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GOP incumbent projected to defeat Dem challenger in closely watched Arizona House race

GOP incumbent projected to defeat Dem challenger in closely watched Arizona House race

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., will keep his seat in Arizona after fending off a challenge from Democrat Kirsten Engel, according to The Associated Press’ race call Wednesday night. The race for the 6th Arizona Congressional District seat was tight, with Ciscomani receiving 49.6% of the vote compared to Engel’s 47.9%. Unofficial election results on the state’s website show he only leads Engel by 7,020 votes. Democrats were hoping to flip the seat after a tight race between the same candidates in 2022. Ciscomani’s win completed the congressional races in Arizona and secured a Republican majority in the U.S. House by hitting the 218 threshold. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA Ciscomani has brandished bipartisan credentials and fought off a conservative challenger in July, where he touted the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump. “Congressman Juan Ciscomani is doing an incredible job representing the great people of Arizona’s 6th Congressional District,” Trump said on Truth Social in May. “Juan is working hard to Secure our Border, Defend our Wonderful Military and Veterans, Promote Election Integrity, and Expand American Jobs and the Economy.” REP. CISCOMANI FENDS OFF PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM FELLOW REPUBLICAN AHEAD OF TIGHT ELECTION Ciscomani had embraced border security as a key issue, with the state being at the front of the historic crisis at the southern border. “I have been consistent in my willingness to work with anyone – on either side of the aisle – to address the crisis at the border,” Ciscomani told Fox News Digital in September. “However, Vice President Harris’ visit to the border smells like nothing more than a photo opportunity to try and score political points.” Engel had hit Ciscomani on the question of abortion, and in a recent debate revealed that she has experienced a miscarriage. “I’m a woman. I’ve had complications. I’ve had miscarriages,” she said in October, according to Arizona Central. “This is not something that we leave to politicians. Last time I checked, Juan, you’re not a doctor. I don’t trust you with my health care. I’m sorry, I don’t trust you with my daughter’s health care. We need to leave this to women and their doctors.” She also challenged his claim to be a moderate. “You present yourself as a moderate, but you cave to the extremists in your party. The extremists are driving the dysfunction. They are scaring seniors because if they are in control, they will do these things,” she said. Arizona, which had a number of close House and Senate races, was also seen as a key swing state for the presidential election. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Land drug trafficking patterns in North-Eastern Region

Land drug trafficking patterns in North-Eastern Region

Drug trafficking is also often connected with other forms of crime, such as money laundering or corruption. Trafficking routes are used by criminal networks to transport other illicit products including firearms, human trafficking and wildlife trafficking.

Republicans projected to keep control of House as Trump prepares to implement agenda

Republicans projected to keep control of House as Trump prepares to implement agenda

