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Pennsylvania Dem Gov. Josh Shapiro sides with state supreme court ruling not to count certain mail-in ballots

Pennsylvania Dem Gov. Josh Shapiro sides with state supreme court ruling not to count certain mail-in ballots

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is siding with the state’s high court after the justices ruled that faulty mail-in ballots can’t be counted amid a contentious recount, delivering a victory to Republican Party officials. The state Supreme Court reaffirmed its prior decision in a 4–3 ruling Monday that counties cannot count incorrectly dated or undated ballots. The decision singled out the Boards of Elections in Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County, whom they said “SHALL COMPLY with the prior rulings of this Court in which we have clarified” for mail-in and absentee ballots in their Nov. 1 ruling. “Any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or do not matter is irresponsible and does damage to faith in our electoral process,” said Shapiro, a Democrat. “The rule of law matters in Pennsylvania. … It is critical for counties in both parties to respect it with both their rhetoric and their actions.” As governor, Shapiro said he would “continue working to protect our democracy and the votes of all eligible Pennsylvanians.” REPUBLICANS FILE 12 PENNSYLVANIA LAWSUITS IN ‘AGGRESSIVE’ PUSH TO END RECOUNT The high court initially ruled on Nov. 1 that mail-in ballots without formally required signatures or dates should not be counted. Democratic-led election boards, however — including in Philadelphia, Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Centre County — balked at the ruling and voted to include such ballots in the recount.  “People violate laws any time they want,” Democratic Bucks County commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said last week, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “So, for me, if I violate this law it’s because I want a court to pay attention. There’s nothing more important than counting votes.” Monday’s ruling came amid a slew of lawsuits filed by Republican Party officials in the midst of an aggressive Senate recount effort following the narrow victory of GOP candidate David McCormick over three-term Democrat Sen. Bob Casey.  ‘ABSOLUTE LAWLESSNESS’: GOP BLASTS PA. DEMS’ RECOUNT EFFORT IN CASEY SENATE LOSS McCormick had defeated Casey by some 17,000 ballots in the state, or within the 0.5% margin of error. The narrow victory allowed Casey to qualify for an automatic recount under Pennsylvania law. The Republican National Committee criticized Shapiro for not speaking up sooner in defense of the court’s actions.  “Heartening to see. Once Democrats came to the conclusion that even ignoring the Pennsylvania Supreme Court can’t scrape up enough ballots to win…,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley wrote on X. “Governor Shapiro suddenly discovers that he stands with the rule of law. Better late than never.” Trump campaign official Chris LaCivita said Pennsylvania elections officials would face jail time for counting incorrect mail-in ballots.   “They will go to jail,” he wrote Sunday evening on X. “Count on it.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report. 

Senate GOP initiates Thune-engineered slow down as Schumer looks to stack judicial votes

Senate GOP initiates Thune-engineered slow down as Schumer looks to stack judicial votes

Senate Republicans opted to delay votes and draw out floor action on Monday night after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sought to stack additional judicial confirmation votes on the calendar ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Two sources familiar told Fox News Digital that the plan to slow down the Senate was spearheaded by Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who was recently elected as the next Republican Senate leader.  “If Sen. Schumer thought Senate Republicans would just roll over and allow him to quickly confirm multiple Biden-appointed judges to lifetime jobs in the final weeks of the Democrat majority, he thought wrong,” Thune told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.  In response to the Democrat leader’s decision to file cloture on a number of judicial nominees, which would come up for confirmation votes in a number of days, Republicans plotted procedural maneuvers on the Senate floor to significantly delay votes, multiple GOP sources told Fox News.  GOP CRIES FOUL ON DEM BORDER SPENDING BILL THEY SAY WOULD DRAG OUT MIGRANT CRISIS The additional cloture filings by Schumer come as Democrats are focusing their efforts on confirming as many judges nominated by President Biden as they can in the time they have left in the majority.  During the first procedural vote of the evening, a source familiar told Fox News, “it could be a late night.” SPENDING BILL TROUBLE BREWS AS SEN MIKE LEE WARNS OF CHRISTMAS ‘SWAMPBUS’ In order to file cloture on a nomination, the Senate needs to transition from legislative session to executive session. This is typically done by unanimous consent from the Senate. But on Monday evening, Republicans began objecting to the requests for unanimous consent.  When a senator objects, it requires the transition between executive and legislative sessions to be voted on.  By objecting to Democrats’ unanimous consent requests in order to file cloture on the Biden nominees, Republicans are adding additional votes to the schedule, taking up a substantial amount of time.  THUNE ‘ADAMANT’ ABOUT TRUMP SUPPORT, DRIVING MAGA AGENDA DESPITE TENSE PAST RELATIONSHIP Schumer’s office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.  In floor remarks on Monday, Schumer emphasized that Democrats are prioritizing judges in the lame duck session.  “The judges we’ve confirmed represent perhaps the widest range of backgrounds and experiences ever seen under any president. We have more judges that worked as public defenders, legal aid attorneys, civil rights lawyers, federal prosecutors, voting rights lawyers, and more women and people of color than we’ve ever had under one Administration,” he said of the 215 nominees that have already been confirmed.  TOP GOP SENATORS WARN DOJ TO PRESERVE JACK SMITH DOCS IN TRUMP CASES, CITING ‘PAST DESTRUCTION’ OF RECORDS  “After we vote today, we’ll keep going. Tonight, I will file on additional judges who we will move forward on the floor this week.” “So, let me repeat: the Senate is going to keep prioritizing judicial and administrative confirmations this week, this month, and for the rest of this year,” he said.  During Biden’s term, his administration has sought to surpass President-elect Donald Trump’s first-term legacy of 234 confirmed Article III judicial nominees. And as Democrats look down the barrel of a Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., controlling the House, Senate, and White House, they appear more energized than ever to push Biden’s judges through and potentially beat Trump’s number. 

