Republicans appears likely to flip majority-Latino California state assembly seat
Republicans in a majority-Latino district in California that includes Indio and Coachella are on course to flip a Democratic state Assembly seat red. Jeff Gonzalez, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, is set to beat out Democrat Joey Acuña, a school board member, for the 36th Assembly District. Gonzalez is ahead by an insurmountable 4,362 votes, or 3.1%, as of Friday, per official count numbers. If Gonzalez gets over the line, it will be the first time since 1992 that Republicans in California have picked up a seat in the state legislature during a presidential cycle, according to California state Assembly member Bill Essayli. Republican Ken Calvert wins re-election to US House in California’s 41st Congressional District If elected, Gonzalez will replace longtime Democratic legislator Eduardo Garcia as the next state assembly member in a sprawling district. Garcia, from Coachella, decided not to seek re-election this year and instead endorsed Acuña, the Coachella Valley Unified School District board president, per the Desert Sun. The soon-to-be stunning seat win is underlined by the fact that Democrats make up about 42.3% of the 245,500 people registered to vote in the district, while Republicans account for 28.7%. Voters with no party affiliation were 21.6% of the total, according to the Desert Sun. In the March primary, Gonzalez received about 21,000 votes compared to about 12,000 for Acuña. However, Democratic candidates overall earned about 4,500 more votes than Republicans. California, a deep blue state, was easily won by Vice President Harris, who is currently leading President-elect Trump by 58.8% to 38% with 92.85% of the votes counted. Gonzalez is a 21-year veteran of the Marine Corps who also served on embassy protection missions in Honduras and the Czech Republic, working closely with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, according to his campaign website. GOP REP. CALVERT WINS ELECTION IN COMPETITIVE CALIFORNIA HOUSE SEAT He is also a pastor and the owner of three small businesses, per his website. He is married with four sons, one of whom is physically and mentally challenged and lives with he and his wife for caregiver support. Gonzalez ran on a platform of cutting red tape, lowering taxes and fees on groceries and gas and “reviving the California Dream.” He also wants to address inflation by passing “the largest middle-class tax cut in California history.” Gonzalez is also vowing to improve education, saying he is concerned about falling test scores and graduation rates. He wants to hire more teachers and more school security to create a safer learning environment as well as promote bipartisanship by supporting good ideas from both parties. Acuña ran on tackling affordability, housing and public safety. “I want to make sure the kids who grow up in our district have access to good-paying jobs, safe neighborhoods, world-class schools, and clean air and water,” he states on his website. Acuña is serving his fifth term on the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. In this role, he said he has worked to improve graduation rates, enhance after-school programs, and expand the district’s college and career pathway programs, according to his website. He works professionally as development manager for health clinics and a grant writer for a local tribe.
Who else could be on President-elect Trump’s immigration ‘dream team’?
President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time in announcing selections for key positions related to immigration and border security, quickly announcing a border czar and Homeland Security secretary, but who else could be appointed to the remaining positions? Trump announced that Tom Homan will serve as “border czar,” overseeing deportations and border security, while South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was announced as his nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. But it has not yet been decided who will serve in key positions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN EYES MASSIVE EXPANSION OF IMMIGRATION DETENTION: ‘HE WILL DELIVER’ Fox News Digital understands that discussions have not yet begun in earnest about those positions, and may not begin until December at the earliest, but multiple sources familiar with the situation and with the agencies in general spoke to Fox News Digital about those who are likely to be on the list for key positions. Here are some of the people those sources believe could be in the running to make up the rest of the Trump team on immigration, which will be focused on securing the border and a mass deportation operation. Lyons currently serves as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)’s Field Office Director in Boston. In that role, he is leading the effort to apprehend illegal immigrant criminals, many of whom have been released back onto the streets in the Boston area after committing crimes. There have been a slew of high profile sex offenders nabbed by Lyons’ unit, and it’s brought attention to the consequences of “sanctuary” city policies, by which illegal immigrant criminals are released back onto the streets. Lyons appears to be emerging as the favorite to helm the agency, particularly given his experience with sanctuary cities, something that is likely to be a top priority for the Trump administration. One source familiar with discussions of ICE told Fox News Digital that they would be shocked if Lyons were not nominated as the next ICE director. Rodney Scott is a former Border Patrol chief who served as chief from 2020 until he was ousted by the Biden administration in mid-2021. Since then, he has been a fierce critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies and its handling of the crisis at the southern border. He would bring experience as a Border Patrol agent, and before being chief, he had led the San Diego Sector, one of the most challenging sectors in the country. He has been highly critical of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and recently accused him of having “intentionally” opened the southern border. “We handed them the most secure border in the history of the United States and a roadmap to keep it that way and make it even better, [yet] through 94 executive actions, President Biden completely destroyed border security,” Scott said this year. Brandon Judd is the former head of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents Border Patrol agents across the country. He has been an agent since 1997 and also served as an instructor at the academy. Under Judd, the union was strongly supportive of Trump and fiercely critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis, during which there were a number of flashpoints