Abdul El-Sayed Has Biggest Fundraising Day Yet After Stevens Drama
Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign said it shattered a single-day fundraising record on Sunday, as his former Democratic opponent Rep. Haley Stevens shockingly flipped and endorsed his Republican opponent for Senate.
The campaign said it raised $2.4 million on Sunday, with 29,602 donors giving for the first time. It said the average donation was $36.74.
El-Sayed was scheduled to campaign with Stevens over the weekend, but demands from Stevens over some of El-Sayed’s campaign ads sparked a falling out that led El-Sayed to ask Stevens to stay away from his events. Stevens then formally endorsed Republican Mike Rogers.
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Rubio Offers Robust Defense Of Trump's War On Iran, Drawing Contrast With Vance
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran even if it was not “necessarily popular” to safeguard the world from the country’s nuclear ambitions.
He would not comment directly about the Republican wipeout in Tuesday’s elections, which delivered a resounding rebuke to Trump. The unpopularity of the Iran war and its impact on gasoline prices and other parts of the economy helped Democrats seize control of Congress.
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Europe Aims To Have Presence At U.S.-Mediated Talks Between Ukraine And Russia This Week
European leaders plan to send representatives to U.S.-brokered peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
“France will be there and will ensure that Europe’s voice is heard,” Barrot said Sunday to French radio RTL.
The discussion, which will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, will be the first U.S.-mediated talks since February as the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on.
European officials haven’t yet announced who would represent them, though they had raised concerns about being sidelined from talks with serious ramifications for their security.
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Deportation Flight Of Iranians From US Scuttled At Last Minute, Attorney Says
A U.S. deportation flight of Iranian nationals bound for Iran by way of Pakistan was abruptly canceled Sunday morning, according to an attorney who spoke to some of the detainees slated for repatriation.
At least eight Iranians were loaded onto a plane Sunday morning in Mesa, Arizona, for a deportation flight headed to the country of Georgia, then on to Pakistan, according to Ali Rahnama, an attorney with the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund who filed emergency motions on behalf of some of the Iranian detainees. The flight was canceled without explanation, he said.
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Kansas Senator-Elect Adam Hamilton Voices Concerns About Schumer As Majority Leader
Kansas senator-elect Adam Hamilton on Sunday reiterated concerns he’s previously raised about backing Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for majority leader in 2027.
Last September, Hamilton told CNN that he wasn’t supporting Schumer for the job. On Sunday, he explained why.
“I mean no disrespect for Chuck Schumer. I just really don’t, and I’ve told him that as well. But I think, at least where I live in Kansas, he’s kind of a polarizing figure,” Hamilton said in an interview on “Meet the Press.”
“What I’d be looking for is a leader who can lead from the center,” Hamilton added. “Somebody who can bring Republicans and Democrats together, somebody who can bring the various factions in the Democratic Party together. Somebody with fresh ideas.”
Other incoming senators, including Maine’s Troy Jackson, Minnesota’s Peggy Flanagan and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, have also signaled that they’re open to new leadership.
No clear challenger to Schumer has emerged, though Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said in a Crooked Con panel on Saturday that she hasn’t ruled out making a bid for the position.
Last Wednesday, Schumer predicted that he’d be reelected to the role but noted that “the issue is not me,” and that “the issue is focusing on the American people and what they want.”
Trump Claims He Wants To Work With Democrats On Immigration
President Donald Trump claimed in a “60 Minutes” interview that he’s interested in working with Democrats on immigration, though he offered few specifics about what that would entail.
“Well, the deal would be we would work something out,” Trump said. “And I think it’s something-- I think that’s something that’s actually doable.”
Trump also said his deportation policies may have been “too tough,” but it wasn’t clear whether they were poised to change, given his selection of Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff. Miller is a longtime White House adviser and the architect of the administration’s hardline immigration enforcement policies.
Trump Attempts To Defend His Endorsements Of Losing Candidates
President Donald Trump put forth an unconvincing defense of his decision to endorse Republican candidates who wound up losing longtime GOP strongholds in the midterms.
In both Texas and South Carolina, Trump went out of his way to back Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), both widely seen as the weaker candidates in their races.
“[Sen. John] Cornyn would have lost also,” Trump claimed during a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday. “Darline, I did that in honor of a man named Lindsey, who was a friend of mine. And she fought hard. She fought hard. She really did.”
‘You Should’ve Had Stock’: Trump Gives Telling Retort When Asked About Gains In His Net Worth
President Donald Trump had a telling retort for a “60 Minutes” reporter when asked about the significant gains he saw in his net worth during his second term.
“There’s a Forbes story that said that your net worth, maybe it’s changed for the stock market recently, but your net worth went up by $3 billion since you returned–,” “60 Minutes” correspondent Ross Douthat said.
“Well, so did everyone–,” Trump claimed.
“...Everyone’s-- my net worth did not go up by $3 billion for the record,” Douthat said.
“Well, you should’ve had stock,” Trump said.
“I devote almost no time to my net worth. I don’t care. I make-- I have a lotta money, and far more than I ever thought I’d have. And I guess it’s gone up. I don’t even know,” Trump added. “I have a son who’s a very straight, good guy. He watches over money. I don’t even talk to him about it.”
He went on to claim he knew “nothing about” World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company he co-founded, and stock purchases being made on his behalf.
Senate Democrats Could Have 4 Identical Twins If This One Candidate Wins
While Mississippi waits to see if Scott Colom will become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pointed out another bit of trivia.
“When Scott Colom becomes the next Senator for Mississippi (and he will) there will be FOUR identical twins in the Senate Democratic Caucus,” the Minnesota governor-elect posted Sunday on X. The other three senators are Patty Murray (Washington), Brian Schatz (Hawaii) and Mark Kelly (Arizona).
One of Colom’s political ads parodied “Sinners,” the blockbuster movie whose main characters were twins named Smoke and Stack. Colom and his brother Andrew dressed as the twins for the Halloween-themed ad.
“I feel like he took generations of our family, the Colom name,” Andrew Colom recently told the Detroit Free Press. “I think he took that name and he cemented the honor on it that was always appropriate to be there.”
The race between Colom and incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith is still too close to call, as local officials continue to receive and examine absentee and provisional ballots. Colom has said the ballots tallied since Tuesday’s election lean in his favor.