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DC mayor reports ‘great meeting’ with Trump after past public feuds, touts ‘common ground’ on nation’s capital

DC mayor reports ‘great meeting’ with Trump after past public feuds, touts ‘common ground’ on nation’s capital

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that she and President-elect Trump “had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities” for his upcoming term, despite their previously contentious relationship that hit a fever pitch in 2020 during the George Floyd riots.  “President Trump and I both want Washington, DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation,” Bowser said.  The Democratic mayor said she and Trump “discussed areas for the collaboration between local and federal government, especially around our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces, and infrastructure.”  “I am optimistic that we will continue to find common ground with the President during his second term, and we look forward to supporting a successful inauguration on January 20,” she added.  NYPD OPERATING IN ‘HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT’ IN ADVANCE OF NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION The statement’s tone is a far cry from Bowser’s messaging related to Trump four years ago, when the mayor declared that a portion of the street leading up to the White House that protesters spray-painted to read “Defund the Police” would be officially recognized by the District of Columbia as “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” Bowser and Trump publicly sparred over the use of the federal law enforcement to quell the riots and protests that engulfed the nation’s capital, as well as other American cities.  As for Bowser’s reference to the “federal workforce,” congressional staffers and even a member of Congress, have fallen victim to carjackings and other violent crimes over the past year. Just weeks ago, a congressional staffer from Texas was targeted by a group of armed men who held up about a dozen other people during the morning commute in Washington, the Washington Post reported. Trump made it a promise on the campaign trail this year that he would revitalize D.C. and other American cities that he says have deteriorated in recent years under progressive policies that have fueled violent crime and emboldened offenders. “We will rebuild our cities, including our capital in Washington DC, which has become a very dangerous and badly managed place. We’re going to make them safe, clean and beautiful again. We will teach our children to love our country, to honor our history, and to always respect our great American flag,” Trump said at his sold-out rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  D.C. saw the largest surge in violent crime between 2022 and 2023 compared to any other large city in the country, WUSA reported in June, citing Department of Justice data highlighted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association earlier this year.  DC VIOLENT CRIME DIPS 35% IN 2024, REACHES 30-YEAR LOW: US ATTORNEY D.C. police and public safety officials on Monday, however, touted how violent crime in the capital in 2024 is on a record downward trajectory.  Since 2023, homicides in Washington have declined by 32%, violent crime has dropped by 35% and overall crime is down 15%, DC Police Chief Pamela Smith and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah announced.  The 35% dip in year-over-year crime constitutes a new 30-year low for D.C., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Mathew Graves noted earlier this month. Smith on Monday championed better use of technology, crediting how “the mayor approved the increase of CCTV cameras across the city.”  The chief also said a sweeping D.C. crime bill enacted earlier this year served as a “morale booster” for officers, who expressed how they feel like they “could police again” with returned or new tools to use on the streets.  The bill also made it easier for judges to order pre-trial detention.  Appiah, meanwhile, admitted that holding suspects accused of violent crimes ahead of trial – as opposed to releasing them back onto the street to re-offend – has contributed to the about-face.  “Those who commit violent crime, particularly with guns, sometimes need to be held pre-trial,” Appiah said, according to WRC-TV. 

North Dakota senator’s son to serve 28 years in prison for crash that killed deputy

North Dakota senator’s son to serve 28 years in prison for crash that killed deputy