between the Biden administration and agents. Judd retired as president of the NBPC earlier this year and, along with the union, has been a strong backer of Trump’s re-election campaign. “Under President Trump, our border was secure, our agents were supported, migrants weren’t suffering at the hands of cartels, and our country was safer,” he said in August. ‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION Fabbricatore is a retired ICE field office director. In that capacity, he oversaw Colorado and Wyoming. Before that, he helped ICE establish a number of task forces targeting fugitives, and worked as an instructor in the ICE ERO Academy. Since retiring in 2022, he has been sounding the alarm about Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang that has taken over apartment complexes and been linked to crimes in Colorado. He ran as a Republican congressional candidate this cycle in Colorado, saying he was “running to secure America.” Sources told Fox News Digital that it was unclear what Fabbricatore’s role might be, but one said they believed Fabbricatore would “likely” be involved in ICE in some capacity. Jon Feere is currently the Director of Investigations at the Center for Immigration Studies. He left CIS to join the immigration policy team on the first Trump transition team, and went on to serve as senior adviser to the ICE director and as ICE chief of staff in the first administration. He rejoined CIS after the end of the administration. Feere worked closely with Homan, now the border czar, at ICE. He has zeroed in on the damage caused by sanctuary city policies, as well as what he sees as the abuse of employment visa programs like Optional Practical Training. Sources suggested his experience of the agency and in-depth knowledge of policy would make him a strong candidate for a position in ICE enforcement. Pham served as acting ICE director from August 2020 to December 2020, having served as ICE’s top legal adviser. Pham is a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1975. He oversaw a number of operations targeting illegal immigrants sprung from custody by “sanctuary” cities. Pham has cited his experience as a refugee as something that led him to enforcement. “I wanted to be a part of the enforcement section of immigration, because what I learned is when people cheat, or when they try to cheat the system, whether it’s immigration, or if it’s a school test or whether it’s the state bar exam, if they cheat they demean and diminish the lawful pathway — what my parents endured to become lawful citizens,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital in 2020.” Pham has been floated
Military suicides were on the rise last year, despite a massive investment in prevention programs
Military suicides ticked up once again last year, following a dark long-term trend where the Pentagon has struggled to make meaningful progress. Overall, there were 523 reported suicides in 2023, the most recent data available, up from 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who died by suicide increased to 363 from 331 the previous year, up 12%. Suicide is by far the biggest killer of service members, killing more than training accidents, illnesses, homicides or combat, according to the Defense Department (DOD). In addition to the sheer number, the rate of suicides per 100,000 also went up last year. Suicide deaths by active duty service members have been on the rise since 2011. The rates are similar to those among the general population when adjusted for age and gender, since the military tends to be predominantly young and male, defense officials said. “While I know 12% may seem like a large change, reaching statistical significance requires changes in multiple factors, which are less visible in relatively small populations with relatively small event counts,” Dr. Elizabeth Clark, director of Defense Suicide Prevention Office, told reporters during a media roundtable. She argued the longer-term figures are more concerning than the year-over-year uptick. “These longer-term analyses are more robust than the year-to-year comparisons, and for the longer term, we continue to see a gradual, statistically significant increase in the active component suicide rates from 2011 to 2023,” Clark said. Another troubling sign from the data is how many suicide victims sought help: 67% had a primary care encounter in the 90 days before their death; 34% had been to an outpatient mental health center; 8% had been discharged from an in-patient mental health facility; and 18% were on psychotropic medication at the time of their death. Within a year prior to their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported intimate relationship problems, and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis. US FORCES TARGET HOUTHI WEAPONS STORAGE FACILITIES IN YEMEN OVER THE WEEKEND: CENTCOM “Relationship problems have been one of the biggest factors across all of these, and that’s why we’re investing in our line of effort with fostering a supportive environment to give families overall better predictability of their career, stabilization options when they’re going to be seeing their service member at home versus not,” said Tim Hoyt, deputy director for the Pentagon’s Office of Force Resiliency. The rising figure came after the Pentagon has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to tackle the rate of military suicides in recent years, and requested over half a billion dollars for the issue in 2025. In 2022, Congress mandated that it set up the Suicide Prevention Response and Independent Review Committee to provide 83 recommendations for the Pentagon to address military suicides. The committee recommended improving the delivery of mental health care, addressing stigma and other barriers to care and revising suicide prevention training. MEET PETE HEGSETH: THE ‘RECOVERING NEOCON’ AND PENTAGON CRITIC WHO’S BEEN TAPPED FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who established the committee, said the new findings “urgently demonstrate the need for the Department to redouble its work in the complex fields of suicide prevention and postvention.” The largest increase in suicides was found in the Marine Corps, followed by the Army, Air Force and then Navy. Sixty-one percent of victims were enlisted males younger than 30. Troops should expect to see “much more dynamic” suicide prevention training that “meets them where they are” going forward, Hoyt said. “I think we’ve heard loud and clear the message from the front lines that previous suicide prevention training–whether slide decks or just videos that people watch without any facilitation–were not working,” he said. “In many cases, we may have had effective programs but weren’t measuring whether or not they were having a substantial impact on the overall number.”
