RNC files two lawsuits in Pennsylvania amid Sen Bob Casey refusing to concede race
The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed two new lawsuits in Pennsylvania after several state boards of elections voted to count several undated mail ballots following the state supreme court’s ruling on the issue. The two suits come in light of Democrat incumbent Sen. Bob Casey refusing to concede the tightly run race to his GOP challenger, Sen.-elect Dave McCormick. “Tonight the RNC is filing two new lawsuits — in Bucks County and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court — to STOP the counting of illegal ballots. We have won this court battle several times already,” GOP Chairman Michael Whatley tweeted on X Wednesday evening. “The RNC is filing a motion in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to ensure that Pennsylvania’s democratic process is not undermined by the inclusion of illegal ballots in the final vote count,” Whatley said in a statement released. “Pennsylvanians are ready to move forward with Dave McCormick representing them in the Senate as Bob Casey torches whatever legacy he had with these anti-democratic schemes.” CASEY CAMPAIGN, REFUSING TO CONCEDE, ACCUSES MCCORMICK OF TRYING TO ‘DISENFRANCHISE’ VOTERS WITH LAWSUITS The Philadelphia City Commissioners told Fox News Digital in a statement that several Pennsylvania county boards of elections, including Philadelphia, had voted to count a “relatively small number of undated and incorrectly dated mail ballots.” “Republicans filed a petition to the PA Supreme Court against all counties to attempt to stop all counties from counting these ballots,” the statement said. “They also filed a statutory appeal challenging Bucks County’s decision to count undated and incorrectly dated mail ballots. We are reviewing the filings.” The Pennsylvania Supreme Court previously sided with the GOP in its effort to block the counting of undated mail-in ballots ahead of the 2024 general election. PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE TRIGGERS RECOUNT, WITH MCCORMICK PROJECTED TO WIN AND CASEY YET TO CONCEDE “It’s ridiculous,” an RNC official told Fox News Digital. “The court just ruled on this two weeks ago. And it’s just very clear to us that Democrat lawyers and officials see a way to kind of make money off of Bob Casey by trying out this process, but Dave McCormick is already in D.C. to attend Senate orientation.” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced in a press statement Wednesday that the “unofficial results in the Nov. 5 general election race for U.S. Senate” had triggered an automatic statewide recount. As of Wednesday, Casey had won 3,350,972 votes (48.50%), while McCormick had won 3,380,310 votes (48.93%), according to the statement released. BOB CASEY REFUSES TO CONCEDE PA SENATE RACE AS SCHUMER WELCOMES REPUBLICAN MCCORMICK AMONG NEW SENATORS Once the counties have finalized counting their ballots, they must begin their recounts no later than Wednesday, Sept. 20 and finish by Nov. 26 at noon. Results reports must then be submitted to the secretary by noon on Nov. 27. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling effectively overturned a decision from a Commonwealth Court just days ahead of the Nov. 5 election, which held that the state law requiring a handwritten date was unconstitutional. The Pennsylvania GOP appealed that ruling to the state supreme court. Pennsylvania Republicans applauded the ruling at the time, saying Democrats have repeatedly tried to subvert the dating requirement. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the law, and the dated ballot requirement will be in effect for this election. Democrats have repeatedly tried to eliminate this important ballot safeguard, and we have stopped them each time,” Whatley said in a statement at the time.
