Democratic senator-elect calls Trump ‘unserious fool’ while defending combative political style
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic senator-elect from Michigan, leaned into accusations of acting cocky on the path to victory over Republican candidate Mike Rogers, citing a need to push back on President Donald Trump’s manner of communication during an appearance on Pod Save America. “Long ago, you predicted that you would win this race by seven points, which at the time seemed like a pretty cocky and ill-considered thing to say. Then you won the race by seven points. People are still calling you cocky,” podcast host Jon Favreau said during his interview with El-Sayed. “How do you see yourself?” “I think there is a responsibility that we have to engage with [Trump] as the unserious fool that he is,” El-Sayed replied. EL-SAYED MOCKS TRUMP, VANCE AND ROGERS IN GLOATING VICTORY SPEECH SIGNALING COMBATIVE TONE IN SENATE El-Sayed’s response sheds light on his view of his own campaign and the tone that he believes Democrats need to adopt to counter Trump’s presence in American politics. It also raises questions of whether El-Sayed’s campaign strategies will yield results in Congress. In his view, Trump has changed the style of acceptable communication. In turn, he accused Democrats of being hesitant to abandon a kind of decorum to fight fire with fire. “I just think there’s a responsibility for us to walk out of ‘The West Wing’ episode that our politics used to feel like and into the reality of where we are,” El-Sayed said, referring to a a television drama known for its idealistic portrayal of American politics. “I say that because if you’ve ever watched a bully in a room, if you don’t stand up to the bully, it’s not like the bully will just go away. The bully just gets stronger,” El-Sayed said. During his campaign, El-Sayed repeatedly pointed a finger at Trump for, in his view, ushering in a new age of political rhetoric. But that view also preceded his Senate bid. TRUMP DOMINATES EL-SAYED’S ATTACKS AGAINST ROGERS, BUT GOP RIVAL OFFERS UNEXPECTED POLICY SPLIT He once accused President Donald Trump of inciting terrorism in a 2020 interview, citing a foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “These are terrorists; we have to call them that. We have to recognize that that is what the face of terrorism looks like right now. We have to step up against it,” El-Sayed said. “We gotta ask: why are these people getting radicalized? Well, there must be some radical, extremist cleric out there who may be tweeting up a storm about all the things that they think need to be done, like liberating Michigan.” Although President Donald Trump did not call for any kind of violence against Whitmer, El-Sayed said he believed the president was at least partially responsible, pointing to a tweet Trump had made six months before the discovered plot. “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter, the social media platform now known as X. The post was one of a series calling to “liberate” Virginia and Minnesota from COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Democratic governors. According to FBI comments to local media, the plot originated before Trump’s post. Even so, El-Sayed called the posts emblematic of a cultural toxicity that had made violence more likely. “The idea that people would threaten her safety because she was willing to stand up to keep us all healthy is, to me, the example of what the kind of toxicity that we see out of Donald Trump creates,” El-Sayed said. MAJORITY LEADER THUNE SAYS SENATE GOP WON’T ‘STAND IDLY BY’ AS DEMOCRATS TAKE CONTROL OF CONGRESS A spokesperson for El-Sayed did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether he believed in a red line for what kind of rhetoric Democrats should refrain from using. Having won his U.S. Senate election, El-Sayed will be sworn into office on Jan. 3, 2027, the start of the 120th Congress.
