The White House News

The U.S. and Israel are unsure of how many hostages that Hamas terrorists took on Oct. 7 are “still alive,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.

Sullivan made the comments during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” He said the U.S. remains focused on securing the release of the nine U.S. citizens and one U.S. green card-holder believed to be in Hamas custody. He said that while Israel is classifying all 239 missing individuals as hostages of Hamas, there is no way to be sure how many of them are “still alive.”

“We do not know the precise number of hostages. We know the number of missing, and that’s the number the Israelis have given, but we don’t know how many of those are still alive,” Sullivan told ABC. “As far as Americans are concerned, there are nine missing American citizens as well as a missing legal permanent resident–a green card holder.”

Sullivan said he will be meeting with family members of the missing Americans later this week.

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Sullivan was later asked about claims from Hamas that Israeli airstrikes have killed a number of hostages taken on Oct. 7. He responded that no claims by Hamas should be taken at face value, but also said the U.S. has no way to disprove or confirm the claim.

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Israel has pounded northern Gaza with thousands of airstrikes and artillery shells in the weeks following the Oct. 7 massacre. The Israeli Defense Forces ground operation has now pressed into Gaza City, the largest population center in the region.

Hamas maintains a labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city, and Israeli officials have said many of the hostages are likely being held there.

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The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims Israel has killed over 11,000 Gazans since the fighting began, though the group makes no distinction between terrorists and civilians. The U.S. has rejected the ministry’s data outright.

Republicans suffered election losses in several states Nov. 7, and one political strategist told Fox News Digital it shows the GOP is playing like a “JV team” that needs to make several key changes.

“When I was looking back at all of the election results, the first thing that I realized was that we had an absence of a cohesive, well-funded machine for conservatives in terms of our tactics,” said Ashley Hayek, executive director of America First Works, who served as the national coalitions director for Trump’s 2020 campaign.

“We are still very much lagging in mail votes and early votes, and I would say the conservative effort is more like the JV football team compared to an NFL team in terms of our ability to turn out voters early through mail and just really mobilize our ground game,” Hayek told Fox News Digital.

In Ohio, where voters approved a measure that enshrined abortion access into the state’s constitution, Hayek told Fox News Digital “Republicans just didn’t turn out” on that issue or the ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana.

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“I did hear back the day after the election that, in Ohio, mayors’ seats were picked up for Republicans,” Hayek, a political consultant for 15 years, said. “There were some county board seats that were flipped. Some school board seats were picked up. So, Republicans were actively choosing to not engage on those issues, whereas they were still voting in those smaller races.“

One of the things that struck Hayek as a misstep for Republicans in Kentucky was not focusing early and often enough on President Trump’s endorsement of Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who lost by five points in a state Trump carried by 26 points in 2020.

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“What was interesting in the Kentucky governor’s race is the fact that the attorney general and the secretary of state — Republicans both won and they both received more votes than the Democrat governor,” Hayek said. 

“I think not having and not using Donald Trump’s endorsement earlier was a misstep and a missed opportunity. Not addressing some of the advertising that was taking place on abortion was also a missed opportunity to take that issue head on. So, the Kentucky race is actually a little bit unique in that there’s a lot of dynamics at play there.“

In Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky, Hayek said Republicans were massively outspent by their opposition, specifically on the abortion issue, which is a factor Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Marjorie Dannenfelser raised in a memo after the election.

“In regards to spending in the state of Ohio, there was a combined $71.6 million in contributions, and the pro-life groups were outspent 2 to 1,” Hayek said. “If you look at Virginia, the amount of money that was spent on ads pertaining to abortion was also pretty astronomical in a lot of those races. 

“At the end of the day, I think conservatives are always going to be outspent, so it just means that we have to be a lot more strategic in how we spend money, how we target voters, how we message, and we need to be more unified.”

Republicans did score some notable victories in New York Tuesday night, a continuation of a red wave that has turned Long Island into a GOP bastion in recent years in a historically blue state. Hayek said it’s a blueprint that needs to be used in other areas.

“I think that goes to show that people are really sick and tired of the left’s policies and that there is an opportunity and a path forward,” Hayek said.

“When you have a party that is completely annihilating the nuclear family, fighting to take away parents’ rights, increasing your taxes, making it hard to keep your job, wants to defund your police that keep your community safe, it makes a very easy way for people to come in and say, ‘You know what, that’s not right; that’s not what we’re going to do anymore,’ and start winning back those seats.”

Hayek told Fox News Digital Republicans have an opportunity to highlight President Biden’s record and ask voters if their lives are better today than four years ago. But they will need to try and match Democrats’ unity.

