EXCLUSIVE: Black conservatives are rallying around Kari Lake for refusing to stand for the Black national anthem as it was played prior to Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday.

A photo of the former Republican gubernatorial candidate and TV news anchor sitting during the playing of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ went viral following the game, sparking a frenzy on social media.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, former Republican California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder and Republican Utah Congressman Burgess Owens, a former NFL player, expressed support for Lake and blasted the idea of there being a separate anthem based on skin color.

‘I agree with Kari Lake. We have one national anthem, and it’s THE national anthem,’ Elder told Fox in a statement. ‘I am as opposed to playing both anthems as I am to the term ‘African – America’ and to Black History Month.’

‘These things are divisive. They imply blacks are somehow separate and apart from American history, tradition and experience. It suggests continued victimization and oppression when antiblack racism in America has never been more insignificant,’ he added. ‘Blacks fought and died in every American war, including the Revolutionary War, in which a black man was the first casualty. We ARE American history.’

Owens echoed Elder’s sentiment, telling Fox the NFL was ‘working very hard’ to divide Americans by having the Black national anthem played before games and that he would also only ever stand for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’

‘There is only one national anthem,’ Burgess said, adding that ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ was a ‘remarkable’ hymn, just not on the same level as ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ He went on to slam the NFL for pushing other social justice issues like defunding the police.

‘I will not stand for any other national anthem but our National Anthem, so I’m with Kari Lake,’ Burgess added. ‘I will not be part of dividing our country between Blacks and Whites. I will not do that. I will not be part of it. The NFL has ashamed themselves.’

The Black national anthem, called ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ was played prior to ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ ahead of Sunday’s game and sparked heated debate across social media.

According to the NAACP website, the song was written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900 as a poem that turned into a hymn.

Lake told Fox on Monday that she was not in favor of a Black national anthem because the words of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ ‘ring true for every single American Citizen regardless of their skin color.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the NFL for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Newly announced presidential candidate Nikki Haley called for a universal rule requiring politicians over the age of 75 to take ‘mental competency tests’ before running for office.

Haley pushed for the new rule while speaking at her campaign announcement event in South Carolina on Wednesday. Her proposed rule would impact at least two expected 2024 presidential candidates — former President Donald Trump, 76, who has declared his candidacy, and President Biden, 80, who has not yet made his plans official.

‘In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire,’ Haley said. ‘We’ll have term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.’

Haley’s proposal comes as voters on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration with how old their candidates are. Republicans have also lambasted Biden for his age and frequent gaffes, which they attribute to a loss of competency.

The competency check was just one of many policies Haley pushed during her announcement Wednesday. The candidate received endorsements from members of Congress and from Cindy Warmbier, the mother of Otto Warmbier.

Haley’s campaign kickoff event came one day after she officially declared her candidacy for president, emphasizing in a social media video that ‘it’s time for a new generation of leadership.’

‘America is not past its prime, it’s just that our politicians are past theirs,’ Haley said in her first campaign speech, as the crowd chanted ‘USA!’ and ‘Nikki!’

Haley is the second major Republican to officially enter the 2024 presidential race, with Trump announcing his own candidacy last year. Other likely candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Thomas Phippen contributed to this report.

Civil Rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton traveled to Tallahassee, Florida on Wednesday afternoon to protest what he called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempts to ‘bring the state back to the pre-Civil Rights era by banning Black history from the classroom’ after the administration rejected a version of the College Board’s high school Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course.

Sharpton and a group of students, parents, civil-rights leaders and elected officials gathered at the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. and marched to the Old Florida State Capitol to protest DeSantis’ recent action to require revisions to the high school AP African American Studies course. 

Sharpton was joined by the president of the Tallahassee chapter of the National Action Network Rev. RB Holmes to protest DeSantis’ actions.

‘Governor DeSantis is trying to turn February into Erase Black History Month,’ Sharpton said in a statement. ‘Banning these courses is in Chapter One of the playbook for disenfranchising Black Americans. We’ll be in Tallahassee next week to take a stand against the governor’s actions and those willing to buckle to his pressure, because our stories and struggles must be told.’

Tensions hit new heights last month between the DeSantis administration and the College Board after the state objected to several topics that were proposed for inclusion in an AP African American studies course that was being developed.

In a statement on Saturday, the College Board expressed their regret at not pushing back against the DeSantis administration.

