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Trump Requests Military Aircraft and Vehicles Amid Iran Threat -- Biden Approves
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Donald Trump’s campaign requested military aircraft for Trump to fly in during the final weeks of the campaign, expanded flight restrictions over his residences and rallies, ballistic glass pre-positioned in seven battleground states for the campaign’s use and an array of military vehicles to transport Trump, according to emails reviewed by The Washington Post and people familiar with the matter.

The requests are extraordinary and unprecedented — no nominee in recent history has been ferried around in military planes ahead of an election. But the requests came after Trump’s campaign advisers received briefings in which the government said Iran is still actively plotting to kill him, according to the emails reviewed by The Post and the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions. Trump advisers have grown concerned about drones and missiles, according to the people.

In the emails over the past two weeks from campaign manager Susie Wiles to Ronald L. Rowe Jr., the head of the Secret Service, she expressed displeasure with the Secret Service and said the campaign recently had to cancel a public event at the last minute because of a “lack of personnel” from the Secret Service — instead only putting Trump in a small room with reporters. Wiles said Trump’s campaign is being hampered in its planning because of threats, and expects to hold far more events in the final weeks of the campaign.

She also wrote that the U.S. government has not been able to provide what the campaign views as an extensive enough plan to protect Trump. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a Trump ally who is on the House Intelligence Committee and the Butler assassination inquiry, wrote a letter to the Secret Service asking for military aircraft or additional protection for Trump’s private plane, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by The Post.

Secret Service officials did not answer specific questions about the discussions with the Trump campaign, but spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that Trump is receiving “the highest levels of protection.” In a letter to the campaign, Rowe said the government is assessing what can be provided.

“Assistance from the Department of Defense is regularly provided for the former president’s protection, to include explosive ordnance disposal, canine units, and airlift transportation,” Guglielmi said. The Secret Service is also imposing temporary flight restrictions “over the former president’s residence and when he travels,” he added. “Additionally, the former president is receiving the highest level of technical security assets which include unmanned aerial vehicles, counter unmanned aerial surveillance systems, ballistics and other advanced technology systems.”

Senior U.S. officials said it was unlikely the Trump campaign would be provided military planes based on the current intelligence.

One official said the other requests are being considered, but there are limitations on how many places the Secret Service can have bullet-resistant glass positioned at one time, and that glass is already being provided for his rallies.

“We are doing everything we can do to take on the threats that are actionable and real,” the official said.

The official said the U.S. government was frustrated by the Trump campaign releasing statements that they felt politicized the briefings the campaign was given on Iran.

The requests were first reported Friday by the New York Times.

Former U.S. officials said they were unaware of any presidential nominee getting a military jet. One person who has served under multiple Republican administrations in senior roles said it would be “extraordinary” for the Secret Service to grant such a request.

Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, receives protection from the U.S. Marines as vice president and flies on Air Force Two, which is a military airplane.

The Republican nominee has already started traveling with additional planes, and officials are also taking the precaution of dividing his motorcade at times and putting Trump in nondescript planes that do not have his name on the side instead of his longtime 757 jet.

The requests escalate a months-long battle between Trump’s team and the Secret Service, which has heightened after two assassination attempts on the former president. Granting such requests for a presidential candidate would be unprecedented, particularly a military plane to transport Trump. If the administration granted such assets, it would give Trump a distinct look in the final months that no challenger has ever had — and would remind voters visually, every day, that he is under threat.

Trump and his team have grown frustrated with the Secret Service in recent months, even as they praise Trump’s own security detail. The Secret Service has repeatedly escalated Trump’s security, but not to levels the campaign wants, the people said.

There is no evidence tying Iran to either of the recent assassination attempts, the people said, but the FBI has not ruled out the possibility of a connection. U.S. spies have determined that Iran’s leaders are seeking to take revenge on U.S. officials including Trump whom they hold responsible for a strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020, but Iran’s ability to strike within the United States is limited, according to people briefed on the intelligence.

Trump has asked campaign advisers and U.S. government officials repeatedly whether Iran was behind the two gunmen who separately attempted to assassinate him on July 13 in Butler, Pa., and on Sept. 15 at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the briefing. Several of Trump’s advisers have become convinced — even without evidence — that Iran was behind previous threats.

In June, undercover FBI agents met with a Pakistani man in Brooklyn who was seeking to hire hit men to assassinate an American politician on Iran’s behalf, according to charges unsealed in August. The foiled plot prompted national security officials to alert the Secret Service about unspecified Iranian threats to Trump. Authorities arrested the Pakistani man, Asif Merchant, 46, on July 12, the day before Trump’s Butler rally.

Investigators have not established a motive for the Butler shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who opened fire from a nearby roof, grazing Trump’s ear and killing one rallygoer before he was killed at the scene by a Secret Service countersniper. Crooks was a registered Republican, made a small donation to a liberal PAC, researched past assassinations and had photos of Trump and President Joe Biden on his phone.

People briefed on the Butler investigation said there is no evidence pointing to foreign ties.

The Trump campaign is also dealing with the fallout from Iranian hackers who stole sensitive campaign documents and tried to release them through the media or share them with the Biden campaign, according to federal prosecutors. An indictment released Sept. 27 of three Iranian nationals alleged a wide-ranging, years-long effort that included targeting one of Trump’s lawyers, former CIA officials and a former U.S. ambassador. In recent days, more campaign employees have been told they were targeted by the Iranians.

Trump’s late-September visit to a college football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., entailed the most protection he has had since leaving office, with bullet-resistant glass and 150 metal detectors deployed to the stadium, according to one of the people. For his return to Butler on Oct. 5, a row of shipping containers lined the perimeter of the venue to block the view from a passing road. The security forces on-site included drones, helicopters, undercover officers, snipers and tactical teams.

Iran makes no secret of its intention to seek to kill Trump, analysts note. An animated video showing a drone firing on Trump playing golf has resurfaced recently. The video was posted to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s website on Jan. 14, 2022.

At the same time, notes former CIA official Norman Roule, “Iran is challenged by the fact that it lacks an extensive presence in the United States and is also under extensive scrutiny by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence services and their foreign partners.”

Unable to easily insert their own personnel into the United States, the Iranians have had to resort to “third country nationals and criminals” to try to carry out assassinations, he said.

Iran has likely felt able to threaten the former president based in part, he said, “on the lack of serious consequences by the West for its lethal operations” against former U.S. officials, activists and journalists in the United States and Britain, Roule said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, said the available evidence on Crooks and the golf course suspect appears to more closely match the profile of homegrown violent extremists whom the FBI has identified as a rising domestic terrorism threat.

“There was intelligence about a potential threat from Iran, but the shooter on July 13th had no connection,” Blumenthal said. “I’m aware of no evidence at this time that the apparent would-be assassin in Florida had any tie to any other country.”

Iran’s desire for revenge is not new. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress in 2022 that his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, was still receiving round-the-clock government security.

Biden directed the National Security Council to warn Iran’s government to stop plotting against Trump and former U.S. officials, adding that the United States would view any attempts on Trump’s life as an act of war.

A White House official said Biden’s strategy to address Iran’s lethal plots includes protective measures as well as disrupting threats through law enforcement actions. Biden has directed “every resource” for Trump’s protection and for agencies to provide threat information to his security detail, according to Security Council spokesman Sean Savett.