Democrats trash Tulsi Gabbard after Trump taps her for DNI post
Some Democratic lawmakers blasted former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard after President-elect Donald Trump tapped her to serve as director of national intelligence, a cabinet-level post. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., declared in a post on X that she was “appalled” by the selection of Gabbard for the role. “Not only is she ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cozies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberger claimed in a post on X. TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’ Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., called the choice of Gabbard as DNI “incredibly reckless,” declaring in a tweet, “Putting someone with known sympathies for foreign adversaries is not putting America’s interests first – it’s putting our security at risk.” Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., seemed to suggest that having Gabbard serve as DNI would place national secrets at risk. “Tulsi Gabbard’s deep ties to some of our nation’s most dangerous adversaries, including Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Vladimir Putin of Russia, make her an untrustworthy guardian of our nation’s most closely held secrets,” Magaziner said in the statement. “As the highest-ranking intelligence official in the federal government, she would have access to information spanning everything from our nation’s nuclear weapons program to the location and activities of our military service members, and we cannot risk this information falling into the hands of our adversaries,” he asserted. TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS WILL GET ‘RADICALLY WORSE’ UNDER A HARRIS PRESIDENCY, WARNS TULSI GABBARD Gabbard served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2013 through early 2021 as a Democrat. She mounted a presidential bid in 2019 but ultimately dropped out in 2020 and backed Joe Biden. The former lawmaker supported Trump during the 2024 election and announced that she was joining the Republican Party. “I’ve been a soldier for over 21 years, and currently serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve,” she noted in a post on Veterans Day this week. TULSI GABBARD SAYS TRUMP ‘LISTENS’ AND ‘RECOGNIZES’ CHALLENGES AMERICANS FACE “The best way for us to honor our veterans, not just on #VeteransDay, but every day, is to make sure that our men and women in uniform are only sent into harms’ way as a last resort when all diplomatic measures have been exhausted, and actually take care of them and their families, if and when they return home,” she noted. Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to Gabbard for comment on Thursday.
Thune says Trump’s border plan is 1st up in rigorous priority list for new Congress: ‘Real work begins’
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., is planning to make ushering in President-Elect Donald Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the new Congress, when Republicans will have a majority in both the upper chamber and the House. “Now the real work begins delivering on our agenda,” he said in a floor speech on Thursday. “That starts with ending the Biden-Harris border crisis and deporting illegal immigrants.” He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them. MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL The budget reconciliation process would allow Republicans to avoid Democrats blocking action on the economy, because it cannot be filibustered or delayed as bills can be. The 53-member incoming Republican majority would be able to push the item through without issues. The South Dakota Republican further highlighted the significant communication and procedural changes that his leadership will usher in, which have been a frequent point of criticism by senators under McConnell’s reign. According to Thune, his office would be “a resource, not a roadblock” for his conference members. THUNE WINS SECRET BALLOT TO BECOME NEW SENATE GOP LEADER, SUCCEEDING MCCONNELL In a notable win for many outspoken conservative hard-line senators, he stressed his “commitment to amendments.” “[A]ll members of the Senate, and not just the members of a particular committee, should have a voice in final legislation through amendments on the floor. Members should assume that amendment votes will be the norm,” he said. RICK SCOTT KNOCKED OUT OF SENATE LEADER RACE ON FIRST BALLOT AS THUNE AND CORNYN ADVANCE The Senate has operated in recent history by often using amendment trees, which are filled with pre-determined amendments offered by the majority leader. This prevented individual senators from offering their own amendments on the floor. In another achievement for vocal GOP critics of both McConnell and the current Congress, Thune made clear, “Members should also expect a return to regular order in the Senate next year.” This, he said, includes the appropriations process, “so that we don’t constantly wind up with an end of the year pileup and problematic continuing resolutions.” TED CRUZ GETS BEHIND RICK SCOTT FOR LEADER, IN BLOW TO FELLOW TEXAN JOHN CORNYN The Congress is notably on track for another potential stopgap spending bill ahead of Christmas when the deadline for the last continuing resolution expires. The minority whip added that confirming Trump’s nominees will also be high on his to-do list “and members should expect an aggressive schedule until those nominees are confirmed.” Further, he foreshadowed open lines of communication with both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Trump in order to deliver on these priorities with the new federal GOP trifecta.