The Fox News Decision Desk can project that Republicans will keep their majority in the House of Representatives. The number of seats the party will hold depends on the outcome in a handful of remaining districts. There are nine races yet to be called. They are: Alaska’s at-large district, California’s 9th, 13th, 21st, and 45th districts, Iowa’s 1st district, Maine’s 2nd district, Ohio’s 9th district and Oregon’s 5th district. Republicans soared to the 218 threshold for majority after Republican Juan Ciscomani was elected in Arizona’s 6th District. The first-term Republican won a rematch against Democrat Kirsten Engel, whom Ciscomani narrowly defeated in the 2022 midterms. ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS In a statement, The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) said that the majority win came after a “historically tumultuous cycle,” saying that they “never lost focus and never stopped working.” “They said it couldn’t be done, but the American people have spoken. As Chairman of the NRCC it has been my mission since day one to hold our House majority. Today it is clear that we accomplished that mission. Even through a historically tumultuous cycle our team never lost focus and never stopped working,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said in a release on Wednesday night. “Americans are fed up with extreme Democrats who threw open the border, set inflation on fire, and invited drugs and crime to flood our communities,” he said. “With a Republican House majority, President Donald Trump back in the White House, and a new Senate majority, help is on the way. I am looking forward to working with my newly elected colleagues to clean up Democrats’ mess with an America First agenda.” WATCH: Mike Johnson, whose rise to speaker last year ended a leadership battle in the House, is likely to continue serving as the 56th Speaker. It comes despite a tumultuous term for the House GOP marked by fierce public infighting over government spending and the first-ever ouster of a speaker of the House. SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’ Republicans’ chances of keeping the House majority seemed like a pipe dream in October 2023. Congress was paralyzed while GOP lawmakers fought behind closed doors to select a new leader after ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was booted by all House Democrats and eight Republican rebels. Those odds improved significantly when Democrats had their own leadership crisis as top liberals pressured President Biden to drop out of the race after his disastrous debate against former President Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris gave Democrats an enthusiasm and funding boost when she took over Biden’s mantle, but it was not a big enough bump to carry their House candidates through November. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital late last month that he anticipated the battle for control to come down to roughly 40 or 45 races. “There’s really only about 10% — roughly 45 seats — that are truly competitive. And, by that, I mean the really battleground districts are about half Republican-held and about half Democrat-held,” Scalise said. “We’re going around the country helping the incumbents on the Republican side or in tough races. But, also, we’re working on those challengers who have a real opportunity to flip a seat from Democrat to Republican.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

Sri Lanka parliamentary elections 2024: What’s at stake?

Sri Lanka parliamentary elections 2024: What’s at stake?

Sri Lankans will cast ballots in a snap parliamentary election on Thursday, months after electing a Marxist-leaning president in the Indian island nation’s first election since the 2022 economic meltdown and political crisis. The election was called by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who won the September election after blaming the country’s traditional ruling elite for the economic collapse that led to the country defaulting on its loans. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) alliance has just three seats in the outgoing parliament, but opinion polls give the bloc an edge over parties that have ruled the island nation since its independence in 1948. Here’s a look at the significance of the elections and how they could affect Dissanayake’s political vision for the country of 22 million. What time does the election start in Sri Lanka? Polls open between 7am (01:30 GMT) and 4pm (10:30 GMT) local time. How do parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka work? An independent body called the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) oversees the election. There are 225 seats in the unicameral parliament, and all of them are up for grabs this election. All members are elected for a five-year term. But 29 out of 225 seats are decided indirectly through a national list. Each party or independent group contesting the election submits a list of candidates for the national list. The number of national list candidates for each party is chosen based on the number of votes they win. Retired commissioner-general of elections, MM Mohamed, explained the process to the local publication, EconomyNext, in 2020. According to the publication, the formula applied for the number of national list candidates for a party is: the number of votes won by the party divided by the number of total votes cast, multiplied by 29. A party needs to secure 113 seats to secure a win in the parliament. There are 17 million registered voters out of Sri Lanka’s 22 million population, according to the ECSL. Voting will be conducted at 13,421 polling stations across the country, according to the ECSL. Votes are cast with paper ballots, and voters are required to show valid identification, such as a National Identity Card (NIC), passport, driving licence, senior citizens identity card, government pensioners’ identity card or identity card issued to clergy. Police, army and other public servants who cannot cast their votes in person on election day vote through postal ballots in advance. What’s at stake? Dissanayake, who has been critical of the “old political guard”, has pledged to abolish the country’s executive presidency, a system under which power is largely centralised under the president. The executive presidency, which first came into existence under President JR Jayawardene in 1978, has been widely criticised in the country for years, but no political party, once in power, has scrapped it until now. The system has in recent years been blamed by critics for the country’s economic and political crises. Dissanayake has promised to fight corruption and end austerity measures imposed by his predecessor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as part of the bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “At stake is the ability of newly-elected President Dissanayake to pursue the ambitious agenda that won him election in September,” Alan Keenan, a senior consultant on Sri Lanka for the Belgium-based think tank International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera. Dissanayake’s NPP alliance would need a parliamentary majority to pass laws and requires a two-thirds majority to bring constitutional amendments. He played an active role in the 2022 protests against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s rule. Tens of thousands took to the streets when inflation skyrocketed and a foreign exchange crisis led to fuel and food shortages. Rajapaksa was forced to flee, after which Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as president. He lifted the country out of bankruptcy but at a cost to the common people. Wickremesinghe’s $2.9bn IMF deal led to a rise in the cost of living for Sri Lankans. He was also criticised for protecting the Rajapaksa family – a charge he has denied. “The people have great expectations for ‘system change’, including holding politicians accountable for corruption. But there is also a major debate happening about the economic trajectory,” Devaka Gunawardena, a political economist and research fellow at the Social Scientists’ Association in Sri Lanka, told Al Jazeera. “The question is whether Sri Lanka can get itself out of the debt trap while protecting people’s livelihoods, which have been devastated by the crisis and austerity,” he said. While Dissanayake was critical of the IMF deal and campaigned to restructure the deal, he has since announced – especially after an October meeting with a visiting team from the international lender – to stick to the deal. He has, however, sought “alternative means” to the severe austerity measures introduced by Wickremesinghe, and told the IMF team that his government would aim to provide relief to those Sri Lankans who have been worst affected by increased taxes. “This election is also about whether the NPP can consolidate its electoral gains in order to explore alternatives, such as redistribution and a shift towards local production,” Gunawardena said. Which parties hold seats in the current Sri Lankan parliament? In the current parliament, which was elected in 2020: The right-wing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), also known as the Sri Lanka People’s Front of the Rajapaksa family, holds a majority with 145 of the 225 seats. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) of leader Sajith Premadasa holds 54 seats. The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), the largest Tamil party, has 10 seats. Dissanayake’s NPP has only three seats. Other smaller parties hold the remaining 13 seats. Dissanayake dissolved this parliament on September 24 this year. Which party is expected to win the parliament? Political analysts predict that Dissanayake’s NPP would win a majority, having gained popularity since the presidential election. “The NPP is almost certain to do well – the only question is how well. Most observers – and the limited polls available – suggest they will win a majority,” Keenan, from the