“We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority, and we strongly condemn Iran for these brazen threats,” Savett said in a statement. “Should Iran attack any of our citizens, including those who continue to serve the United States or those who formerly served, Iran will face severe consequences.”

Trump has started referencing the threats in settings such as news conferences and interviews.

“You’re in danger right now because of them and their challenge to me,” Trump told reporters at an Oct. 1 news conference in Milwaukee. Reflecting on going back to Butler, he recounted how the bullet that grazed his ear might have done more damage had he not been turning his head to look at a screen.

“Had I not made that turn, I would not be speaking to you people today,” Trump said.

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Report: Republican Internal Whip-Count for Leadership Vote on Wednesday Is Leaked

The temperature is rising in the battle to lead Senate Republicans, with Sens. John Thune (S.D.) and John Cornyn (Texas) facing a one-week sprint to win the top spot after the GOP clinched control of the upper chamber.

According to multiple senators and aides, Thune and Cornyn, along with their allies, have been burning up the phones of members in search of support ahead of next week’s election to replace outgoing Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).

Thune, the Senate GOP whip, has been considered a slight favorite to replace the Kentucky Republican. He is the top vote-counter on the GOP side and has proven an able fundraiser and campaigner.

But few are counting out Cornyn, a former whip and top ally to the outgoing leader who is considered to have strong ties with more conservative segments of the conference.

“It’s Thune’s to lose, but Cornyn’s going to make it close,” one GOP aide familiar with leadership dynamics told The Hill. “It’s going to be bloody and rough, and money is going to matter.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is also once again running for the post but is not expected to survive past the first ballot in what will be a secret tally Wednesday. The vote will only include the members who will be in office once the 119th Congress convenes next year.

The outcome of Tuesday’s election will likely play a key role in who succeeds McConnell.

Thune was consistently on the road in support of Senate GOP candidates throughout October, appearing for all of those in competitive races — save for Kari Lake in Arizona — during the final month, according to a source familiar with the South Dakotan’s operation.

He also raised more than $33 million across his accounts, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the party’s fleet of candidates, the source added.

Cornyn also posted strong figures, having raked in $26 million, including nearly $12 million for the NRSC, as of late September, while traveling to key battleground states to stump and fundraise in Michigan, Nevada and Indiana, among others.

His team has also noted he has raised $406 million overall since he became a senator in 2002.

But President-elect Trump, who scored a decisive victory in the White House race, remains the biggest X factor heading into next week. Neither Thune nor Cornyn has been a dyed-in-the-wool MAGA backer, but both have sought to repair their relationships with him since the beginning of the year.

Thune has had more work to do on that end than Cornyn after he backed Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) presidential campaign and Trump called for him to receive a primary challenge in the Mount Rushmore State. None materialized, and Thune ultimately cruised to a fourth term.

But Thune has appeared determined to be on good terms with the president-elect. According to the same source, the two met at Mar-a-Lago in March and have spoken several times since, including Wednesday.

Another feather in Thune’s cap is that two of his top supporters are Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the outgoing chair of the Senate GOP campaign arm, and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a member of Thune’s whip team. Both are key allies of Trump who have been in frequent contact with him throughout the 2024 cycle.

“John Thune’s worked pretty hard at … making sure that he and Trump are on the same page,” Mullin told The Hill in an interview. “He’s done a good job staying relevant to the president, calling him and checking in on him. I think it’s good.”

As for Cornyn, he came out earlier for Trump this cycle and has also maintained a presence with the president-elect, having seen him recently when Trump visited Texas in late October and earlier in the month in Nevada.

Thune indicated to Fox News on Wednesday that he has urged Trump avoid getting involved in the leadership race but noted that it is certainly his “prerogative” if he wants to.

“The president obviously has tremendous influence, and if he chooses to use it, I think, in in the leadership elections, particularly in the Senate … it is a very sort of inside baseball thin,” Thune said. “And the president, if he chooses to, it’s his prerogative to weigh in on that. Frankly, I think if he lets it play out, we’ll get the right person.”

However, Mullin expressed supreme confidence that Thune will take over atop the conference and argued that he already has the votes.

“The way it’s playing out, it’s 100 percent Thune’s at this point. It’s just a formality. I don’t see how Cornyn gets there, and I don’t see how Rick Scott gets there. They’re both good guys, I just don’t see how they get there,” Mullin said. “This leadership election has been going on a long time. … Now, it’s a closing argument and making sure your vote stays where it’s at [and] following up.”

On Sunday, a whip-count memo was allegedly leaked by a GOP Senate source for the upcoming leadership vote.

Here is where the race stands now:

  1. John Thune (24 votes)
  2. John Cornyn (18 votes)
  3. Rick Scott (11 votes)
  • Banks – Thune
  • Barrasso – Thune
  • Blackburn – Thune
  • Boozman – Cornyn
  • Britt – Cornyn
  • Budd – Cornyn
  • Capito – Cornyn
  • Cassidy – Thune
  • Collins – Thune
  • Cornyn – Cornyn
  • Cotton – Thune
  • Cramer – Thune
  • Crapo – Cornyn
  • Cruz – Thune
  • Curtis – Thune
  • Daines – Thune
  • Ernst – Cornyn
  • Fischer – Cornyn
  • Graham – Cornyn
  • Grassley – Cornyn
  • Hagerty – Scott
  • Hawley – Cornyn
  • Hoeven – Thune
  • Hyde-Smith – Cornyn
  • Johnson – Scott
  • Justice – Thune
  • Kennedy – Cornyn
  • Lankford – Cornyn
  • Lee – Scott
  • Lummis – Thune
  • Marshall – Scott
  • McConnell – Thune
  • McCormick – Cornyn
  • Moran – Cornyn
  • Moreno – Scott
  • Mullin – Thune
  • Murkowski – Thune
  • Paul – Scott
  • Ricketts – Cornyn
  • Risch – Cornyn
  • Rounds – Thune
  • Rubio – Scott
  • Schmitt – Scott
  • Scott (FL) – Scott
  • Scott (SC) – Thune
  • Sheehy – Thune
  • Sullivan – Thune
  • Tillis – Thune
  • Thune – Cornyn
  • Tuberville – Scott
  • Vance – Scott
  • Wicker – Thune
  • Young – Thune
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Musk Endorses Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Sunday endorsed lawmaker Rick Scott for Senate majority leader, joining a growing list of MAGA figures who are throwing their support behind the Florida Republican.

“Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!” Musk wrote in a post on X Sunday afternoon, days after Republicans won back control of the Senate on Election Day.

Musk’s post came in response to a post from Scott, who was responding to President-elect Trump’s demand that “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.”

“100% agree,” Scott responded. “I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.”

Musk is the latest Trump-ally calling for Scott to be the Senate GOP leader.

Scott’s senate Republican colleagues, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Rand Paul of Kentucky have each pledged to vote for Scott.

Scott, whose bid for the position is seen as a long shot by some observers, is up against fellow Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, and John Thune of South Dakota for the job McConnell has held since 2007.

Scott has expressed hope that Trump will publicly endorse his bid for the top job, though some reports have indicated the president-elect has been hesitant to weigh in on the race.

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Trump Names Ex-ICE Head Tom Homan as US ‘Border Czar’

President-elect Donald Trump will tap his former head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Tom Homan, to be the “border czar” in his administration.

