the sentence of a corrupt judge who was jailed for more than 17 years after he was caught taking kickbacks for sending juveniles to for-profit detention facilities.

In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, former Judge Michael Conahan shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and shared $2.8 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups. Another judge, Mark Ciavarella, was also involved in the illicit scheme, the effects of which are still felt today among victims and families. 

The scandal is considered Pennsylvania’s largest-ever judicial corruption scheme with the state's supreme court throwing out some 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 kids after the scheme was uncovered.

BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: 'LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY'

Conahan, 72, pleaded guilty in 2010 to one count of racketeering conspiracy but was released from prison to home confinement in 2020 because of COVID-19 health concerns with six years left in his sentence.

But Biden, the so-called favorite son of Scranton, commuted Conahan's sentence Thursday as part of the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history in which he commuted jail sentences for nearly 1,500 people and granted 39 pardons.

"My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances," the president said. 

Sandy Fonzo, who once confronted Ciavarella outside federal court after her son was placed in juvenile detention and committed suicide, said that the president’s actions were an "injustice" and "deeply painful."

"I am shocked and I am hurt," Fonzo said in a statement, per The Citizens Voice. "Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back."

The decision has raised questions as to why Biden would choose to commute the sentence of a judge who is detested in the area. 

Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment but has not received a response. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that he opposed the president's actions and insisted that the judge should have been given a longer prison sentence given the damage he inflicted on families. 

"I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Shapiro said at a press conference in Scranton Friday while adding he was not privy to all the information about the decision. 

"This was not only a black eye on the community, the kids for cash scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways. Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart. There was all kinds of mental health issues and anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid's back."

"Frankly, I thought the sentence that the judge got was too light, and the fact that he's been allowed out over the last years because of COVID, was on house arrest and now has been granted clemency, I think, is absolutely wrong. He should have been in prison for at least the 17 years that he was sentenced to by a jury of his peers. He deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man."

The scheme began in 2002 when Conahan shut down the state juvenile detention center and used money from the Luzerne County budget to fund a multimillion-dollar lease for the private facilities.

WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING?

Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, pushed a zero-tolerance policy that guaranteed large numbers of kids would be sent to PA Child Care and its sister facility, Western PA Child Care. 

Ciavarella ordered children as young as 8 years old to detention, many of them first-time offenders deemed delinquent for petty theft, jaywalking, truancy, smoking on school grounds and other minor infractions. The judge often ordered youths he had found delinquent to be immediately shackled, handcuffed and taken away without giving them a chance to put up a defense or even say goodbye to their families.

In 2022, both Conahan and Ciavarella were ordered to pay more than $200 million to nearly 300 people they victimized, although it's unlikely the now-adult victims will see even a fraction of the damages award.

During the case, one victim described how he shook uncontrollably during a routine traffic stop — a consequence of the traumatizing impact of his childhood detention — and had to show his mental health records in court to "explain why my behavior was so erratic."

Several of the childhood victims who were part of the lawsuit when it began in 2009 have since died from overdoses or suicide, prosecutors said. 

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The scheme, per The Citizens Voice, involved former Pennsylvania attorney Robert Powell paying Ciavarella and Conahan $770,000, who in turn funneled juvenile defendants to two private, for-profit detention centers Powell partly owned.

Powell served an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to felony counts of failing to report a felony and being an accessory to a conspiracy.

Real estate developer Robert K. Mericle paid the judges $2.1 million and was later charged with failing to disclose to investigators and a grand jury that he knew the judges were defrauding the government. Mericle served one year in federal prison, per The Citizens Voice. 

Ciavarella is serving a 28-year prison sentence on honest services mail fraud charges, per the publication.

Fox News' Matt Finn and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: A Pennsylvania congressman fired off a scathing letter overnight to the University of Pennsylvania’s president demanding the firing of a left-wing professor whose social media posts lauded Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In his letter, GOP Rep. Dan Meuser called for Cinema & Media Studies professor Julia Alekseyeva’s firing and noted the university had just finished weathering another scandal relating to its soft response to antisemitic and pro-Hamas protests.

Alekseyeva made her online accounts private this week after blowback for saying – among other things – that she is proud to be a UPenn Quaker like the accused killer. Thompson's murder sparked a left-wing outcry depicting a simmering anger toward the insurance industry that led to online celebrations in other quarters.

Alekseyeva posted a TikTok video of herself smiling as "Do You Hear The People Sing?" from the French musical "Les Miserables" played. The play tells the story of a peasant imprisoned for stealing food and his ensuing quest for redemption. 

MEUSER BILL WOULD PROHIBIT US FINANCIAL AID TO AFGHANISTAN TIL ALL WRONGFULLY-DETAINED AMERICANS RELEASED

"I am writing to express my profound concern regarding the recent actions of Assistant Professor Julia Alekseyeva… which appear to celebrate the alleged actions of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the tragic murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson," Meuser wrote to UPenn interim President J. Larry Jameson.

Meuser noted Alekseyeva proudly connected Mangione to the University City, West Philadelphia school and that she had labeled him "the icon we all need and deserve."

The educator, who was reportedly born in the Ukrainian USSR and moved with her family to Chicago in the 1990s, also refers to herself as a "socialist and ardent anti-fascist" on her website.

Meuser, seen as a potential top contender in the 2026 gubernatorial contest against Democrat Josh Shapiro, called Alekseyeva’s behavior "outrageous" and said it violates the "basic ideals of a civilized society."

In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, Meuser said it is unacceptable for any educator to glorify acts of violence, especially at a high-level institution like UPenn.

"These actions undermine the core values of higher education and threaten the trust placed in our academic institutions," Meuser said.

SARA CARTER RECOUNTS ‘MIND-BLOWING’ INTERVIEWS WITH UPENN STUDENTS FOLLOWING PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION

The lawmaker, who represents the Coal Region and part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, said he is a fan of the Quakers but expects answers from Jameson in order to ensure further federal support for the school.

"Your response will dictate how my colleagues and I support allocating future federal funding for research at the University of Pennsylvania," he wrote in the letter, calculating $936 million in federal research grants in 2023.

