House balance of power still undecided a week after Election Day, with Republicans needing 4 more seats
One week after Election Day, control of the House of Representatives is still up in the air with votes continuing to be counted in 17 House races. Republican Donald Trump won the presidency again and the GOP will have the Senate majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, is still waiting to learn whether he will get to keep his job and President-elect Trump will soon find out whether Republicans will have full control of the government to enact his agenda over the next two years (before the 2026 midterm elections). Here’s where things stand with the uncalled House races: Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich. As of Tuesday morning, Begich holds a 4-point lead at 49.5% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.5%. The vote count sits at 125,222 to 115,089, with roughly 80% of the vote counted. ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with the Republican candidate narrowly ahead. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a first-term lawmaker, is barely leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel in a 49.5% to 48.2% race as of Tuesday morning. The vote count sits at 189,692 to 184,787 with 86% of votes counted. Democratic incumbent Josh Harder leads Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln by fewer than 3 points. The district had about 74% of the vote recorded as of Tuesday, and Harder’s lead expanded to 7,124 votes. Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Tuesday. Roughly 62% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 51.1% to 48.9% lead. The pair is separated by just under 3,000 votes. Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Costa leads his Republican challenger, Michael Maher, in a 50.5% to 49.5% race as of Tuesday morning. So far, 66% of the vote has been counted, and Costa’s lead is just over 1,000 votes. Republican incumbent Rep. David Valado leads Democratic Challenger Rudy Salas in a 53.6% to 46.6% race as of Tuesday. Valado holds a lead of just under 10,000 votes with 77% of the vote counted. Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia is trailing Democratic challenger George Whitesides by about 2 points as of Tuesday morning. With 83% of the votes counted, Whitesides’ lead sits at just under 7,000 votes. Though the race has not been called, Garcia conceded in a statement Monday evening. “I spoke with George Whitesides this evening to congratulate him, and I will ensure a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages to him and his team,” Garcia said. Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert holds a 51.3% to 48.7% lead over Democratic challenger Will Rollins. Roughly 75% of the vote has been counted as of Tuesday, and Calvert’s lead sits at roughly 7,500 votes. Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran with 50.7% of the vote as of Tuesday. A little more than 83% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead has shrunk to 3,908 votes. The race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District is also razor-thin. Republican Scott Baugh, a former state assembly member, and state Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, are vying for the open seat, and Min holds a about a 1% lead. Nearly 82% of the vote has been counted, and Min’s lead sits at just over 3,000 votes. Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin holds a 4-point lead over Republican challenger Matt Gunderson as of Tuesday morning. With 82% of votes counted, Levin’s lead sits at roughly 14,000 votes. SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, is trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District by less than 1% with 96% of the vote counted. Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes. Democratic incumbent Jared Golden holds a razor-thin lead over Republican challenger Austin Theriault as of Tuesday. With 98% of the votes counted, Golden’s lead sits at less than 800 votes. GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Tuesday. Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is trailing her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum by nearly 3 points with 87% of the votes counted Tuesday. Bynum’s lead sits at just over 10,000 votes. Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse leads his top opponent, fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler, by about 5 points with 86% of the votes counted. Newhouse’s lead sits at just over 13,000 votes as of Tuesday morning. Because this undecided district is a contest between two Republicans, it has already been counted toward the GOP’s total.
India’s retail inflation rises to 6.21% in October amid higher food prices, breaches RBI’s upper tolerance level
The consumer price index-based inflation was 4.87 per cent in October 2023.