The son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., will spend decades in prison after he was convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy in a crash while fleeing law enforcement. Ian Cramer, 43, will serve 28 years in prison for the death of 53-year-old Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, which took place on Dec. 6, 2023. State District Judge Bobbi Weiler sentenced Cramer to 38 years with 10 suspended, three years of probation and credit for time served. She said he probably will not serve the entire sentence since these are not mandatory minimums, according to The Associated Press. “These are not mandatory minimums, which means that you’re probably going to serve a small portion of that 28 years and be out on parole, so that’ll … give you an opportunity to have a second chance that Deputy Martin does not have, nor does his family have,” Weiler said, adding that he seek treatment for addiction and mental health. NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR SAYS SON WAS INVOLVED IN POLICE CHASE, CRASH THAT KILLED SHERIFF’S DEPUTY Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz said Cramer admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts the day of the incident, and was experiencing long-term effects of “taking drugs to put himself into a mentally ill state.” The day of the crash, Cramer’s mother was taking him to a hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, because of mental health concerns. When she got out of the car, he slid over into the driver’s seat and drove off, smashing through a closed door in the hospital’s ambulance bay. Deputies confronted him in Hazen, about 70 miles away from Bismarck, but Cramer continued to drive, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. Law enforcement deployed spiked devices, which flattened two tires, but did not stop him. The crash took place when Cramer swerved to avoid more spikes and hit Martin’s patrol vehicle head on. The deputy was pronounced dead at the hospital. NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR’S SON FACES UPGRADED CHARGE IN CRASH THAT KILLED SHERIFF’S DEPUTY Cramer initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in April, but changed his plea to guilty in September. The charges included homicide while fleeing a police officer, fleeing a police officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under suspension, possession of meth, possession of cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. The homicide charge alone carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Cramer’s mother, Kris, apologized in court on Monday and said she feels “responsible for what happened” the day Martin was killed, The AP reported. Sen. Cramer has said previously that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” He told reporters on Monday that while he commends the officers, court and jail, he is “somewhat disappointed that mental health is so casually dismissed both by the court and by the prosecutor.” The senator, who was re-elected to a second term in November, said everyone, including his son, is aware that “they were his choices that led to this, whatever they may be, under whatever condition, choices that go back many years.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Retiring House Democrat tells Fox News she’s pushing generational change: ‘Lead by example’

Retiring House Democrat tells Fox News she’s pushing generational change: ‘Lead by example’

As Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire finishes up her tenure in the House of Representatives this week. After a dozen years of representing New Hampshire in Congress, she has a message for some of her older colleagues. “Some of my colleagues in the House of Representatives who have been in Congress for decades, and they get very comfortable in districts that are deep, deep blue. They haven’t had a challenging election in a long time,” Kuster told Fox News Digital. The 68-year-old Kuster, who won election and re-election six times in swing state New Hampshire’s competitive Second Congressional District, decided against running again for another term in 2024, partly because she felt it was time for a new generation of House Democrat leaders to take over and that she wanted to set an example. “I did want to lead by example. I felt that 12 years was a good length of time to put my shoulder to the wheel and work hard for working families and veterans and farmers and save the planet and protect women’s rights. These were all important to me. But I think the generational change that is going on in the House Democratic Caucus is really important,” she emphasized. TRUMP’S CONVINCING WIN SETS UP HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN 2026 Kuster pointed to the generational shift among House Democrats with the overthrow of senior committee leaders in the weeks since November’s election, when the party lost control of the White House and Senate majority and narrowly failed to regain control of the House. Pointing to some of her House Democrat colleagues in their 70s or 80s, Kuster said “they served their country well, but I don’t think there’s any shame in stepping down and saying there are other people that can do this job.” HOUSE DEMOCRAT CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH FOX NEWS But Kuster highlighted that she was not referring to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who takes over in January as the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The former governor, who turns 78 next month, is considering running for re-election for a fourth six-year term in the Senate when she’s up in 2026. “Let me just clarify. I’m not talking about Sen. Shaheen. I hope she will run for another term,” Kuster said. “I think she’s at the top of her game and doing an extraordinary job.” Kuster says another reason she decided against seeking re-election was due to her time-consuming efforts as chair of the New Democrat Coalition. “It’s sort of the center left, pragmatic, get the job done, work across the aisle; I call it the can-do caucus,” she said. Kuster noted that the New Democrat Coalition has “both a policy arm and a political arm, and so one of the reasons that I was stepping down is that I was doing a great deal of travel all across the country recruiting candidates to run for the House, and then raising resources and supporting their campaigns with strategy and consultants and communications, and just spending a lot of time on it, myself, welcoming them and helping them.” THESE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 Kuster highlighted that while her party suffered major setbacks in the 2024 elections, “[A]mong the New Democrat candidates, we protected 20 out of 22 current members who were challenged in tough races. We call them the front line, and we will be welcoming 25 new members of the New Democrat coalition. It’s going to be up to 110 members.” “We flipped nine seats from what we call red to blue, and most of those were won by [President-elect Donald] Trump, but our candidates outperformed the top of the ticket,” she said. Kuster said “the message that we had was successful” and that the message focused on “lowering costs, about bringing people together to get the job done. We focused in on safety and security, not just immigration and the border, but crime in the community and non-violence in the schools.” “We also talked about democracy, and we also talked about women’s reproductive health, but we really leaned in on costs and the economy and where the voters have the greatest concern. And so, it’s a message that I think will resonate,” she added. Kuster said she’s going to spend the next two years helping fellow Democrats as they reach for the House majority in 2026. “My north star is for the Democrats to win back the House,” she said. Kuster added that she wants to help “create the next generation of Democratic leaders” who advocate for a “center-left, pragmatic approach, working across the aisle getting the job done. I know from this cycle that that was very, very successful, and that’s where we won the seats.”