Trump nominates former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation

Trump nominates former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation

President-elect Trump announced that he is nominating former Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. “Sean has been a tremendous and well-liked public servant, starting his career as a District Attorney for Ashland, Wisconsin, and later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District,” Trump said in his announcement on Monday. “Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!” While in Congress, Duffy helped advocate for fiscal responsibility, economic growth and rural development.

Trump campaign official says Pennsylvania Dems will face jail time over ballot recount

Trump campaign official says Pennsylvania Dems will face jail time over ballot recount

Trump campaign official Chris LaCivita predicted election officials in Pennsylvania will face jail time for counting mail-in ballots with either incorrect or missing dates after the state Supreme Court previously ruled such ballots should not be counted. “They will go to jail,” LaCivita, Trump’s co-campaign manager, posted to his X account on Sunday evening. “Count on it.” LaCivita was reacting to a social media post touting a Washington Free Beacon article detailing that Democratic Sen. Bob Casey endorsed Democratic Bucks County commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia last year during her campaign for the position, before she and other Democratic commissioners in the state voted to count the disqualified ballots.  “I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country,” Ellis-Marseglia said Thursday as she and other Democrats voted to reject a GOP-led challenge to ballots that should be disqualified.  PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS OPENLY ADMIT TO COUNTING ILLEGAL BALLOTS IN MCCORMICK-CASEY RACE Pennsylvania is in the midst of a ballot recount after Casey refused to concede his race against Sen.-elect Dave McCormick earlier this month. McCormick’s unofficial margin of victory stands at roughly 17,000 votes, or within the 0.5% threshold required under Pennsylvania law to trigger an automatic recount. “Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard, and the worth of someone’s vote is not determined by how long it takes to be counted,” Casey wrote in an op-ed defending his decision to not concede the race. “When a Pennsylvanian takes the time to cast a legal vote, often waiting in long lines and taking time away from their work and family, they deserve to have their vote counted, whether it is the first ballot counted or the last.” The state Supreme Court ruled ahead of the election that mail-in ballots that do not include formally required signatures or dates should not be counted for the official tally of votes in the state. Democratic-led election boards, however — including in Philadelphia, Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Centre County — bucked the state high court’s ruling and voted to include such ballots in the recount.  “People violate laws any time they want,” Ellis-Marseglia said last week, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “So, for me, if I violate this law it’s because I want a court to pay attention. There’s nothing more important than counting votes.” REPUBLICANS FILE 12 PENNSYLVANIA LAWSUITS IN ‘AGGRESSIVE’ PUSH TO END RECOUNT In addition to Casey endorsing the Democratic commissioner during her campaign last year, Ellis-Marseglia, as well as fellow Democratic Bucks County commissioner Bob Harvie, donated a combined $2,600 to the Casey campaign this year, the Washington Free Beacon reported.  Republicans have launched a bevy of lawsuits over including the disqualified ballots in the recount. Republican Party officials are filing 12 lawsuits in Pennsylvania in order to protect the Senate seat. ‘ABSOLUTE LAWLESSNESS’: GOP BLASTS PA. DEMS’ RECOUNT EFFORT IN CASEY SENATE LOSS Both national and state Republican parties have filed lawsuits in four counties across Pennsylvania, urging the courts to not count mail-in ballots with either incorrect or missing dates, in accordance with a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling this month. RNC officials challenged the notion that the Senate recount, which continues through Nov. 26, will change the outcome of the election in any substantive way. They have decried the effort, which costs an estimated $1 million, as a waste of taxpayer money, noting that since 2000 there have been just three statewide election recounts in Pennsylvania, and each has resulted in an average change of 393 votes. PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS SLAMMED FOR COUNTING ILLEGAL BALLOTS IN SENATE RACE: UNBELIEVABLY ‘BRAZEN’ “Democrat officials are on video saying that they’re going to choose to break the law, and there will be legal consequences for that,” a senior party official told Fox News earlier Monday.  “The Casey campaign could end the recount at any time,” Pennsylvania Republican Party Chair Lawrence Tabas added of the lawsuits. “And there are political ramifications of eroding the voters’ confidence in elections that has been built. So we need to stop this attempt at electioneering and declare McCormick the winner.”

