House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is warning that ‘thousands’ of people residing in the U.S. illegally could shift the tides in the upcoming U.S. elections.

While speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Johnson pointed out that several members of the House GOP won their elections by just a few hundred votes – or less, as in the case of Rep. Marianette Miller Meeks, R-Iowa, who won her first election by just six votes.

‘If you have a small percentage of the millions and billions of illegals who came over the border in the last four years under border czar Kamala Harris’ policies, they can throw an election, they can throw the majority of the House,’ Johnson said.

‘It could affect a presidential race. It’s very, very serious stuff.’

It comes hours before the House is set to vote on a measure extending the current fiscal year’s federal funding for another six months to avert a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, coupled with a bill to mandate proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

That bill, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, was deemed a nonstarter by the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House, and President Biden has threatened to veto Johnson’s government funding plan.

Nevertheless, Johnson insisted the House would ‘do the right thing’ in pressing ahead with the vote, despite a significant number of Republicans being already opposed to the federal funding aspect of the legislation.

‘We’re going to responsibly fund the government, and we’re going to stop the noncitizens voting in elections,’ Johnson said.

Opponents of the SAVE Act have argued it is grounded in xenophobia and is needlessly duplicative, given it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

However, Johnson and other Republicans have countered that years of progressive policies have made it easier for illegal immigrants to gain access to voter registration forms, and they have positioned the SAVE Act as an enhanced security measure to prevent illegal voting.

‘It is against federal law for non-U.S. citizens to vote in U.S. elections. But we have no mechanism right now to ensure that in the states, because they’re not allowed to ask for proof of verification of citizenship when someone registers to vote,’ Johnson said.

‘We’ve had a number of states already do audits. They found thousands of illegals already on the rolls. This is a serious problem because some of our elections are decided by razor-thin margins, as everyone in this room and the whole press corps knows.’

Currently, 14 states plus Washington, D.C., do not require any documentation to vote at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was interrupted during a congressional hearing dedicated to discussing ‘hate’ on Tuesday by an anti-Israel agitator who stood up shouting ‘F—ing Jews.’ 

During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled, ‘A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America,’ Cruz discussed soaring antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of Oct. 7. 

‘Antisemitism is a unique, historic form of evil, and over millennia, it is manifested in violence, mass murder and genocide,’ Cruz said. ‘October 7th was one of the darkest days in human history when terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Women and girls were raped. It was the single largest mass murder of Jews in a day since the Holocaust. In the wake of October 7th, we have seen antisemitism explode across the United States and across the world, but especially on college campuses.’ 

After listing examples of antisemitic and pro-Hamas messages hurled toward Jewish students, Cruz called out the Biden-Harris administration. 

‘Throughout all of this, the Biden-Harris administration has been utterly absent. Does anyone doubt if the Klan were on college campuses terrorizing African American students, threatening African American students, that we would see the FBI there, that we would see prosecutors there, that we would see federal funding cut off to universities? Of course we would. And we should,’ Cruz said. ‘But when it comes to antisemitism, the Democrats have a problem. I would note this is occurring in blue states with blue governors, because the Democrat Party is terrified of the pro-Hamas wing of their party.’

‘In states like Texas and Florida, we don’t allow this. At the University of Texas, when violent protests threatened Jewish students, police officers arrived and arrested them. That’s what happened when you enforce the law,’ Cruz continued. ‘Every Republican member of this committee asked the chairman to hold a hearing on antisemitism in February. And yet we don’t get a hearing on antisemitism. We get a hearing generically on hate.’

Cruz was about to explain why he believes the Biden administration is to blame for this, when a man in the audience stood up and interjected, shouting profanities including ‘F—ing Jews,’ according to video on social media. The anti-Israel agitator was then escorted out. 

‘And this is the kind of anger and hate that is encouraged. You’re now seeing the hate manifesting right here,’ Cruz said, referencing the protester. 

‘So we now have a demonstration of antisemitism. We have a demonstration of the hate,’ he added. 

Cruz proceeded to ask one of the witnesses, Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, ‘Has the Biden administration cut off the funding of any of the colleges that have allowed this hate? Have they indicted anyone for funding these violent protests? Have they indicted the people paying for the matching tents, or have they sat there silently and have the universities, sat there silently while their students are terrified to go to class?’ 

Goldfeder responded, ‘They have not indicted anyone.’ 