“The difference between the left and the right is that the left has one message across the board. Conservatives are not really unified in a message, and I think we’re getting closer. But we’re not really there yet.“

The Minnesota Supreme Court this week dismissed a lawsuit attempting to keep former President Trump off the ballot in the state, a decision that could impact efforts to prevent Trump from appearing on ballots in Colorado and Michigan. 

The lawsuits seek to use the Disqualifications Clause, or Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

That clause bars individuals who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against America or who have aided those engaged in such activities from holding office.

The lawsuits cite Trump’s alleged involvement in the Capitol riot Jan. 6, 2021. 

CASES IN COLORADO, MINNESOTA SEEK TO STOP TRUMP FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT AGAIN

“There is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot, or sending delegates to the national convention supporting, a candidate who is ineligible to hold office,” Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson ruled.

The ruling potentially leaves open the possibility Trump could be kept off the ballot during the general election next November. 

But Minnesota is not the only state that blocked challenges to Trump’s candidacy. 

Last month, a federal judge in New Hampshire also dismissed a lawsuit that sought to use the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off the ballot. 

A source familiar with the decisions and proceedings told Fox News Digital the challenges being rejected “sets precedent,” which will make it “harder and harder to keep Trump off the ballot” in other states. 

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Currently pending is a decision out of a Colorado lawsuit. Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and six Colorado voters filed their lawsuit in September to block Trump from appearing on the primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment. 

The Trump team has made multiple motions to dismiss the case, but Judge Sarah B. Wallace has rejected them. 

Wallace has scheduled closing arguments for next week. 

It is unclear when the Colorado case will be decided, but the trial is running through an expedited process to give state election officials enough time to certify which candidates can appear on the primary ballots. 

Michigan is also considering a case on whether Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has the authority to block Trump’s name from appearing on the ballot. She does not believe that she has the power to use the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off the ballot. 

But while precedent could have been set with the Minnesota and New Hampshire decisions, Andy McCarthy, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a Fox News contributor, said it should not be interpreted as “bulletproof.” 

“It gets to the concept known in the law as persuasive authority. The law distinguishes between binding authority in a jurisdiction and persuasive authority, which means if you’re going to go against it, you better have a good reason or a persuasive argument for why you’re going to do it,” McCarthy said. 

“The more current law you get for the proposition that it is not a basis to remove someone, the harder it is for judges to break ground and go the other way, but we shouldn’t pretend that it is bulletproof.” 

McCarthy said “persuasive authority doesn’t have to be followed.” 

“I think, yes, the more precedent you get on the books that this is not an adequate way to go and that what we ought to do is let the public go to the polls on Election Day and decide the election — the more you have people saying that — the better it is,” McCarthy said. 

“But if it looks in September 2024 like Trump can win the election, I wouldn’t put anything past these guys. Anything.” 

Speaking to the theory being tested in Michigan that courts don’t need to be involved, and rather, an elected bureaucrat like the secretary of state or state attorney general can take a person off the ballot, McCarthy said he believed that was a “radical path.” 

“I think they’ll try to resist doing that because it’s pretty radical,” he said. “But desperate times call for desperate measures if it looks like he has the chance of winning.” 

But in terms of the law, McCarthy said he thinks the 14th Amendment argument is a “frivolous theory.” 

“In my mind, the 14th Amendment, Section 3, doesn’t even apply to the presidency because it itemizes the list of offices that people are not eligible for, and it doesn’t mention the president of the United States or the vice president of the United States, which is a strange omission because it does mention electors of the president and goes through pains of mentioning senators and members of the house,” McCarthy explained.

“The theory is that there is a catch-all provision that refers to any federal official, but I don’t think that can sensibly be applied to the president after you’ve gone through the trouble of listing all of these other offices.

“If the drafters of that amendment wanted to include the presidency, they would have said so.” 

The Trump campaign has told Fox News Digital it believes “there is no legal basis for this effort except in the minds of those who are pushing it.” 

“This is nothing more than a blatant attempt by enemies of America to create fake excuses and use lawfare to deprive voters of choosing their next president,” the Trump campaign spokesperson said. 

Trump is the first former president in United States history to face criminal charges. 

Trump was indicted during special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into alleged interference in the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. He faces criminal charges in Georgia, New York and from Smith’s separate investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Congress is taking steps to address the rural mental health crisis in the U.S. with new legislation aimed at expanding the mental health resources available to farmers and ranchers. 

“Farming can be a lonely endeavor, and it can also be a stressful industry when the economy takes a turn for the worst, tornadoes and derechos devastate farmland, and animal diseases infect flocks and livestock — all of which impact the well-being of our producers,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, explained to Fox News Digital.