"[This] forces Congress to question whether safeguards are in place to ensure that faculty conduct reflects the ethical and professional standards in line with the University’s reputation as a center of excellence and thought leadership."

He also asked Jameson whether Alekseyeva was found to have used university property in making her pronouncements, whether other faculty made similar gestures of support for Mangione and what other steps are being taken to prevent such scandals in the future.

The school has until the end of the year to respond, he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to UPenn for comment. 

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The school’s deputy dean of its Arts & Sciences school said in a Wednesday statement the university is aware of concerns over Alekseyeva’s posts and that they are "antithetical to the values" of UPenn.

"Upon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them. We welcome this correction and regret any dismay or concern this may have caused," Dean Jeffrey Kallberg said, according to the New York Post.

Mangione, a member of a large and well-connected Baltimore family, was captured following a tip from a customer visiting a McDonald's off Interstate 99 in Blair County, Pa.

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro issued a blistering condemnation of the suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood.

Shapiro railed against the suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, in remarks at a Monday press conference after Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

"The suspect here is a coward, not a hero," Shapiro said. 

The governor spoke out against "vigilante justice" and rebuked those who have praised the slaying of Thompson "in some dark corners" of the internet.

LUIGI MANGIONE, ALLEGED UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO KILLER, CHARGED WITH MURDER IN NEW YORK

"In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," Shapiro said. 

His remarks came hours after a six-day manhunt for Thompson's killer came to an end at a McDonald's in Altoona.

UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD'S

Mangione, a 26-year-old software developer, was taken into custody by rookie Altoona Police Officer Tyler Frye after an employee and a customer at the McDonald's recognized the suspect from wanted posters.

When officers approached Mangione – who was wearing a mask and a beanie and working on a laptop in the back of the restaurant – and asked him to remove his face covering, they recognized him as the suspect wanted for questioning in Thompson's murder.

WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER? 

During that encounter, he allegedly handed over a fake ID, gave a phony name and "became quiet and started to shake" when asked if he had recently been to New York.

He was also allegedly in possession of writings criticizing the healthcare industry, and a ghost gun similar to the one believed to have been used to kill Thompson.

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Altoona police initially took Mangione into custody on charges unrelated to Thompson's murder – possession of an unlicensed firearm, providing false identification to police and forgery.

He has since been charged with murder in New York, according to online court records.

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

Roughly 2½ years after former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill to restrict transgender athletes in girls and women's sports, Republican leaders in the state are making another push to do so.

Penn Live reported Friday that conservative senators in the state are pushing the new "Save Women's Sports Act" among numerous bills introduced in Harrisburg this week.

Every female member of the Senate GOP signed a memo that stated an intention to reintroduce the bill.

"It’s imperative that we protect the opportunity for female athletes to compete on the athletic field in a fair and equal manner," the senators wrote in this week’s memo.

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"Allowing a biological male to compete on a women’s scholastic athletic team puts all women on the playing field at an automatic disadvantage."

In 2022, Wolf called barring biological male athletes from female sports discriminatory against "marginalized youth."

"I have been crystal clear during my time in office that hate has no place in Pennsylvania, especially discrimination against already marginalized youth representing less than half of 1% of Pennsylvania’s population," Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement after he vetoed the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act."

TRANS FEMALE WEIGHTLIFTER TAKES USA POWERLIFTING LAWSUIT TO MINNESOTA SUPREME COURT

Wolf added lawmakers who voted for the bill "should be ashamed of themselves" for supporting what he called "incredibly harmful" policy.

Wolf left office Jan. 17, 2023, and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Josh Shapiro.

The veto of the bill came months after biological male Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania won an NCAA Division I title. Riley Gaines, who swam against Thomas, has since become a leading voice of keeping female sports female.

Half of U.S. states have restrictions on transgender athletes in female sports.

President-elect Trump has said he would move to prohibit transgender girls and women from competing against biological females.

There is a battle in Minnesota's Supreme Court involving transgender powerlifter JayCee Cooper, who was banned from female competitions by USA Powerlifting.

Cooper sued USA Powerlifting in 2021 after being rejected from the women's team three years earlier. In the complaint, Cooper alleged the organization violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against people "having or being perceived as having a self-image or identity not traditionally associated with one's biological maleness or femaleness."

After appeals, it was eventually ruled the federation did not discriminate against Cooper.

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Rep.-elect Ryan Mackenzie, R-Penn., says entering office is like a "whirlwind" as Republican leadership prepare the freshman class of lawmakers to hit the ground running in January.

Mackenzie, who ousted Democratic incumbent Rep. Susan Wild to gain his seat, told Fox News Digital in an interview that his experience from multiple terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has proven invaluable in these opening weeks.

Incoming House members of both parties – this cycle it's 57 new members – visit Washington barely a week after winning their elections for a freshman orientation that Mackenzie says makes it seem "just like it's any other job."

"You go through ethics training, HR training, cybersecurity training to make sure that you're gonna protect your information and the data that is so critical and sensitive for ourselves and our constituents and everybody else," Mackenzie said.

HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO MEET WITH VOTE ON RELEASING GAETZ REPORT LOOMING

Mackenzie said new lawmakers also have to get up to speed on legislation passing through Congress or legislation that soon will be, all while setting up and staffing their Capitol Hill offices.

"Some people have called it that you're building a small business when you're running a congressional staff and office networked across your district and in Washington, D.C., but you're building that in a very short period of time," he said.

DEM REP. NADLER PICTURED WITH HEAD DOWN, EYES CLOSED DURING TESTIMONY FROM OTHERS OF MIGRANT CRIME VICTIMS

Mackenzie also offered a look at the Republican game plan for when they take over Congress in January, saying the party is set to be far more effective than the opening months of the first Trump administration.

Republican lawmakers heard from both their congressional leadership and President-elect Trump about what the party's priorities will be come January.

"With the House, the Senate and the White House all lined up, we have a great opportunity, but it's still incredibly difficult to get things done," Mackenzie said, noting that lawmakers have to come to an agreement on the specific solutions to the campaign issues they ran on, namely lowering the cost of living and stemming the flow of illegal immigration.