Trump announced late Sunday evening that he would make Homan responsible for the southern border, northern border, coastal and air borders. Homan was under consideration to lead the entire Department of Homeland Security, a Senate-confirmed Cabinet position.

“I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (“The Border Czar”), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump said. “Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”

Trump’s selection of Homan comes less than a week after he won the presidential election, including the popular vote and all seven swing states.

Trump promised to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history, vowing to remove the 20 million to 25 million illegal immigrants that he claimed were in the country.

Homan said in an interview on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures that Trump planned to first target illegal immigrants with criminal histories for deportation.

“It’s going to be the worst first,” said Homan, adding that he hasn’t advocated for military involvement.

“It will be a humane operation, but it’s a necessary mass deportation operation.”

Homan’s appointment means he will not need to get Senate confirmation, avoiding an ugly and potentially difficult process given Homan’s loyalty to Trump through the years. As a “czar,” Homan will advise the president on border issues and be the point person on related matters.

Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris throughout his campaign as being an ineffective “border czar.” Harris was technically never appointed border czar, but had been tapped by President Joe Biden early on in 2021 to take action that would stop the flow of immigrants illegally entering the country from Central America.

Under Biden, more than 10 million immigrants have been encountered at the nation’s borders, more than any two-term White House administration.

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Republican Gabe Evans Flips Colorado’s 8th District Red – GOP One Seat Away from Winning House

Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO) conceded to her Republican challenger Gabe Evans in the House race for Colorado‘s 8th Congressional District Sunday, a key flip that helps the GOP’s hopes of keeping its majority in the House of Representatives.

The Republican challenger has yet to be projected as the winner by the Associated Press, but Evans leads Caraveo 49%-48.2%, with an estimated 92% of the vote counted. The current margin shows 2,596 votes separating the two leading candidates.

Caraveo conceded defeat in a statement Sunday, calling her past two years representing the district “the honor of a lifetime.”

“While this isn’t the outcome we hoped for, the work is not over,” Caraveo said. “I look forward to returning to Washington to finish out this term and will continue to be an independent voice for the people of this district.”

Evans celebrated the victory in a statement Sunday, in which he thanked Caraveo for her service and “gracious concession” and stated that he looked “forward to working with her and her team to transition this office over the next few months.”

“I am incredibly humbled to be chosen as the next Congressman for Colorado’s 8th. It is an honor to be entrusted with the job of representing you and your families, and I am ready to fight back for a better direction for all Coloradans,” Evans said.

The seat in the Centennial State was viewed as one of the most vulnerable for Democrats, with the Cook Political Report giving the district an “even” partisan voting index and rating the race as a “toss up.”

Caraveo won the seat in 2022, narrowly defeating Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer 48.4%-47.7%, and in 2020, the district voted for then-candidate Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump by 4.7%.

The seat was listed as a target for pickup by the National Republican Congressional Committee, and was part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s front-line program. Polls ahead of the election showed a tight race within the margin of error of various surveys.

The district has the largest Hispanic community of any of the state’s congressional districts, a demographic Republicans have gained ground with nationwide in recent elections.

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WATCH: Biden Stumbles Multiple Times — Needs Assist from Jill — As He Struggles to Walk on Delaware Beach

President Joe Biden was spotted battling with the sand near his home in Delaware over the weekend as First Lady Jill Biden was slammed for not helping him.

The 81-year-old was seen struggling to make his way down Gordons Pond Trail in Rehoboth Beach near his home on Sunday as he took a walk.

Biden nearly faceplanted as he shuffled nervously over the hazardous terrain and appeared to nearly lose his footing completely, while his wife remained surefooted.

Reporters near by who recorded the scene could be heard gasping as he stumbled down the sands, seemingly anticipating that he was going to fall.

Social media users have since criticized Jill Biden for seemingly not offering her husband a helping hand.

One person posted: ‘Wouldn’t you think Jill could hold her husband’s hand or grab his arm for safety’s sake?’

Another added: ‘That’s just pathetic. Jill just doesn’t even care he’s about to eat sand at any moment.’

Someone else commented: ‘I would be ashamed of myself if this was my dad or husband and I didn’t just held is hand to help him out.

‘Everyone knows he is old and needs help, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just help the guy.’

It comes after Biden announced that he would host President-elect Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday.

Their encounter will be the first time the two have met since Biden’s disastrous debate performance in June which saw him bow out of the election.

Such a meeting is traditional between the outgoing and incoming presidents, but Trump did not host his successor following the 2020 election.

Biden said on Wednesday that he had spoken with Trump to congratulate him and ‘expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition’.

When asked over the weekend if Trump was a threat to democracy, Biden told reporters: ‘I’m going to see him on Wednesday’.

Biden also called Kamala Harris after her election defeat, and reportedly congratulated her on a ‘historic campaign.’

When Biden emerged from the White House to acknowledge Trump’s landslide win, many noted how he appeared with a large smile and was seemingly at ease despite the defeat.

In his address, he promised to work with Donald Trump to secure a peaceful transition and urged the country to come together an as he broke his silence on the election.

‘I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20, we’ll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America,’ Biden said.

His display on the sand comes after Biden was forced to drop out of the election race over questions about his cognitive abilities.

The president has been left bitter after democratic kingmaker Nancy Pelosi helped orchestrate his campaign cancellation in mid-July.

Pelosi twisted the knife even further earlier this week by suggesting that Democrats should have gotten the opportunity to pick another candidate.

She said that had Biden dropped out earlier, the party she has led for decades would have had time to weigh up its options.

Civil war has since broke out against Biden and Harris’ teams for squandering $1 billion in donor cash on their campaign.

Democrats have been in disarray over how their sizable war chest was not able to ward off Trump, who spent a fraction of what they did.

Harris aides are saying it was Biden’s debate performance that led to the loss, while Biden staffers say the veep ran a terrible campaign.

Not only did their campaign end in disaster, but to add insult to injury the operation is reportedly in debt, Politico reports, to the tune of $20 million dollars.

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Trump Offers Stefanik Job as UN Ambassador: Report

President-elect Donald Trump offered Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, according to a CNN report.

Stefanik was already considered to be at the top of Trump’s short list for the position, according to a report from earlier in the week.

One of Trump’s most vocal supporters, Stefanik was one of the runners-up to be Trump’s vice president.

She gained increased attention earlier this year for criticizing university presidents’ responses to antisemitism on college campuses following widespread anti-Israel protests across the country.

She is currently chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.

Stefanik just handily secured her reelection to represent New York’s 21st Congressional District earlier this week. Now that the seat will be vacated, a special election will be held to fill it. It would most likely go to another Republican, as the district is R+4, according to Cook Political Report.

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Obama Is ‘Nervous About His Legacy’ After Trump Victory, Biographer Says

Barack Obama is “nervous about his legacy” after President-elect Donald Trump’s historic victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, the former president’s biographer said.

“He has been and remains extremely concerned and nervous about his historical legacy,” said David Garrow, who wrote the 2017 biography, “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama.” “That has certainly taken a big hit with Trump once again triumphing.”

“The conclusion for Democrats is that they’ve got to dispense with these people from the past, including Hillary Clinton too, and move to a new generation of figures who are not in the AOC club at all,” Garrow added.

