Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley says that there is going to be a female president soon — either herself or Vice President Kamala Harris.

Haley made the remarks during a Thursday interview on CNN with anchor Jake Tapper.

‘Donald Trump will not win the general election,’ Haley told Tapper. ‘You can have him win any primary you want, he will not win a general election.’

‘We will have a female President of the United States, it will either be me or it will be [Vice President Kamala] Harris.’

Haley’s comments seem to indicate she believes President Biden will either not stand for re-election or will not be able to complete his term, turning the Oval Office over to Harris.

Haley, who is trailing Trump significantly in her home state of South Carolina, has not yet won a Republican primary. 

Regardless, the former U.N. ambassador asserts that she is the only viable candidate in the general election.

‘If Donald Trump is the nominee, you can mark my words, he will not win a general election,’ Haley said in the interview.

Haley has repeatedly pledged to stay in the Republican presidential nomination race at least through March 5, when 15 states hold contests on Super Tuesday.

She faces an extremely steep uphill climb to win the nomination against the former president, who remains the commanding frontrunner in the GOP race as he bids a third straight time for the White House.

‘We are focused on every state before us. Now it’s South Carolina on Saturday. Then it will be Michigan, then it will be Super Tuesday states, and we’ll take it from there,’ Haley told Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem thinks she knows what former President Donald Trump requires in a running mate.

During an interview with Fox News host Lawrence Jones, Noem offered her perspective on the accomplishments, qualifications, and attitudes a vice president for Trump would need to bring to the office.

‘I’m all-in to do what I can to help the team. He needs somebody that actually is not part of the swamp, I think. He needs a business owner,’ Noem said. ‘He needs somebody who’s been a commander-in-chief, somebody who makes decisions when things get tough.’ 

She added, ‘Those are his qualifications, and he needs to know he can have somebody around him that trusts him and he trusts and will fight.’

Noem was among at least half a dozen contenders — including three former rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — revealed to be on Trump’s shortlist for a running mate during a special episode of Fox News’ ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

‘He’s got a lot of jobs to do when you’re President of the United States. He needs to have people on his team that fight for him every single day,’ Noem told Jones.

‘So, when he picks whoever it is a vice president, I’ll support whoever he picks, and I’m going to make sure that I’m someone who still continues to defend and fight for his policies,’ the governor said.

During the interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump was asked about half a dozen potential running mate choices: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Noem, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democrat turned independent.

‘Are they all on your shortlist?’ Ingraham asked the former president.

‘They are,’ Trump answered. ‘Honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid.’

Trump has a history of making comments off the cuff, and many in the political world claim some of the individuals listed are a stretch as viable options for vice president.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

A new U.S. intelligence assessment found it is likely that some employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) participated in Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, but it also said the U.S. can’t verify Israeli allegations that many United Nations workers have links to militant groups, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The Biden administration recently paused funding to the controversial U.N. agency, which supplies aid to Palestinian refugees, after Israel shared findings alleging that at least 12 UNRWA employees were ‘involved’ in the Hamas attacks and kidnappings that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. The U.S. government had earmarked $51 million for fiscal 2024 prior to the pause.

‘Israeli intelligence agencies said they concluded that 10% of all UNRWA workers had some kind of affiliation, usually political, with Hamas,’ the Wall Street Journal reported. ‘A far smaller number had ties to the militant wings of Hamas and another group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. UNRWA employs around 12,000 people in Gaza.’

In the new report, which the WSJ reported was completed last week, the U.S. National Intelligence Council said it assessed the allegations that 12 UNRWA staffers participated in the Oct. 7 attack as credible.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

The new intelligence assessment, as described by the officials to the Wall Street Journal, ‘doesn’t dispute Israel’s allegations of links between some staff at UNWRA and militant groups, but it provides a more measured appraisal of Israel’s assertions than public statements by U.S. and Israeli officials.’

A spokesperson for the U.N. told Fox News Digital that ‘in mid-January the Israeli Foreign Ministry communicated information verbally to our UNRWA colleagues in Jerusalem very serious allegations regarding 12 staff [members’] possible involvement in the 7 October Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.’

‘Immediate action was taken by UNRWA. Since then, the Israeli authorities have provided no further information to the United Nations regarding alleged activities of staff members. Should information be provided, it will be analyzed quickly, and action will again be taken swiftly,’ the spokesperson said.

An Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal that Israel wasn’t familiar with the U.S. assessment and said, ‘We share intimate intelligence with our U.S. partners in all areas.’ The official, who was briefed on the matter, was unaware of American requests for additional intelligence.

Fox News Digital reported this month that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched raids on Hamas facilities in Gaza, killing 120 terrorists, and discovered a ‘significant’ amount of assets and weapons, including inside a United Nations-affiliated building.

In a joint statement made with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), the Israeli military announced Saturday that the raids were conducted in northern Gaza over the past two weeks.

‘The forces operated in the areas of Shati and Tel al-Hawa in northern Gaza,’ the joint statement from ISA and the Israeli military said. ‘Approximately 120 Hamas terrorists were killed, and 20 terrorist infrastructure sites were destroyed as part of the operation.’ 

The IDF said the ISA initially led them to a tunnel shaft near a school run by UNRWA: ‘The shaft led to an underground terror tunnel that served as a significant asset of Hamas’ military intelligence and passed under the building that serves as UNRWA’s main headquarters in the Gaza Strip.’

The Israeli military said it seized a ‘wide variety of intelligence assets’ while raiding the 700-meter-long tunnel, but they did not specify what exactly was found.

‘The newly found intelligence will allow the forces to operate against additional Hamas targets,’ the IDF said. ‘The dismantling of the tunnel weakens Hamas’ intelligence capabilities.’

That discovery ultimately brought the military to UNRWA’s headquarters, where Israeli forces found that the UNRWA building supplied the Hamas tunnel with electricity.

The State Department and Department of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The National Security Council also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

A UNRWA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that they ‘have not been presented with any evidence from the Israeli authorities. But given the fact that there is an investigation underway by the highest investigative authorities in the U.N., we invite any country, party or institution with information – including information available in the public domain – to provide it to the Office of Internal Oversight Services at U.N. headquarters to help advance this investigation.’

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lara Trump is working double-time cementing her front-runner status to be the next co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), including laying out her priorities to turbocharge the organization struggling to keep up with its Democrat counterpart’s massive fundraising numbers.

Trump described those priorities during a campaign stop in North Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday while firing up voters for her father-in-law — former President Donald Trump — ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary election.

‘We have to legally ballot harvest everywhere we possibly can,’ she told the riled up crowd of roughly 150 supporters gathered in the Trump campaign headquarters, stressing the need to follow the law, unlike Democrats, who she accused of trying to steal elections through various means.

Trump added that in addition to ballot harvesting, ‘on day one’ as RNC co-chair she would launch initiatives to register more Republican voters, as well as recruit and train poll watchers to help crack down on any potential illegal activity.

‘I’m here to do whatever I can to make sure we get this country back on track,’ she said.

In an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her speech, Trump also addressed the fundraising challenges facing the RNC as it began the election year dwarfed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — combined with the rest of President Biden’s joint fundraising entities — in terms of cash-on-hand.

‘That’s exactly why we have no time to waste. I was honored by the endorsement of my father-in-law for co-chair of the RNC. They do still have to vote, ultimately. We’ll see what happens with that. But I think that is goal number one on day number one is we need to start fundraising on the Republican side of the aisle because the Democrats have a war chest,’ she said. 

‘We all know that Joe Biden, despite him being a horrific candidate and having just really awful polling that you see right now across the board for him, he does have a lot behind him,’ she added. ‘He’s got a lot of money behind him. He’s got the mainstream media behind him. He’s got the Democrat political machine behind him. And so we have a lot of ground to cover between now and November 5th.’

Trump repeated an argument she made last week that ‘every single penny’ the RNC receives should go toward ensuring former President Trump is elected in November, as well as expanding the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and flipping the Senate from Democrat control.

She also addressed the controversy surrounding conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit that advocates conservative policies on college campuses, and reporting that he played a part in current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel’s plan to step down from the role she’s held for over seven years.

A NBC report published over the weekend detailed Kirk’s role in McDaniel’s pending ouster, as well as the criticism he’s received from Republicans since concerning past controversial comments on his podcast, as well as for steering money away from the RNC.

However, none of that deterred Trump from praising Kirk, who she hopes will play a larger role in Republican politics in the future.

‘I think he’s actually been amazing in the way that he’s engaged young voters. We need to be doing that as a party,’ she said. ‘The reality is the Democrats really have a leg up on us. They have Hollywood. They have the music industry. They have all the social media out there possible in their field and in their corner. And it is a struggle for us to engage with a younger audience.’ 