‘Has any university had their funding cut off for allowing this sort of violent intimidation?’ Cruz asked. 

‘Not a single university,’ Goldfeder said. 

The senator earlier referenced how the Anti-Defamation League has illustrated how the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States more than doubled from 2022 to 2023. 

Cruz said that ‘college campuses in particular have become vile incubators of hatred of Jews,’ citing examples of how one Cornell University student made threats after Oct. 7, including statements such as ‘if I see a pig, male Jew, I will stab you and slit your throat. If I see another pig female Jew, I will drag you away and rape you and throw you off a cliff.’ 

The Republican senator displayed a flier circulated by a student organization at California State University, Long Beach, calling for a ‘Day of Resistance’ celebrating Oct. 7, noting how the flier included an image of a person parachuting with a fan attached, ‘a direct reference to and a glorification of Hamas terrorists that used gliders to descend upon a music festival and murder 260 innocent people and take many more hostages.’ 

Cruz recalled that in the days after now-former Columbia University President Minouche Shafik was confronted about soaring antisemitism on campus before the House Education and the Workforce Committee in April, Rabbi Elie Buechler issued a warning to Jewish students that Columbia ‘cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy,’ and that he ‘would strongly recommend’ that Jewish students leave campus and go back to their homes.

Cruz said the rabbi ‘had every reason to be concerned,’ as at Columbia’s campus, individuals yelled, ‘We’re all Hamas! Long live Hamas!’ 

The senator continued to list examples of antisemitism on campuses across the U.S., including the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor who was told to ‘go back to the gas chambers,’ and displayed a photo of a student at Columbia University holding a sign reading ‘al-Qassam’s next targets,’ in front of a group of students holding American and Israeli flags in counter-protest. 

‘Al-Qassam is the military arm of Hamas. According to social media, this particular student is a wealthy student from Georgia. She’s not Palestinian, but she has been taught lies and hatred, and she feels perfectly comfortable advocating the murder of her fellow students at Columbia,’ Cruz said. 

Liberal immigration groups are criticizing Vice President Harris’ recent adoption of tougher border policies, but are still supporting her as at least one indicated they believe Harris’ new stance is all for show, Axios reported Wednesday.

Kerri Talbot, executive director of the Immigration Hub, told Axios that she opposes Harris’ current stance on border policy. She called the Harris campaign’s proposal essentially a ‘Republican bill,’ but added that she still supports Harris.

‘We all know and trust Harris to make the right decisions when she’s in office. I don’t think this bill will ever come up again, as is,’ Talbot told the outlet.

Other liberal immigration groups also say they oppose Harris’ new immigration policies, though they still support her campaign.

Gina Cummings of Oxfam America argued the Harris campaign’s immigration stances ‘should not be brought to the Senate floor or passed under any current or future administration.’

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif, told Axios that Harris’ bill ‘contains some of the same tried and failed policies that would actually make the situation worse at the southern border.’

Nevertheless, Padilla added that Harris ‘is the only candidate in this race who also values keeping families together and providing a pathway to citizenship for long-term residents. And I’m proud to support her.’

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

The southern border and the economy remain the top two issues for voters, and also the two issues where voters consistently say they think former President Trump would do a better job than Harris.

Republicans have blasted Harris for her role as ‘border czar,’ a colloquial title she received in 2021 when Biden tasked her with stemming the flow of illegal immigration by addressing ‘root causes.’

House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., is now pressing the Biden administration to provide documents on the communications Harris’ office had with border enforcement groups.

Comer wrote to acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Troy Miller this week, demanding an update on the request.

‘It is important the Committee and the American people understand Vice President Harris’s role as the border czar in the ongoing border crisis,’ Comer said in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

‘The mass illegal entry and release of illegal aliens into the United States under the Biden-Harris Administration has contributed to murders, sexual assaults, and serious bodily injuries committed against numerous Americans at the hands of illegal aliens. These crimes should have never happened,’ the letter continued.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report

A fourth U.S. citizen has been arrested in Venezuela in connection with an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro, according to the country’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello.

The citizen, who has not been named, was detained Tuesday in the capital, Caracas, while taking photos of electrical and oil-industry infrastructure as well as military units, Cabello said during a speech before the National Assembly, whose members applauded the detention.

‘Those who try to mess with Venezuela, we will screw them, regardless of their name,’ Cabello said. ‘It is not the first time he has come to Venezuela.’  