GOP eyes Senate comeback after Democratic bloodbath, but another political nightmare could await
Republican control of the Senate could return as soon as the 2028 general election, but only if the party can pull off a series of crucial victories in competitive races, a possibility that seems distant following Tuesday night’s devastating Democratic sweep. As of publication, Democrats and independents who caucus with them have secured 54 Senate seats, a total that could grow to as many as 56 pending election calls in Mississippi and Alaska. Assuming Republicans hold the vice presidency in 2028, far from a guarantee, they would need to flip at least four seats during that election cycle to win the Senate back. While there are ample pick-up opportunities for Republicans in 2028 if the party can return to its typical national performance benchmarks, several vulnerable GOP-held seats could complicate their efforts to retake the upper chamber. DEMS FLIPS YET ANOTHER SENATE SEAT IN TRUMP COUNTRY AMID SWEEPING GOP UPSETS Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, for instance, turned 93 in September and faces a decision about whether to seek another term in 2028, when Republicans will be defending his seat in a state where Democrat Josh Turek just defeated Republican Ashley Hinson by roughly four percentage points. His departure before then could also give Iowa’s incoming Democratic governor the opportunity to appoint a temporary replacement. Another possibility that could make the GOP’s path back to a majority even more uncertain is the admission of Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., to the union as full states. Such a move would likely require the Democratic-led Senate to abolish or overcome the legislative filibuster, something lawmakers representing more moderate or competitive states may balk at, as well as support in the House and either presidential approval or enough votes to override a veto. CHUCK SCHUMER AFTER SWEEPING DEMOCRATIC MIDTERM VICTORIES: ‘I’LL BE RE-ELECTED AS MAJORITY LEADER’ Even if the filibuster is done away with, President Donald Trump could veto admittance bills. Democrats currently lack the numbers to override such a veto. If Republicans lose the White House in 2028, however, Democrats could have a clearer path to advancing statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., a move that would add four Senate seats and potentially complicate Republican efforts to win back the chamber, though significant political and legal obstacles would remain. Assuming none of that happens, Democrats will be defending six Senate seats that could offer Republicans potential pick-up opportunities in 2028. Republicans will have pick-up opportunities in New Hampshire, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio that year. They will, however, be forced to defend vulnerable Senate seats in Wisconsin, Iowa and North Carolina. Indiana, which saw a significant blue shift, also has a Senate seat up for contention in 2028, while Nebraska, where independent Dan Osborn mounted a competitive but unsuccessful challenge to Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts on Tuesday, will not hold another regularly scheduled Senate election until 2030. While 2028 could deliver Republicans a majority if they play their cards right, another defeat on the scale of 2026 could put the Democratic Party dangerously close to the 60-vote threshold necessary to invoke cloture and counter a filibuster. “It may be unlikely, but I do think it’s feasible,” Heritage Action government relations director Chip Wyatt told Fox News Digital. “We’re just as capable of having a night like the Democrats had on Tuesday in 2028. If anything, that election, the election we had on Tuesday has shown us that two years is a very, very long time in politics. think if you had told anybody in 2024 that this is what happened in 2028, they probably wouldn’t believe you.” For Republicans to have a good night in 2028, Wyatt argued that conservatives would have to focus on affordability issues while Democrats overstep their mandate by allowing the fringes of their party to dictate its policy agenda. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took a similar line in reacting to Tuesday night’s election results. “We will rebuild as a true blue-collar party, not by embracing socialism, but by being real free-market conservatives. The way we built the Texas economic miracle in the first place, and we will build and rebuild America as well,” he said. “When the zealots overreach, and they will, we will stand ready to lead in the direction of freedom, of prosperity, of safety and security and common sense. We will return to a new dawn of freedom in America.” 2030 features slightly fewer pick-ups for the GOP with a comparable number of states to defend. While Republicans will have pick-up opportunities in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan, they will also be forced to defend seats in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. MAJORITY LEADER THUNE SAYS SENATE GOP WON’T ‘STAND IDLY BY’ AS DEMOCRATS TAKE CONTROL OF CONGRESS The 2032 election will feature the same regularly scheduled Senate seats contested in 2026, giving Republicans another opportunity to retake deep-red states they blundered this year, such as Kansas and South Carolina. Historically, however, some moderate Democrats have managed to hang on to state-wide offices in typically red states, making a reversion far from a certainty. Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, for instance, managed to survive multiple GOP challenges in the deep-red state. Kansas and Kentucky, similarly, have Democratic governors that survived Republican challenges in races that received national attention. While many Republicans, and even some Democrats, have suggested liberal pick-ups in deep red states could be one-cycle wonders, Wyatt cautioned against complacency. “We should always assume the politicians want to get re-elected and so the senators in the deep red states that have been recently elected as Democrats are going to want to keep their seats and so they’re going to be very strategic in how they vote and in what kind of bills they’re introducing,” Wyatt said. “In some of these deep red states, it’s going to be difficult for [Democrats] to hold on to these seats … Now granted, I’ve already said two years is a long time, six years is an even longer time. So who knows what kind of
American war hero details dire living conditions US troops face as Hegseth taps him to ‘fix’ it
Some troops have gone a year without hot water. Others are sleeping in their cars to escape barracks without air conditioning. And some are asking for little more than drywall, spackle and paint so they can make repairs themselves. Those are among the conditions Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer says he has encountered while touring military installations on a mission from War Secretary Pete Hegseth: Fix a barracks system plagued by decades of neglect. “I would tell you that there’s only a couple that I’ve seen that are good,” Meyer told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. Meyer, who serves as senior adviser to the Pentagon’s Barracks Task Force, has visited more than eight installations across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps since taking on the assignment and plans to visit 30 before the end of the year. “What I thought was gonna be a professional job very quickly turned into personal,” Meyer said. DAKOTA MEYER TALKS SERVICE, BLASTS CONTROVERSIAL DESIGN FOR GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR MEMORIAL At one installation, Meyer recalled asking a 19-year-old service member what she would change about her living conditions if she could “wave a magic wand.” “If she could just have a hot shower,” Meyer recalled. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking.” The Pentagon’s barracks problems long predate Hegseth and have survived repeated attempts at reform. A sweeping 2023 Government Accountability Office investigation documented serious health and safety hazards and found that the department lacked reliable information about the condition of its own barracks, could not determine how much of its facilities spending went toward them and provided insufficient oversight. Congress and the military services have since committed billions toward improvements, including initiatives ranging from the Marine Corps’ “Barracks 2030” to a Navy overhaul of unaccompanied housing. Yet serious problems persist. As of this year, 12 of GAO’s 31 recommendations remained outstanding. Hegseth has sought to centralize the effort under a department-wide task force and accelerate improvements, with Meyer saying the secretary has made clear that identifying problems is no longer enough. “The secretary has made it clear to me he doesn’t expect me to observe this, study it, or to make it better. He expects me to fix it,” Meyer said. “And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Meyer, the only Medal of Honor hero to reenlist after receiving the award, said one of his first requests was for Hegseth to give the task force an “authoritative role,” rather than simply create another layer of oversight. The goal, he said, was to give the team the ability “to go out and make decisions, to be able to have impact, to be able to make change, and to be able to direct where that funding goes and how fast it gets to our service members.” EXCLUSIVE: HEGSETH TO DOUBLE CUTS TO GENERALS, ADMIRALS IN MAJOR PENTAGON SHAKEUP Meyer argued the problem is not simply a lack of money. Funding shortfalls, continuing resolutions and years of deferred maintenance have all contributed, he said, but so have layers of contracting rules and bureaucracy that can slow even relatively basic repairs. A separate watchdog review found the Pentagon facing a $285 billion maintenance backlog across its broader military facilities’ portfolio, underscoring the scale of the department’s infrastructure challenges. “When you look at the contracting aspect, it’s easier for people to say no,” Meyer said. Funding is also part of the problem, according to Meyer, who pointed to Congress’ failure to enact full-year defense appropriations for fiscal 2027. The Pentagon is currently operating under a continuing resolution through Dec. 11, which generally funds ongoing programs at prior-year rates while lawmakers negotiate a broader spending package. “When you can’t get a budget, when you’re waiting on Congress to pass a budget, to be able to get