‘I think something that Charlie Kirk has been masterful at doing is just that — reaching out to the youth of this country, reaching out to kids on college campuses. I think he already has played a huge role in the future of this party, and I hope he plays a role from now until we get back on top and we win the White House and there and beyond,’ she added.

No date has been set for when McDaniel will step down from her role as chairwoman, but RNC committee members are reportedly expected to elect her successor early next month.

Former President Trump said nearly a year ago while on the campaign trail he would settle the ongoing war in Ukraine in a matter of 24 hours, but he has not yet detailed a plan to do so. 

‘If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours,’ Trump said in May on CNN. 

Trump has doubled down on the comment since, including in July to Fox News. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign repeatedly this week for comment and details on what such a plan would look like but did not receive a response. 

In July, Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo pressed Trump for details on how he would end the war in 24 hours if re-elected. The president said he would lean on his personal relationships with both Zelenskyy and Putin but did not divulge specifics beyond speaking with the two leaders. 

‘I know Zelenskyy very well, and I know Putin very well, even better. And I had a good relationship, very good with both of them. I would tell Zelenskyy, ‘No more. You got to make a deal.’ I would tell Putin, ‘If you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot. We’re going to [give Ukraine] more than they ever got if we have to.’ I will have the deal done in one day. One day,’ Trump responded.

Questions about the former president’s plans on foreign policy have mounted in recent weeks as Trump dominates recent GOP primaries and caucuses. An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday argued, ‘Trump Owes Americans Some Answers on Foreign Policy.’

‘For starters, what did Mr. Trump mean when he said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours? Does he in fact mean Mr. Putin should be allowed to annex eastern Ukraine? Would he withdraw the U.S. from the roughly 50-nation Ukraine Defense Contact Group?’ WSJ columnist Daniel Henninger wrote in the piece. 

Zelenskyy was asked about Trump’s comments in an exclusive interview with FOX News chief political anchor and executive editor of ‘Special Report’ Bret Baier on Thursday. 

‘He can’t solve this problem, this tragedy with me,’ Zelenskyy said. He offered to host the former President on the frontlines where he ‘will explain everything, and he will explain what his thoughts, maybe he has some ideas. I don’t know.’ 

When asked if the former president could end the war in Ukraine in a matter of 24 hours or timely fashion if re-elected, Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokesperson in the Trump administration, pointed to Trump’s influence on the world stage.

‘President Trump wields great influence,’ Nauert said. ‘He could tell Putin to pound sand and immediately withdraw his forces. This would send a direct message to all of our adversaries — including Russia, China and North Korea. As someone who respects America’s territorial integrity, President Trump should understand Ukraine’s desire and need to protect its own borders.’

Nauert argued there are a handful of options that would help end the war in Ukraine, including leveling greater sanctions on Russia and providing ‘Ukraine with weapons and training that it has been asking for,’ as opposed to President Biden’s ‘piecemeal approach’ that she said has ‘provided equipment too little, too late, and innocent people are dying as a result.’

‘It’s in the interest of our national security to help Ukraine stop Putin from seizing their country and spreading war throughout Europe. America and its allies can use economic, military and financial tools to rein in Russia,’ Nauert said. ‘Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine’s military, its will and its economy. Russia will not stop at Ukraine’s borders.

The former State Department spokesperson singled out leveraging energy as a top option, arguing American energy independence could ‘wean Europe’ off its oil dependence on Russia. 

‘If America becomes energy independent once again, we could help provide our European allies with reliable American oil and gas. Russia, historically, has used energy as a weapon of war throughout Europe by turning off the spigot when they want to cause pain. By supplying our allies and friends with American energy, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), we could help wean Europe from Russia. Additional interventions (including increasing nuclear energy) would also help,’ she said. 

Fox News Digital also spoke to another former Trump administration official who, when asked if Trump solving the Ukraine war in 24 hours is realistic, said ‘anything’s possible’ and also pointed to energy as a potential top tool to end the war. 

‘President Trump, with his history in deal-making, we’d envision a situation where he would be able to convene some discussion or negotiation in which he would have leverage over both parties,’ the former Trump administration official told Fox News Digital on background. 