Fox News Politics: Trump border czar pick fires back at House Dem critic

Fox News Politics: Trump border czar pick fires back at House Dem critic

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – House Ethics Committee to meet Wednesday after postponing Gaetz investigation meeting – Trump confirms support for major step in mass deportation push to ‘reverse the Biden invasion’ – Republicans file 12 Pennsylvania lawsuits in ‘aggressive’ push to end recount The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will oppose President-elect Donald Trump’s planned mass deportation campaign, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif., declared during remarks on Friday. The congresswoman – who chairs the group composed entirely of Democrats – claimed that mass deportations would “have a negative impact on the U.S. economy.” During a Saturday appearance on “Fox News Live,” Tom Homan, who Trump tapped to serve as “border czar,” responded to the lawmaker’s remarks…Read more ‘TOTAL CATASTROPHE’: Biden pushes to finalize more student debt relief before end of term, including for ‘future borrowers’…Read more ‘A DEFINING CAUSE’: Biden touts six-fold climate funding increase under his administration: ‘A defining cause of my presidency’…Read more ‘LIKELY BE IMPOSSIBLE’: Trump would need congressional approval in order to dissolve Education Department, experts say…Read more ‘FACE THE CONSEQUENCES’: Democratic effort to block Biden weapons sale to Israel gains momentum: ‘Congress must step up’…Read more STATE OF EMERGENCY: Trump declaring national emergency at border would not lead to militarization of country, expert says…Read more LAME DUCK ESCALATION: Trump allies warn Biden risking ‘World War III’ by authorizing long-range missiles for Ukraine…Read more POLITICAL STORM: Biden asks Congress for $98 billion in Helene, Milton disaster relief funding…Read more ‘PERVASIVE ANTISEMITISM’: Fetterman calls out ‘UN’s rank, pervasive antisemitism,’ says he looks forward to confirming Elise Stefanik…Read more FORWARD FOCUS: Trump’s choice for FCC chairman says agency ‘will end its promotion of DEI’ next year…Read more CLEAN HOUSE: Pentagon bracing for sweeping changes after Trump nominates Pete Hegseth for secretary…Read more ‘BUSINESS-AS-USUAL’: Musk pegs potential Trump Treasury secretary pick Bessent as ‘business-as-usual choice,’ backing Lutnick…Read more ‘THAT’S THE LAW’: Fetterman defends Casey-McCormick recount as challenger’s team says ‘zero’ path for Democrat…Read more ‘SWAMPBUS’: Spending bill trouble brews as Sen Mike Lee warns of Dec. 20 govt. funding deadline…Read more BIG SPENDERS: What is reconciliation, the tool Republicans want to use to ‘push the outer limits’ on federal policy?…Read more ‘RECKONING’ COMING’: Dozens of state financial officials warn new Congress of national security implications of ignoring US debt…Read more YOUNG GUNS: Youngest House Republican-elect reveals how GOP won back America’s youth…Read more LET’S CIRCLE BACK IN JANUARY: DeSantis sets timetable for naming a replacement for Rubio in Senate…Read more CONCESSION STAND: Hovde concedes 12 days after Wisconsin Senate race call, blames Dem-recruited 3rd-party candidate…Read more MILLION-DOLLAR BOB: McCormick-Casey recount to top $1M, as GOP slams blue counties defying high court…Read more BREAKING THE BANK: Harris campaign budget for star-studded events on election eve ballooned to over $10M…Read more STILL TOO CLOSE: Size of slim Republican House majority hangs on five uncalled races…Read more ‘ABSOLUTELY WRONG’: Federal complaint targets Boston school district for Whites-only teacher training on racism…Read more ‘SUBSTANTIAL FLAWS’: GOP cries foul on Dem border spending bill they say would drag out migrant crisis…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.