Garrow cited Obama and his wife, Michelle, lecturing voters as they campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris, telling The Daily Mail, “People do not want to be talked down to, no matter who they are. … I thought it was tone-deaf and clueless for them to preach as they did. … I would expect that perception will be shared by lots of people. If so, I think it reduces their relevance to Bill Clinton territory.”

“Even before last night, I was of the quite strong belief that the tone and condescension with which both Barack and Michelle spoke, particularly towards black men, was self-defeating to the point of backfire,” Garrow posited.

On October 11, at a local Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Obama criticized black men for not displaying the same “energy and turnout” for Harris they showed when he ran.

“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said. “I’ve got a problem with that, because part of it makes me think — I’m speaking to men directly — part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”

Some black men took offense to Obama’s remarks.

During an October rally in Kalamazoo, Michelle Obama made similar remarks about men in general, saying she did not “expect any man to fully grasp how vulnerable” the election makes women feel.

“So fellas, before you cast your votes, ask yourself, what side of history do you want to be on? Now I recognize that there are a lot of angry disillusioned people out there upset with the slow pace of change,” Michelle Obama said. “So are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety?”

“Certainly at the margins, I think they both harmed her,” Garrow said of the Obamas’ effect on Harris’s chances.

“He still has the celebrity factor of being an ex-president,” Garrow insisted, adding that he surmised the Obamas would “continue to hang out with celebrities and live on Martha’s Vineyard.”

Still, Garrow predicts Trump’s victory will change some things for the Obamas.

“I certainly expect them to be spending less time in Washington after early January,” he said.

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Election Deniers: Left-Wing ‘Starlink’ Conspiracy Theory Spreads Online

An election conspiracy theory is spreading on social media alleging that billionaire Elon Musk hacked the 2024 election in favor of President-elect Donald Trump using his Starlink satellite internet company.

Left-wing conspiracy theorists allege that Starlink, a satellite constellation developed by Musk’s SpaceX designed to provide high-speed broadband internet across the globe, was connected to the voting machine supply chain.

A 9-minute TikTok video by the account @etheria77 states, for starters, that “California and other swing states were able to use Starlink in order to tally up and to count voting ballots in their state.”

The video was shared to X by the @AesPolitics1 account and now has been viewed over 1.6 million times as of Sunday morning.

“This woman just made the most convincing case for Biden to investigate the election. She exposes Starlink,” AesPolitics1 wrote in the X post above the video.

The @AnAct4Progress account, who has “Biden Harris & Harris Walz” in its X bio, attempted to back those claims by replying to the viral post, with a video of podcaster Joe Rogan explaining that Musk allegedly knew that Trump would defeat Vice President Kamala Harris “four hours before the election was called.”

Meanwhile, the conspiracy theories surrounding Starlink’s ability to hack the election in favor of Trump seem to fall flat.

According to the Associated Press last month, voting machines are, generally, not connected to the internet. With a few exceptions, however, there are some jurisdictions in a few states that permit ballot scanners to transmit unofficial results using a mobile private network after voting ends on Election Day, and after memory cards containing the vote tallies have been removed.

When an internet connection is necessary, election officials typically utilize private networks to reduce the risk of malicious activity. They also take additional measures to scan their systems for potential vulnerabilities and threats.

Chip Trowbridge, the chief technology officer of Clear Ballot, a voting system manufacturer tested and approved by the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), told ABC News last month, “Those systems absolutely cannot have any network,” he said. “In fact, if you look at the machines from Clear Ballot, the only wire that comes out of them is a power cord.”

Trowbridge added that machines used to scan ballots at voting precincts aren’t capable of having any Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio or network connection at all.

In 2023, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems, a leading voting machine company, $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit and avoid trial.

What Is Elon Musk’s Starlink?

Starlink is a satellite constellation developed by SpaceX and was designed to provide high-speed broadband internet, particularly in remote areas. Unlike traditional communication satellites placed in geostationary orbits (around 22,000 miles above Earth), Starlink satellites operate in low earth orbit, at about 342 miles above the ground. This lower altitude reduces latency (delay in data transmission across a network), allowing for faster communication speeds.

“Starlink is ideally suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable,” Starlink’s website says. “People across the globe are using Starlink to gain access to education, health services and even communications support during natural disasters.”

Areas where Starlink’s network is available can be seen in a map on its website. Most of North America, Western Europe and Australia are covered.

Trump had high praise for Musk, SpaceX and Starlink satellites in his election night victory speech.

Trump specifically lauded Starlink, describing how he discussed with Musk the satellites’ use in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction in North Carolina and Hurricane Milton’s impacts across Florida.

This comes as Musk’s SpaceX made Starlink internet service free for people living in areas affected by the hurricanes across Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia—but only until the end of the year.

A Starlink receiver is required to access the Starlink network and costs $349. SpaceX reportedly distributed 10,000 receiver kits in the storm-hit areas.

“He had that there so fast. It was incredible,” Trump said. “So and it was great. It saved a lot of lives. He saved a lot of lives. But he’s a character. He’s a special guy. He’s a super genius. We have to protect our geniuses. We don’t have that many of them. We have to.”

How Many Satellites Does Starlink Have?

So far, 7,213 Starlink satellites have been launched into space, 6,554 of which are still in orbit, with 6,499 remaining functional, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks the constellation on his website.

This means that Starlink makes up roughly half of all satellites in orbit around the Earth. As of September 20, there were 13,230 satellites in space, about 10,200 of which are still functioning, according to the European Space Agency.

SpaceX hopes to eventually have as many as 42,000 satellites orbiting around the Earth, in a mega-constellation.

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WashPost: Trump Warns Putin in Call Not to Intensify War in Ukraine

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war, a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters on Sunday, as President Joe Biden plans to urge Trump not to abandon Kyiv.

Trump and Putin spoke in recent days, said the source. Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday. Trump has criticised the scale of U.S. military and financial support for Kyiv, vowing to end the war quickly, without saying how.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was not informed in advance of the call between Trump and Putin and subsequently could neither endorse or object to it.

“We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, when asked about the phone call, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Republican Trump will take office on Jan. 20 after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Biden has invited Trump to come to the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that Biden’s top message will be his commitment to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and he will also talk to Trump about what’s happening in Europe, in Asia and the Middle East.

“President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” show.

Sullivan’s comments came as Ukraine attacked Moscow on Sunday with at least 34 drones, the biggest drone strike on the Russian capital since the beginning of the war.

When asked if Biden would ask Congress to pass legislation to authorize more funding for Ukraine, Sullivan deferred.

“I’m not here to put forward a specific legislative proposal. President Biden will make the case that we do need ongoing resources for Ukraine beyond the end of his term,” Sullivan said.

Ukraine Funding

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February of 2022, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticized and rallied against with other Republican lawmakers.

Trump insisted last year that Putin never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time. He told Reuters Ukraine may have to cede territory to reach a peace agreement, something the Ukrainians reject and Biden has never suggested.

Zelenskiy said on Thursday he was not aware of any details of Trump’s plan to end the Ukraine war quickly and that he was convinced a rapid end would entail major concessions for Kyiv.

According to the Government Accountability Office, Congress appropriated over $174 billion to Ukraine under Biden. The pace of the aid is almost sure to drop under Trump with Republicans set to take control of the U.S. Senate with a 52-seat majority.