‘There could be much greater economic leverage against the Russians if you had a president who wasn’t committed to keeping Russian energy on the market because they feared price spikes here at home, and we’re not willing to do what would be necessary to replace that product with American products,’ the former official said. 

To leverage energy over Russia, the U.S. would need to work in conjunction with European nations that were confident the U.S. could meet their energy needs. A conservative president who is not tethered to liberal climate policies at home opens the door to that option, the former Trump official said. 

Peter Doran, an adjunct senior fellow for nonpartisan think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued in comments to Fox Digital that there is a ‘major gap between’ the Biden administration’s rhetoric on Russia and its actual policies, which has ultimately led to Russia’s economy growing despite claims of ‘severe sanctions’ put in place by the 46th president. 

‘Right now, there is a major gap between the Biden administration’s rhetoric on sanctions — what it’s saying it is doing to Russia and what its actual policies are. Russia’s economy grew by 2.2% last year, and it’s expected to grow by 2.6% this year under the quote, unquote swift and severe sanctions of the Biden administration,’ he said. ‘The reason is because we’re allowing the Russians to sell too much oil and make too much money to fund their war.

‘The best option for Trump would be to use the Iran sanctions model, apply it to Russia and deny Russia the money it needs to sustain this war. And that’s ultimately how the war could end.’ 

The former president did speak with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham this week and doubled down on previous comments that the war in Ukraine ‘would have never happened’ if he were in the White House. But he did not detail how he would go about ending the war if re-elected. He did focus on how European nations need to ‘pay up,’ arguing the U.S. has spent $150 billion more to bolster Ukraine than what has been offered by Europe. 

‘We’ve got to get them to pay up because there’s a $150 billion difference. I feel very bad. Remember this: You’re really up against a war machine in Russia,’ he told Ingraham. ‘ Russia, what’d they do? They defeated Hitler. They defeated Napoleon. They’re a war machine.’ 

The Biden administration and Congress have directed at least $75 billion to Ukraine, and another $60 billion package is working its way through Congress. 

The war in Ukraine will have raged for two years by Saturday, and a recent Fox News survey found voters are largely divided on the nation’s role in the war. Thirty-one percent of registered voters believe the U.S. should be doing more to help in the war with Russia and 30% say the U.S. should be doing less. Thirty-five percent believe the current level of support is adequate, according to the Fox poll published in December. 

Doran argued that foreign policy issues typically take a backseat for voters during elections but noted the 2024 election is unique with the world ‘in a state of dangerous chaos.’

‘As with all elections, it’s the domestic economy and domestic politics which get voters out into the polls. Foreign policy is always in the back of their mind, not in the front. What’s unique about this election cycle is that the world is in a state of dangerous chaos, and voters remember that it was not like this when Trump was in office. And that’s going to be a powerful motivator in Trump’s favor in 2024,’ he said. 

Earlier this month, Zelenskyy re-upped his invitation to Trump to visit Ukraine after previously inviting him in November, when he noted Trump’s comment that he could end the war ‘in 24 hours.’ 

‘Former President Trump said that about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war,’ Zelenskyy said during an interview last year. ‘For me, what can I say? So he’s very welcome as well.’

Trump has so far not taken Zelenskyy up on the offers. 

Nauert added that before Americans head to the polls later this year, candidates should release ‘their strategy for addressing the interconnected threats posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.’

‘The entire world will be watching the outcome of our presidential election. When America is in chaos, adversaries take advantage of the vacuum, and that’s never good for America’s national security,’ she said. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggested the U.S. should consider cutting off aid to Israel on Thursday when she was confronted by a constituent about the U.S. vetoing a United Nations ceasefire resolution.

The progressive ‘Squad’ Democrat made the comments during a town hall to discuss the Green New Deal.

‘I think it is completely wrong,’ Ocasio-Cortez said of the veto. ‘I think that it is an outrage that we said that we would send our top diplomat to veto a ceasefire resolution that has essentially been agreed to by every other actor and only abstained by one. I think it is against our values.’

She targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specifically, who leftists have attacked over his response to Hamas’ Oct, 7 surprise attack that saw just over 1,000 people, mainly civilians, killed.

‘I believe that not only should we be advocating for a ceasefire, I believe that we have to at bare minimum being conditioning aid, if not cutting aid, to the Netanyahu government, which has shown no regard for human life in Gaza,’ Ocasio-Cortez said.

Her comments were met by applause from the audience.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, has said more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s response to the invasion.