END OF DEFUND POLICE ERA? CRIME, PROSECUTORIAL CRACKDOWN IN BLUE AND PURPLE STATES SIGNALS SHIFT, EXPERTS SAY

"I feel very confident that we're going to hit the ground running in those first 30–100 days in Congress," he said. "It's not going to be like it was the first time when Donald Trump came into office and people were maybe shocked and didn't really have their act together. It's much different this time around."

Mackenzie went on to argue that handling the issues of cost of living and illegal immigration "go hand-in-hand in a lot of ways." He stated that mass illegal immigration drives up the cost of housing and health care. He nevertheless noted that lowering costs was consistently the top priority for voters in polls, followed closely by the border crisis.

"We need to make sure we're addressing these things in tandem," he said. "It's about how can we best get both of these things actually across the goal line and through a House, a Senate and signed into law by the president."

The 2024 election cycle was rife with repeated legal battles to protect the voting processes from left-wing attorneys leveraging the courts to strip election safeguards, the chief of an election integrity nonprofit who saw a string of legal wins told Fox News Digital. 

"They've been selling American people a lie," Restoring Integrity & Trust in Elections (RITE) President Derek Lyons told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview, referring to left-wing efforts to undermine election laws. "And I think that these past two election cycles, where people have said ‘No, voting is very easy and millions, hundreds of millions of people have been doing it,’ have shown that what they're doing is misleading, at the very least."

RITE is a non-profit organization founded in 2022 following voters’ concern over the security of the 2020 election during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group was co-founded by Fox News contributor Karl Rove and includes board members such as former Attorney General Bill Barr and Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy. The organization hit the ground running in 2022 to ensure its "mission of protecting the rule of law in the qualifications for, administration of, and tabulation of voting in the United States," according to the group’s website. 

Lyons spoke to Fox News Digital just less than a month after Election Day, when he took a victory lap for his team’s battles against efforts to reportedly undermine election integrity, detailing the top legal tactics left-wing activists took during the election season. 

POLITICAL HEAVYWEIGHTS LAUNCH EFFORT TO RESTORE INTEGRITY AND TRUST IN ELECTIONS

Lyons, an attorney and former White House staff secretary and counselor to the president under President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, explained that Democrat activists were hyper-focused throughout the election on decrying efforts put forth by state legislatures to ensure safe elections, such as voter ID laws, frequently claiming such a policy would disenfranchise voters. 

"​​The main thing they do is anytime anybody puts up any sort of election integrity measure, whether that's voter I.D., voter photo I.D., whether that's rationalization of cure periods – the ability of people to fix errors in their ballots sort of after the election – ballot receipt deadlines, so that we can know the result of the election quickly … they attack it and say, this is disenfranchising," he said. 

ELECTION INTEGRITY IS ‘PARAMOUNT’ FOR 2024 RACE, SAYS FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR

"'This makes voting harder … this takes away people's right to vote.' …. They invoke federal voting rights laws that were meant to prevent the worst abuses of Jim Crow. They're sort of shameless about it. They'll throw any, any tactic at it," he explained of Democratic efforts to change voting laws. 

When groups such as RITE step in to challenge claims that such voting laws are legal and protect elections from illegal activity, Lyons said left-wing activists slam them in court as holding no standing. 

"They try to kick us out on procedural grounds because, ultimately, a lot of times they don't want to defend the merits of what election administrators are trying to do."

Lyons pointed to a successful case in Wisconsin back in 2022 when RITE challenged state officials from enabling what he called "re-voting" procedures, which entailed absentee voters who already submitted their ballots changing their votes mid-election. RITE challenged the practice and won to ensure that once a ballot is mailed, it cannot be changed. 

"We were able to win that case on the grounds that once a ballot is put into the mail, received by the election officials, that's the end of that person's vote. There's no fishing ballots back out and putting them back in, etc. Which obviously creates a risk of errors and double voting and all sorts of other problems. And so they tried to kick us out on standing. We were able to defeat that and secure that victory in Wisconsin," he said. 

ARIZONA BALLOT HARVESTING CASE LEADS TO 2 WOMEN BEING SENTENCED

Pennsylvania was again the premier battleground state this year, with both Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and a bevy of their respective surrogates criss-crossing the state to rally support ahead of Election Day. For RITE, the group has filed and taken part in 10 different election cases since 2022, including a case revolving around potential double votes. 

"In Philadelphia, we just got them to admit that they had planned to eliminate a crucial check against double voting to make sure that people weren't both voting in the mail and in person. So we had that in place for both elections [the 2022 midterms and 2024 election] to prevent that type of double voting, which does happen in Allegheny County," he said of the double vote case. 

WHY THE LEFT HATES ELECTION INTEGRITY AND THE SECRET BALLOT

Lyons also celebrated a win in a case he described as the "crown​​ jewel" of Pennsylvania: ensuring undated and incorrectly dated mail-in ballots were not counted in the official tally. 

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that mail-in ballots without the correct dates on ballot envelopes cannot be counted in elections. 

The ruling gained widespread attention following Nov. 5, when Democratic-led election boards bucked the state high court's ruling and voted to include such ballots in a recount concerning longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s race against Sen.-elect Dave McCormick. Democrats in the state openly defied the ruling before the state Supreme Court ordered counties to not include undated ballots, and Democrats walked back their decision. 

NEW ELECTION INTEGRITY GROUP WILL POUR MILLIONS INTO PAYING, PROTECTING WHISTLEBLOWERS ON 'FRONT LINES'

"​​We took it to state court and got a declaration that this had to be done under state law," Lyons said of RITE’s battle against Democratic activists over undated ballot envelopes. "They ran to federal court and said federal law prevents this. We won that case. They took it to the Court of Appeals. Democrat judges disagreed with them and said the date requirement does not violate federal law. They went back to state court and said, ‘well, this violates the state constitution.’ That case was procedurally improper. That case was thrown out. And then they tried to bring some other little case that nobody was paying attention to and use that case to revolutionize the way election administration was done in Pennsylvania. And finally, the state Supreme Court, to its great credit, said enough."