Control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the next Congress is not yet clear with some votes still being counted. Republicans have won 213 seats, according to Edison Research, just shy of the 218 needed for a majority. If Republicans win both chambers, it will mean the majority of Trump’s agenda will have a significantly easier time passing through Congress.

Republican U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally who is considered a top contender for secretary of state, criticized U.S. funding for Ukraine in a CBS interview.

“The American people want sovereignty protected here in America before we spend our funds and resources protecting the sovereignty of another nation,” Hagerty said.

The 2-1/2-year-old war in Ukraine is entering what some officials say could be its final act after Moscow’s forces advanced at the fastest pace since the early days of the war.

Any fresh attempt to end the war is likely to involve peace talks of some kind, which have not been held since the early months of the war.

Moscow’s forces occupy around a fifth of Ukraine. Russia says the war cannot end until its claimed annexations are recognized. Kyiv demands all of its territory back, a position that has largely been supported by Western allies.

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McConnell to Secure His Successor as Majority Leader by ‘Secret Ballot’ Before New Senate Term

Following their success in securing a majority of Senate seats in the general election, the Republican Party is preparing to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who is rushing to find his replacement after announcing he will step down at year’s end. The race has highlighted divisions within the party, with contenders including Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, and Florida Senator Rick Scott.

Thune and Cornyn are considered McConnell allies but have drawn ire from pro-Trump factions within the GOP, according to The Independent. Earlier this year, Donald Trump Jr. criticized both men, referring to them as “RINOs” (Republicans in name only) for their positions on foreign aid to Ukraine. In February, Trump Jr. posted, “Both of them also voted to send billions more to Ukraine. MAGA must do everything in our power to stop either of these two RINOs from ever becoming Senate Leader!”

Cornyn has also faced criticism from President-elect Donald Trump for his role in negotiating bipartisan gun safety legislation under President Biden, which Trump described as “the first step in the movement to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY.” The National Association for Gun Rights similarly denounced Cornyn, labeling him “the arch traitor” and vowing to oppose his leadership bid.

Tucker Carlson voiced strong opposition to McConnell’s influence, accusing him of orchestrating a “coup” against Trump’s agenda by scheduling early leadership elections in the Senate.

“What the hell is going on in the US Senate? Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the Senate,” Carlson posted on X. “Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s.”

“The election is Wednesday, it’s by secret ballot, and it will determine whether or not the new administration succeeds. Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump. Call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott. Don’t let McConnell get away with it again,” Carlson added.

Rick Scott is viewed as a more favorable choice by the pro-Trump wing of the party. Scott has been endorsed by Senators Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, and Bill Hagerty. Trump has yet to weigh in on the race.

The leadership election is scheduled for November 13. Scott explained his candidacy in a post on Saturday where he said that the party needs “need dramatic change in Washington to upend the status quo & make sure President Trump’s agenda gets done.”

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Trump’s Day 1 Agenda: Tariffs, Immigration, Taxes

President-elect Donald Trump made a multitude of “day one” promises throughout the campaign to begin work on an array of issues, setting himself up for an extremely busy first day back in office.

Many of his promises involve reinstating past Executive Orders that the Biden administration rescinded, and some entail advancing initiatives such as energy production. Others involve planning for a year-long anniversary celebration for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Trump made headlines late last year during a Fox News forum with moderator Sean Hannity during which he promised that he would not abuse power or act as a dictator “except for day one.”

“We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. Other than that I’m not gonna be a dictator,” he quipped. His opponents took his quip literally, but in either event Trump’s day one promises extend beyond those two key issues. Here’s a look at what his first day in office may look like.

‘Salute to America 250’

One of Trump’s first planned moves is a relatively lighthearted and apolitical effort to celebrate a key milestone in American history.

“On day one, I will convene a White House task force called ‘Salute to America 250,'” Trump declared this week. The task force will be responsible for organizing a year-long celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.”

The celebration will run from Memorial Day 2025 to July 4, 2026 and include what he called the “Great American State Fair,” which will feature pavilions from each state in the Union. Trump also vowed to issue an Executive Order to build his planned garden of noteworthy Americans, which President Joe Biden canceled.

Mass deportations

A signature issue for Trump, the removal of illegal immigrants from the U.S. is expected to take priority. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported more than 10 million immigrant encounters under the Biden administration. Media outlets regularly cited an 11 million illegal immigrant figure prior to Trump’s first term and that the current number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. may exceed 20 million.

“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in American history,” Trump declared during a recent rally in Reading, Pa. “We’re going to get them out.”

He further cited Operation Wetback, a mass deportation effort during the Presidency of Dwight Eisenhower that removed millions of undocumented workers during the 1950s. That effort had the cooperation of the Mexican government, though it remains unclear whether Trump will be able to secure that nation’s help this time.

Mexican tariffs

To that end, he has planned a trade-based approach. During a recent rally, Trump promised he would demand that the President of Mexico work to shut down illegal border crossings or face a 25% tariff on all goods exported to the United States.

“I’m going to inform her one day, one or sooner that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send in to the United States of America,” he said at a rally in North Carolina earlier this month.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has often repeated his conversations with former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador during which he secured Mexico’s deployment of troops to secure the border through a similar trade-related threat.

Birthright citizenship

In May of last year, Trump promised to issue an Executive Order directing federal agencies to interpret federal law in a manner that would not grant birthright citizenship to the children of illegal aliens.

“As part of my plan to secure the border on day one… I will sign an Executive Order making clear to federal agencies that under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship,” he vowed.

So-called “anchor babies” have been a longstanding issue in U.S. immigration policy and have complicated efforts to remove illegal immigrants whose children are considered U.S. citizens.

Migrant flights

Under the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security has admitted illegal immigrants through the CBP One App and organized flights for migrants from their home countries into the U.S. interior.

“On day one of my new administration, I will stop all migrant flights immediately. They should stop them tonight,” Trump said in late September.

Deregulation to lower costs

Inflation and economic issues stood at the forefront of voter concerns this election. Trump’s approach to lower prices is a mix of energy production, which he expects to result in lower costs across the board, and deregulation.

“On day one, I will sign an Executive Order directing every federal agency to immediately remove every single burdensome regulation driving up the cost of goods,” he promised at a late October rally.

Natural gas and electric vehicles

A proponent of both natural gas and traditional oil, Trump campaigned extensively on opening up American natural resources for cultivation, development, and sale. “On day one. I will end Kamala’s devastating natural gas export ban,” he promised in October. “Do you believe we have a ban? A lot of people don’t know that. I will immediately terminate the green new scam – the greatest scam in the history of any country.”

‘I will cancel her insane electric vehicle mandate. It’ll be ended on day one,” he added.

“On day one of my new administration, I will end Kamala’s war on Pennsylvania energy, and we will frack, frack and drill, baby drill, we’re going to drill,” he said at a Pennsylvania rally that same month.

Transgender issues/Critical Race Theory

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly tackled transgender issues and Critical Race Theory, promising to end biological men from competing in women’s sports and to eliminate divisive social justice practices in schools and other institutions.

“On day one, I will sign an Executive Order banning schools from promoting critical race theory or transgender insanity,” he promised in October at a North Carolina event. “I will take historic action to defeat the toxic poison of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders, male and female. I will keep men out of women’s sports. I will sign a law banning child sexual mutilation in all 50 states.”