Wasserman Schultz sparks backlash for claiming Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is facing backlash online for claiming that Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), is “likely a Russian asset.” Wasserman Schultz made the claims, without providing any evidence, on MSNBC Friday, sparking furious responses with commentators honing in on the Florida lawmaker’s own record. “She is considered to be essentially by most assessments, a Russian asset and would be the most dangerous,” Wasserman Schultz said, before being cut off and asked, “Is that what you consider her?” TULSI GABBARD SAYS TRUMP ‘LISTENS’ AND ‘RECOGNIZES’ CHALLENGES AMERICANS FACE “Yes. There’s no question. I consider her someone who is likely a Russian asset who would be as the DNI, responsible for managing our entire intelligence community, hold all of our most significant intelligence information and secrets, and essentially would be a direct line to our enemies,” Wasserman Schultz said. The comments drew sharp criticism. “Tulsi Gabbard resigned as DNC Vice Chair in 2016 because Debbie Wasserman Schultz was rigging the election to ensure Hillary won — as Liz Warren, Donna Brazile and WL all showed,” journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote. “Imagine fighting for your country and then having pro-war cretins like this impugn your loyalties.” Commentator @TexasLindsay_ invoked the debunked Russian dossier scandal, which was used by Democrats to accuse President-elect Trump of being a Russian asset. “Debbie Wasserman Schulz was DNC Chair when Hillary Clinton ran for president—during the time the DNC got caught spying on Trump’s campaign paying to fabricate the fake Russian Dossier to discredit Trump.” “The fact that she’s now accusing Tulsi Gabbard of being a Russian asset is so outrageous, I can’t help but laugh at how stupid she thinks we all are.” HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION Ian Miles Cheong cited a scandal involving Wasserman Schultz’s former IT aide Imran Awan who was indicted for federal bank fraud and conspiracy and was arrested trying to leave the U.S. Wasserman Schultz was criticized over mishandling sensitive information by defending him. Awan eventually made a plea deal with the Justice Department. “This is pure defamation and it should not go unanswered,” Cheong wrote. Commentator Bo Snerdley also chimed in and said he truly hopes Gabbard sues Wasserman Schultz “for slander and defamation of character.” During the Friday interview, Wasserman Schultz attacked Gabbard for secretly meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, in 2017 who was accused of using chemical weapons on his own citizens during the country’s civil war. Gabbard refused to call him a war criminal during her 2020 presidential campaign and said she was skeptical that his government perpetrated a chemical weapons attack earlier that year that killed dozens of Syrians. “Tulsi Gabbard is someone who has met with war criminals, violated the Department of State’s guidance and secretly clandestinely went to Syria and met with Assad who gassed and attacked his own people with chemical weapons,” Wasserman Schultz said. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who bucked her party and switched to the Republican Party, once called her former party as a “bunch of warmongers.” It’s not the first time Democrats have accused Gabbard of being a Russian asset. GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’ In a 2019 interview, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton labeled her “favorite of the Russians” while citing apparent Russian media support for her. Gabbard served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2013 through early 2021 as a Democrat. She mounted a presidential bid in 2019 but ultimately dropped out in 2020 and backed Joe Biden. The Republican is also a veteran who served in Iraq, as well as an Army reservist. She was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves three years ago. The former lawmaker supported Trump during the 2024 election and announced that she was joining the Republican Party. “I’ve been a soldier for over 21 years, and currently serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve,” she noted in a post on Veterans Day this week. In a statement on Wednesday, Trump said that Gabbard “has fought for our Country and the Freedoms of all Americans.” “As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” Trump said, per a statement via his transition team. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!” The director of national intelligence leads the U.S. intelligence community, which includes overseeing the National Intelligence Program and advising the president on security matters. The current national intelligence director is Avril Haines. Once confirmed to the position, Gabbard will advise Trump, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on national security matters. Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
What Trump’s Republican trifecta in his first administration accomplished, and where they failed: Flashback
