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‘America First’ attorney general distances himself from McConnell — his former boss — as Kentucky race defines GOP future

‘America First’ attorney general distances himself from McConnell — his former boss — as Kentucky race defines GOP future

EXCLUSIVE: Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron — once a protégé of Sen. Mitch McConnell — is now running to replace him, casting himself as an unapologetic “America First” conservative unafraid to disagree with his old boss. During his early career, Cameron served as legal counsel for McConnell, who is retiring next year after four decades in the U.S. Senate. His vacancy has triggered a competitive Republican primary as leading candidates claim to be the “America First” option for Kentucky voters.  “When it comes to Senator McConnell, I think it’s important for people to know where you have disagreements on policy issues,” Cameron told Fox News Digital, explaining that he disagreed with McConnell voting against President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, namely Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  Cameron’s disagreement with the former Senate Majority Leader tracks with the Republican Party’s full embrace of Trump, which helped the party secure wins up and down the ballot in 2024.  GOP REP GEARS UP FOR POTENTIAL REMATCH AGAINST PROGRESSIVE ‘DARLING’ IN BID TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL “I thought he was wrong on his vote and that I would have voted differently from him,” Cameron said. “I think that’s an important thing to say, especially as you’re running for office, and the people of Kentucky, whose seat this is, need to know that, and so where there are differences, I’ll certainly note that.” DEM SHELLACKED BY MCCONNELL IN 2020 MOUNTS NEW SENATE BID: ‘COWARDS IN WASHINGTON ARE BOWING TO DONALD TRUMP’ McConnell’s retirement from the U.S. Senate after more than 40 years creates an opening for Kentuckians to elect a more conservative, Trump-loyal candidate. Those vying for the party’s nomination claim to be the “America First” candidate in the race.  “I have had a consistent track record of standing with President Trump,” Cameron said. “When he wasn’t in office, I was opposing Joe Biden’s disastrous policies at the border that tried to undo a lot of the good work that President Trump had started.” During his time as attorney general and as CEO of 1792 Exchange, where he worked to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from corporate America, Cameron said he has proved that he will stand firm for the “America First” agenda.  But when Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., spoke to Fox News Digital about his bid for McConnell’s open seat, the longtime congressman claimed he is the only candidate with the “America First” record.  Barr described himself as an “America First, pro-Trump Republican member of Congress,” who values limited government, free enterprise and strong national defense. Barr told Fox News Digital that he is the only candidate in the race with experience delivering on Trump’s agenda.  Yet, Republican businessman Nate Morris, who is also vying for Kentucky’s open Senate seat, was the last Senate candidate endorsed by conservative influencer Charlie Kirk before he was assassinated.  “Daniel Cameron and Andy Barr are fully-owned subsidiaries of the McConnell Machine,” Conor McGuinness, a spokesperson for Morris’ campaign, said in a statement.  “The last thing Kentucky needs is another RINO career politician,” the Morris campaign spokesperson added, arguing that Morris is the “America First warrior Kentuckians can trust to fight back against the establishment and the only candidate Donald Trump can trust in the U.S. Senate to deliver his America First agenda.” Meanwhile, Cameron said he entered the race for U.S. Senate for his children because he wants to ensure future generations have the opportunity to “live to the ideals of our founding, that this is a nation that’s built on merit and opportunity.” “I have a track record of standing firm for the America First Agenda because it’s an agenda that works for the men, women and children of Kentucky,” Cameron said. “And I think President Trump knows that I will walk alongside him to ensure that the provisions of the ‘big, beautiful bill’ stand, that we secure that border, that we codify some of the things that he has done in the executive order capacity.” Cameron was the Republican nominee for Kentucky governor in 2023, losing to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is widely considered a potential presidential candidate in 2028.  When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Barr campaign, Alex Bellizzi, told Fox News Digital that “Daniel Cameron is about to lose another statewide race” and has “already shown he can’t win a statewide race — even with President Trump’s backing.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Cameron was the first Black American elected to a standalone statewide office in Kentucky’s history and the first Republican to hold the office of Attorney General since 1948, according to his campaign website. 

‘Goofballs’ and hostages: GOP senators say Schumer’s shutdown tactics destroying the Senate

‘Goofballs’ and hostages: GOP senators say Schumer’s shutdown tactics destroying the Senate