Federal judge in Ohio rescinds retirement after Trump victory, with Biden yet to nominate a successor
A federal judge in Ohio is rescinding his partial retirement after President Biden’s administration failed to nominate a replacement for him. U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley had announced plans to take on senior status in October 2023, which allowed him to take a lighter case load until a replacement could be appointed. His decision to rescind his retirement now blocks President-elect Trump from naming a replacement once he enters office. Marbley is an appointee of President Bill Clinton. He announced plans to rescind his retirement in a letter to the White House on Friday. “A successor has not been confirmed, and I have therefore decided to remain on active status and carry out the full duties and obligations of the office,” Marbley wrote in the letter. JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR FACES PRESSURE TO RETIRE AHEAD OF TRUMP TAKING OFFICE: REPORT Senior status is available to judges over the age of 65 who have completed at least 15 years on the federal bench. HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION Marbley’s decision comes as the Biden administration is scrambling to appoint as many judges as possible before the Trump administration takes power in January. There are currently 47 vacant seats in the federal judiciary, and there are 19 more justices who have announced plans to retire. Marbley was among the latter group. The Biden administration has candidates to fill 28 of those seats, if their confirmation processes can be completed in time. As of September, the Biden administration was barely out-pacing the number of judges confirmed by Trump in his first term. Trump had appointed 204 federal judges by Sep. 5, 2020, while Biden had appointed 205 by the same point in his term. Both Biden and Trump have put a renewed emphasis on the federal judiciary, each focusing on quickly facilitating as many appointments as they could during their terms. Their appointments during one term have rivaled those of their predecessors, who had double the time to confirm them. Reuters contributed to this report.
New York Judge Merchan to decide whether to dismiss Trump guilty verdict in Bragg case after election win
New York Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday is expected to decide whether to uphold or dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, but was found guilty in May after a six-week-long unprecedented criminal trial in New York. Merchan is expected to issue a written opinion Tuesday on the president-elect’s request to toss his conviction. Merchan could order a new trial or dismiss the indictment and charges altogether. Merchan was expected to rule in September, but wanted to “avoid any appearance” he was trying to influence the 2024 presidential election. Trump is currently scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 26. The sentencing was first set for July 11th, but then was delayed until September 18. Merchan delayed that sentencing date again until after the election. WHERE DOES TRUMP’S NEW YORK SENTENCING STAND AFTER MASSIVE ELECTION WIN? Trump’s attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict, citing the United States Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office. Trump’s legal team argued that certain evidence presented by Bragg and New York prosecutors during the trial should not have been admitted, as they were “official acts.” Specifically, Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that testimony from former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks; former Special Assistant to the President Madeleine Westerhout; testimony regarding The Special Counsel’s Office and Congressional Investigations and the pardon power; testimony regarding President Trump’s response to FEC Inquiries; his presidential Twitter posts and other related testimony was impermissably admitted during trial. Trump attorneys also pointed to Trump’s disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics as president. TRUMP REQUESTS NY JUDGE OVERTURN GUILTY VERDICT, INDICTMENT AFTER SCOTUS IMMUNITY RULING Blanche said that “official-acts evidence” that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg presented to the grand jury “contravened the holding in Trump because Presidents ‘cannot be indicted based on conduct for which they are immune from prosecution,’” the motion read. “The Presidential immunity doctrine recognized in Trump pertains to all ‘criminal proceedings,’ including grand jury proceedings when a prosecutor ‘seeks to charge’ a former President using evidence of official acts.” Blanche argued that Bragg “violated the Presidential immunity doctrine by using similar official-acts evidence in the grand jury proceedings that gave rise to the politically motivated charges in this case.” “Because an Indictment so tainted cannot stand, the charges must be dismissed,” Blanche argued. Blanche also explained that the Supreme Court’s decision does not allow for an “overwhelming evidence” or “harmless error” exception to “the profound institutional interests at stake.” The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021 and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in that case. Smith is winding down his cases against Trump following his election as the 47th president of the United States. Smith’s classified records case against Trump was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida earlier this year, who ruled that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed.
