What Trump’s Republican trifecta in his first administration accomplished, and where they failed: Flashback
The GOP is projected to control the House majority in the new Congress, giving President-elect Trump another red trifecta similar to what he had during the first two years of his first term in office. This will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming judges to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. However, not all of their priorities cleared the finish line. Here’s a look at their major accomplishments and notable setbacks: WHAT DOES PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S WIN MEAN FOR US AMID WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL, HAMAS? One of the GOP’s most notable achievements during Trump’s first term was enacting major tax cuts for individuals and corporations while reshaping the tax code. No House Democrats supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While Trump’s allies in Congress tried to completely roll back the Obama-era ACA, including a much-anticipated vote in the Senate that never happened, it failed by a narrow margin in the House. Republicans also failed to completely eliminate the so-called individual mandate from the ACA, but did succeed in zeroing out the financial penalty for failure to comply with it. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT While Congress passed more restrictive immigration laws, the construction of Trump’s famous border wall was only partially successful. Trump requested $25 billion for building the wall, but Congress only approved $1.6 billion in the 2018 budget negotiations. In February 2019, after a monthlong government shutdown, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and reallocated roughly $8 billion from other military construction projects and other sources to fund the border wall. In total, the Trump administration completed approximately 452 miles of border wall by the end of January 2021. TRUMP NOMINATES PETE HEGSETH TO SERVE AS DEFENSE SECRETARY Trump sent the Republican Senate nominations for 161 federal judges, of whom a significant number were confirmed. Two Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were also confirmed in the first half of his term. Trump’s third and final Supreme Court nomination, Amy Coney Barrett — who replaced the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — was accomplished in 2020, the last full year of his first term. Passing with bipartisan support in Congress, Trump signed the First Step Act into law in 2018 to reduce recidivism rates and expanded eligibility for compassionate release for certain federal inmates. By 2022, the First Step Act had led to the early release or reduced sentences of thousands of inmates.
New candidate emerges in crowded field as possible replacement for Vance’s Ohio Senate seat
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is considering an Ohio attorney and Trump surrogate to fill Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat once he vacates the position and moves on to the White House, Fox News Digital has learned. Attorney Mehek Cooke, a Republican attorney who served as a political and legal surrogate for Trump in 2024, is under consideration to be chosen to fill Vance’s seat, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital. Cooke, known as a formidable fundraiser in the state of Ohio, has appeared on Fox News and was a vocal supporter of President-elect Trump during the 2024 campaign, where he won Ohio by 11 points and his endorsement in the state is viewed as carrying a significant amount of weight. State law dictates that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will select a Republican to take Vance’s spot in the Senate until a special election is held in November 2026 to determine who will serve the rest of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028. The winner of that special election will then have to run again in 2028 in order to start a new six-year term. VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT’ FOR 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION, BUT THESE REPUBLICANS MAY ALSO RUN Cooke, who ran for Ohio House of Representatives in 2020, spent time as the assistant chief counsel in the Ohio governor’s office from 2012 to 2014 and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, where she handled criminal cases involving corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, asset forfeiture, and money laundering. Cooke, a wife and mother of two, was born in India and immigrated legally to the United States with her family at the age of 5. Cooke is also the founder and President of American Frontier Strategies and has worked as a political consultant and commentator across the state of Ohio. Marty Savko, the chair of the earth moving company Savko & Sons which has been in business in Columbus, Ohio for 75 years, told Fox News Digital that Cooke “is totally 100% in touch with both the average man and wife” in Ohio. “She’s a proud American citizen, she’s proud of this country and she very much has a kind heart and realizes that not everyone has the same opportunities. She is a firm believer in what’s right and what’s wrong, and you know where she stands.” “She’s not part of a clique like some people get to Washington or even get in the state house here in Ohio, and they become part of a clique, and they vote with the clique. No, she’s a person of her own determination and what she feels is the best for everyone involved, and she’s honest, extremely honest, extremely forthright.” Savko, a prominent Trump donor, told Fox News Digital that Cooke is a “fighter” in the same mold as the last two senators who have been elected statewide, JD Vance and Bernie Moreno. Multiple sources close to the situation told Fox News Digital that elevating women is important to DeWine and that he would like to appoint a woman to the seat, although gender is not the deciding factor. Republican Jane Timken, an Ohio attorney who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021, is also widely considered to be another potential Vance replacement. Other candidates reportedly in the mix include Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost, Treasurer Robert Sprague and State Sen. Matt Dolan. Yost, who has said he wouldn’t accept the position, and Husted are believed to be focused on the upcoming governor’s race to replace DeWine. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had been floated as a possibility but he recently accepted a position in the Trump administration and withdrew his name. Three Republicans currently serving in Congress – Reps. Mike Carey, David Joyce and Warren Davidson – are believed to be options as well. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO SEN. RUBIO’S SEAT IF HE BECOMES SECRETARY OF STATE AND WHO COULD REPLACE HIM Carey, who has strong relationships with both Trump and DeWine, reached out to DeWine shortly after Vance was selected, a source familiar with the discussion said this summer. DeWine, who is viewed as part of the Republican establishment, will face a balancing act of appointing someone highly regarded by both the Trump base of the party and the more moderate wing. Sources tell Fox News Digital that the decision from DeWine is likely not imminent and will be announced in line with whenever Vance officially vacates his seat. Cooke and a spokesperson for DeWine’s office declined to comment. DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney told Fox News Digital earlier this month that the timing of the governor’s announcement will depend on when Vance officially vacates his Senate seat and that the governor plans to appoint a “workhorse.” Tierney said that DeWine will be looking for a “workhorse” who is “qualified and ready to earn the trust of Ohio voters for another term.”