In Arizona, RITE had another win when it led a coalition of groups against a ballot initiative all the way through the Arizona Supreme Court that Lyons said would have expanded ballot harvesting. 

"One of our first engagements that we're very proud of was, we quickly led a coalition of like-minded groups to litigate against a ballot initiative that was pending … in Arizona that would have eliminated things like precinct voting, would have expanded opportunities for ballot harvesting. It would have prevented efforts to keep noncitizens off the voter rolls and a host of other, I think, really bad rules for elections," he said. 

"We were able to invalidate hundreds of thousands of signatures that the left, the liberal organizations that were pursuing this initiative had, quote unquote, gathered. We invalidated them. We litigated the case up to the Arizona Supreme Court. It actually went back a couple of times. And in the end, that ballot initiative was not approved. And so that meant that the 2022 election, but I think more importantly the 2024 election in Arizona, was not infected by ballot harvesting." 

When asked if Democrat activists essentially cried uncle amid the avalanche of election lawsuits, Lyons pointed to Democratic Party elections attorney Marc Elias and a case originating out of Ohio as his "favorite" example of defeat over liberal attorneys. 

VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT PHOTO ID REQUIREMENT TO VOTE, NEW POLL SAYS

"Marc Elias went to Ohio. Ohio passed a very sensible voter photo ID law. He started out the year in 2024 boasting and proclaiming to all who would listen on Twitter and in the media, that if Ohio passed this law, it will be sued and the law will be struck down. So he went to Ohio, and he did file that lawsuit. He followed through on his threat."

"We showed up, and we defended that lawsuit. We defended against that lawsuit alongside the state. And the victory was complete and total. A Democrat judge appointed by President Clinton, I believe, threw out his entire case, said 'you have not proven at all that there's even a remote chance that any voters are disenfranchised or burdened by this law. Case dismissed. Final judgment.' [Elias] didn't even appeal that case. Didn't even bother to try to take it up to the courts of appeals," he recounted. 

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the voter ID bill into law in January 2023, which mandated voters provide a driver’s license, state ID, passport or military ID when casting a ballot, instead of previous forms of identification such as a bank statement. 

Democrats and some residents in the state dubbed it one of the most restrictive ID policies in the nation and the "worst anti-voter" bill, arguing it would disenfranchise lower-income voters who have suspended licenses or lacked the required documentation. The Ohio Secretary of State office found over the summer that more than 8,000 voters who tried to cast ballots since the law's passage were not included in final vote tallies as they lacked the proper identification, USA Today previously reported.  

Republicans have defended the law as "an elementary precaution to protect the voting process," citing that Americans cannot board a plane or buy alcohol without the same requirement. 

Concerns over election integrity have been brewing for years and were underscored during the 2020 election as voters hunkered down amid stay-at-home orders, and mail-in and absentee ballot voting grew. Heading into the 2024 election, a poll from January found 46% of registered Republicans said they had no confidence ballots would be accurately counted and reported, Fox Digital previously reported. On the other hand, 81% of registered Democrats reported in the poll they are "very" confident the 2024 elections would be "fair."

Polls focused on specific measures touted by Republicans and conservatives to ensure safe elections have received widespread support across the board. A Gallup Poll released days ahead of Election Day found that 84% of respondents favored requiring voters to provide a photo ID, while 83% said they support providing proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time. The poll noted that voter attitudes toward these issues were similar to those seen in its July 2022 poll. 

"Voter photo ID is supported by something like 80% of the country. The notion that this is somehow unconstitutional has been rejected time and time and time again," Lyons said. 

Looking toward future elections, Lyons said RITE will focus on election laws surrounding left-wing efforts to "normalize" noncitizen votes in blue states before such efforts seep into red states, as well as continuing their efforts on voter ID laws, enhancing the integrity of signature matching requirements, and unraveling what Lyons said was left-wing "lies" surrounding claims of disenfranchised voters over practices such as voter ID laws. 

"I think our organization was able to do and to plug into a much broader coalition of of groups ,who really care about what I call the crown jewel of the United States of America, which is our elections. That's the key. It's the foundation of our self-government. And I think today we can believe, and we can have confidence, and we can be proud of the fact that they're a little more secure today than they were two years ago and four years ago," he said. 

The House task force on the two assassination attempts of President-elect Trump will gather for its final hearing Thursday ahead of the release of its highly anticipated report.

U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Director Ronald Rowe will testify before lawmakers. Task force members will then huddle behind closed doors to consider their final report.

Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., said the hearing was about restoring confidence in federal law enforcement.

"What we’re working on more than anything else is the public has to know what happened that day because there’s still a lot of confusion about it," Kelly told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT TASK FORCE SAYS ATF ‘FAILED TO PRODUCE’ REQUESTED MATERIALS

"When we look at Secret Service, that’s always the elite of the elite. So, I think what we’re trying to do is establish the situation where … we can restore that confidence."

Trump held a rally in Kelly’s district July 13, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on the event from just outside its security perimeter, injuring Trump and others. One rally attendee was killed. 

Later in September, USSS agents opened fire on a 58-year-old man who had a rifle aimed at Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, golf course where the president-elect was out for the day.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: SECRET SERVICE FAILURES MAY WARRANT DISCIPLINE, AGENCY REPORT SAYS

The incidents prompted heavy scrutiny of the USSS and its security practices and led to the ouster of USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle.

And while Kelly admitted he "would have rather had" Cheatle testify before his task force, he praised Rowe’s handling of the situation since succeeding her. 

"From the very start, he said, ‘Look, it was entirely our fault. This is the worst state the Secret Service has ever had,’" he said. 

SECRET SERVICE KNEW AIRSPACE PROTECTION WOULD END WITH FORMER PRESIDENT ONSTAGE

Kelly said he anticipated the final report being released around Dec. 13, the task force’s "due date" for producing the results of its investigation.

The panel released an interim report in late October detailing "a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally."

USSS personnel at the event "did not give clear guidance" to state and local authorities about how to manage security outside their hard perimeter, nor was there a central meeting between USSS and the law enforcement agencies supporting them the morning of the rally, according to findings presented as key failures in the 51-page report.