Senate Republicans are worried about the precedent that Senate Democrats have set for future funding fights as the shutdown continues into its 20th day. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus have dug in deep on their demand for an extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies and have worked to spin the narrative from a battle to fund the government to a fistfight for healthcare. But it’s been over three weeks since Schumer and Democrats blocked Republicans’ first attempt to pass the House GOP’s continuing resolution (CR). And since then, there are no signs that Democrats are willing to back down from their demands. THUNE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘KINGMAKER’ POLITICS, REFUSES TO ‘KISS THE RING’ IN SHUTDOWN TALKS “I think Schumer has basically sort of destroyed the institution of the Senate,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “He has, you know, whether it’s what he’s done on the nominees or with this shutdown. I think he’s made government unmanageable. So, hopefully, this is not the way we continue to operate.” Informal talks between the parties have ebbed and flowed over the course of the shutdown, but neither side is any closer to an off-ramp than they were when the first vote failed late last month. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has been involved in those talks but noted that this week they have been fading. When asked if he was worried that Democrats’ shutdown posture might be replicated in the future, he told Fox News Digital, “I can’t worry about their position.” “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “If there was a strategy behind it, OK, we get out, we can figure out how to move them. But there is no strategy. It’s just like, burn it all down.” Senate Republicans now view Democrats’ shutdown position as a hostage-taking exercise, with no real ground for negotiations until after the government reopens. “We can’t negotiate with them until we come out of shutdown,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital. “You can’t hold the government hostage. And that’s why it’s very important — we’ve said we’ll work on all these different issues they want to bring up. But you can’t shut down the government, hold the government hostage as part of negotiation.” THUNE TORCHES SENATE DEMS FOR ALLOWING ‘FAR-LEFT’ LAWMAKERS TO HIJACK PARTY AFTER BLOCKING CRUCIAL BILL The informal talks, which Republicans quickly note aren’t full-blown negotiations, have produced an olive branch of sorts from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who signaled to Senate Democrats that he would offer them a vote on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits if they voted to reopen the government. But for a 10th time on Thursday, they blocked his effort to turn the lights back on and then hours later blocked a procedural move to allow lawmakers to consider the annual defense spending bill. In both instances, Democrats wanted guarantees that Thune and Republicans could not provide. “The Dems, someday, they’re going to rue the day they did this, because we have offered up an open appropriations process, regular order, doing things that way,” Thune told Fox News Digital. SENATE DEMS TANK GOP PLAN TO PAY TROOPS, FUND PENTAGON AS SHUTDOWN HITS DAY 16 “I think it’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality that we’re dealing with,” he continued. “And I hope they change their mind and realize that it’s in everybody’s best interest to try and at least get the government open and then start going to work and funding the government the old-fashioned way.” Many Republicans hope that after the “No Kings” rally in Washington, D.C., over the weekend that Senate Democrats may have a change of heart. But others see it as a performative opportunity for congressional Democrats to show they are fighting back against President Donald Trump and the GOP. “Typically, if you reward bad behavior, you get more bad behavior,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital. “That’s what the Democrats are basically doing. They’re pretending that President Trump didn’t get elected last November. That’s basically the whole fight, because they have the goofballs that are going to be here Saturday, so they have to show the goofballs they’re fighting.”

Bolivia elects centre-right Rodrigo Paz as president

Bolivia elects centre-right Rodrigo Paz as president

Paz, the son of a former president, promises ‘capitalism for all’ as election ends 20 years of socialist government. Bolivians have elected Rodrigo Paz of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party (PDC) as their new president, ending almost 20 years of governance by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party. With 97 percent of ballots counted, Paz had won 54.5 percent of the vote in Sunday’s run-off race, well ahead of right-wing former interim President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, with 45.4 percent of the vote, according to the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Paz, 58, followed his father, former left-wing President Jaime Zamora, into politics. After studying economics in the United States, Paz returned home to Bolivia, where he went on to become a city councillor and mayor of the southern city of Tarija, before becoming a senator for the region in 2020. He has pledged a “capitalism for all” approach, promising tax cuts, tariff reductions, and the decentralisation of the national government. After the results were announced, Paz’s vice-presidential running mate, Edmand Lara, made a call for “unity and reconciliation”. “We must ensure the supply of diesel and gasoline. People are suffering. We need to stabilise the prices of the basic food basket, and we must put an end to corruption,” Lara said. Sunday’s run-off came after the incumbent MAS party suffered a major defeat in August’s preliminary election, after former left-wing President Evo Morales was barred from running and outgoing President Luis Arce, who had fallen out with Morales, opted out of the race. Courts had ruled against Morales’s candidacy over term limits and technicalities related to party affiliation. Advertisement The division within their left-wing coalition, along with the country’s deep economic crisis, meant few expected MAS to return to power. Outside of the National Congress, the new president will still face stiff opposition from Morales, who remains popular, especially among Indigenous Bolivians. Supporters of Rodrigo Paz celebrate after learning the results of the run-off presidential election in La Paz, on Sunday [Martin Bernetti/AFP] On Sunday, Morales told reporters that the two candidates each represented only “a handful of people in Bolivia”. “They do not represent the popular movement, much less the Indigenous movement,” he said. Arce is due to leave office on November 8 after serving a single presidential term that began in 2020. Bolivia’s constitution allows for two terms, but he did not seek re-election. Economic woes The Andean country has been struggling through an economic crisis, including annual inflation of almost 25 percent and critical shortages of US dollars and fuel. Bolivians took to the streets to protest high prices and hours-long waits for fuel, bread and other basics in the lead-up to the August 17 general election. Bolivia had enjoyed more than a decade of strong growth and Indigenous upliftment under Morales, who nationalised the gas sector and ploughed the proceeds into social programmes that halved extreme poverty during his stint in power between 2006 and 2019. But after Morales, who was outspoken on environmental issues and climate change, chose not to expand the country’s gas sector, energy revenues fell from a peak of $6.1bn in 2013 to $1.6bn in 2024, seeing the government run out of foreign exchange needed to import fuel, wheat and other foodstuffs. Meanwhile, Paz has been unclear about whether he plans to continue a fuel subsidy that has cost the government billions of dollars, at times saying he will restrict it to “vulnerable sectors” of the population. Adblock test (Why?)