Feenstra’s bill, the Farmers First Act, is meant to “expand behavioral health resources in our rural communities and connect our farmers with medical professionals who can provide the care that our producers deserve,” he said. The legislation is backed by two of his fellow Republicans and two House Democrats.

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People living in rural communities, like farmers and ranchers, have far less access to medical services, including mental health, than their suburban and urban counterparts.

Sixty-five percent of rural counties do not have a psychiatrist, according to statistics compiled by Mental Health America. Rural communities also experience a higher rate of suicide, according to the data — with a suicide rate of 18.3 to 20.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 10.9 to 12.5 in large urban areas. 

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“More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Congress cannot continue to ignore the mental health crisis in America. Rural farming communities have limited or no access to mental health services — making it difficult for farmers, farmworkers, and their families to get the support they need,” Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., one of the bill’s two GOP co-sponsors alongside Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, said, “They need to know they are not alone, and that help is available.”

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The bill would reauthorize the Farm and Ranch Assistance Network (FRSAN), which connects farmers, ranchers and relevant workers to stress management resources. It would also increase FRSAN’s annual funding to $15 million over a period of five years.

“Farmers and farmworkers are some of the toughest, hardest working people I know, but farming is a uniquely stressful job, and we’ve got to get them the support they need,” Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., another of the bill sponsors, said.

The program was included in the 2018 Farm Bill, a must-pass piece of legislation that must be taken up every five years. It sets fiscal priorities for a wide range of initiatives, from urban food programs to rural broadband. 

A Senate counterpart to Feenstra’s Farmers First Act was introduced in the Senate earlier this year in May. It was led by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

If someone exhibits signs of suicide ideation, experts urge to seek help immediately by calling or texting 988 or chatting at 988lifeline.org.

Monica Tranel, a Democrat seeking to unseat Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke in the state’s election next year, complained publicly about her GOP opponent’s bill to halt Palestinian immigration into the U.S. amid the war in Israel, but refused to explain her stance on the issue.

Zinke’s measure, the Safeguarding Americans from Extremism (SAFE) Act, would deem any foreign national with a Palestinian Authority (PA) passport or PA-granted travel document inadmissible to the United States. The legislation would also block DHS from granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and asylum or refugee status to PA passport holders.

“BREAKING: Ryan Zinke, in a disgusting display of Islamophobia, just introduced a bill to expel Palestinians from the US who are here legally. We don’t have a choice — we must defeat him in November,” Tranel wrote in a post last week on X, formerly Twitter.

Fox News Digital asked the Montana Democrat to explain why she believes the bill is a “disgusting” move and where she stands on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East while most representatives express support for Israel. The Democrat did not respond.

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Fox asked Tranel whether she would have voted for the bipartisan Israel aid package that passed the House or supported a ceasefire in the Middle East, or whether she supported Zinke’s call for tougher sanctions on Iran and a ban on funds going to Iranian and Palestinian organizations. Tranel did not respond.

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“This bill looks and is a very, very hard and harsh bill. Absolutely. And I said from the very, very beginning,” Zinke told Fox of the bill. “I don’t think you’ll find a more stringent bill on the Gaza region than this. What has drawn us to this is that this administration has failed in every previous account or two that has come in this country.”

Tranel is running in the race for Montana’s First Congressional District, the same seat she ran for and lost in the 2022 midterms against now-incumbent Zinke.

A record-breaking 169 individuals on the FBI terror watch list were encountered at the southern border over the last 12 months, up from 98 in Fiscal Year 2022, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics.

In September alone, border officials arrested 18 people on the FBI’s terror watch list.

Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, sounded the alarm after Hamas’ initial attack on Israel.

“So, when you combine 1.7 million with the 7.4 million CBP has encountered, we have to assume that the sleeper cells of terrorists are here inside the U.S., and Congress needs to wake up and pre-empt,” Ries said.

With FY 23 seeing 2.48 million migrant encounters at the southern border alone and the ongoing terrorist attacks on Israel, members of Congress and presidential candidates have also sounded the alarm on potential threats at U.S. borders and called for a halt on Palestinians’ entry into the U.S.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., has also sounded off on potential terror threats crossing our southern border. 

“The idea of a potential terror attack occurring in the United States is no longer just a what-if — it is a when,” Daines said at the weekly Republican Senate Leadership press conference. “With a war in the Middle East emboldening violent extremists and a wide-open southern border, we are more and more vulnerable for attacks on our soil right here at home.”

Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Bill Melugin, and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.