Voters in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District gave six-term incumbent Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., the boot last month in favor of a young, energetic and successful businessman who says he's ready to defend their interests in the nation's capital.

Republican Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan, 34, tells Fox News Digital in an interview that "kitchen table issues" helped him connect with northeastern Pennsylvanians and oust Cartwright, a progressive who had served in Congress for more than a decade. 

"When we were knocking on doors and talking to people every single day over a period of 13 months, the first thing anyone had to say was, ‘I can’t afford my bills. I can't afford rent. I can't afford my mortgage. I can't afford school property taxes. I can't afford groceries,'" Bresnahan said. 

Rising prices for food and gas have made living costs unaffordable for Pennsylvanians, he explained. And as voters have watched illegal immigrants overrun the southern border and be provided free food, housing and benefits, while billions in foreign aid flows out from the U.S. to other countries, they felt that foreigners were being treated better than Americans by their government, said Bresnahan. 

PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRAT REP. MATT CARTWRIGHT CONCEDES RACE TO GOP CHALLENGER

"We're looking around at our neighbors saying, ‘hey, what about us here?’ And they couldn't help but feel that they have been put second for a long time." 

Bresnahan was a success story before he won election to the House of Representatives. A fifth-generation native of Luzerne County, at just 19 years old he was entrusted to be CFO of his grandfather's construction company, which builds electrical infrastructure for municipalities and highways throughout Pennsylvania. 

He spent his college years at the University of Scranton dashing back and forth between the office and class as he worked to help the business recover from the global financial crisis. His hard work paid off, the business grew and Bresnahan became CEO after graduating in 2013.

"I was still living at home with my parents and I was in and out of a dorm room and running a company with 58 employees even though I couldn’t legally drink a Coors Light yet," he told the Citizen's Voice in 2021. "The combination was a heavy workload but it was a sacrifice that I would make again in a second." 

But as the years passed, Bresnahan, like many Americans, felt the country was headed on the wrong track. The decisions coming from Washington, D.C., were bad for his business, his employees and the people they serve. And so, he decided to enter politics to make a difference.

"I felt that the country was not heading in the right trajectory with what is happening on our southern border. We had life essentially unaffordable for the average person. And I've always been a person to roll up my sleeves and throw myself into fire," Bresnahan said.

PA DEM IN DISTRICT THAT VOTED FOR TRUMP SAYS HE'S A MODERATE, BUT VOTING RECORD TELLS ANOTHER STORY

His winning congressional campaign focused on securing the border, cutting taxes and trimming government spending, creating "family-sustaining jobs" in the Keystone State and supporting law enforcement. In April, Bresnahan received an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump.

"A successful Businessman, Rob has worked hard to Create Jobs and Grow the Economy, unlike his opponent, Matt Cartwright, who is completely beholden to Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left," Trump posted on Truth Social.

With the campaign behind him, Bresnahan says he and the other members of the incoming Republican majority in Congress are ready to hit the ground running with a pro-growth agenda in January. 

"Securing the border. That needs to be done day one, Jan. 3 at 12:01 p.m., the day after we are all sworn in," he told Fox News Digital. "I think there's going to be a big playbook, but that is a tangible win right off the bat."

SINGLE HOUSE RACE STANDS BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND 1-SEAT MAJORITY

On inflation, Bresnahan says Congress and the Trump administration can tackle unaffordable prices by lowering energy costs. "Talking about just Pennsylvania alone, 52% of homes are heated from natural gas. $45 billion a year are generated from the natural gas industry, and $76 billion in GDP comes out of the fracking and natural gas industry," he said, insisting that policymakers must stop "vilifying natural resources." 

The rising national debt, at $36 trillion, is another burden on the economy Bresnahan says Congress must address. "We're spending more on debt servicing – just our national debt and the interest – than we are on our national defense budget."

The young lawmaker said there will be "tough votes" on discretionary spending when Congress convenes in January. But two of the largest contributors to the federal debt and deficit will remain untouched.

"Obviously, we can't cut Medicare. We can't cut Social Security. We have to preserve that for our current generation, and we have to find ways to preserve it for our generation and the next generation. But I don't believe that there's a one-size-fits-all policy on any circumstance, let alone the national debt and the expenditures of the federal government," Bresnahan said.

However, he added that illegal immigrants should not benefit from programs that Americans have paid in to, including Social Security and Medicare.

REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA

Republicans are expected to extend the 2017 tax cuts that became law during Trump's first term in office. Bresnahan says he supports those tax cuts and insists that economic growth spurred by deregulation and investments in infrastructure and American jobs can make up for any potential revenue losses.

"We have to get people back to work," he said. "We have to create economic climates that are conducive to the American people to incentivize them to go to work." 

Part of that is to support jobs that don't require a college degree, such as carpenters, plumbers or electricians. "These are great, family-sustaining careers with annuities starting on day one, with health insurance for your family, and you're earning while you learn." 

Turning to foreign policy, Bresnahan said the United States must remain a global superpower and pursue "peace through strength." 

"But we have to be strong as the United States," he added. Asked about growing GOP opposition to foreign aid, including to Ukraine, Bresnahan emphasized that he supports efforts to push back against Russian aggression – but he wants to do so responsibly.

YOUNGEST HOUSE REPUBLICAN-ELECT REVEALS HOW GOP WON BACK AMERICA'S YOUTH

"Putin is a war criminal and needs to be stopped," he said. "I am all supportive of providing weapons, missiles, rockets – actually, there's a big manufacturing facility inside of my district. But where I do want accountability is the raw, hard dollars that have been sent. I want audits done on those to ensure they're going to the right causes." 

Echoing Trump's beliefs about putting America first, Bresnahan said there is a point where "enough is enough" and that Europe has to match U.S. contributions to foreign aid. 

"Again, I'm looking at, you know, 25% of my bridges are structurally deficient. We have aging infrastructure levees that protect over $1 trillion of property here in the United States. You're talking about power distribution grids that haven't been re-invested in since the 1950s with 50 years of usable life. And, you know, we were without power for multiple days now, going on which could possibly be a week (Editor's note: A blizzard in Breshanan's district had postponed this interview). Europe didn't come and send over trucks to help us rebuild our grids."

