Tag Archives: Politics

Fred Harris, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, presidential hopeful and populist who championed Democratic Party reforms in the turbulent 1960s, died Saturday. He was 94. Harris’ wife, Margaret Elliston, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear where he died, but he had lived in New Mexico since 1976 and was a resident of Corrales at the time of his death. “Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing,” Elliston said in a text message. Harris served eight years in the Senate, first winning in 1964 to fill a vacancy, and made unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1976. It fell to Harris, as chairman of the Democratic

As controversy continues to cloud some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, his team has an ominous warning for Republicans who don’t fall in line behind his nominees. ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl reports that one senior Trump adviser said the message to lawmakers is, “If you are on the wrong side of the vote, you’re buying yourself a primary.” “That is all,” the adviser told Karl. “And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it.” “The president gets to decide his Cabinet. No one else,” the adviser added. President-elect Donald Trump attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images The threat comes as Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth (tapped for attorney

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, has little experience working with the nation’s spy agencies and a long track record of echoing the Russian disinformation they work to expose and to counter — a combination her critics claim should be disqualifying. Gabbard, 43, who represented Hawaii as a Democrat from 2013-2021 and ran for the party’s presidential nomination in 2020 before becoming a Republican earlier this year, has been accused of harboring sympathies for the Kremlin and parroting propaganda generated by Russia to justify its invasion of Ukraine. At the outset of the conflict, Gabbard blamed the Biden administration and NATO, claiming they had provoked Russia’s aggression by ignoring what she called its “legitimate security concerns” about Ukraine potentially becoming a member

Lawmakers running for reelection loathe tough votes. And for senators up in purple states in two years, those tough votes are coming early. President-elect Donald Trump is moving at a lightning pace to stock up his administration, mixing in conventional picks like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state with controversial moves like putting up Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for health and human services secretary. For frontline senators who hold the key to the next Senate majority, navigating their confirmations will be a minefield. Republicans will be defending the seats of North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, while Democrats will be working to protect Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters. Their confirmation votes for

Delivering his first public speech since winning the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump touted his victory and praised his allies at the America First Policy Institute Gala at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Calling this year’s the “most consequential election,” Trump recalled how he lost the popular vote in 2016 but won it this time around. “They would say, ‘he didn’t win the popular vote.’ And we won the popular vote by records now, which so nobody can say that anymore about us,” Trump said. PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 14: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago on November 14, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump has been announcing a number of nominees to fill out his upcoming administration. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

House Republicans had mixed reactions to President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be secretary of Health and Human Services in his administration. Kennedy has been an anti-vaccine activist and founded the Children’s Health Defense, a prominent anti-vaccine nonprofit that has campaigned against immunizations and other public health measures like water fluoridation. Medical experts expressed concerns about a rise in medical misinformation through Kennedy’s candidacy. HHS oversees major health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among others. Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a Turning Point Action campaign rally, Oct. 23, 2024, in Duluth, Georgia. Anna

The initiative was announced by President Biden in June. November 7, 2024, 9:17 PM A federal judge has struck down the Biden administration’s program known as “Keeping Families Together,” dealing a major blow to the estimated half a million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens that DHS estimates would have benefited. The administration announced the program in June, but a coalition of 16 Republican-led states — led by Texas and Stephen Miller’s America First Legal — quickly filed a lawsuit after applications were made available in August. A federal judge put the program on hold just days after hopeful applicants filed their paperwork. The program would have provided temporary relief from deportation for undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens through a process known as “parole in place.” It would have

In the end, most voters did want to go back. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats pounded away at a message of turning the page on former President Donald Trump and his brand of politics, promoting former aides who questioned his commitment to democracy and producing their own plans to combat things like price gouging and high home costs. Wednesday morning, though, they were reckoning with a stunning sweep by Trump, who as the now-president-elect, appeared set for a swing-state sweep and left Democrats wondering how it all went so wrong. “Complete, unmitigated disaster,” Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis said when asked about the results. “That was a wholesale repudiation of the Democratic message, the Democratic strategy, Harris’ candidacy. There is no way to sugarcoat what an abject disaster this was.”

Many states brought their issues directly to the voter. November 6, 2024, 2:28 PM Tuesday’s election saw significant laws and regulations passed on the state level through various ballot measures. Election workers review ballots at the Denver Elections Division in Denver on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. Chet Strange/AP Here are some of the major initiatives from this year’s election. Immigration, voting rights It is already against the law for those in the country illegally to register to vote and cast a ballot in federal and state elections. However, some states proposed ballot measures that would make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to vote on the state or local level. Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin voters all passed measures enacting such a ban. People

World leaders and top officials are reacting to the unfolding results of the 2024 presidential election as the contest draws to an apparent conclusion. November 6, 2024

Republicans are projected to clinch control of the Senate after flipping at least two key states and successfully protecting their incumbents. Republican Gov. Jim Justice took the seat vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia independent who caucuses with Democrats. And businessman Bernie Moreno, the Ohio GOP Senate nominee, unseated three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, and Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz two lawmakers in red-leaning states who were Democrats’ best pickoff opportunities, are also projected to win reelection, while Nebraska GOP Sen. Deb Fischer was projected to beat an independent challenger. With Democrats currently holding a 51-49 majority in the Senate, these wins will now at least deliver a 51-seat majority for Republicans, barring any upsets. Republicans also have a prime opportunity to unseat

Russia ‘manufactured and amplified’ video claiming election fraud in Arizona: Officials The intelligence community is yet again sounding the alarm on a Russian “manufactured and amplified” video claiming election fraud in Arizona — and warned that the activity from Russia will likely focus on battleground states. “Since our statement on Friday, the IC has been observing foreign adversaries, particularly Russia, conducting additional influence operations intended to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stoke divisions among Americans,” the FBI, ODNI and CISA said in a statement Monday night. “The IC expects these activities will intensify through election day and in the coming weeks, and that foreign influence narratives will focus on swing states,” officials added in the statement. Russia, according to the intelligence community, is the “most

On Election Day, voters around the country will eagerly wait to hear if former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris comes out on top in the race for the White House. ABC News will have full coverage of the presidential election results and many other key down-ballot races on Election Day and the days afterward as votes continue to get counted. Here’s what to know about how to get the latest election results: Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican opponent former U.S. President Donald Trump are seen in a combination of file photographs taken in Chandler, Arizona, October 10, 2024, and in Evans, Georgia, Oct. 4, 2024. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters How to watch or live stream election coverage and results ABC News will broadcast and publish election results

All eyes will be on the key swing states as votes are counted in the match-up between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Both candidates have crisscrossed the seven key swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and worked to appeal to undecided voters and connect with them over the issues that resonate most with them. While voters in these battleground states share the same concerns as the rest of Americans, there are some issues that stand out as top concerns for their residents — with the economy reigning supreme as a key voter issue with just days left until Election Day. It’s the economy “The No. 1 issue is the same as it always is, which is, it’s the economy.