the funding there, I mean, that is a huge issue,” Meyer said. But he also argued that the Pentagon has too often measured progress by how much money has been obligated or put under contract, rather than whether troops actually see improvements in their living conditions. “Our service members don’t, they don’t live in our budget lines,” Meyer said. “They live in the rooms that those budget lines are there to impact.” For Meyer, that has meant getting out of Washington and hearing directly from the troops living with the consequences. “You can’t fix these problems or understand these problems by standing on the carpet of the Pentagon,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there and talk to these service members.” What he has heard, Meyer said, is striking partly because of how little troops are asking for. “They’re asking for a hot shower. They’re asking for a place to wash their clothes. They’re asking for a door that locks. They’re asking to be able to go to sleep in a place that doesn’t have mold. I mean, they’re asking for light bulbs.” “They’re willing to be part of the solution,” he added. Meyer stopped short of placing the blame solely on installation commanders, saying many want to improve conditions but have been constrained by a system that has normalized poor barracks for years. “I think this is a multidimensional problem, and it’s complex,” he said. “I think that you have commanders out there that want to take care of their service members. I’ve seen that across the board. But … they still have to have the ability to do that.” Meyer was far less forgiving of previous Pentagon leadership, arguing that years of investments and reform initiatives had failed to translate into adequate living conditions for troops. “Don’t kid yourself,” Meyer said. “In the past … it wasn’t a priority to the leadership.” Previous administrations and military leaders did launch barracks improvement efforts and devoted billions of dollars to construction, renovation and maintenance, even as government watchdogs continued to document serious deficiencies. Meyer said Hegseth has made the issue a personal priority. “We have the Secretary of War who is putting people first, and he’s not just saying
4 of nation’s largest cities now led by socialist mayors after Tuesday’s election, affecting tens of millions
Two socialist mayors were elected in the United States on Tuesday in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. which now means that four of the top 20 largest cities in the country have socialist leaders at the helm. Los Angeles Councilwoman Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) defeated incumbent mayor Karen Bass and will take office in December as mayor for the roughly 4 million residents of Los Angeles proper. Also victorious on Tuesday was DSA member Janeese Lewis George who coasted to victory to become mayor-elect of Washington, D.C., a city of roughly 700,000 residents. The list of socialist mayors in the top 20 most populous U.S. cities stands at 4, as George and Raman join Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST SWEEPS INTO DC MAYOR’S OFFICE, SIGNALS OPENNESS TO WORKING WITH TRUMP In total, the four cities are home to roughly 14 million people. That figure does not include neighboring suburbs, which could still feel the effects of policies enacted within city limits through crime, real estate values and the broader business climate. Problems in a city can spill over into surrounding communities, while suburban residents who work in the city may also be directly affected. Counting the population in the metro areas of those four cities, roughly 44 million people could be affected either positively and negatively by the socialist policies enacted by the four mayors. DSA LEADER DISMISSES $49T COST ESTIMATE FOR SOCIALIST POLICIES AS A ‘MADE-UP NUMBER’ “This makes LA the fourth large city that will now have a socialist mayor, joining New York, Washington DC and Seattle,” Heritage Foundation fellow Mike Gonzalez posted on X Thursday. “Chicago’s mayor is a buffoon, but he doesn’t identify as DSA. America used to be an impregnable fortress against Marxism, then Marxists took over universities.” The socialist victories were not limited to city halls. Voters also elected seven DSA-backed or affiliated candidates to the House: Claire Valdez, Brand Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York, Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania, Melat Kiros of Colorado, Donavan McKinney of Michigan and Angela Gonzales-Torres of California. Several other candidates associated with socialist policies also entered Congress or were re-elected on Tuesday. A recent Fox News national poll indicated 32% of voters have a favorable view of socialism, with 64% seeing it in an unfavorable way. But the favorable rating matches an all-time high, first reached five years ago, since Fox News first began asking the question in 2019. And a September Gallup poll found that 43% of Americans had a positive image of socialism, the highest level since the polling organization began tracking the question in 2010. The Fox News poll found that 51% of voters had a favorable view of capitalism, compared with 32% who viewed socialism favorably. Another 46% had an unfavorable view of capitalism.