10 rising stars in Democrat, Republican parties expected to emerge in 2025

10 rising stars in Democrat, Republican parties expected to emerge in 2025

Several political figures on both sides of the aisle increased their profile in 2024 and are primed to become key voices in their respective parties in 2025 and beyond. Democrats suffered a major blow in 2024, in a year that saw President Biden bow out of the political race and be replaced by VP Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who lost both the Electoral College and popular vote in November. Going forward, several Democrats are expected to fill that leadership void heading into the midterms.’ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Shapiro was widely considered to be the strongest vice presidential candidate to join the Harris ticket this summer, and Harris received criticism for her decision to select Walz instead. Shapiro, viewed as a moderate by some, has been governor of the state since January 2023 and will face a re-election test in 2026 before any potential 2028 run. HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028 Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes make it a key state in presidential elections, making Shapiro’s position as governor of that state an appealing attribute for any presidential candidate. “Probably the biggest winner on election night,” Mike Manzo of Triad Strategies told ABC 27 last month. “If 2026 turns out to be a bad midterm for the Republicans, (Shapiro’s) sitting on the top of the ticket for in Pennsylvania. You know, so if he runs away with that the following January, he’s in Iowa.” House Rep. Pat Ryan  Ryan, who represents New York’s 18th Congressional District, was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents heading into the November election but defeated his Republican challenger by 14 points in a swing district. Since the election, Ryan has been one of the most outspoken Democrats on the subject of what went wrong for his party in November. “First and foremost, if you’re using the words ‘moderate’ or ‘progressive’ you’re missing the whole f***ing point,” Ryan wrote on X. “It’s not ideological. It’s about who fights for the people vs. who further empowers and enables the elites.” “Most importantly, I told folks exactly who it was that was ripping them off, and I grounded it locally. It’s the billionaires and big corporations making record-breaking profits while the rest of us struggle.” GOP REP-ELECT OUTLINES HOW DOGE, TRUMP AGENDA WILL GET COUNTRY ‘BACK ON TRACK’: ‘NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL’ Ryan wrote, “It’s not enough to throw these seemingly disparate policies at people. We must articulate a unifying principle, and clearly tell folks who’s at fault.  For me, it was Freedom. and Patriotism. And the fault lies with the same elites, in both parties, who’ve run this country for far too long.” Senator-elect Angela Alsobrooks  Alsobrooks, who previously served as the chief executive of Prince George’s County in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, defeated popular Republican Larry Hogan by 11 points in the Maryland Senate race, becoming the first Black candidate to win a Maryland Senate race. Alsobrooks campaigned heavily on gun control and abortion and won the clear support of women, Black and Latino voters, urban voters and college graduates over Hogan, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 3,700 voters in the state. Even though Alsobrooks underperformed Vice President Harris among suburban and moderate voters, majorities backed her over Hogan in the heavily blue state. “At times we struggle together, and we work to build a better future for all of our children,” Alsobrooks said after her victory in November. “And to those Marylanders whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I want you to know that I hear your voice, and I will be your senator, too.” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, is also believed to be a rising voice in the Democratic Party after being elected as the state’s first Black governor in 2022. Moore, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and a Rhodes scholar, served as a captain in the Army before spending time as an investment banker and has labeled himself a “social moderate and strong fiscal conservative.” ‘UNIFIED GOVERNMENT’: INCOMING HOUSE REPUBLICAN REVEALS AGENDA FOR NEW CONGRESS AFTER OUSTING DEM INCUMBENT Moore’s leadership was thrust into the national spotlight this year when a container ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Baltimore harbor, causing a collapse that took the lives of six construction workers. In a post on X after the disaster, Moore said, “We are Maryland tough. We are Baltimore strong. In the face of danger, we hold out. In the face of heartbreak, we come together, and we come back stronger. That is what we’ve always done. That’s what we will continue to do.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom While Newsom is not a political newcomer, he is expected to be one of the top candidates to run for president on the Democrat side in 2028 after establishing himself as one of the top surrogates for Biden and Harris during the last presidential cycle.  Newsom, who has served as California governor since 2019, is term limited once his current tenure ends in January 2027.  Republicans will enter the new year with control of the White House and Congress as the party prepares for four years of Trump’s leadership, while other Republicans will rise to become leaders in the party as the attention shifts to determining which voices will shape the party in the years to come during and post-Trump’s term. KASPARIAN OF ‘YOUNG TURKS’ EXPLODES AT POSSIBILITY OF HARRIS BECOMING CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: ‘I’M GONNA MOVE!’ Vice President-elect JD Vance Vance, 40, will be the presumptive frontrunner for president in 2028 given his position as Trump’s vice president and is expected to be one of the more prominent voices in the Republican Party over the next few years. “The vice president will be in the catbird seat. No question about it,” longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney told Fox News Digital last month. Carney, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns over the past four decades, said that Vance