The GOP is projected to control the House majority in the new Congress, giving President-elect Trump another red trifecta similar to what he had during the first two years of his first term in office. This will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming judges to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. However, not all of their priorities cleared the finish line. Here’s a look at their major accomplishments and notable setbacks: WHAT DOES PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S WIN MEAN FOR US AMID WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL, HAMAS? One of the GOP’s most notable achievements during Trump’s first term was enacting major tax cuts for individuals and corporations while reshaping the tax code. No House Democrats supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While Trump’s allies in Congress tried to completely roll back the Obama-era ACA, including a much-anticipated vote in the Senate that never happened, it failed by a narrow margin in the House. Republicans also failed to completely eliminate the so-called individual mandate from the ACA, but did succeed in zeroing out the financial penalty for failure to comply with it. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT While Congress passed more restrictive immigration laws, the construction of Trump’s famous border wall was only partially successful. Trump requested $25 billion for building the wall, but Congress only approved $1.6 billion in the 2018 budget negotiations. In February 2019, after a monthlong government shutdown, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and reallocated roughly $8 billion from other military construction projects and other sources to fund the border wall. In total, the Trump administration completed approximately 452 miles of border wall by the end of January 2021. TRUMP NOMINATES PETE HEGSETH TO SERVE AS DEFENSE SECRETARY Trump sent the Republican Senate nominations for 161 federal judges, of whom a significant number were confirmed. Two Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were also confirmed in the first half of his term. Trump’s third and final Supreme Court nomination, Amy Coney Barrett — who replaced the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — was accomplished in 2020, the last full year of his first term. Passing with bipartisan support in Congress, Trump signed the First Step Act into law in 2018 to reduce recidivism rates and expanded eligibility for compassionate release for certain federal inmates. By 2022, the First Step Act had led to the early release or reduced sentences of thousands of inmates.
New candidate emerges in crowded field as possible replacement for Vance’s Ohio Senate seat
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is considering an Ohio attorney and Trump surrogate to fill Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat once he vacates the position and moves on to the White House, Fox News Digital has learned. Attorney Mehek Cooke, a Republican attorney who served as a political and legal surrogate for Trump in 2024, is under consideration to be chosen to fill Vance’s seat, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital. Cooke, known as a formidable fundraiser in the state of Ohio, has appeared on Fox News and was a vocal supporter of President-elect Trump during the 2024 campaign, where he won Ohio by 11 points and his endorsement in the state is viewed as carrying a significant amount of weight. State law dictates that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will select a Republican to take Vance’s spot in the Senate until a special election is held in November 2026 to determine who will serve the rest of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028. The winner of that special election will then have to run again in 2028 in order to start a new six-year term. VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT’ FOR 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION, BUT THESE REPUBLICANS MAY ALSO RUN Cooke, who ran for Ohio House of Representatives in 2020, spent time as the assistant chief counsel in the Ohio governor’s office from 2012 to 2014 and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, where she handled criminal cases involving corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, asset forfeiture, and money laundering. Cooke, a wife and mother of two, was born in India and immigrated legally to the United States with her family at the age of 5. Cooke is also the founder and President of American Frontier Strategies and has worked as a political consultant and commentator across the state of Ohio. Marty Savko, the chair of the earth moving company Savko & Sons which has been in business in Columbus, Ohio for 75 years, told Fox News Digital that Cooke “is totally 100% in touch with both the average man and wife” in Ohio. “She’s a proud American citizen, she’s proud of this country and she very much has a kind heart and realizes that not everyone has the same opportunities. She is a firm believer in what’s right and what’s wrong, and you know where she stands.” “She’s not part of a clique like some people get to Washington or even get in the state house here in Ohio, and they become part of a clique, and they vote with the clique. No, she’s a person of her own determination and what she feels is the best for everyone involved, and she’s honest, extremely honest, extremely forthright.” Savko, a prominent Trump donor, told Fox News Digital that Cooke is a “fighter” in the same mold as the last two senators who have been elected statewide, JD Vance and Bernie Moreno. Multiple sources close to the situation told Fox News Digital that elevating women is important to DeWine and that he would like to appoint a woman to the seat, although gender is not the deciding factor. Republican Jane Timken, an Ohio attorney who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021, is also widely considered to be another potential Vance replacement. Other candidates reportedly in the mix include Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost, Treasurer Robert Sprague and State Sen. Matt Dolan. Yost, who has said he wouldn’t accept the position, and Husted are believed to be focused on the upcoming governor’s race to replace DeWine. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had been floated as a possibility but he recently accepted a position in the Trump administration and withdrew his name. Three Republicans currently serving in Congress – Reps. Mike Carey, David Joyce and Warren Davidson – are believed to be options as well. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO SEN. RUBIO’S SEAT IF HE BECOMES SECRETARY OF STATE AND WHO COULD REPLACE HIM Carey, who has strong relationships with both Trump and DeWine, reached out to DeWine shortly after Vance was selected, a source familiar with the discussion said this summer. DeWine, who is viewed as part of the Republican establishment, will face a balancing act of appointing someone highly regarded by both the Trump base of the party and the more moderate wing. Sources tell Fox News Digital that the decision from DeWine is likely not imminent and will be announced in line with whenever Vance officially vacates his seat. Cooke and a spokesperson for DeWine’s office declined to comment. DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney told Fox News Digital earlier this month that the timing of the governor’s announcement will depend on when Vance officially vacates his Senate seat and that the governor plans to appoint a “workhorse.” Tierney said that DeWine will be looking for a “workhorse” who is “qualified and ready to earn the trust of Ohio voters for another term.”
Pennsylvania Democrats openly admit to counting illegal ballots in McCormick-Casey race
As the contested Pennsylvania Senate race barrels towards a $1 million recount, Democratic officials in a few blue counties are openly admitting to counting disqualified ballots in defiance of state law and court orders. The Associated Press has called the race for Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, who currently holds a 26,000 vote lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. But Casey has refused to concede and insisted that every vote be counted. The close margin – within one percentage point – triggered an automatic recount under Pennsylvania law. Yet the critical question is which votes should be counted? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled before the election that mail ballots lacking formally required signatures or dates should not be included in official results. However, Democratic officials in Philadelphia and surrounding Bucks, Centre and Montgomery counties are ignoring that court order. “I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country,” Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, said Thursday as she and other Democrats voted to reject a GOP-led challenge to ballots that should be disqualified. MCCORMICK-CASEY RECOUNT COST TO TOP $1M; GOP SLAMS BLUE COUNTIES DEFYING HIGH COURT “People violate laws anytime they want. 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.” Officials estimate there are fewer than 80,000 provisional ballots left to be counted across the Keystone State, less than two percent of the vote, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. While the chance that Casey could make up his deficit is small, his attorneys and McCormick’s have repeatedly clashed at county commissioner meetings this week as local officials have debated over whether to count small handfuls of ballots. Democrats insist they are acting in good faith in believing that rejecting someone’s vote because of a clerical error violates their constitutional rights. In Montgomery County, for example, officials deliberated for 30 minutes over whether about 180 provisional ballots without secrecy envelopes should be counted. The Inquirer reported that several of these votes came from the same precincts, suggesting an error made by poll workers. Democratic board chair Neil Makhija voted to accept the ballots so that voters would not be disenfranchised. But other members of the board, including one Democrat and a Republican, voted to reject the ballots on the advice of county attorneys who determined the law clearly states they should not be counted. “We’re talking about constitutional rights and I cannot take an action to throw out someone’s ballot that is validly cast, otherwise, over an issue that we know … is immaterial,” Makhija said during Thursday’s meeting. The board ultimately voted to count a total of 501 contested ballots. Similar disputes over hundreds of votes have played out in Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties. HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE AMID TOLL REBOOT BEFORE TRUMP CAN BLOCK IT Separately, there is ongoing litigation over undated mail ballots or those submitted with an incorrect date on the outer envelope. Several local Democratic officials have said an incorrect date should not be grounds to disqualify a person’s vote. Lower courts have agreed with that reasoning, but Pennsylvania’s high court has determined the law requires correct dates for mail ballots to be counted. The McCormick campaign and Republican National Committee have asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reaffirm its Nov. 1 decision to stop Democrats from including undated mail ballots in their final tallies. The Casey campaign and the Pennsylvania Department of State have countered with legal motions arguing that the counties should be left alone and that the high court need not intervene as the challenges work their way through the appellate process. The open defiance of court precedent has prompted Republicans to cry foul. “Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: Democrats in Pennsylvania are brazenly trying to break the law by attempting to count illegal ballots. They are doing this because they want to steal a senate seat,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley wrote on X. He said the RNC has filed four lawsuits contesting county decisions on undated ballots and vowed to “fight for as long as necessary” to ensure that McCormick’s victory is upheld. “This is the exact kind of left-wing election interference that undermines voter confidence,” Whatley said. FETTERMAN DEFENDS CASEY-MCCORMICK RECOUNT; DINGS KARI LAKE Democrats have defended their actions and pointed out that McCormick himself had argued to count contested ballots when he trailed celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Republican primary for U.S. Senate. In that case, McCormick’s lawyer told a state judge that the object of Pennsylvania’s election law is to let people vote, “not to play games of ‘gotcha’ with them.” There are potentially thousands of mail-in ballots with wrong or missing dates on the return envelope across the state, though most counties have not moved to count them. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A state-mandated recount must be finished by noon on Nov. 26. Officials have said they do not expect the process to change the outcome of the race by more than a few hundred votes. Both McCormick and Casey were in Washington, D.C., this week. Casey participated in official Senate business and cast votes on the floor while McCormick attended new member orientation and met with other members of the new Republican majority to vote for conference leadership. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The 6 Republican senators who could sink a Trump nomination