Democrats set sights on Elon Musk probe after midterm wins, but Pritzker draws a surprising line
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., are calling for an investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), previously led by Elon Musk, as talks have heated up among Democrats to launch a probe into the multibillionaire. “I had no specific plan,” Raskin told Fox News Digital about the potential investigations. “Look…DOGE was a catastrophe for America, and at least one committee, I feel pretty certain, will investigate it. It needs to investigate it.” Musk has emerged as a potential target of Democratic oversight, with some lawmakers calling for scrutiny of his time as head of the DOGE. The calls for an investigation come as Democrats have started rallying the party to look into corruption under the Trump administration after coming out victorious in midterms. SCHUMER, JEFFRIES SIDESTEP QUESTIONS ON NUKING FILIBUSTER, LAUNCHING ELON MUSK PROBE AFTER BLUE WAVE The tech CEO helped launch DOGE at the start of President Donald Trump‘s second term to root out waste and be more transparent about the federal government’s spending. DOGE’s efforts included deferred resignations and buyouts of employees at federal agencies and contributed to a significant downsizing of the federal workforce, which contracted by about 250,000 employees during 2025, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Calls for investigations into DOGE also started over concerns about the department allegedly having access to Americans’ sensitive information. “I mean the whole thing was premised on a lie, and our private information was completely compromised by it,” Raskin said. Despite Pritzker saying he had never “heard anything like that” about a potential probe of Musk and DOGE, he agreed that DOGE is worthy of an investigation. PROGRESSIVE GROUP’S 182-PAGE BLUEPRINT MAPS OUT POTENTIAL DEM INVESTIGATIONS INTO TRUMP, CORPORATE ALLIES “I think there should be a lot of inspection of what DOGE did,” Pritzker told Fox News Digital. “I think that was pretty awful. “ But Pritzker didn’t seem so sure that needing an investigation into DOGE also warranted an investigation into Musk himself. “I don’t know about focusing on one person,” Pritzker said when asked about investigating Musk. ELON MUSK BLAMES TRUMP, US MILITARY FOR SPACEX RESTRICTIONS UKRAINE WARNS COULD HAVE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES Democratic lawmakers have also suggested looking into Musk’s companies’ multibillion-dollar contracts with the federal government and, more recently, his role in cutting internet access to the Ukrainian military. After the midterm elections resulted in a sweeping blue wave, Democrats in both chambers of Congress have vowed to use investigative committees and subpoena powers to probe not only Musk, but Trump and much of his administration — including trying to impeach Trump. Fox News Digital’s Eric Revell contributed to this report.
DeSantis blasts Washington Post over report he’s preparing 2028 presidential bid
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired back Friday at a report that he is preparing another White House bid in 2028, accusing The Washington Post of fabricating claims that he has started reaching out to political consultants about a potential campaign. “The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth,” DeSantis wrote on X. “I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything.” “Just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks. Using anonymous sources of course!” he added. The Post reported Friday, citing three people briefed on his plans, that DeSantis was preparing to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. VANCE, CRUZ AND DESANTIS DIAGNOSE GOP’S MIDTERM DISASTER AS BATTLE OVER PARTY’S FUTURE BEGINS The newspaper reported that DeSantis, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2024 and is term-limited after 2026, had already reached out to at least one national political consultant about working on a prospective campaign. A federal super PAC tied to DeSantis also sent out a fundraising text earlier this week, The Post reported. DeSantis continued pushing back against the report in exchanges with social media users. When one user expressed hope that The Post’s reporting was accurate, the governor replied that he was “sorry to disappoint.” DeSantis also responded to another user who suggested political consultants may have been using his name to attract attention. “Probably the case. But maybe just made up by WaPo,” he wrote. FIRST MUSLIM SENATOR, FIRST BLACK FEMALE GOVERNOR: 2026 MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS MAKE HISTORY Speculation surrounding DeSantis’ political future comes just days after Republicans suffered sweeping defeats in the midterm elections, losing control of both chambers of Congress and several traditionally Republican strongholds. The Sunshine State, however, remained a bright spot for the GOP, with Republican Byron Donalds winning the governor’s race. “This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans,” DeSantis said Wednesday, warning that among the nation’s 10 most populous states, Florida would be the only one with Republican control of its government. DESANTIS CALLS GOP MIDTERM LOSSES ‘EXTINCTION-LEVEL EVENT’ — AND EXPLAINS WHY FLORIDA SURVIVED DeSantis previously sought the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but suspended his campaign in January 2024 after the Iowa caucuses and endorsed Donald Trump. The governor, who will leave office in January, has previously left open the possibility of another presidential campaign. Fox News Digital has reached out to DeSantis’ office and The Washington Post for comment. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