How immigration and border security dominated 2024 and decided an election

How immigration and border security dominated 2024 and decided an election

Immigration and border security were two issues that dominated news coverage and political debate in 2024, likely helping to decide the presidential election, as both candidates sought to present themselves as the best to tackle a historic border crisis and the consequences of the crisis were felt across the country. In January, the U.S. remained in the throes of a migrant crisis that had exploded in 2021 and continued to roil the country throughout 2022 and 2023. In December 2023, encounters at the southern border hit a new record with more than 250,000 encounters in a single month. It was a month that saw top Cabinet officials head to Mexico to attempt to persuade Mexican officials to do more to stop the flood of migrants heading north. As the presidential race, as well as congressional races, got into full swing in the early months of 2024, it became clear that the issue was likely to dominate the news cycle. Then-candidate Donald Trump promised to launch a mass deportation operation if elected, while President Biden touted a sharp drop in encounters since the beginning of the year as he also signed an executive order limiting asylum entries in June. HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY BORDER CZAR LABEL, PAST IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN A potential breakthrough emerged in February when Republicans and Democrats announced a border security bill in the Senate. The package gained the support of the Biden administration but quickly drew opposition from conservatives as well as some liberal Democrats. The bill included increased funding for border agencies as well as an emergency authority to shut down entries at the southern border when encounters exceed a rolling seven-day average of 5,000 encounters. It would also expedite work permits for migrants and tighten asylum screening language. Conservatives said the bill would codify high-border encounters, but the Biden administration and both the Biden and Harris campaigns would cite the bill as a bipartisan solution to the crisis that former President Donald Trump was rejecting for political purposes.  MIGRANT CRIME WAVE DURING BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN UNDER SCRUTINY AMID SERIES OF ASSAULTS, MURDERS: A TIMELINE Tragically, 2024 saw a number of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, bringing the issue to the radar of even more voters. In February, the death of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student, would bring the issue of migrant crime back to the headlines. Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who had been released into the U.S. in 2022, was charged with her murder. In July, two illegal immigrants were arrested on capital murder charges in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. The men are accused of luring her under a bridge, tying her up and killing her before throwing her body into a river.  While immigration activists would point to stats suggesting that immigrants commit fewer crimes than American citizens, those talking points appeared to do little to stem the outrage about the deaths of people at the hands of illegal immigrants who conservatives argued shouldn’t have been let into the country in the first place. When President Biden announced he would not seek re-election, Vice President Harris became the nominee. Immediately, attention was drawn to her record leading the administration’s tackling of “root causes” of migration, a task that led her to be dubbed “the border czar” by some in the media and Republicans. She therefore became a target for questions over the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis, but she faced additional pressure over her past radical positions on immigration she held during her 2019 presidential campaign. Her support for gender transition surgery for detained migrants hit the headlines and was used as a weapon against her by Republicans. She would also move away from past statements in which she called for the decriminalization of illegal border crossings and for the closing of immigration detention centers. She had also mulled ICE starting again “from scratch.” A Harris campaign adviser told Fox during the campaign that her positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.” The Biden administration’s use of humanitarian parole to bring in thousands of migrants via the CBP One app, both at the southern border and by approving their travel into the U.S. from four countries, blew up during election season amid reports about how Haitian migrants were affecting towns throughout the U.S. Trump repeated claims about Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs in Ohio during the presidential debate, marking one of the more viral moments of the debate with Harris. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS While that claim was unsubstantiated, the impact of mass migration on towns in Ohio and elsewhere continued to be an issue until Election Day. With the Trump-Harris Election Day line-up set, polls consistently showed Trump with a yawning gap over Harris on suitability to handle the border crisis and illegal immigration, while voters also cited it as a top issue for them – often only second behind the economy. Harris repeatedly hammered Trump on his failure to support the bipartisan border security bill, but the gap never really closed between the two as Trump continued to assign the border crisis to her leadership as “border czar.” Trump would ultimately win the November election, and as he accepted victory, he reiterated his promise to voters. “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country,” he said.