"Ukraine obviously has a lot going on, but we need to take care of our own people. We have to take care of our own Americans. And I believe Donald Trump had that narrative and that's why he just won an election in a landslide, because it's about us," he added. 

Bresnahan hopes to bring "common sense" solutions to the complex problems facing Americans. He has pledged to work with whomever has a good idea, Republican or Democrat, and has earned endorsements from both No Labels and the moderate Problem Solvers Caucus. Though he calls himself a "fiscal conservative," he rejects political labels because "I don't think confirmation bias is the right way to solve any issue."

"I believe most challenges can be overcome through healthy and solid debate," he added.

And what about those issues that inflame passions on both sides? Before this interview, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., made national headlines after she put forward a resolution that would bar Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., a transgender lawmaker who is biologically male, from using the women's bathrooms in the Capitol. 

Bresnahan said that while he believes biological men should not play in women's sports or use their facilities, the flare up between Mace and McBride distracts from other important issues facing Americans – like crumbling infrastructure and expensive living costs. 

"I don't want the 119th Congress to be hijacked by what bathrooms we should be using when we have been elected to provide real solutions for the real American people. And that's what I'm going down to Washington, D.C. to do." 

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.

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

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., acknowledged that Democrats had a major problem when it came to border security, resulting in Republicans securing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Fetterman did not pull punches in reflecting on his party during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."

"Well, one area where we kind of lost ourselves was the border," the Democratic senator stated. "And I've been on this network, you know, months, months ago saying, 'Hey, you know, it can't be controversial for our party to have pro-immigration, but we need a secure border.' And when we ask or demand people to not believe what they see, and see those kind of numbers, that that's not a problem. It's like, well, then you lose about that 100%," 

"I've tried to describe – you have up to 300,000 people – encounters – per month. And I put that in perspective with Pennsylvania. I'm like, that's the size of Pittsburgh showing up in one month," Fetterman told host Gillian Turner. "It's like, what's going to happen for those folks? If we want them [to have] the American Dream for those people, how can we possibly deliver that? Where do they go? And we can't pretend that that's not a significant issue. And we got to address that." 

Democrats have traditionally defined themselves as the anti-war party, but Fetterman seemed to suggest it lost its footing when progressives grew critical of Israel's war against Hamas terrorists following the Oct. 7 attacks. Fetterman said Israel's effort against Hamas and Ukraine's fight against Russia are two "just" wars that remain ongoing.

FETTERMAN SAYS 'F--- THAT' AMID BIPARTISAN BACKLASH OVER ARREST WARRANTS TARGETING ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU, GALLANT

In regard to Israel, Fetterman said he "never supported a cease-fire, and that was the right thing." 

"I said I was going to follow Israel. And since they refused to have that cease-fire, they have eliminated and broken Hamas, and Hezbollah, Hezbollah was supposed to be like the ultimate bada-- in the Middle East, and now they were a bunch of Keystone Cops, and Iran has just been exposed, as you know, they really can't fight about anything. So that's been a significant development here," Fetterman said. 

"And with respect to Ukraine, Ukraine was invaded, and for me, for me, it's about standing on the side of democracy," he continued. "And I was very supportive about that aid. And I don't understand if the other side would stop delivering that kind of aid. That's a disagreement, but I've been very, very clear supporting Israel and Ukraine." 

STEFANIK MEETS WITH SENATORS AS TRUMP'S UN AMBASSADOR NOMINEE, TOUTS 'AMERICA FIRST PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH'\

Turner noted that President-elect Trump's transition team has touted their foreign policy and national security team as the most pro-Israel in American history. That includes Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tapped to become secretary of state, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Huckabee, chosen as U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as national security adviser.  

"In terms of the incoming administration, I actually like what I see in terms of being very, very strong pro-Israel," Fetterman said, adding that Israel has made "magnificent kinds of progress… generating longer term peace by destroying Hamas, Hezbollah, and demonstrating that Iran, really, doesn’t have the kind of capability to deliver any kinds of damage." 

He indicated he would support Rubio, and potentially Dr. Mehmet Oz, who Fetterman defeated during a contentious Senate race. 

Fetterman said on Sunday that he knows "it got kinda ugly" in his race against Oz, but he "doesn't have any kind of bitterness" and "is open to dialogue," adding, "I'm not sure why that's controversial." 

 "I'm not going to pre-hate. I'm not going to pre-hate a lot of these things, and I'm not going to pre-hate this," Fetterman said. "I'm going to have an open conversation for anyone, that I'm open to having part of that conversation."

Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday announced he has conceded the race to Republican candidate Dave McCormick more than two weeks after Election Day. 

Casey said in a statement that he called McCormick to congratulate him. McCormick's campaign also independently confirmed the news to Fox News Digital. 

"I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate," Casey said in the statement. "As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last."

"This race was one of the closest in our Commonwealth’s history, decided by less than a quarter of a point. I am grateful to the thousands of people who worked to make sure every eligible vote cast could be counted, including election officials in all 67 counties."

RNC FILES TWO LAWSUITS IN PENNSYLVANIA AMID SEN BOB CASEY REFUSING TO CONCEDE RACE

The Pennsylvania State Department said Friday that it halted the commonwealth-wide recount that began Monday "because Sen. Casey withdrew and continuing the recount would not be in the best interest of taxpayers."

The department on Thursday confirmed that all counties "have completed their initial count of all votes cast, with the exception of ballots under challenge." 

"This is a major step that marks the end of counties’ initial counting processes and signals that counties begin preparing their results for official certification. Thousands of election professionals have been working tirelessly since Nov. 5 to ensure every eligible vote cast by a registered voter is counted accurately. All of Pennsylvania’s election officials deserve our thanks, as well as our continued support while they complete their duties with integrity," the message said. 

The news comes after McCormick edged out Casey by just 17,000 votes to win the Senate seat, according to the most recent unofficial data from the Department of State – putting Casey well within the 0.5% margin of error required under Pennsylvania law to trigger an automatic recount. 

That was slated to end Nov. 26.