Rand Paul backs Kat Cammack for House Republican Conference Chair, Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who endorsed Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for Senate Majority Leader, has endorsed Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., for House Republican Conference Chair. House Republicans are slated to vote in leadership elections on Wednesday, according to reports. “@Kat_Cammack is a proven champion of liberty with a strong track record of defending our freedoms and empowering Americans. Her commitment to the Constitution makes her the best choice for the next House Conference Chair,” Paul declared in a post on X. TRUMP NAMES STEFANIK UN AMBASSADOR President-elect Donald Trump selected current House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Cammack is one of the House Republicans who have announced a bid for the House GOP Conference Chair role. Stefanik was tapped by House Republicans to fill the slot after they ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from the post in 2021. “There is no doubt that we will accomplish many of our America First goals during the 119th Congress. We are unified, we are energized, and we are equipped to deliver on the very platforms we campaigned on during this cycle,” Cammack said in a message to colleagues, according to a copy shared on X by Melanie Zanona of Punchbowl News. “I would be honored to earn your vote and take our country back.” HELENE ‘LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF’: FLORIDA REP KAT CAMMACK DETAILS SEVERE HURRICANE DAMAGE GOP Reps. Lisa McClain of Michigan and Erin Houchin of Indiana have also mounted bids to succeed Stefanik. Scott, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., are vying for the role of Senate GOP Leader. “I will be supporting Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader. The status quo of $2 Trillion annual deficits is unsustainable,” Paul tweeted last week. SEN. JOSH HAWLEY ‘DELIGHTED’ TO BACK SEN. JOHN CORNYN FOR SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Republican senators are slated to vote on Wednesday.
How disagreements about a Texas death row inmate’s guilt became a legal battle between branches of government
The Texas Supreme Court is considering whether a legislative subpoena of a death row inmate infringed on the executive branch’s power to carry out the execution.
Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
Those enrolled in the federal program shielding them from deportation can enroll through Jan. 15, but a lawsuit and Trump’s anti-immigration stance threaten to eliminate eligibility.
Trump expected to choose South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for Homeland Security secretary: report
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to select South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to fill the role of Homeland Security secretary, according to multiple reports on Tuesday. Noem, who was thought to be a potential running mate on the Trump ticket earlier in the year, has served as governor of The Mount Rushmore State since 2019. GOV. KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’ HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION The Department of Homeland Security is over US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If selected, Noem would work with Tom Homan, who was announced as Trump’s “border czar” on Sunday, and Stephen Miller, who was announced as the White House deputy of staff for policy on Monday. It was also announced Monday night that Trump is expected to choose Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as his secretary of state. An official announcement from Trump or Noem has not been made as of Tuesday morning.
Trump likely to make several border security moves on first day, says expert
Voters chose to send President-elect Trump back to the White House in large part over concerns about immigration and border security, something the former president will look to quickly address when he starts a new term in office. “He could probably shut down the border, declare that there’s an emergency… stop the entry of people until further notice,” Alfonso Aguilar, a former chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship and the Director of Hispanic Engagement at the American Principles Project, told Fox News Digital. “That I think in some shape or form, will be one of his first actions.” The comments come as Trump will now shift his focus from the campaign to his return to the White House, where immigration and border security promise to be top concerns for the incoming administration. TRUMP’S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS REJECTING TRUMP DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’ Trump spent much of the campaign promising to secure the border and deport those in the country illegally, drawing a sharp contrast between himself and the Biden administration, which saw record-setting numbers of border crossings over its first three years in the White House. Voters rewarded Trump for the messaging, with 75% of voters indicating that border security was an important factor to them in the most recent election, 61% of whom supported Trump, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis. Trump will look to make good on that trust on Day 1 of his new administration, Aguilar said, when shutting down the border could just be one of several announced changes. Another way Trump could act on Day 1 is to announce expedited procedures for removing immigrants who are in the country illegally, most notably immigrants who have committed crimes. DEM GOVERNOR THREATENS TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATIONS “If you identify people who have criminal records, who have committed a crime, you have somehow find a way to expedite their removal,” Aguilar said. “I would imagine that they have in place an expedited procedure to remove those individuals involved in crime.” Other policies that could see swift changing include an end to the CHNV parole program, which has allowed migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to apply for Advance Travel Authorizations into the U.S. and then be paroled into the country with a court date, with many being eligible to apply for work authorization once in the country. “They can end that on Day 1,” Aguilar said. Catch-and-release tactics are also likely to end quickly under Trump, Aguilar noted. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Aguilar also said there could be a return of “workforce raids,” an enforcement tactic not seen in recent years that might be back in the “first few days, few weeks.” Other policies, however, are likely to take time, including a return to the Migrant Protection Protocols, more commonly referred to as “Remain in Mexico,” which will require coordination with the Mexican government. Some improvements may also require legislation, including obtaining more funding to finish the border wall and hire more immigration judges and other border security personnel. “There’s certain things that he will be able to do administratively, but he may need some legislation for some of the other stuff,” Aguilar said. “If you want to hire more immigration judges, you’re going to need more money, so I would imagine that they will also have some sort of immigration package ready to go to get money from Congress.”