Biden admin bans employers from discussing unionization with ‘captive audience’ employees
The Biden administration’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued an opinion on Wednesday that bars businesses from expressing their views on unionization to a “captive audience” of employees. The ruling came in response to a series of labor complaints issued against Amazon over mandatory meetings during which representatives of the company allegedly urged employees to reject unionization. According to the board, such meetings violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which was passed in 1935 to protect workers’ ability to organize. “Ensuring that workers can make a truly free choice about whether they want union representation is one of the fundamental goals of the National Labor Relations Act. Captive audience meetings—which give employers near-unfettered freedom to force their message about unionization on workers under threat of discipline or discharge—undermine this important goal,” NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran said in a Wednesday press release. “Today’s decision better protects workers’ freedom to make their own choices in exercising their rights under the Act, while ensuring that employers can convey their views about unionization in a noncoercive manner.” The NLRB, an independent federal agency with leaders who were appointed by President Biden, articulated multiple reasons for why they believe “captive audience” meetings violate the law. NEW YORK TIMES TECH EMPLOYEES REMAIN ON STRIKE, GUILD TARGETS HIGH-PAID CEO MEREDITH KOPIT Among them was that these meetings violate employee rights under Section 7 of the NLRA. Section 7 protects employees’ ability to engage in, or not engage in, “concerted efforts” for the purposes of collective bargaining. The ruling did leave employers the right to engage in voluntary meetings that express their views on unionization. In a dissenting opinion, the NLRB’s only Republican member, Marvin Kaplan, wrote that the board’s ruling banning “captive audience” meetings was “flagrantly unconstitutional.” LABOR DAY A HARSH REMINDER UNIONS TURNED INTO THE BOSSES THEY PRETEND TO DISLIKE “The majority’s attempt to ban so-called ‘captive-audience speeches’ harkens back to an earlier era when the Board sought to impose on employers a policy of strict neutrality regarding unionization,” Kaplan also wrote. Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson echoed Kaplan’s points in a statement to Courthouse News Service. “This decision ignores over 75 years of precedent, contradicts the express language of the NLRA, and violates the First Amendment – it’s wrong on the facts and the law, and we intend to appeal,” said Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis. “Meetings like this are held by many companies because the decision about whether or not to join a union is an important one – and employees deserve to understand the facts so they can make an informed choice.” Neither the NLRB nor Amazon responded to inquiries from Fox News Digital in time for publication.
Trump’s US election leaves Ukraine scrambling for EU military assistance
Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory on November 5 has cast a sharp spotlight on what military and financial assistance Ukraine could expect from the European Union. Trump last year pressed United States lawmakers to delay a $61.4bn military aid package to Ukraine, and claimed he would end the Ukraine war “in a day” if he won. Ukraine was also concerned that the delivery of weapons promised under the administration of President Joe Biden be fulfilled before the handover of power on January 20. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the US had delivered 83 percent of munitions, 67 percent of critical air defences, and 60 percent of firepower capabilities committed to Ukraine under defence packages between April and mid-October. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that he did not expect the start of Trump’s presidency to change the US position on Ukraine. (Al Jazeera) But Trump has demanded that EU member states which are also NATO members raise defence spending to three percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and threatened to let Russia do “whatever the hell it wants” with them if they refuse, suggesting US backing for NATO, and potentially Ukraine, would be conditional under his presidency. That has raised questions about the extent of European military autonomy and political will to continue supporting Ukraine with or without a supportive administration in Washington. EU external affairs chief Josep Borrell told European Pravda that the bloc would deliver a million artillery shells by the end of the year. Those shells were promised in spring 2023 for delivery last spring. “We almost did it. We have already delivered more than 980 thousand shells, and very soon we will deliver one million shells,” Borrell said. Shells purchased from around the world under a Czech initiative will have provided another half million artillery rounds by year’s end, he said. In addition, Borrell said, EU production capacity had now ramped up to a million shells a year. Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile attack in Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk region [Danylo Antoniuk/Reuters] The EU has spent 122 billion euros ($129bn) supporting Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Should US aid come to a halt, the EU could hand over to Ukraine $300bn in Russian assets under management in the EU, and calls increased in the past week to do so. The EU has so far agreed to give Ukraine only the profits from those assets, fearing retaliatory effects on the bloc’s currency. Ukraine has received a first instalment of 400 million euros ($425m). At a meeting of EU directors of defence policy in Brussels on Tuesday, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Serhiy Boyev asked the EU to rush a 1.5 billion-euro ($1.6bn) tranche of profits from frozen Russian assets promised this year, for investment in Ukraine’s defence industrial base. (Al Jazeera) There was also renewed pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to break ranks with the cautious US policy not to use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, and supply Ukraine with 500km-range (310-mile) Taurus missiles, which could strike Russian airfields. “I think it is right, unchanged, that I have made my contribution to ensuring that there has been no escalation. And I would like to make it clear, that the country that is doing the most in Europe to ensure that Ukraine is not left alone and is supported is also a country that must ensure that an escalation does not occur,” Scholz told the Bundestag or lower house of the German parliament on Wednesday. Striking airfields would deprive Russia of its ability to launch heavy glide bombs, one of its most effective weapons against Ukrainian front lines. A grim situation on the front lines Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesman for Ukraine’s southern defences, on Saturday said Russia was intensifying the use of glide bombs in the south. “In October, the Russians used about 500 guided aerial bombs in the southern direction, specifically on Ukrainian positions and on populated areas near the line of combat,” he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday morning that Russia dropped 800 glide bombs across the entire front in the previous week – a rate he first reported in the first week of October – which computes to more than 3,000 glide bombs a month. In addition, Russia typically launches some 1,600 kamikaze drones and 80 missiles into Ukraine each week, Zelenskyy has said. Ukraine’s armed forces said the Russian strategy was also continuing to bomb civilian areas in Kharkiv with glide bombs to demoralise the population. A Ukrainian counter-invasion in the Russian region of Kursk last August had produced a lull in bombardment. “In the last few weeks, the enemy has started using guided aerial bombs again, said Volodymyr Degtyarev, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Guard. “Mostly in the city, on civilian infrastructure, mainly in the evening or at night, although there are also daytime shellings.” (Al Jazeera) Ukraine’s defenders continued to be under intense pressure throughout the front in the past week, with the Russian hammer falling hardest on Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, front-line towns west of Donetsk city. Ukraine’s General Staff reported 125 combat clashes on Monday, most in the direction of Pokrovsk, with Kurakhove remaining a “difficult situation”. Zelenskyy sent reinforcements to those two directions, but it appeared that by Tuesday Russian troops were advancing along Zaporizkyi Street in northeast Kurakhove. One of Ukraine’s greatest concerns has been Russia’s ability to absorb losses of men and armour in this war. Colonel Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Siversk group of forces, told a telethon that Russian assaults typically started with armour, followed by waves of infantry at 10-15 minute intervals, a tactic which led to high attrition rates for the Russians. Russian assaults have clearly been bloody, with Russian casualties last week at 9,800, according to Ukraine’s Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Pavlyuk – confirming the daily rate of about 1,400 casualties observed since June. Yet reinforcements have kept coming, leading Ukraine
Meta fined 798 million euros ($846m) for breaking EU antitrust rules
EU says Meta automatically ties its ad service – Facebook Marketplace – to Facebook, creating an unfair advantage. The European Union has hit technology giant Meta with a fine just shy of 800 million euros for what it called “abusive practices” involving its Facebook Marketplace online classified ads business. The EU’s European Commission issued the fine of 797.72 million euros ($846.13m) on Thursday. It accused Meta, which owns social media platform Facebook, of marketplace practices that give its own ad service an undue advantage over competitors. The advantage stems from Meta automatically tying its ad service – Facebook Marketplace – to Facebook, creating a “substantial distribution advantage”, according to the commission. “All Facebook users automatically have access and get regularly exposed to Facebook Marketplace whether they want it or not,” it said. Additionally, it said Meta imposed unfair conditions on other classified ads service providers who advertised on Facebook and Instagram, enabling it to “use ads-related data generated by other advertisers for the sole benefit of Facebook Marketplace”. Meta contended it did not “use advertisers’ data for this purpose” and has “built systems and controls to ensure that”. “It is disappointing that the Commission has chosen to take regulatory action against a free and innovative service built to meet consumer demand,” said Meta, adding it would comply with the commission’s order to end the offending conduct but also appeal. The fine is the latest in a string of hefty penalties that the commission, which regulates the 27-nation European Union, has imposed against Big Tech companies over their practices in recent years. It ranks among the 10 largest antitrust fines. The penalty takes into account the “duration and gravity of the infringement”, as well as the turnover of Meta and Facebook Marketplace, said the commission. Meta’s total revenue last year stood at around 125 billion euros ($133bn). Meta’s dominant position in the market for personal social networks comes with a special responsibility not to abuse it by restricting competition, according to the EU. Adblock test (Why?)
What does a second Trump presidency mean for Big Tech?