Manipur: Curfew reimposed in Imphal amid prevailing law and order situation
Authorities in Imphal West District have re-imposed a curfew starting at 4:30 am on Saturday until further notice, due to the prevailing law and order situation in the district.
Manipur: Internet suspended in 7 districts, curfew imposed after six bodies recovered near Jirimukh village
Their bodies were found near a river in the remote village of Jirimukh along the Manipur-Assam border and were sent to Silchar Medical College Hospital in Assam for postmortem.
Pennsylvania Democrats openly admit to counting illegal ballots in McCormick-Casey race
As the contested Pennsylvania Senate race barrels towards a $1 million recount, Democratic officials in a few blue counties are openly admitting to counting disqualified ballots in defiance of state law and court orders. The Associated Press has called the race for Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, who currently holds a 26,000 vote lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. But Casey has refused to concede and insisted that every vote be counted. The close margin – within one percentage point – triggered an automatic recount under Pennsylvania law. Yet the critical question is which votes should be counted? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled before the election that mail ballots lacking formally required signatures or dates should not be included in official results. However, Democratic officials in Philadelphia and surrounding Bucks, Centre and Montgomery counties are ignoring that court order. “I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country,” Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, said Thursday as she and other Democrats voted to reject a GOP-led challenge to ballots that should be disqualified. MCCORMICK-CASEY RECOUNT COST TO TOP $1M; GOP SLAMS BLUE COUNTIES DEFYING HIGH COURT “People violate laws anytime they want. So, for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention. There’s nothing more important than counting votes.” Officials estimate there are fewer than 80,000 provisional ballots left to be counted across the Keystone State, less than two percent of the vote, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. While the chance that Casey could make up his deficit is small, his attorneys and McCormick’s have repeatedly clashed at county commissioner meetings this week as local officials have debated over whether to count small handfuls of ballots. Democrats insist they are acting in good faith in believing that rejecting someone’s vote because of a clerical error violates their constitutional rights. In Montgomery County, for example, officials deliberated for 30 minutes over whether about 180 provisional ballots without secrecy envelopes should be counted. The Inquirer reported that several of these votes came from the same precincts, suggesting an error made by poll workers. Democratic board chair Neil Makhija voted to accept the ballots so that voters would not be disenfranchised. But other members of the board, including one Democrat and a Republican, voted to reject the ballots on the advice of county attorneys who determined the law clearly states they should not be counted. “We’re talking about constitutional rights and I cannot take an action to throw out someone’s ballot that is validly cast, otherwise, over an issue that we know … is immaterial,” Makhija said during Thursday’s meeting. The board ultimately voted to count a total of 501 contested ballots. Similar disputes over hundreds of votes have played out in Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties. HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE AMID TOLL REBOOT BEFORE TRUMP CAN BLOCK IT Separately, there is ongoing litigation over undated mail ballots or those submitted with an incorrect date on the outer envelope. Several local Democratic officials have said an incorrect date should not be grounds to disqualify a person’s vote. Lower courts have agreed with that reasoning, but Pennsylvania’s high court has determined the law requires correct dates for mail ballots to be counted. The McCormick campaign and Republican National Committee have asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reaffirm its Nov. 1 decision to stop Democrats from including undated mail ballots in their final tallies. The Casey campaign and the Pennsylvania Department of State have countered with legal motions arguing that the counties should be left alone and that the high court need not intervene as the challenges work their way through the appellate process. The open defiance of court precedent has prompted Republicans to cry foul. “Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: Democrats in Pennsylvania are brazenly trying to break the law by attempting to count illegal ballots. They are doing this because they want to steal a senate seat,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley wrote on X. He said the RNC has filed four lawsuits contesting county decisions on undated ballots and vowed to “fight for as long as necessary” to ensure that McCormick’s victory is upheld. “This is the exact kind of left-wing election interference that undermines voter confidence,” Whatley said. FETTERMAN DEFENDS CASEY-MCCORMICK RECOUNT; DINGS KARI LAKE Democrats have defended their actions and pointed out that McCormick himself had argued to count contested ballots when he trailed celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Republican primary for U.S. Senate. In that case, McCormick’s lawyer told a state judge that the object of Pennsylvania’s election law is to let people vote, “not to play games of ‘gotcha’ with them.” There are potentially thousands of mail-in ballots with wrong or missing dates on the return envelope across the state, though most counties have not moved to count them. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A state-mandated recount must be finished by noon on Nov. 26. Officials have said they do not expect the process to change the outcome of the race by more than a few hundred votes. Both McCormick and Casey were in Washington, D.C., this week. Casey participated in official Senate business and cast votes on the floor while McCormick attended new member orientation and met with other members of the new Republican majority to vote for conference leadership. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu’s brother Ramamurthy Naidu dies at 72 due to…
Ramamurthy Naidu, who was admitted to the hospital on November 14 following a cardiac arrest, breathed his last at 12.45 PM, the hospital said in a bulletin.