President-elect Trump is rounding out his administration with cabinet nominations, but their confirmation ultimately relies on support from linchpins in the Senate who could be skeptical of his appointees. While the incoming president has the power to appoint members to his Cabinet, it is ultimately up to Congress to have the final say in whether they are confirmed to the positions through a confirmation process. While the GOP will hold the majority in the next Congress, however, Senate confirmation could hang on a few key Republicans who have expressed mixed feelings about Trump’s cabinet selections. Longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has had a rocky relationship with Trump over the years, most recently releasing a new book that revealed his not-so-flattering thoughts about the president-elect. According to the book, the Senate minority leader has reportedly slammed Trump as “stupid,” “erratic,” a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist.” “I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be criticized by than this sleazeball,” he said in 2022, as Trump continued to attack his wife, former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, calling her “Coco Chow.” After the book’s release, McConnell told Fox News Digital that “we are all on the same team now.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said that she is not certain former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Trump’s controversial attorney general nominee, will make it through the confirmation process. “I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” the Alaska Republican said. “We need to have a serious attorney general. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card.” Murkowski also expressed surprise to hear of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to secretary of defense. “Wow,” Murkowski said. “I’m just surprised, because the names that I’ve heard for secretary of defense have not included him.” Susan Collins, the Republican senator from Maine, said she was “shocked that he [Gaetz] has been nominated.” “He’s under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics. Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but this is why the background checks that are done by the FBI and the advice and consent process in the Senate, and public hearings are also important,” she said. Gaetz was under a yearslong ethics investigation in the House looking into reports of alleged sexual involvement with a minor, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. After Gaetz was nominated, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that despite a history of sparring with the attorney general nominee on social media, he would go through the confirmation process the same as any other pick. However, Tillis said that the president should select nominees who can pass the chamber’s vetting process. “The president deserves to put forth a nominee. The president has an obligation to make sure that that nominee is gonna pass vetting and have the votes on the floor,” the North Carolina Republican told reporters after Gaetz was nominated. Tillis, however, suggested that the public should not be shocked if the former Florida congressman is not confirmed. “I will consider Matt Gaetz like I will anyone else, but if they don’t do the homework, don’t be surprised if they fail. Maybe they’ve already done that work,” he added. “Nothing surprises me in politics, nothing. And I’m okay with this. But at the end of the day we have a process, and we’ll just have to run through it.” Tillis added that he cares about “a defensible résumé, and a really clean vetting. Produce that he’s got a chance, don’t, and he doesn’t.” Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who did not publicly support Trump for the Republican presidential nomination this year, could be another deciding vote on cabinet confirmations. The GOP senator previously told reporters he would not be supporting Trump’s 2024 presidential run partly because the former president’s “judgment is wrong” on the Russia-Ukraine war. Asked about Gaetz’s nomination, he did not respond and instead began praising Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as Trump’s Secretary of State pick. Utah Republican John Curtis, recently elected to fill the being left by retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, said that he believes the Senate should have the final say in whether a Trump nominee is confirmed or not. “Senator-elect Curtis believes that every president is afforded a degree of deference to select his team and make nominations,” Corey Norman, Curtis’ chief of staff, told KSL TV in a statement. “He also firmly believes in and is committed to the Senate’s critical role to confirm or reject nominations.” Other senators have voiced uncertainty about Gaetz’s chances of being confirmed. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that Gaetz has got an “uphill climb” ahead of him, while Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said, according to The New York Times, that “I think all but Gaetz are very doable — maybe not lovable, but doable.”