US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to reshape tech industry policy. Donald Trump had promised to curb the influence of Silicon Valley during his first presidency, which began in 2017. His relationship with tech leaders was marked by tension back then. He’s now won the United States presidential election for a second time, and those same executives have rushed to congratulate him on his victory. Big Tech’s wealth and power have exploded since his first term. But the industry has faced a crackdown through antitrust lawsuits under President Joe Biden. Trump’s return to the top job could signal policy changes. Spain’s floods, what’s the cost of climate inaction? Plus, why are big oil companies leaving Nigeria? Adblock test (Why?)
Texas’ uneven population boom is creating ghost towns in many rural counties
Local leaders and rural revitalization experts say Texas’ smallest towns can survive — despite a shift to urban and suburban counties — but it will take investments.
Texas names new higher education chief
Wynn Rosser will be in charge of guiding the state’s postsecondary education policies. He currently leads a foundation focused on rural East Texas and previously worked at Texas A&M.
Who are Trump’s likely top contenders to lead comms team, interact with the media?
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump is on a Cabinet announcement spree just a week after his massive win against Vice President Kamala Harris, with his eyes locked on who he will announce to head up his White House communications team. Karoline Leavitt is the leading name for press secretary after she worked as the Trump campaign’s national press secretary throughout the high-stakes election cycle. Alina Habba, Trump’s legal spokeswoman and adviser, was also viewed as a front-runner for the position but said Thursday she would “be better served in other capacities.” “While I am flattered by the support and speculation, the role of Press Secretary is not a role I am considering. Although I love screaming from a podium I will be better served in other capacities. This adminstration is going to be epic! So proud of the Trump team, the latest appointments and 47!” she posted to X on Thursday morning. Speculation has mounted that in addition to Leavitt – and previously Habba – Trump could potentially announce former President George W. Bush aide and CNN contributor Scott Jennings for the role, or longtime Trump adviser and ally Jason Miller, or campaign spokesman and adviser Steven Cheung. Other names floated as potential contenders include former ESPN host Sage Steele, RNC spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT During Trump’s first administration, the communications team saw, at times, a revolving door of press secretaries and communications directors. TRUMP’S VICTORY IS THE ‘REVENGE OF THE WORKING-CLASS AMERICAN,’ SAYS CNN’S SCOTT JENNINGS Back in 2016, Trump announced Sean Spicer as his first press secretary, who served in the position from Jan. 20, 2017 to July of that year. Spicer resigned after Trump named Anthony Scaramucci as communications director in a communications team shake-up. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who currently serves as governor of Arkansas, took over the position from July 2017 until July 2019. Scaramucci served as communications director for about 10 days before he was shown the door and has since been a top critic of the former and upcoming president. Spicer had also served as acting communications director during Trump’s first administration and was followed by Scaramucci, Hope Hicks, Bill Shine and finally Stephanie Grisham as communications directors. TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS On the press secretary front, Grisham followed Sanders as press secretary, notably serving in the role in the early days of the pandemic before Kayleigh McEnany took over the role, serving in the position until President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Trump’s second administration is already coming together at a much faster pace than during his 2016 transition phase, with Trump announcing 20 individuals for key Cabinet and administration positions as of Thursday. “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy roll-out of Cabinet picks earlier this week. LOYALTY MATTERS: TRUMP PICKS ALLIES AND SUPPORTERS TO FILL OUT HIS ADMINISTRATION Trump tapped Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., for example, to serve as his national security adviser, announcing that pick on Tuesday, about three days ahead of his announcement for the same role in 2016, when he chose former Army Gen. Mike Flynn for the position about 10 days after Election Day. Trump also announced he chose former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a pick Trump did not make until Dec. 7, 2016, when he tapped Scott Pruitt to serve in the role. Trump’s first pick for his administration, Susie Wiles for chief of staff, was announced the day after the election, while his 2016 announcement of Reince Priebus as chief of staff was made five days after the election. Trump has made one communications appointment announcement, revealing on Wednesday that Taylor Budowich will serve as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. Trump did not announce his first press secretary pick back in 2016 until Dec. 22, 2016, though this year’s pick is anticipated to be publicly announced much sooner, similar to his Cabinet announcements.