FBI raids home of Polymarket CEO

FBI raids home of Polymarket CEO

CEO Shayne Coplan accuses Biden administration of targeting company over its perceived political associations. Authorities in the United States have raided the home of the chief executive of Polymarket, a betting platform that drew widespread attention for strongly favouring Donald Trump to win the presidential election. The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant on CEO Shayne Coplan at his Manhattan home on Wednesday. The New York Post, which first reported the raid, said that Coplan, 26, was roused from bed at 6am by federal agents who demanded he turn over his phone and other electronic devices. In a post on X, Coplan accused the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden of making a “last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents”. “We are deeply committed to being non-partisan, and today is no different, but the incumbents should do some self-reflecting and recognise that taking a more pro-business, pro-startup approach may be what would have changed their fate this election,” Coplan said. Coplan added that Polymarket had provided “value” to tens of millions of people during the election campaign, while “causing harm to nobody”. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The raid drew sharp criticism from a number of prominent figures in the tech world. “What the f**** is wrong with this administration,” Brian Armstrong, the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, said in a post on X, using an expletive. “This will backfire – they just made Polymarket even more powerful.” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is set to co-lead a Department of Government Efficiency in Trump’s incoming administration, also weighed in, writing on X: “This seems messed up”. Founded in 2020, Polymarket allows users to place bets on upcoming events ranging from election outcomes to sport results and weather patterns. Polymarket blocked US users in 2022 after reaching a $1.4m settlement for failing to register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, though it is possible to get around the ban by accessing the site using a VPN. The platform gained attention ahead of the election after giving Trump strong odds of beating Vice President Kamala Harris, despite opinion polls showing the race to be a dead heat. Adblock test (Why?)