“On day one, I will get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our US armed forces, we’re taking it out. Our warriors should be focused on defeating America’s enemies, not figuring out their genders,” he said in August.

The Deep State

Trump repeatedly clashed with executive branch personnel and has long insisted that unelected federal bureaucrats worked to subvert his initiatives from within the administration.

“I will immediately reissue my 2020 Executive Order restoring the president’s authority to remove rogue bureaucrats and I will wield that power very aggressively,” Trump promised in a policy video. “Second, we will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus.”

He further vowed to end the weaponization of federal agencies for political purposes to prevent them from targeting conservative-leaning groups. “The departments and agencies that have been weaponized will be completely overhauled so that faceless bureaucrats will never again be able to target and persecute conservatives, Christians, and the left’s political enemies,” he said.

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Alabama University Mass Shooting: 1 Dead, 16 Injured

A teenager was killed and 16 other people injured when gunfire broke out at Tuskegee University’s homecoming early Sunday — with videos capturing the sound of bullets flying on the Alabama campus.

The dead victim – an 18-year-old man – was not a student, but several of the wounded were.

At least 12 people were hurt by the gunfire, while four more were otherwise injured, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Sunday afternoon.

No arrests have been announced.

The gunfire erupted just before 2 a.m. as the campus and streets were filled with students, faculty, alumni and parents while the festivities at the historically black university’s 100th homecoming wound down.

Shocking footage shared on social media captured volleys of shots ringing out in rapid succession across the dark campus, as people crouched for cover behind cars or lay flat on quad lawns.

The gunfire seemed to be coming from more than one weapon and sounded as if shooters were engaged in a firefight.

Police responded to a call of shots fired at 1200 West Montgomery Road, West Commons, one of the school’s apartment complexes.

Among those injured was a female student who was shot in the stomach and a male student who took a bullet to the arm, according to Tuskegee Police Chief Patrick Mardis.

“Some idiots started shooting,” Mardis told AL.com. “You couldn’t get the emergency vehicles in there, there were so many people there.”

The Alabama Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into the shooting, while Monday classes have been canceled as police continue to check over the scene.

Tuskegee University is located about 39 miles east of Montgomery.

“It’s horrible,” said Mardis, the school’s former campus police chief. “I was always on pins and needles when I was there. You see it happen everywhere. It’s happened everywhere else but us.”

Roughly 47,300 people had filled Alumni Stadium, which has an official capacity of 10,000, for the university’s homecoming football game against Miles College hours before the deadly shooting.

Last year, four people were injured when a shooting broke out at an “unauthorized party,” at the West Commons, according to WSFA.

One student blamed the university officials for the safety issues that plagued the school and allowed visitors to freely enter without being checked,

“Them saying that the party was unauthorized to kind of switch the blame unto us, it’s crazy because even if it was an authorized party, with the security measures we have in place, the same thing could have happened,” Mechel Winters told the outlet.

“I just expected it to be a safe place because we are on campus, and there should be security measures in place,” she said.

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Former Treasure Secretary Mnuchin Won’t Rejoin Trump Administration

Donald Trump’s former Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he will not seek to join the president-elect’s new administration but is ready to offer advice to his successor, including on how to strengthen sanctions on Iran and Russia and contain the growth of U.S. debt.

In an interview, Mnuchin told Reuters it was important for the Treasury to work towards strengthening U.S. trade policy. This includes holding Beijing to its U.S. goods purchase commitments in Trump’s January 2020 Phase One deal to rebalance U.S.-China trade, which he said “they’re not living up to.”

Serving as Treasury chief during Trump’s first term “was the experience of a lifetime, and I’m happy to advise on the outside,” Mnuchin said on Friday. “I’m sure they’ll have a lot of great choices.”

He declined to name any favorites.

Reuters reported on Friday that two prominent hedge fund investors, Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, and John Paulson had emerged as the top contenders for Treasury secretary, and that Bessent had met with Trump.

Mnuchin founded Liberty Strategic Capital, a private equity firm, after leaving office with investments from Softbank Group, opens new tab and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala sovereign wealth fund.

Economic Team

Mnuchin said it was important that all parts of Trump’s economic team – the Treasury, Commerce Department, U.S. Trade Representative’s office and White House National Economic Council – work closely together as a group, as they did during trade and tariff negotiations with China in 2018 and 2019.

Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, said financial markets experience was important for the Treasury secretary to have, but so is a strong management background. This is because Treasury spans vast areas of the economy from regulatory and tax policy to international sanctions, with the latter taking considerable time during his tenure, he said.

The U.S. needs stronger enforcement of financial sanctions and more actions to cut off oil revenues from Iran and Russia, he said, noting that sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine have been “more of a headline” than effective.

A G7-imposed price cap of $60 per barrel of Russian crude oil may be reducing Russia’s oil revenues, but “Russia is selling plenty of oil and gas,” he added.

These actions need to be combined with an increase in U.S. oil and gas production and stronger output from other Middle East countries to make up for sanctions-reduced supplies from Russia and Iran to keep prices stable, Mnuchin said.

Managing Deficits

Asked whether Trump’s plans to extend expiring individual tax cuts next year and end taxes on tips, Social Security and overtime income would run up a worrisome amount of U.S. debt, Mnuchin said that growing deficits needed to be brought under control.

He said he believes that Congress and the administration can strike a balance between extending the tax cuts and finding savings in both discretionary and non-discretionary spending. Some revenue will be made up through stronger economic growth and from Trump’s higher tariffs, he added.

Mnuchin defended the Trump administration’s heavy COVID-19 relief spending which, along with a revenue collapse during the pandemic, led to a record $3.1 trillion deficit in fiscal 2020, but he said the Biden administration had overspent.

The U.S. deficit in fiscal 2024 ended on Sept. 30 topped $1.8 trillion, the highest outside of the COVID era, as public debt interest costs exceeded $1 trillion for the first time.

“I think the spending we did in COVID was necessary, or there would have been a worldwide depression, not a recession,” Mnuchin said.

“But I think the ongoing spending of the Biden administration clearly created inflation and created big deficits, and that has to be addressed.”

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Georgia DA Who Refused Laken Riley Murder Case Destroyed in Reelection Bid

The lefty prosecutor of the Georgia county where Laken Riley was allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan migrant will be looking for another job after being soundly defeated in her re-election bid.

Democratic District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, whose circuit includes liberal Athens-Clarke County and conservative Oconee County, was trounced 60%-40% by Republican Kalki Yalamanchili Tuesday.

The defeat was part of a tsunami of soft-on-crime progressive prosecutors and pols — many backed by left-wing kingmaker billionaire George Soros — booted from office.

In the San Francisco Bay area, Alameda County DA Pamela Price and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao were both recalled.

The pols faced harsh criticism over skyrocketing crime since they took office in 2023.

Los Angeles County DA George Gascón was also ousted, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed conceded her race Thursday night.

Gonzalez was elected in 2020 on the heels of Soros and other progressives pushing for criminal justice reform in response to Black Lives Matter and other nationwide protests.

She promised diversion programs, rehabilitation, and shorter sentences for nonviolent offenders.

Riley, 22, a nursing student, was found dead on Feb. 22 after she went for a run.