The Republican Party blasted Democrats this week for Casey's refusal to concede the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, taking aim at the three-term incumbent for moving ahead with a costly recount effort, despite their assessment that Casey lacked any achievable path to victory.

They also criticized the cost, noting that the recount would cost taxpayers an estimated $1 million. 

In his statement Thursday, Casey praised the democratic process and voters who turned out in the Keystone State.

"When a Pennsylvanian takes the time to cast a legal vote, often waiting in long lines and taking time away from their work and family, they deserve to know that their vote will count," Casey said. "That’s democracy."

Later Thursday, Casey took to X to thank his supporters. 

"During my time in office, I have been guided by an inscription on the Finance Building in Harrisburg: ‘All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor.’" 

He added: "Thank you for your trust in me all these years, Pennsylvania. It has been the honor of my lifetime." 

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the news "hits me." 

"It’s been a supreme honor to have Bob Casey as a colleague, friend, and mentor," Fetterman said in a statement. "His legacy is a better Pennsylvania. Unassuming while delivering for PA for nearly two decades, he fought for working Pennsylvanians and unions, rural communities, seniors and people with disabilities—all of us. Bob Casey was, is, and always will be Pennsylvania’s best senator."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated to note that the Pennsylvania department of state instructed elections officials to stop the recount Thursday night.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has agreed to cancel its requirement for schools to enforce teaching guidelines that were deemed "woke" in a recently settled lawsuit.

Pennsylvania officials were requiring schools to adopt a set of instructions on how to approach teaching under their "Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education Program Framework Guidelines" (CR-SE). 

The guidelines included mandating teachers to "design learning experiences and spaces for learners to identify and question economic, political, and social power structures in the school" and "disrupt harmful institutional practices, policies, and norms."

The Thomas More Society, a faith-based legal group, filed a lawsuit against the PDE in April 2023 on behalf of a group of parents and public school districts who argued the mandate violated their First Amendment rights.

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The PDE agreed to settle the suit in November and rescind its CR-SE guidelines. 

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"We are incredibly pleased with this settlement agreement, which forces the Pennsylvania Department of Education to rescind the state’s ‘Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education’ guidelines – securing an important victory for Pennsylvania parents, students, and teachers," Thomas Breth, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, said in a statement.

"Our agreement is a triumph against the Department’s blatantly ideological and illegal attempt to inject ‘woke’ activism into school curricula across Pennsylvania, which demanded educators affirm their belief in these ideological tenets and then impose the same upon their students," Breth added.

Just days after the settlement, the department issued new suggestions under their new "Common Ground Framework," though schools are no longer required to comply with the guidelines.

Asked about the settlement, PDE highlighted their new guidelines in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

"PDE is proud to offer this resource as an improvement on previously issued guidance, with an expanded focus on digital literacy, mental health, and trauma – real issues that impact those in all spaces of learning within every Pennsylvania community," Erin James, PDE press secretary, said in a statement.

The new guidelines encourage educators to "understand the importance of differences in marginalized learners and historically underrepresented groups," such as gender identity, according to the department's website. 

Additionally, teachers in the state are still encouraged to "create an equitable learning environment by challenging and debunking stereotypes and biases about the intelligence, academic ability, and behavior of historically marginalized learners."

Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday announced he has conceded the race to Republican candidate Dave McCormick, putting an end to a lengthy automatic recount in the Keystone State more than two weeks after Election Day. 

Casey said in a statement that he called McCormick to congratulate him. McCormick's campaign also independently confirmed the news to Fox News Digital. 

"I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate," Casey said in the statement. "As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last."

"This race was one of the closest in our Commonwealth’s history, decided by less than a quarter of a point. I am grateful to the thousands of people who worked to make sure every eligible vote cast could be counted, including election officials in all 67 counties."

RNC FILES TWO LAWSUITS IN PENNSYLVANIA AMID SEN BOB CASEY REFUSING TO CONCEDE RACE

The Pennsylvania State Department confirmed that all counties "have completed their initial count of all votes cast, with the exception of ballots under challenge." 

"This is a major step that marks the end of counties’ initial counting processes and signals that counties begin preparing their results for official certification. Thousands of election professionals have been working tirelessly since Nov. 5 to ensure every eligible vote cast by a registered voter is counted accurately. All of Pennsylvania’s election officials deserve our thanks, as well as our continued support while they complete their duties with integrity," the message said. 

The news comes after McCormick edged out Casey by just 17,000 votes to win the Senate seat, according to the most recent unofficial data from the Department of State – putting Casey well within the 0.5% margin of error required under Pennsylvania law to trigger an automatic recount. 

That recount began Monday and was slated to end Nov. 26.

The Republican Party blasted Democrats this week for Casey's refusal to concede the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, taking aim at the three-term incumbent for moving ahead with a costly recount effort, despite their assessment that Casey lacked any achievable path to victory.

They have also criticized the cost, noting that the recount will cost taxpayers an estimated $1 million. 

In his statement Thursday, Casey praised the democratic process and voters who turned out in the Keystone State.

"When a Pennsylvanian takes the time to cast a legal vote, often waiting in long lines and taking time away from their work and family, they deserve to know that their vote will count," Casey said. "That’s democracy."

Later Thursday, Casey took to X to thank his supporters. 

"During my time in office, I have been guided by an inscription on the Finance Building in Harrisburg: ‘All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor.’" 

He added: "Thank you for your trust in me all these years, Pennsylvania. It has been the honor of my lifetime." 

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the news "hits me." 

"It’s been a supreme honor to have Bob Casey as a colleague, friend, and mentor," Fetterman said in a statement. "His legacy is a better Pennsylvania. Unassuming while delivering for PA for nearly two decades, he fought for working Pennsylvanians and unions, rural communities, seniors and people with disabilities—all of us. Bob Casey was, is, and always will be Pennsylvania’s best senator."

A Democratic Pennsylvania election official apologized on Wednesday for controversially claiming that court precedent "doesn't matter in this country," as the recount in the U.S. Senate race begins in the state. 

In a meeting last week, Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, voted to count provisional ballots that were missing one of two required voter signatures. She did so after being told by a county attorney that the state Supreme Court had already ruled that such ballots cannot be counted.