A State Department spokesperson tells Fox News Digital that it is aware of unconfirmed reports of an additional arrest in Venezuela but is unable to make further comment.

The State Department says its ability to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in Venezuela is severely constrained and it is working diligently for additional information. 

Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have been frosty in recent times, with the Biden Administration easing sanctions on its oil industry and other sectors in late 2023, but by April 2024 the administration had rolled back most sanctions relief due to Maduro officials’ antidemocratic actions, including barring opposition primary winner Maria Corina Machado from running. Earlier this year, Venezuela stopped accepting flights of migrants deported from the U.S. and Mexico.

The arrest comes just days after Cabello said three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech had been detained for trying to assassinate Maduro and overthrow the Venezuelan government, Reuters reported.

The Associated Press identified the American service member as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a member of the Navy.  

Cabello is accusing the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, organized crime groups, sex workers and members of the opposition of being behind the plot to take out Maduro following his disputed election win in July which was marred by allegations of fraud.

During a press conference on Saturday, Cabello said the detainees were allegedly linked to plans to assassinate Maduro and other officials. 

‘These groups seek to seize the country’s wealth, and we as a government will respond firmly to any destabilization attempt,’ Cabello said, adding that officials seized about 400 rifles originating in the U.S.

The State Department denies the allegations with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that ‘any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false.’ 

‘The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,’ the spokesperson said.

While Maduro was declared the winner in July by Venezuelan officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month there was ‘overwhelming evidence’ Maduro’s opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez secured the most votes.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, said Maduro won a third six-year term, but it did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.

Members of the opposition, however, surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines and publishing them online. The tally sheets, they said, indicate that former diplomat Edmundo González won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

According to the Congressional Research Service, a public policy research institute of Congress, Maduro officials have enforced the election results they claim through harsh postelection repression of protesters, activists, and opposition leaders. 

After the attorney general issued an arrest warrant accusing González of terrorism, he fled into exile. In response, on Sept. 12, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed financial sanctions on 16 Maduro officials for their role in either electoral fraud or repression.

‘These officials impeded a transparent electoral process and the release of accurate election results,’ Blinken said in a statement. 

‘Rather than respecting the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box, Maduro and his representatives have falsely claimed victory while repressing and intimidating the democratic opposition in an illegitimate attempt to cling to power by force.’

Earlier this month, the U.S. seized a plane owned by Maduro in the Dominican Republic, after it was purchased through a straw company in violation of sanctions laws and export controls, officials said. 

Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray says he is devoting the ‘full force’ of his department toward the investigation of the assassination attempts against former President Trump.

Wray made the assurance during his remarks at the Aspen Cyber Summit in the nation’s capital. The FBI is one of several federal and state groups that have launched investigations into Sunday’s attempt on Trump’s life.

‘I want to just take a moment to talk about what happened over the weekend in West Palm Beach,’ Wray said. ‘For the second time in just over two months, we’ve witnessed what appears to be an attempt to attack our democracy and our democratic process.’

‘I’m relieved that former President Trump is safe, and I want the American people to know the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened. Our work is very much ongoing, and we’re just a few days into the investigation, so we’re limited in what we can say at this point,’ he added.

‘What I can say is that we have dedicated the full force of the FBI to this investigation, and that runs the gamut from criminal to national security resources … from tactical support to evidence response teams … from forensic scientists to operational technology personnel. Together, we’re working around the clock to investigate this,’ he said.

Wray’s comments come as multiple federal and state law enforcement are looking into Sunday’s incident. Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh is accused of attempting to assassinate Trump, lying in wait on a golf course for nearly 12 hours before being discovered by the Secret Service.

Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe traveled to West Palm Beach immediately following the incident. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also ordered his attorney general, Ashley Moody, to conduct a state-level investigation.

Routh remains in custody and has been charged with federal gun crimes. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies have lashed out at Democrats, arguing their extreme rhetoric is encouraging violence against the former president.

— Voters attending a town hall for former President Donald Trump in Flint, Michigan, blamed rhetoric from Democrats for spurring the two assassination attempts on the former president.

‘I don’t think gun control is the answer, I think it’s the rhetoric… some of the things that are being said shouldn’t be said,’ one voter attending the Trump town hall told Fox News Digital.