Progressives have been critical of the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel and it’s even inspired waves of Muslim Americans to campaign against his re-election. President Biden himself has pressed for restraint, but his left wing has argued it’s not far enough.

Ocasio-Cortez, for example, called for the U.S. to ‘wind down’ its support to Israel ‘in order to prevent additional loss of life.’

‘This has been atrocious. It is very clear that the language of ethnic cleansing is being invoked against Palestinians and innocent people,’ she said.

The U.S. vetoed a United Nations ceasefire resolution for the third time earlier this week, arguing it could have adverse effects on ongoing negotiations to free Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Thirteen countries voted in support of the resolution, and the United Kingdom abstained.

The issue of Israel and the U.S.’s relationship with its Middle Eastern ally has driven a wedge within the Democratic Party, with younger leftists calling to shun longstanding diplomatic ties over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. 

Ocasio-Cortez has been among the growing number of progressives calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, a position that has put her at odds with both American Jewish groups as well as moderates within her own party.

On Wednesday she clashed with the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a Jewish lobbying group, over a social media post that mentioned her and several other lawmakers with the caption, ‘A cease-fire now keeps these rapist monsters armed and in power in Gaza.’

She responded, ‘It is appalling that AIPAC is targeting women members of Congress who have survived sexual assault with this horrific rhetoric. Each and every day, their role in U.S. politics becomes a greater scandal. They are the NRA of foreign policy. Of course they don’t want a cease-fire.’

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was challenged Thursday on the notion that U.S.-led coalition strikes against Houthis in Yemen were deterring the militant group from carrying out their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. 

During a Thursday morning press conference, reporters asked whether the Pentagon assessed that the Houthis have ramped up attacks in recent days. 

Singh conceded there has been an increase in attacks over the past two to three days, but noted that many of them have been to the Houthi’s own detriment. 

Given that U.S.-led efforts to deter increased attacks on ships in the Red Sea have ostensibly failed, one reporter asked whether there were any efforts to step up efforts or change tactics. 

‘I think what you’re seeing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is a coalition of like-minded countries coming together, including most recently with the E.U. announcing their own coalition. And that’s working alongside Operation Prosperity Guardian to defend innocent mariners that are transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and to allow for the freedom of navigation and upholding the rule of law,’ Singh said. 

The White House announced Operation Prosperity Guardian in December as a U.S.-led coalition effort to take decisive action against Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting commercial ships. The Houthis have said the attacks are to show solidarity with Palestinian civilians killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, though many of their targets have had nothing to do with Israel or the United States. 

The attacks have led to major shipping vessels avoiding the Red Sea altogether, adding delays and exorbitant fees. In January, the U.S. and the U.K. began striking Houthi targets. Still, the Houthis have carried on attacking commercial vessels. 

Another reporter questioned what the Pentagon was prepared to do further given that the Houthis ‘are essentially preparing to dig in for the long haul.’ Singh said that despite the ongoing attacks, the Houthis appear to be sticking to the same playbook. 

She took issue with another reporter’s insistence that ‘ships keep getting hit,’ noting that service members are patrolling the Red Sea every day alongside coalition partners and allies. 

‘Do some of the missiles get through every now and then? Yes, we’ve seen that happen. But for the majority of the time, our engagements have been successful,’ Singh said. 

The presser came hours after Houthi rebels launched attacks on both Israel and a ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel ablaze. 

With roughly a week until Congress’ deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, House and Senate leaders are seriously considering a short-term federal funding extension to give lawmakers more time to reach a deal.

Four sources told Fox News Digital that the spending patch, known as a continuing resolution (CR), is increasingly likely to be congressional leaders’ near-term fix to avoid the negative impacts of a partial shutdown.

A CR would give lawmakers more time to put together a spending deal for the next fiscal year without risking potentially furloughing thousands of government employees and pausing critical federal programs in the meantime. That deal is still being negotiated by Congressional leaders and appropriators.

‘Our speaker is doing his best, but I do think he has stopped saying, ‘This will be the last CR,’ because he sees that the Senate is almost impossible to negotiate with, with a deadline,’ one GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. ‘We really do need them to just stop assuming they can kick the can each and every time down the road, when all that does is build pressure on our side, on the House side with Republicans.’

When asked if another CR was the likely move, the GOP lawmaker said, ‘unfortunately.’