Japan to vote for new PM amid political uncertainty: All you need to know

Japan to vote for new PM amid political uncertainty: All you need to know

The Japanese legislature, known as the Diet, is set to meet for an extraordinary session to vote for the next prime minister. The vote on Tuesday follows the collapse of a 26-year-old partnership earlier this month between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the smaller Komeito party after Sanae Takaichi took the helm of the LDP. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The LDP has been the dominant force in Japanese politics since the 1950s, but over the past two years, it has lost its majority in both legislative houses after failing to address a series of problems, including a major corruption scandal and Japan’s cost-of-living crisis. Now, the LDP is at risk of losing power completely unless it can bring another opposition party to its side. Some Japanese media reports suggested on Sunday that the LDP had reached an agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin) to form a coalition that would ensure that Takaichi is elected prime minister. But details of the partnership remain unclear, and the two sides have yet to confirm it. Who is Sanae Takaichi, and why is she controversial? Takaichi, 64, is the former protege of late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a member of the LDP’s conservative faction. She was chosen to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as head of the LDP after he stepped down in September. Takaichi ran on a platform of aggressive fiscal expansion to resolve Japan’s ongoing economic problems. Takaichi is also known as a foreign policy hawk who wants to strengthen Japan’s military, and she holds conservative views on same-sex marriage. Following her election as LDP leader on October 4, the LDP and Komeito held policy negotiations. They hit an impasse when Takaichi failed to address Komeito’s concerns about corporate donations, according to Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Japan’s Kanda University of International Studies. Advertisement The disagreement follows a recent LDP scandal that revealed that party members had diverted more than 600 million yen (approximately $4m) of donations to a slush fund. “[Takaichi] didn’t give them what they considered a serious answer on their concerns about corruption scandals, and they wanted more serious regulations around funding, especially corporate donations,” he told Al Jazeera. Can Takaichi still become the next prime minister? Takaichi still has the chance to become Japan’s first female prime minister, but experts say it will take some horse-trading. The LDP has 196 seats in the lower house of the Diet, and Takaichi needs at least 233 seats to secure a majority. She could do this by negotiating with one of Japan’s other opposition parties, like the Japan Innovation Party. Conversely, if opposition parties worked together, they could form a new government, but experts like Kazuto Suzuki, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, say this would be challenging due to ideological disagreements. The situation is very different from 2009, when the LDP last lost power, to a unified opposition, for three years. “If the opposition is able to rally for the unified candidate, it is possible that Takaichi will lose, but more likely, Takaichi will win not by majority but as the first of the two candidates [in a run-off vote],” Suzuki said. “But even if Takaichi wins, she is based on a very small minority,” he said. “It will be extremely difficult for Takaichi and the LDP to conduct policies of their own.” Who could challenge Takaichi for the top job? Experts say that Takaichi’s most likely challenger is Yuichiro Tamaki, 56, the leader of the conservative Democratic Party for the People (DPFP). While the party holds 27 seats, it could secure a majority if it cooperated with the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), which holds 148 seats, and the Japan Innovation Party, which holds 35 seats. The DPFP and the CDP were once part of the same party but split due to ideological differences over foreign policy and the future of Japan’s military. The Japan Innovation Party and the DPP also clash over policies like economic reform and deregulation, according to Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at Japan’s International Christian University. “There are a lot of contradictory positions that will make it unlikely they can form a coalition,” Nagy said. In a more likely scenario, the Japan Innovation Party will form a coalition with the LDP, he said. They share views on major policy concerns like the United States, China, Taiwan, immigration, and the future of the imperial family. Advertisement What does this mean for Japan and the LDP? Experts say the LDP will likely retain its hold over the government for now, but Takaichi will be a much weaker prime minister than many of her predecessors. “The bigger question is whether she will survive more than a year, and there are external factors like the US relationship and [US President Donald] Trump’s unpredictability, and internal factors such as the direction of the economy and whether she’ll make decisions about Yasukuni shrine,” said Nagy, referring to the shrine to Japan’s war dead that includes war criminals. Takaichi will also have to find a way to work with Japan’s other parties, and that means negotiating or softening her stance on more controversial policies. Kanda University’s Hall said this could be a watershed moment for Japanese politics, especially if the opposition parties can retain their support from voters. “We have a situation where there are several centre-right parties, there’s a far-right party, and there are a few smaller left-wing parties. There just simply isn’t the math for one party to put together a stable coalition with a partner that agrees with it on the big issues,” he told Al Jazeera. “With this kind of multi-party democracy, they’re going to have new norms develop, where parties are more willing to compromise if they want to form a government – and if they don’t… then we’ll see no-confidence votes that oust prime ministers,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)