In February, Gonzalez removed herself from the case and appointed a special prosecutor, after criticism from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp over failing to secure a single guilty verdict the entire time she had been in office.

“We will not allow this or any case to be used for political gain,” Gonzalez said at the time.

Riley’s alleged killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was arrested in Queens six months before her death, on child endangerment charges.

But New York City’s migrant sanctuary policies prevented the NYPD from turning the Venezuelan over to the feds.

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Salon Owner Jailed for Keeping Doors Open During COVID Wins Texas Legislature Seat

A Texas woman jailed for operating her salon despite COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns is moving from the big house to the state house.

Shelley Luther was ordered to jail for seven days in 2020 after Dallas County judge found her guilty of civil and criminal contempt of court, according to Fox 4 Dallas.

Luther had refused to shutter the business during lockdown. She was only released from jail after the personal intervention of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Now, however, she’s moving to the Lone Star state legislature, where she was elected this week to represent the northeast 62d district. Luther, a Republican, defeated Democrat Tiffany Drake with roughly 75% of the vote.

“After about a month, my hairstylist were calling me saying I can’t feed my kids, I don’t know what to do, so we just made the decision to open back up, and I ended up in jail,” Luther told Fox and Friends.

“I wasn’t super political before any of this, but I’m like, you know, somebody has to do something about this. And so we ran for our first office shortly after that.”

Host Rachel Campos-Duffy noted that during the pandemic, some salons were allowed to stay open — specifically those which catered to Democratic leaders like then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Luther said she was lucky to be alive after having suffered a brain injury during the campaign.

“I had a brain aneurysm a month and a half ago and almost died. And so for me to walk out of that, being in the ICU for almost 30 days, the recovery from that, and then putting my name in to run … I knew it was my time,” she said.

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Minnesota Dad Who Ranted Against Trump Election Gunned Down Wife, Ex-Girlfriend and His 2 Kids in Murder-Suicide

A Minnesota dad who ranted against President-elect Donald Trump online shot and killed his wife, ex-partner, and his two sons before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities.

The shooter, 46-year-old Anthony Nephew, had a “pattern of mental health issues,” Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said on Friday — one day after authorities found five people dead inside two homes in the city.

Authorities found Anthony Nephew’s ex-partner Erin Abramson, 47, and their son, Jacob Nephew, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their home Thursday afternoon, police said.

After identifying Anthony Nephew as a suspect, police found his 45-year-old wife Kathryn Nephew, and their 7-year-old son Oliver Nephew dead from gunshot wounds inside their family home close by.

Anthony Nephew was also found dead inside the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Before his rampage, Anthony Nephew had been sharing left-wing and anti-Trump posts on his Facebook account.

“My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,” Anthony Nephew wrote in July.

“I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family. I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch, or crucified on a burning cross.

“Having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan or, the anti-Christ or whatever their favorite color of boogie man they are afraid are this week.”

In another post, he accused Republicans of “making it harder for women to leave” abusive relationships.

“Gilead here we come,” he wrote, referencing “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian novel turned Hulu series in which women, who have been stripped of their rights, are forced to reproduce for the ruling class.

Anthony Nephew shared other political posts, including an image of former president Barack Obama, Trump, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The word “hate” sits under Trump’s face, while the words “hope,” “heal” and “grow” correspond with the Democratic politicians.

“Not that anyone cares, but as an Independent voter, I would really like to see both the political parties in our country pick better candidates,” he wrote in July. “We can do better than a binary choice between fascism and not fascism.”

Anthony Nephew previously even issued a chilling warning about his mental health battles, writing in an op-ed in the local Duluth News Tribune in 2021, “For millions of Americans, a breakdown leads to suicide — or homicide before suicide.”

“Mental health in this country is stigmatized, ignored, or treated as a burden for the individual to bear alone, with little help and less understanding,” he wrote.

“Americans deny they have mental health struggles. Because they have to, because they’re told to, or because they don’t realize their mind is broken.”

Police in Duluth, a city of nearly 90,000 residents about 135 miles north of Minneapolis, have not yet determined a motive in the shootings.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to the community.

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Gallego Defeats Lake in Arizona Senate Race

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is projected to beat Republican Kari Lake in a consequential race for Arizona Senate, dealing the former local news anchor her second straight electoral loss, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Gallego, who has served in the House for nearly a decade representing a Phoenix-based House seat, will succeed outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

Sinema opted against reelection after changing her political affiliation from Democrat to Independent last year, as Sinema faced steep odds in getting reelected.

Gallego announced his challenge to Sinema even before she made clear she would not be seeking another term, putting Senate Democrats in a temporarily awkward position of possibly having to choose which Democrat they would support.

The Arizona Democrat leaned into his biography as the son of a single mom, with family roots in Mexico and Columbia. He also touted his time in the Marines.

His victory comes as a small but significant relief for Democrats, who had a crushingly disappointing election cycle this year. Though they managed to protect their Senate seats in the battleground states of Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan, in addition to Arizona, they also lost seats in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, and look poised to lose in Pennsylvania as well. They also lost control of the White House, while their prospects for keeping the House look exceedingly dim.

Lake is a former local news anchor who previously ran for Arizona governor in 2022, narrowly losing to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).

Lake also attracted controversy over some of her remarks. She angered some Republicans for making critical statements invoking the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — statements she argued that were made in jest.

She’s previously called abortion the “ultimate sin” and cheered a now-repealed 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions in the state. Lake, this cycle, maintained she would not vote for a federal ban on abortion if elected to the Senate and said abortion restrictions should be left up to the states.

Lake faced a primary challenger in Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, though Lake was widely seen as the GOP favorite.

At the same time, Gallego also faced questions during his Senate run over his record and whether his stance on issues like immigration and the border had changed, as some have pointed to prior comments he made on the issue years ago, including calling Donald Trump’s border wall “stupid” and “dumb.”

Gallego was also a member of the House Progressive Caucus but later let his membership lapse, citing dues as the reason.

Republicans sought to nationalize the race, seeking to tie Gallego to Democrats like Vice President Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in ads.

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Trump Rules Out Jobs for Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley in Second Administration

President-elect Donald Trump announced in a public social media post Saturday that he will not be inviting two members of his former administration back to the White House.

Nikki Haley, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo were both mentioned in the post. The Republicans had been considered two strong candidates for Trump’s new Cabinet.

“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” the president-elect posted on Truth Social early Saturday evening.

Despite the harsh nature of the announcement, Trump added that he enjoyed working with them.

“I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country,” he continued. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Haley, who ran against Trump in the Republican primary earlier this year, has been both publicly supportive and critical of the president-elect in the past. Last week, she wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed in support of his presidential campaign.

“I don’t agree with Mr. Trump 100% of the time,” Haley wrote. “But I do agree with him most of the time, and I disagree with Ms. Harris nearly all the time. That makes this an easy call.”

Pompeo, while not one of Trump’s most vocal supporters, has also expressed support for the president-elect in the past. In an open letter with over 400 signatories, including Gold Star families and national security officials, Pompeo endorsed Trump for president.

“From a world at peace under President Trump, we are closer to a third world war than ever before under the Biden-Harris Administration,” the letter, which was written in October, stated. “With multiple escalating wars around the world, an open border that allows terrorists to flood into the American homeland, and malign actors like China operating unabated, U.S. national security has been profoundly damaged by the failed policies of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.”