‘I would say that that is one of their options. Like anything with Mike Johnson, they’re not going to make a decision early,’ one senior GOP aide said.

Under a plan negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., designed to avoid a single massive ‘omnibus’ spending bill for fiscal year 2024, government funding deadlines were split into two halves – some departments’ funding expires on March 1, while others’ runs out on March 8. 

If one or both deadlines comes without some kind of bipartisan deal on federal funding, including a CR, the government risks falling into a partial shutdown. 

Congress has so far passed three CRs to extend federal funding past the Sept. 30 fiscal year deadline, including twice since Johnson became speaker. GOP hardliners opposed each effort, arguing it was an extension of the previous Democrat-controlled Congress’ priorities.

Indeed, House GOP support has been shaky each time – Johnson most recently passed a CR in January with support from 107 Republicans, and 106 voting against.

He pledged in November that he was ‘done with short-term CRs.’

Discussions of a fourth CR appear to be in the preliminary stages right now, but details are not immediately clear.

Two senior House GOP aides told Fox News Digital that one possible plan is a short-term CR with a yearlong extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a federal government tool used to spy on communications of foreign nationals outside the U.S. with suspected terrorism links, without a warrant, even if the person on the other side is an American citizen. That program is set to expire in April.

However, a source familiar with Johnson’s thinking swatted that plan down, telling Fox News Digital that a one-year FISA extension is not on the table nor is it being discussed.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with government funding discussions told Fox News Digital that Senate Democrats are floating the possibility of a three-week CR.

‘Democrats want to avoid a shutdown,’ a senior Democratic aide told Fox News Digital.

All sources stressed that these are early talks. 

Democrats and defense hawks are wary of pushing too long of an extension; under a deal struck by ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden to raise the debt limit last year, a CR extending into April would automatically trigger an 8% funding cut to non-defense discretionary spending – equal to roughly a 1% cut across the board.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in December that a full-year CR ‘would lock in outdated spending plans and devastating across-the-board cuts while locking all of us out of any kind of thoughtful decision-making process for our nation’s future.’

Meanwhile, the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus sent a letter to Johnson on Wednesday calling on him to pass a one-year CR, arguing that the resulting spending cuts would be better than any deal he could put together with Schumer, D-N.Y.

‘If we are not going to secure significant policy changes or even keep spending below the caps adopted by bipartisan majorities less than one year ago, why would we proceed when we could instead pass a year-long funding resolution that would save Americans $100 billion in year one?’ the group wrote.

GOP Sen. Marco Rubio warned on social media that the AT&T outage affecting tens of thousands of Americans pales in comparison to what a potential China cyberattack would look like.

‘I don’t know the cause of the AT&T outage,’ the Florida Republican posted on X on Thursday. ‘But I do know it will be 100 times worse when #China launches a cyber attack on America on the eve of a #Taiwan invasion.

‘And it won’t be just cell service they hit, it will be your power, your water and your bank.’

Rubio’s warning came as tens of thousands of AT&T customers reported outages on Thursday morning for their home phone, internet and mobile phone services, according to Downdetector.

The outages started popping up just before 3:30 a.m. ET, according to a graph shown on the website that tracks outages. 

Most users, 54%, say they are having issues with mobile phone service. More than a third of customers reporting being affected say they have no signal at all, and 8% of users say their mobile internet is down.

‘Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning,’ AT&T told FOX Business in a statement. ‘We are working urgently to restore service to them. We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored.’

More than 74,000 AT&T users reported outages to Downdetector as of 9:30 a.m. ET.  

Earlier this month, FBI director Christopher Wray warned that China’s cyberattacks against the U.S. and its allies are reaching a ‘fever pitch.’

‘You might find your companies harassed and hacked, targeted by a web of corporate CCP proxies,’ Wray told the leaders gathered in Germany. ‘You might also find PRC [People’s Republic of China] hackers lurking in your power stations, your phone companies and other infrastructure, poised to take them down when they decide you stepped too far out of line, and that hurting your civilian population suits the CCP.’

‘China-sponsored hackers pre-positioned for potential cyberattacks against U.S. oil and natural gas companies way back in 2011, but these days, it’s reached something closer to a fever pitch,’ he continued. ‘What we’re seeing now is China’s increasing build-out of offensive weapons within our critical infrastructure, poised to attack whenever Beijing decides the time is right.’

Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.