Sukhbir Singh Badal resigns as Shiromani Akali Dal president
Sukhbir Singh Badal’s resignation paves the way for the election of the new party chief.
Woman’s body stuffed in red suitcase found on Delhi-Lucknow highway, police initiates probe
According to initial reports, the police suspected that the entire crime happened elsewhere, and the body was then dumped into the suitcase along the highway.
Supreme Court asks centre to assess ground situation on menstrual hygiene in schools
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to clarify the the aspects highlighted by the petitioner relating to ground situation on menstrual hygiene in schools before implementing the policy.
The 6 Republican senators who could sink a Trump nomination
President-elect Trump is rounding out his administration with cabinet nominations, but their confirmation ultimately relies on support from linchpins in the Senate who could be skeptical of his appointees. While the incoming president has the power to appoint members to his Cabinet, it is ultimately up to Congress to have the final say in whether they are confirmed to the positions through a confirmation process. While the GOP will hold the majority in the next Congress, however, Senate confirmation could hang on a few key Republicans who have expressed mixed feelings about Trump’s cabinet selections. Longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has had a rocky relationship with Trump over the years, most recently releasing a new book that revealed his not-so-flattering thoughts about the president-elect. According to the book, the Senate minority leader has reportedly slammed Trump as “stupid,” “erratic,” a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist.” “I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be criticized by than this sleazeball,” he said in 2022, as Trump continued to attack his wife, former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, calling her “Coco Chow.” After the book’s release, McConnell told Fox News Digital that “we are all on the same team now.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said that she is not certain former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Trump’s controversial attorney general nominee, will make it through the confirmation process. “I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” the Alaska Republican said. “We need to have a serious attorney general. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card.” Murkowski also expressed surprise to hear of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to secretary of defense. “Wow,” Murkowski said. “I’m just surprised, because the names that I’ve heard for secretary of defense have not included him.” Susan Collins, the Republican senator from Maine, said she was “shocked that he [Gaetz] has been nominated.” “He’s under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics. Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but this is why the background checks that are done by the FBI and the advice and consent process in the Senate, and public hearings are also important,” she said. Gaetz was under a yearslong ethics investigation in the House looking into reports of alleged sexual involvement with a minor, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. After Gaetz was nominated, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that despite a history of sparring with the attorney general nominee on social media, he would go through the confirmation process the same as any other pick. However, Tillis said that the president should select nominees who can pass the chamber’s vetting process. “The president deserves to put forth a nominee. The president has an obligation to make sure that that nominee is gonna pass vetting and have the votes on the floor,” the North Carolina Republican told reporters after Gaetz was nominated. Tillis, however, suggested that the public should not be shocked if the former Florida congressman is not confirmed. “I will consider Matt Gaetz like I will anyone else, but if they don’t do the homework, don’t be surprised if they fail. Maybe they’ve already done that work,” he added. “Nothing surprises me in politics, nothing. And I’m okay with this. But at the end of the day we have a process, and we’ll just have to run through it.” Tillis added that he cares about “a defensible résumé, and a really clean vetting. Produce that he’s got a chance, don’t, and he doesn’t.” Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who did not publicly support Trump for the Republican presidential nomination this year, could be another deciding vote on cabinet confirmations. The GOP senator previously told reporters he would not be supporting Trump’s 2024 presidential run partly because the former president’s “judgment is wrong” on the Russia-Ukraine war. Asked about Gaetz’s nomination, he did not respond and instead began praising Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as Trump’s Secretary of State pick. Utah Republican John Curtis, recently elected to fill the being left by retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, said that he believes the Senate should have the final say in whether a Trump nominee is confirmed or not. “Senator-elect Curtis believes that every president is afforded a degree of deference to select his team and make nominations,” Corey Norman, Curtis’ chief of staff, told KSL TV in a statement. “He also firmly believes in and is committed to the Senate’s critical role to confirm or reject nominations.” Other senators have voiced uncertainty about Gaetz’s chances of being confirmed. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that Gaetz has got an “uphill climb” ahead of him, while Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said, according to The New York Times, that “I think all but Gaetz are very doable — maybe not lovable, but doable.”