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GOP Inches Closer to Retaining House Majority

Control of the House has yet to be determined, as a number of critical races remain too close to call, leaving lawmakers — and voters — waiting to see which party will hold the majority next year.

The sprint to 218 seats, however, is nearing the final stretch, after a handful of additional races were called in the days following election night.

Republicans had secured 216 seats in the lower chamber as of Saturday evening, with Democrats trailing at 209 seats, according to Decision Desk HQ. A total of 10 races have not yet been called: Democrats are leading in two of the contests, while GOP candidates are ahead in the other eight.

Republicans, nonetheless, are wasting no time in claiming victory even as the final tally remains unclear. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has said the House is poised to remain in GOP hands, and he has already launched his bid to retain hold of the gavel.

Democrats, meanwhile, are holding out hope that they could eke out a razor-thin majority. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday it “has yet to be decided who will control” the House next year, pointing to ongoing ballot counting in Oregon, Arizona and California.

Several competitive House races have been called in the past couple days, including Rep. David Schweikert’s (R) reelection in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District; Rep. David Valadao’s (R) reelection in California’s 22nd Congressional District; April McClain Delaney’s (D) election in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District; Rep. Andrea Salinas’s (D) reelection in Oregon’s 6th Congressional District; Rep. Julia Brownley’s (D) reelection in California’s 26th Congressional District; and Rep. Linda Sánchez’s (D) reelection in California 38th Congressional District.

Here are the uncalled races to watch in the quest for control of the House.

California’s 21st Congressional District

Rep. Jim Costa (D) is fighting for his political life in California’s 21st Congressional District in a race that surprisingly emerged as a nail-biter this cycle.

Costa, a 10-term lawmaker, was leading Republican Michael Maher, a former FBI agent, by 1 percentage point — or 1,303 votes — according to Decision Desk HQ, with 63.8 percent of the vote in.

The race was never expected to be close. The district broke for President Biden by 20.3 percentage points in 2020, and Cook Political Report rated the seat “solid Democrat.” A victory by Maher would flip the district red.

The current margin contrasts with that from 2022, when Maher challenged Costa for the seat and lost by 8.4 percentage points.

California’s 9th Congressional District

Rep. Josh Harder (D) is locked in a tight race against Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln (R) in California’s 9th Congressional District, a contest that is threatening to end the incumbent’s tenure on Capitol Hill.

Harder, who was first elected to the House in 2018, was leading Lincoln by 2.4 percentage points — or 4,024 ballots — with 63.8 percent of the vote reported.

A victory by Lincoln, who has served as mayor of Stockton since 2021, would be a boon for Republicans: Biden won the district by 12.6 percentage points in 2020, making the district reliably blue. Cook Political Report had rated the district “likely Democrat.”

California’s 47th Congressional District

The race to succeed outgoing Rep. Katie Porter (D) in California’s 47th Congressional District is coming down to the wire, with Republican Scott Baugh, a former Assembly member, and Democratic state Sen. Dave Min running neck and neck for the seat.

Baugh, who previously served as the state’s Assembly minority leader and Orange County GOP chair, was leading Min by 0.4 percentage points — or 1,078 votes — as of publication, with 81.7 percent of ballots reported.

A Baugh victory would flip the seat red and mark the first time the district has a GOP representative since 2003. Biden won the district by 11.1 percentage points in 2020; Cook Political Report rated the district “lean Democrat.”

Porter opted against running for reelection to vie for the Golden State’s Senate seat, which opened up after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) died last year. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D) is temporarily filling the seat but elected not to run for a full term. Porter, though, lost to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in the Democratic primary.

Alaska’s at-large Congressional District

Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D) is fighting for political survival in Alaska’s at-large Congressional District, where she is currently trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich in the ranked-choice-voting state.

Begich was leading Peltola 49.6 percent to 45.6 percent with 74 percent of the vote in at the time of publication. Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Howe secured 3.9 percent, and Democrat Eric Hafner pulled in 1 percent.

The lone Alaska district is one of a handful that President-elect Trump won in 2020, making it a key pickup target for Republicans. That year, Trump beat Biden in the state by 10.1 percentage points.

Cook Political Report rated the race a “toss up.”

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District

The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District has become as close as it can be.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), a first-term lawmaker, was leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel by 1,795 votes — or 0.5 percentage points — with 83.3 percent of ballots tallied.

The district is as purple as any can get: In 2020, Biden won the area by 0.1 percentage points.

Cook Political Report rated the race a “toss up.” The race is a rematch from last cycle, when Ciscomani narrowly edged out Engel by 1.4 percentage points.

California’s 13th Congressional District

Rep. John Duarte (R) is leading former Democratic state Assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the closely watched race remains uncalled.

With 61.9 percent of the vote in, Duarte — a first-term lawmaker — was ahead of Gray by 2.5 percentage points.

The race has been one of the most closely watched contests this cycle, with Democrats hoping to pick off Duarte in the district after it broke for Biden by 10.9 percentage points in 2020 — a feat the party failed to achieve in 2022. That year, Duarte beat Gray by 0.42 percentage points — just 564 votes.

Cook Political Report rated this year’s race a “toss up.”

California’s 27th Congressional District

Democrat George Whitesides, the former Virgin Galactic CEO who also served as NASA chief of staff during the Obama administration, has taken the lead in his race against incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Garcia (Calif.) — but the numbers are tight.

Whitesides is leading Garcia by 0.8 percentage points — or 2,114 ballots — with 85 percent of votes reported.

A win by Garcia would let out a sigh of relief among Republicans, who were under pressure to defend the seat amid a strong Democratic effort. Democrats consider the district a top pickup opportunity, citing the fact that it broke for Biden by 12.4 percentage points in 2020. A Whitesides victory would be a boon for the party.

Cook Political Report rated the race a “toss up.”

California’s 41st Congressional District

Rep. Ken Calvert (R) is fighting tooth and nail to hold his seat in California’s 41st Congressional District.

Calvert — a 30-plus year veteran of the House who is a cardinal on the Appropriations Committee — was leading Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, by 2.8 percentage points with 75 percent of the vote in.

The district has emerged as a key battleground. In 2020, it broke for Trump by 1.1 percentage points. Cook Political Report rated this year’s race a “toss up.”

Calvert is currently running ahead by a smaller margin than his victory against Rollins in 2022. That year, he beat the GOP challenger by 4.6 percentage points.

Colorado’s 8th Congressional District

Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D) is slightly trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, but the race remains close.

With 89.5 percent of the vote in, Evans was ahead of Caraveo by 0.8 percentage points — or 2,529 votes — a razor-thin lead that, if it sustains, would be a GOP flip.

Cook Political Report rated the seat a “toss up.”

California’s 45th Congressional District

Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) has a healthy lead against Democrat Derek Tran, though the race has not yet been called.

With 78.9 percent of the vote in, Steel, a two-term lawmaker, was ahead of Tran, a consumer rights attorney, by 2.9 percentage points, or 7,590 votes.

The district is one of the 17 areas Biden won in 2020 that are currently represented by a Republican, making it a top pickup target for Democrats. Biden won the area, which includes Orange and Los Angeles counties, by 6.1 percentage points in 2020. Cook Political Report rated the seat a “toss up.”

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