US offers $20 million reward for information on Iran’s nuclear program
The U.S. is offering up to $20 million to anyone with information on Iran’s nuclear program. “If you have information on Iran’s nuclear program, assets, or associated individuals, send it to us via Signal or our Tor-based tip line. You may be eligible for a reward and relocation,” the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program said in an announcement posted to X. The State Department said it was seeking information on “nuclear scientists and staff, nuclear program-related technologies, and capabilities, associated organizations and personnel.” EXPERTS ‘DEEPLY’ CONCERNED OVER IRAN’S WORK AT UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR SITE “The U.S. government remains committed to countering any attempt by Iran to develop a nuclear weapons program,” the agency added. The announcement comes as President Donald Trump considers renewed military strikes against Iran while Washington and Tehran continue negotiations over the country’s nuclear program. IRANIAN NEGOTIATORS KICKED OUT OF US AS TALKS STALL; TRUMP LAYS OUT ‘POSSIBLE’ TIMELINE FOR MORE STRIKES Trump reiterated Friday that Iran would never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon, pointing to previous U.S. military operations targeting Tehran’s nuclear facilities. The president met with his national security team Thursday to consider renewing military strikes against Iran after Trump promised to wait until after the midterms. TRUMP ADMIN THREATENS IRAN WITH ‘CONSEQUENCES’ AS ALLIES CONVENE AMID THREATS OF POST-ELECTION ESCALATION Nov. 9 marks a new moon in the Middle East, meaning little to no moonlight, a condition favorable for military operations, senior U.S. officials told Fox News. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier Thursday that Washington would “make a decision” on resuming the war. TRUMP’S MOAB THREAT COULD PUT IRAN’S DEEPEST BUNKERS IN AMERICA’S CROSSHAIRS “Do we want to go further” with strikes to ensure Iran’s nuclear program is dead and that “it will never happen again?” he added. US EMBASSIES IN MIDDLE EAST WARN AMERICANS OF ‘UNFORESEEN ESCALATION’ AS LATEST STRIKES HIT IRAN “I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You’ll know soon enough.” U.S. Central Command is finalizing preparations for a potential resumption of major operations in Iran but has not received a new directive from Washington, according to reports citing a U.S. official. Fox News’ Emma Bussey and Brittany Miller contributed to this report.
Trump highlights NASA nuclear-powered Mars spacecraft mission planned for 2028
President Donald Trump highlighted NASA’s ambitious plans to launch its first nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars within the next two years, reaffirming his administration’s push to expand American space exploration and eventually send astronauts to the red planet. Speaking at the UP Summit at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Trump touted the mission as part of his administration’s broader ambitions to expand America’s presence beyond Earth. “Within the next two years, NASA will launch the first-ever nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars,” Trump said. The president described the mission as a step toward eventually sending American astronauts to the planet. TRUMP CALLS ISS CREW FROM HOUSTON TO PRAISE SPACE PIONEERS AND OFFER ‘OVAL OFFICE TIME’ “We’re going to be paving the way for astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the red planet,” he said. The planned mission comes as NASA’s Artemis program aims to establish a long-term human presence on the moon before eventually sending astronauts to Mars. Earlier this year, astronauts completed a lunar flyby during the Artemis II mission. Artemis III is scheduled to test spacecraft and landing systems in Earth orbit in 2027, while Artemis IV is expected to attempt a lunar landing in early 2028, before the end of Trump’s presidential term. PETER NAVARRO: TRUMP’S ARTEMIS VISION IS NOW FLYING — AND CHINA IS PAYING ATTENTION Trump also outlined his administration’s plans to accelerate space exploration and establish a lasting American presence beyond Earth, saying the U.S. “will establish a permanent presence on lunar soil.” The president pointed to his recently issued American Declaration of Freedom in Space, which asserts the right of Americans to explore and settle beyond Earth under U.S. law. “Just this week, I issued the American Declaration of Freedom in Space, proclaiming all of space opened for American settlement, American civilization and American freedom,” Trump said. Before introducing the president, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also discussed the space agency’s Mars ambitions and long-term goals. CHINA IS RACING TO THE MOON, AND AMERICA MUST CLEAR THE PATH FOR SPACE INNOVATION “We are going to venture farther into the solar system and move closer to that next giant leap,” Isaacman said. He described the administration’s ultimate goal as the day “American astronauts plant the Stars and Stripes on Mars.” The administration has previously outlined broader space ambitions, including plans for a U.S. Space Academy, which Trump announced in August. The proposed institution would train students for careers in the Space Force, NASA and the civilian spaceflight industry. Trump also emphasized his broader vision for American space exploration. “Our calling is to explore. Our purpose is to build, and our aim is always to win,” he said.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to what happens next on Capitol Hill