‘We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration’s subsequent comments, that African American Studies ‘lacks educational value.’ Our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field,’ the statement said.

The Florida Department of Education sent a letter to the College Board citing topics that were initially planned for the course, including ‘Black queer studies’ and the ‘reparations movement,’ and essentially said that the state would not offer the course unless changes were made.

‘In the state of Florida, our education standards not only don’t prevent, but they require teaching black history, all of the important things, that’s part of our core curriculum,’ DeSantis said. ‘This course on Black history. What are one of, what’s one of the lessons about? Queer theory? Now who would say that an important part of Black history is queer theory? That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids, and so when you look to see they have stuff about intersectionality, abolishing prisons, that’s a political agenda.’

The Republican Governor’s comments came after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the move by Florida to not permit the courses on Black history ‘incomprehensible.’

‘It is incomprehensible to see that this is what this ban — or this block, to be more specific — that DeSantis has put forward,’  Jean-Pierre said in a press conference. ‘If you think about the study of Black Americans, that is what he wants to block and, again, these types of actions aren’t new, especially from what we’re seeing from Florida, sadly.’

‘And let’s not forget: They didn’t ban … they didn’t block AP European history,’ Jean-Pierre added. ‘They didn’t block music history. They didn’t block our art history. But the state chooses to block a course that is meant for high-achieving high school students to learn about their history of arts and culture.’

Manny Diaz Jr., Florida’s education commissioner, in a statement last week pushed back on the White House’s comments stating that Florida will ‘not accept woke indoctrination masquerading as education.’

‘Despite the lies from the Biden White House, Florida rejected an AP course filled with Critical Race Theory and other obvious violations of Florida law,’ Diaz stated. ‘We proudly require the teaching of African American history. We do not accept woke indoctrination masquerading as education.’

Sen. Shevrin Jones, the first openly gay and Black Florida state senator, also joined the discussion, slamming DeSantis’ stance.

‘Imagine this, the Gov. is willing to sink the entire ship, denying students of educational access, all for what? ‘Wokeness,’ which is really anti-Blackness, racism, and the epitome of TRUE indoctrination,’ Jones wrote in a Twitter post.

Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, the first Generation Z candidate elected to Congress, also spoke out against DeSantis’ decision to reject the Collega Board’s AP course on Black history.

‘Ron DeSantis wants to pretend that Black history isn’t American History. Leaders like him are the reason why Florida has seen a huge surge in hate crimes and acts of racism over the last two years,’ Frost tweeted.

Al Sharpton and Ron DeSantis’ administration did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital.

Ryan Petty, who lost his 14-year-old daughter in the Parkland, Florida, school massacre, lambasted President Biden on Tuesday for using the date marking five years since the shooting to push stricter gun control measures.

‘Don’t use my daughter’s death to advance your political agenda,’ tweeted Petty. ‘Because of your politicized FBI, failed Obama-era school discipline policies, and a sheriff that cared more about his image in the community than enforcing the law, a maniac was allowed to attack a school. Try learning what really happened.’

Petty then pasted a link to an official report submitted to the governor and state legislature on what happened during the shooting.

Petty’s comments were in response to a tweet and accompanying video of Biden on Tuesday marking the fifth anniversary of the 2018 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire and murdered 14 students and three staff members. One of the students killed was Petty’s daughter, Alaina Petty.

‘Five years ago, a gunman committed an act of horror at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,’ Biden tweeted. ‘Today, we mourn the 17 loved ones lost. And pray for the countless loved ones left behind. For the lives lost and the lives we can save, we must ban assault weapons.’

In the video, Biden expressed his condolences for everyone affected by the massacre before touting gun control measures taken by his administration.

‘You’ve helped me take more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any of my predecessors at this point in their presidencies,’ said Biden. ‘We’ve reined in ghost guns, cracked down on gun trafficking, increased resources for violence prevention. And we stood together as I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years.’

‘But there’s so much more to do,’ continued the president. ‘We have to ban assault weapons … We must say enough is enough.’

Beyond his tweet, Petty told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that more gun control wouldn’t make students safer.

‘I don’t think gun control would solve these problems,’ he said. ‘There are too many guns already in the hands of Americans across the country. The thought that we can pass some new gun control law and protect our schools just doesn’t make any sense, especially when you understand what happened.’

Petty explained school shootings are complex and require several solutions and preventative tactics, adding schools can take practical steps toward building a safer environment for students.