In election victory, Trump’s gains went beyond the battlegrounds
President-elect Trump flipped six highly competitive states in his election victory last week. But his gains with voters were not limited to the battlegrounds. Trump improved his vote share across the country, starting with conservative areas but extending into deeply Democratic states. It is a critical part of the story of this election: one where Trump built a broader coalition and led on two defining issues of the campaign. DONALD TRUMP ELECTED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Trump gained in all seven of the battleground states. He gained 1.8 points in Michigan and Pennsylvania, 1.4 points in Georgia, just over a point in North Carolina, and under a point in Wisconsin. (Trump’s largest gains are currently in Nevada and Arizona, two of ten states where there is significant vote left to count.) But Trump’s best performances relative to 2020 were in reliably Democratic states. These states voted for Democrats, but by narrower margins than before. His strongest improvement was in New York, where the former and future president gained 6.4 points. His county-level gains were spread across the state, but notably included an improvement in all five of the New York City boroughs (where, again, there are some votes left to be counted). EARLY VOTES TOP 84M IN 2024 ELECTION He also posted a 5-point improvement in neighboring New Jersey, enough to reduce the margin of his loss to just 5.5 points. That is the best performance for a Republican candidate in more than three decades. Look for New Jersey and Virginia (Trump +2.4 since 2020) to become a focal point in future elections, beginning with next year’s gubernatorial races. Trump also took more vote share in Illinois (Trump +4.2 since 2020); another Democratic state with a highly populated urban area. And as some pre-election polls predicted, the president-elect brought home another five points worth of votes in Florida, where Democrats fought hard for a victory just two cycles ago. Just as he improved in the battlegrounds and left-leaning states, he also put up strong gains in states like Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Idaho. Trump posted a 3-point improvement in all four of those conservative states, with smaller improvements in over a dozen more. In fact, as of this writing, there isn’t a single state in the country where Trump turned in a weaker performance than he did four years ago. ELECTION NIGHT WINNERS AND LOSERS: 2024 EDITION So far, Harris has only outperformed President Biden’s vote share in one state: Utah, where she gained 0.6 points since the last election. But even in Utah, Trump also performed about a point better than he did in 2020. It’s third party candidates who saw the most erosion. (And there are many ballots left to count.) To find positives for Harris, you have to search for a smattering of counties across the nation. The Vice President did between 2-9 points better in a few counties in the Georgia metropolitan area, led by Henry, Rockdale and Douglas. She also improved in some of the North Carolina counties most impacted by Hurricane Helene, particularly Democratic-leaning Buncombe, but also Henderson and Transylvania. She posted about a 4-point gain in each. Kaufman County, in the Dallas suburbs, also bucked the national trend. That Texas county swung about 6 points towards Harris. AMERICANS WANT TO SEE TRUMP ADDRESS ECONOMY, INFLATION UPON RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE Harris posted a modest gain in Chaffee County, Colorado, otherwise known as the “Heart of the Rockies” (here, too, there are some outstanding ballots). And there are signs that parts of Oregon and Washington could end up more Democratic than 2020 when counting is finished. These are the exceptions to a clear rule: voters almost uniformly swung away from the Democrats this cycle. The Fox News Voter Analysis shows that Trump’s gains came from multiple groups, and that voters preferred him on two defining issues. As the Polling Unit writes: Trump’s victory was powered by his strength on the economy and immigration – two of voters’ top concerns. He was seen as a stronger leader than Harris in a time of turmoil, and voters remembered his presidency more fondly than their evaluations of the current administration. Trump ran up the score with his base while narrowing traditional Democratic advantages among Black, Hispanic, and young voters. The complete Fox News Voter Analysis is available on FoxNews.com.