Thune ‘adamant’ about Trump support, driving MAGA agenda despite tense past relationship
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., was “adamant” he would carry out President-elect Trump’s agenda as leader as he made his case to GOP senators before they selected him to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Wednesday. “I will just say that Sen. Thune said over and over and over and over in this long meeting that he was 100% behind President Trump — 100% behind his agenda,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “He was adamant about it.” TOP GOP SENATORS WARN DOJ TO PRESERVE JACK SMITH DOCS IN TRUMP CASES, CITING ‘PAST DESTRUCTION’ OF RECORDS Hawley noted that he did not vote for Thune, instead publicly endorsing Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “But I will hold him to that pledge,” Hawley said of Thune. The incoming Republican Senate majority leader’s insistence to his conference that he would be a force for Trump’s agenda in the upper chamber came as an air of concern existed in Washington, D.C., regarding whether Thune and the president-elect had truly mended their previously fractured relationship. But Republicans of all stripes expressed degrees of confidence in him to do so after the leadership elections. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., an ally of Trump who publicly backed Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to be the next Republican leader, told Fox News Digital, “I think it’s very clear that this is going to be a conference for all of us. He’s going to do this by consensus with us.” THUNE SAYS TRUMP’S BORDER PLAN IS 1ST UP IN RIGOROUS PRIORITY LIST FOR NEW CONGRESS: ‘REAL WORK BEGINS’ Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., another top Trump ally, emphasized, “Sen. Thune is very supportive of President Trump and his agenda. And, most importantly, the Senate majority is too. So, I’m very optimistic.” One of Thune’s top advocates in the leader race was an early endorser, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who also happens to be close to Trump. “I know President Trump, and I know Thune has personally — they have visited multiple times,” he told reporters after Thune won the election. “They are at a good place with each other. There’s no rift between them,” Mullin said, adding the two were on “the same page. “I have no concerns about their relationship at all.” MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL Trump never publicly weighed in on the GOP leader race despite a number of vocal figures in his orbit choosing to get behind Scott, who was considered by some to be more aligned with Trump’s “MAGA” ideology. Billionaire and X owner Elon Musk, who Trump has said will be a part of his administration, had endorsed Scott and criticized Thune, claiming he was the candidate Democrats were supporting. While Trump didn’t issue an endorsement, it didn’t stop observers from speculating he was supporting Scott for the role. However, Trump might have actually been backing Thune in private. Two sources familiar with the situation, including a senator in the room during the leader election, told Fox News Digital that National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Steve Daines, R-Mont., insinuated ahead of the elections that Trump may have been privately backing Thune. THUNE WINS SECRET BALLOT TO BECOME NEW SENATE GOP LEADER, SUCCEEDING MCCONNELL Daines gave one of the nominating speeches for Thune before the secret ballot vote Wednesday. When initially contacted regarding the claims, Daines’ office told Fox News Digital he told his Republican colleagues, “Trump likes Thune.” After publication, Daines’ deputy communications director, Rachel Dumke, denied the senator suggested Trump had been backing Thune. “This anonymously sourced story is false. Sen. Daines told his colleagues that President Trump likes Sen. Thune, but he never said he endorsed him. If President Trump endorsed in that race, everybody would have known about it,” she said in a statement. Similar criticisms to Musk’s were lobbed on social media, in addition to claims Thune would replicate the leadership McConnell showcased during his tenure. But Mullin argued against these suggestions. “His leadership is very different,” he said. “I mean, Thune is someone that involves the conference before he makes a decision.” According to the Oklahoma Republican, Thune will be involved in engaging the conference like a team and making decisions like a “play call.” “Not everybody may agree with the play call,” he warned, “but the majority of the Republicans will be on board before we make a decision to move forward.” Thune’s office declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
One-time GOP rising star reveals how she will work with Trump admin after victory in key race