Petty has previously said that gun control doesn’t work on a basic level because ‘criminals don’t obey gun laws.’

Petty is a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which was formed to understand what happened during the shooting and examine what can be done to prevent future tragedies. He also founded the WalkUp Foundation, whose mission is ‘to protect our children and teachers at school through the support of evidence-based policies and programs which improve the culture in our schools, educate everyone to identify and report potential threats, and encourage robust and accountable interactions between students, educators, parents, mental health professionals, and law enforcement.’

The shooter, Cruz, was sentenced to life in prison in early November after pleading guilty to the killings. He had said he picked Feb. 14 in particular so that the school would never celebrate Valentine’s Day again.

Virginia Senate Democrats on Monday defeated legislation for a second time this session that would have allowed prosecutors to charge drug dealers with second-degree murder if a user dies of an overdose.

The measure was a priority for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

‘The governor is disappointed that Senate Democrats are preventing votes on these common sense bills … they should receive full consideration in the Senate,’ Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Monday’s vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee came after the panel killed an identical bill last month. The move means there’s no vehicle left for the legislation to reach the governor’s desk.

Democratic Sen. Joe Morrissey said the committee had heard concerns the legislation could discourage people from calling 9-1-1 if they are with someone who is overdosing, the newspaper reported.

Its sponsor, Del. Terry Kilgore, said the measure was needed in response to increasing overdoses, especially cases involving fentanyl.

Porter said the governor thinks Democrats should ‘put Virginians first, especially those families who have experienced tragedy as a result of deadly fentanyl, and stand with families, not with dealers.’

The alleged leader of a fentanyl dealing ring that sold drugs to middle and high school students, resulting in three fatal overdoses and seven other overdoses in a single Texas school district, was arrested on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced. 

Jason Xavier Villanueva, 22, was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

A DEA officer described Villanueva in a criminal complaint as the ‘bulk source and distributor of ‘M30′ pills containing fentanyl.’ 

Two alleged associates of Villanueva, 21-year-old Luis Eduardo Navarrete and 29-year-old Magaly Mejia Cano, were arrested earlier month. 

The investigation began last year after a spate of overdoses in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, which is located about 20 miles north of Dallas. 

‘These defendants trafficked illegally produced pills that looked exactly like actual prescription drugs. Most were round blue tablets inscribed M-30,’ U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said at a press conference on Wednesday. ‘But instead of containing oxycodone, they contained fentanyl.’

Drug dealers have increasingly been lacing counterfeit pills with fentanyl, a dangerous opioid up to 100 times stronger than morphine. 

Since last September, 10 overdoses have taken place among students ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district. Three of the overdoses were fatal. 

‘Those that survived suffered temporary paralysis, intubation, and other medical traumas that will remain with them for a long time,’ Simonton said. 

Villanueva and the other alleged drug dealers are accused of selling counterfeit pills to juveniles, who then distributed them to students at RL Tuner High School, as well as Dewitt Perry and Dan F. Long Middle Schools. 

Eight juveniles with ‘moderate to significant involvement’ in the drug dealing ring were also identified by investigators. 

The criminal complaint alleges that Villanueva used social media under the name, ‘hoodhxavi2,’ to coordinate the fentanyl deals. 

Several images were posted on that social media account showing counterfeit fentanyl pills and firearms, according to the complaint. 

‘Fentanyl is killing our kids. We are angry about it. We are heartbroken about it. And we are determined to do all we can about it,’ Simonton said on Wednesday. 

‘Make no mistake: Unless it comes from a licensed medical provider, that pill your child thinks is Percocet, or OxyContin, or Xanax, or Adderall, may actually be fentanyl.’

Republican lawmakers have pushed the Biden administration to do more to fight surging drug overdoses throughout the U.S. 

‘The DEA seized enough fentanyl last year to kill every American citizen, but Joe Biden still won’t mention the Mexican drug cartels or their Chinese suppliers,’ Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. 

A record 106,699 Americans suffered fatal drug overdoses in 2021, a 16% increase over 2020, according to the CDC. 

Fentanyl and the precursors used to manufacture it typically originate in China and make their way into the United States via the border, which is suffering a historic crisis in illegal crossings that began to surge after Biden’s election. The powerful opioid goes by several street names, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, including Apace, China Girl, China Town, China White, Dance Fever, Goodfellas, Great Bear, He-Man, Poison, and Tango & Cash.