The midterms are over. But even more pitched battles are underway. These are internal House and Senate leadership elections. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., won’t pursue the minority leader post. President Trump doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., but the president hasn’t demanded a change there. Some incoming House and Senate progressives have expressed their reservations about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., despite the stunning Democratic wins from Tuesday night. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY COULD EXPOSE THE LIMITS OF THE PROGRESSIVE AGENDA Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., has long warned he might not support Schumer for Majority Leader. “If you’re Chuck Schumer, I’m dangerous,” El-Sayed advised in late June. The Michigan Democrat ducked the question when asked about supporting Schumer on NBC just after the election. “I am going to vote for the option that gives me the best chance of getting money out of politics. Putting money in pockets and passing Medicare for all,” said El-Sayed. “I’m interested to see, working with the rest of our caucus, what options we’ve got.” By Thursday on CNN, El-Sayed was reiterating his support for Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who hasn’t announced he’s running for anything. “I think he’d be an amazing Senate majority leader,” said El-Sayed of Van Hollen. But even other newcomers weren’t committing to Schumer. “No, I will not (support Schumer),” Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton, D-Kan., said on Fox before the election. “And I’ve already said I’m not going to vote (for him).” “I think it’s really clear that both parties are ready for a new generation of leadership,” Sen.-elect Annie Andrews, D-S.C., told colleague Bret Baier. “I told Sen. Schumer that I’m going to support somebody else,” offered Sen.-elect Troy Jackson, D-Maine. But Schumer is shrugging that off. “I’ll be re-elected as majority leader,” Schumer said when asked by reporters on Wednesday. “But the issue is focusing on the American people and what they want.” Schumer only needs around 29 of his members to support him in a secret caucus vote to become majority leader. That’s a majority of expected Senate Democrats who will serve next year. At least five members of the Democratic Socialists of America are pledging to withhold their support for Jeffries as the first Black House speaker in U.S. history unless they secure commitments for their agenda. The successful candidate for speaker requires an outright majority of the entire House — 218 votes of 435, if all Representatives-elect cast ballots — when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. Keep in mind that House Democrats may score more than 260 seats once all races are settled. So, he can afford dozens of defections. For House Republicans, Johnson may have signaled his future last month when speaking to colleague Aishah Hasnie. “If God moves on our hearts and says we should go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that,” said Johnson. Now it’s far from certain that Johnson will soon channel Groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons. But perhaps becoming “The Lawnmower Man” is a better option for Johnson than getting mowed down by your own colleagues in a bid for minority leader. Maybe the grass IS greener back in Louisiana. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, are running to become the House’s top Republican. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., wants to return as minority whip. He’s facing a challenge from Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. But here’s the trick. How do these House Republicans win the leadership positions yet maintain their own coalitions? It’s unclear if Republicans think that Jordan and Scalise are right for the party — right now. Both are aligned with President Trump. And some Republicans hope to move past that. Regardless, Democrats campaigned on two things: the cost of living and holding the Trump administration accountable. But what does the Democrats’ legislative agenda look like? This isn’t like 1994, when former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., famously crafted the 10-point Contract with America as a pledge to voters as to what Republicans would do if they flipped the House for the first time in 40 years. CHUCK SCHUMER AFTER SWEEPING DEMOCRATIC MIDTERM VICTORIES: ‘I’LL BE RE-ELECTED AS MAJORITY LEADER’ Democrats have a host of ideas on what they plan to vote on. “We have to first get in there and really focus on rolling back the cuts from the one big ugly bill,” Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton, D-Ill., promised on CNN. Also expect votes on renewing expired