The comments come as Trump held his first campaign event since an apparent attempt on his life at Trump International Golf Club in Florida on Sunday. U.S. Secret Service agents were able to spot the shooter, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, when he was roughly 300–500 yards from Trump, engaging him and causing him to flee the scene.

Routh was captured later Sunday, while Trump was uninjured in the incident.

The incident marked the second time Trump has survived an attempt on his life, coming just over two months after the former president was grazed in the ear by a bullet during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump has blamed ‘rhetoric’ by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the violence, arguing that the two would-be assassins have ‘acted’ on ‘highly inflammatory language’ by Democrats.

‘He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,’ Trump told Fox News Digital of the latest suspected gunman. ‘Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.’ 

Voters in Flint largely echoed Trump’s remarks before his town hall event Tuesday, with one telling Fox News Digital that the ‘political rhetoric is at an all-time high.’

‘We’ve gotten so toxic in America that we’ve started this war between ourselves, we’ve forgot to love each other,’ another voter said.

‘Democrats,’ added another when asked who was to blame for the attempts on Trump’s life. ‘They continue to say he’s a threat to democracy for no reason whatsoever.’

The Trump event comes less than two months before November’s election, when Michigan promises to play a critical role in determining the winner once again.

Harris holds a narrow lead over Trump of under one percentage point in the state, according to the latest Real Clear Politics Polling average, a smaller margin than what was enjoyed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Biden at similar points in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

: New House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., wants to focus on two key issues for the remainder of this year – government funding and next year’s House GOP Conference rules. 

‘I’ve been on the Freedom Caucus, really, since, since the beginning,’ Harris told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night, in his first interview since being elected chair of the ultra-conservative group.

‘I’ve watched, you know, all our chairs do a great job pushing the conservative agenda with Congress, and with the American people. And right now our big fight is going to be on controlling spending. It’s going to be on what the rules look like for the next Congress.’

Harris promised, ‘I’m going to roll up my sleeves and battle those two issues.’

The Maryland Republican, who was first elected in 2010, was chosen to lead the Freedom Caucus for the remainder of the year after Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., vacated the role following his June primary loss to another Republican.

Harris has not been known to be particularly chatty with reporters on Capitol Hill, making him an understandable successor for a group that keeps even its membership list undisclosed.

The Freedom Caucus has also long been seen as a thorn in the side of House GOP leaders, pushing them to go further in pushing conservative policies through Congress.

Harris, however, praised Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership on government funding ahead of a Wednesday vote on a Freedom Caucus-backed plan to avoid a government shutdown.

The plan is a six-month extension of this year’s federal funds known as a continuing resolution (CR), to give lawmakers more time to hash out fiscal year 2025’s priorities, paired with a measure requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

‘The leadership he’s shown on this issue is excellent,’ Harris said. ‘I think if we had had this discussion one month ago and someone suggested that Speaker Johnson was going to bring a six-month CR to the floor, and, oh, by the way, we add the [Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act] into it – most people wouldn’t believe it.’

But the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House have called the legislation a nonstarter.

Harris would not say how conservatives could force Johnson to stick by the plan, even as several Republicans have publicly opposed the measure over concerns the speaker would not fight for the SAVE Act if it was rejected by the Senate. 

‘If it fails, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ he said.

Harris did, however, urge those GOP critics to take a ‘second look’ at the bill ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

‘I hope they take a second look before tomorrow and realize that the important signal would send to the American people,’ Harris said. ‘I’d love to hear the argument Chuck Schumer is going to make to say, ‘Yeah, you know, we’re going to reject that because we want illegal aliens to vote.’’

The Maryland Republican similarly would not go into detail about what changes he would want to see to the House GOP Conference rules – though the issue is expected to take center stage in the end-of-year leadership elections.

Ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., agreed to changing certain conference rules to win over his critics after House Republicans won the majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

That notably included lowering the threshold for triggering a vote on the speaker’s ouster – called the motion to vacate the chair – from a simple majority to just one vote.

‘I hope that in its wisdom, that the Republican majority next year – because I believe there will be a Republican majority – not only adopts and endorses all those changes we made this term, but maybe make some further changes. Those will be discussed more obviously in the next two months.’

When pressed for details, Harris noted there were other members of the group besides himself.

‘That’s going to be up to what the Freedom Caucus says,’ Harris said. ‘I’m the chairman, but I’m not all the members.’