"We all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country and people violate laws any time they want," Ellis-Marseglia said in a clip that has since gone viral on social media. "So for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it. There is nothing more important than counting votes."

Facing a packed meeting before an outraged public, Ellis-Marseglia read out her apology on Wednesday – in between jeering and calls for her to resign. 

"Last Thursday, when I spoke at the meeting that you’re all here about, the passion in my heart got the best of me, and I apologize again for that," she said. "That was a hearing, and we were talking about provisional ballots. We were specifically talking about the fact that there were certain provisional ballots where a judge of elections did not sign and did not make sure that a voter signed on the outside envelope. To me, it was frustrating and unconscionable that we would have to take away somebody’s vote not because they made a mistake, but because an employee, one of our members … one of the judges of elections didn’t know what to do or forgot or made a mistake. That issue that I spoke on has now gone viral from my comments. It was genuinely not the best words. I would do it all again. I feel terrible about it. I should have been more clear, please, I will be more clear in the future." 

DEMS SUE PA ELECTION BOARD OVER UNCOUNTED PROVISIONAL BALLOTS AMID SENATE RECOUNT IN CASEY LOSS

Ellis-Marseglia claimed her reference to court precedent related to the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v Wade – an assertion that drew loud groans from the crowd. 

"I remind you all that we all say things that are out of turn, we all made mistakes. I made a mistake! And because I am an election official, I am held to a far higher standard than everybody else," she said. "When I inartfully spoke and used the word precedent when I was talking about provisional ballots, I was referring to the United States Supreme Court, and the precedent that has been lost on many issues including Roe v. Wade."

The audience erupted in boos and groans, as Ellis-Marseglia pounded her gavel and responded, "If you would just bear with me for one more minute!" 

REPUBLICANS FILE 12 PENNSYLVANIA LAWSUITS IN 'AGGRESSIVE' PUSH TO END RECOUNT

"Unfortunately, I took my frustration out on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, many of whom are friends of mine who I respect, and whose decisions are complicated and difficult and important," she said. "We are all going to learn lessons from this new media landscape. And most of all, I am. I am a small fish in this big pond. I do not have a megaphone on Twitter or CNN, or I am not a secretary of state, I don't run a presidential campaign. This is the only opportunity that I have had to set the record straight." 

Ellis-Marseglia said she received messages from hundreds of people, and "all of them involved horrible, horrible expletives," and many of them included death threats against her and her family. 

The initial clip of the comment by Ellis-Marseglia garnered widespread condemnation by conservatives on social media. 

"This is a BLATANT violation of the law and we intend to fight it every step of the way," Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, wrote in a post on X that received 1.2 million views.

Pennsylvania's state Supreme Court on Monday weighed in on a flashpoint amid ongoing vote counting in the U.S. Senate election between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick, ordering counties not to count mail-in ballots that lack a correct handwritten date on the return envelope. Casey has refused to concede the race, which The Associated Press called in favor of McCormick earlier this month.

In a statement, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said a lack of legal clarity had surrounded the ballots, putting county officials in a position where they were "damned if they did and damned if they didn’t — likely facing legal action no matter which decision they made on counting."

McCormick currently leads by .24% as of Thursday morning, according to Pennsylvania's election results website. A recount is triggered under state law by a margin of .5% or lower. The statewide recount began Wednesday morning. It must conclude by Nov. 26. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee filed a lawsuit Monday over the counting of dozens of provisional ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, alleging that rejecting the ballots violates both the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution and other protections for voters.

The lawsuit, which the DSCC filed in state court against the Bucks County Board of Elections on behalf of Sen. Bob Casey, is the latest in a flurry of legal action in the Keystone State as it begins its official Senate election recount. 

The case centers on 74 provisional ballots in Bucks County that were disqualified because they lacked an inner "secrecy envelope" required for provisional ballots in the state.

REPUBLICANS FILE 12 PENNSYLVANIA LAWSUITS IN 'AGGRESSIVE' PUSH TO END RECOUNT

Lawyers for the Democratic Party argued in the court filing that the provisional ballot errors were the "direct result" of inaccurate instructions from poll workers, rather than the voters themselves, and therefore violated both the due process clause and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which states that "an individual's provisional ballot "shall be counted... in accordance with state law" if election officials determine that the individual is eligible to vote.  

By excluding these provisional ballots that were the result of poll worker errors, lawyers argued, the Bucks County Board of Elections "unlawfully disenfranchises" voters and harms Casey’s electoral prospects.

The lawsuit centers on just 74 ballots, making it unlikely it will have any significant impact on the recount in Pennsylvania. 

But it comes amid a flurry of recent lawsuits in the Keystone State, where Republican candidate David McCormick narrowly edged out Casey by just 17,000 votes, according to unofficial data from the Department of State – putting Casey well within the 0.5% margin of error required under Pennsylvania law to trigger an automatic recount. 

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The Senate recount began Monday, and will continue through Nov. 26.

Republican Party officials have argued that the results have been decisive and that Casey lacks any achievable path to victory.

They have also criticized Casey for declining to waive the recount, noting that it will cost taxpayers an estimated $1 million. 

McCormick, for his part, called for a recount of his own in 2022 after he was beaten in the Republican Senate primary by TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz.

News of the lawsuit comes after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Monday that mail-in ballots with incorrect or missing dates cannot be counted in the 2024 election, delivering a victory to Republican Party officials as they moved to aggressively defend their narrow Senate victory.

Casey's campaign used news of the DSCC lawsuit to reiterate their criticism of the many Republican-led lawsuits that have been filed in the commonwealth, and which they have suggested risk disenfranchising voters.

"Thousands of Pennsylvanians’ votes are in question across the commonwealth as David McCormick and national Republicans work to throw out ballots cast by eligible voters and accepted by county election boards," a spokesperson for the campaign told Fox News Digital.

Casey will "continue to fight back against efforts to disenfranchise voters to ensure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard and that eligible voters can participate in our democracy," the spokesperson added.

The DSCC did not immediately respond to Fox News's request for comment on the lawsuit.