Obamacare subsidies. Democrats demanded money to offset the costs of rising premiums in exchange for their votes to fund the government. The House finally passed a bill to do that. But the Senate didn’t. The standoff over the Obamacare aid was the key component to last year’s record-breaking, 43-day government shutdown. “The shutdown sharpened the American people’s view of the distinction between the parties on this crucial issue,” Schumer said. Democrats are also focused on a key issue from the midterms: the future of AI and data centers. They’re concerned that AI threatens American jobs. “This revolt against data centers are just the initial tremors of a bigger AI earthquake that is upending American politics,” said Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, chairman of the Progressive Caucus. “And we have to be on the right side of this issue.” There will undoubtedly be votes to end the war in Iran — perhaps by cutting off money for those operations. The House approved three “war powers” resolutions. The Senate green-lighted one. But those machinations did nothing to hem in the president on the war. Democrats believe that ending the war will reduce gas prices. And that, in turn, will lower the cost of groceries. Congressional Republicans balked at unwinding tariffs imposed by President Trump. So, there could be votes on that front, too. Democrats believe the election shifted the dynamic of Republicans aligning behind the President in near lockstep. “This is the time for
Trump’s move from Wiles to Miller signals major tactical shift for governing without Congress
President Donald Trump tapped Stephen Miller to succeed Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, elevating an adviser who reportedly helped develop plans to advance his agenda without congressional approval as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress in January. Miller, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and White House lawyers have worked since April to identify executive actions Trump could take without new legislation, including measures on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending, Reuters reported Sunday, citing three people familiar with the planning. With Democrats set to control Congress in January, Trump will face greater obstacles to passing legislation, while Democratic lawmakers will gain the power to launch investigations into his administration. “If crazed Democrats want to abuse their power and politicize their process of investigations, subpoenas, and destroying lives, they should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers,” a White House official told Fox News Digital Friday afternoon. ‘LAWYER UP’: DEMS IMMEDIATELY PUT TRUMP ON NOTICE AMID REPUBLICANS’ MIDTERM BLOODBATH Asked by CBS on Tuesday how he would advance his agenda if Democrats took control of Congress, Trump cited the Supreme Court’s June ruling in Trump v. Slaughter, which expanded his authority to remove certain federal officials. “We won the Slaughter case and the Slaughter case gives the president tremendous powers that it never had before,” Trump told CBS in the interview. TRUMP TOUTS ‘ULTIMATE POWER’ OF VETO IF DEMOCRATS WIN CONTROL OF HOUSE AND SENATE In Trump v. Slaughter, the Supreme Court handed Trump a significant victory on presidential authority in June, ruling that he had the constitutional power to remove former Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter despite a federal law restricting the president’s ability to fire FTC commissioners. Trump said the ruling will be a cornerstone for how he intends to govern by executive action. He also discussed vetoing bills passed by the Democratic Congress until they’re willing to come to the bargaining table. On numerous occasions, he has already referred to himself as “Mr. Veto.” TRUMP REVIVES RARE BUDGET MANEUVER TO RESCIND $810M IN CONGRESSIONALLY APPROVED FUNDS “As the President has said, he’s willing to work with anyone to continue delivering victories for hardworking Americans,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “If Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people.” Republicans on the Hill expressed concerns about what Miller’s appointment could mean for the final two years of his presidency. MIKE JOHNSON’S NO 2 LAUNCHES GOP TAKEOVER BID AS HOUSE FALLS TO DEMOCRATS Asked whether Miller’s promotion could lead Trump to rely more heavily on executive action, one House Republican told Fox News Digital: “I’ve been concerned about that for two years.” “I’m also concerned [Trump] will embrace his populist roots that are not conservative to pass things with the Dems,” the lawmaker said. TRUMP CONGRATULATES DEMOCRATS AFTER DOMINANT MIDTERMS, SAYS HE LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM Another said the Trump administration will continue governing “without Congress, as they’ve been doing.” STEPHEN MILLER SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS PURSUING POLICY TO DEBANK ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS A Trump administration official praised Miller’s appointment, particularly given Miller’s immigration bona fides. “A great pick,” the official told Fox News Digital. “He has the trust of millions of Americans who understand that reversing mass migration is the crisis of our time.” Miller will begin his new role Monday, and Wiles will move to Trump’s political operation.