CONCORD, N.H. – Thanks to her convincing gubernatorial election victory last week in New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte’s national profile is once again on the rise. But Ayotte, who, other than President-elect Trump, was arguably the biggest Republican winner on Election Night, is keeping her focus on her home state. “I see one role for me and that is every day, to wake up and to be the champion for the people of New Hampshire,” the governor-elect said in a Fox News Digital interview at her transition office this week in the state’s capital city. And Ayotte, who last week defeated Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Manchester, New Hampshire mayor Joyce Craig by an unexpected nearly 10-point margin, emphasized that she plans “to focus on the economic issues, education, mental health, and housing,” when she is inaugurated in early January. REPUBLICANS HOLD ON TO THE MOST HIGHLY CONTEST GUBERNATORIAL SEAT THIS YEAR Ayotte, a former state attorney general, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and was a rising star in the GOP and regarded as a leader on national security and foreign policy. But Ayotte lost re-election in 2016 by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes at the hands of then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan. “It was a privilege to represent New Hampshire in the United States Senate, but I’ve been elected governor of the state of New Hampshire and everyday I’m just going to wake up and say ‘what can I do for New Hampshire today,’” Ayotte said when asked about any emerging new role as a leader in the GOP. VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT THESE OTHER REPUBLICANS MAY ALSO RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028 Ayotte launched her gubernatorial bid last year after popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu announced that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024. Sununu, a well-known figure in national politics, endorsed Ayotte in early August ahead of her easy victory in September’s GOP gubernatorial primary. The governor often joined Ayotte on the campaign trail in the late summer and autumn, and Ayotte highlighted that she planned to continue the Sununu agenda. “I think Gov. Sununu has done an excellent job for the state of New Hampshire. We’re leading the nation in so many metrics,” she told Fox News. But she added that “the thing that I love most about Gov. Sununu is the passion, the positive enthusiasm that he brings for this state. He loves this state. He’s so proud of New Hampshire. And I’m going to bring that same attitude as governor, really being a champion for the people of New Hampshire.” “Obviously, we are different people, but I share his philosophy on the economic prosperity of the state and the emphasis on personal and economic freedom,” Ayotte emphasized. HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 When it comes to former and future President Trump, Ayotte said “I look forward to working with the Trump administration on behalf of the people of New Hampshire, whether its roads, whether its bridges, whether its areas where we can strengthen our public safety. I think there are so many opportunities where we should be working together, and I’m going to advocate for the people of this state.” Ayotte said her years serving in Washington will come in handy as she takes over in the Granite State’s governor’s office. “Having the experience of having served in Washington, I certainly will fight hard for New Hampshire when it comes to interacting with the Trump administration,” she said. “Those federal dollars – making sure that they come to New Hampshire. But also, when Washington does things on the regulatory front, I want to make sure that New Hampshire’s voice is at that table.” Ayotte famously broke with then-GOP presidential nominee Trump just ahead of the 2016 election. She withdrew her support for Trump over the “Access Hollywood” controversy, in which Trump, in a years-old video, made extremely crude comments about grabbing women without their consent. “I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” Ayotte said at the time. While they both lost in New Hampshire, Ayotte slightly outperformed Trump in the state as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton edged the White House winner by less than 3,000 votes. Before heading back full time to New Hampshire, Ayotte stuck around Washington briefly after the end of her term, shepherding then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (Trump’s first high court nominee) through his successful Senate confirmation process. As she ran for governor the past two years in a state where New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary repeatedly drew Trump and other GOP White House hopefuls, Ayotte kept her distance from the national political conversation. She stayed neutral in New Hampshire’s presidential primary, but did endorse Trump after he locked up the nomination. She didn’t appear with Trump’s running mate – now Vice President-elect JD Vance – when the senator from Ohio made a last-minute stop in the Granite State a couple of days before Election Day. But Ayotte told Fox News “I want to congratulate President Trump, obviously, on a very strong victory on Election Day.” Asked about some of the president-elect’s controversial cabinet nomination announcements this week, Ayotte said that “it’s important that he’s putting together a team that works for him.” But the former senator emphasized that “this is really a decision for the United States Senate. They have an important role when it comes to advise and consent. I’m sure they’ll look carefully at President Trump’s nominees and make sure that they believe that they’re qualified.” Ayotte, in the GOP gubernatorial primary, easily defeated former New Hampshire Senate president Chuck Morse, who touted his support for Trump and questioned Ayotte’s loyalty to the former president. Morse’s hope that he would land a Trump endorsement never materialized, as the former president stayed neutral. Also helping Ayotte as she ran for governor – a helping hand from the Republican Governors Association, which dished out nearly