Politics

The Intercept reports: A contingent of Democratic lawmakers rallied Tuesday evening to vote down a controversial bill that would have granted President-elect Donald Trump broad powers to censor and punish his political opponents. Despite previous bipartisan support, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act — which would allow the Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt …

Politico reports: Republican Scott Baugh has conceded to Democratic state legislator Dave Min in a heated race to succeed California Rep. Katie Porter, ensuring the toss-up Orange County district remains in the Democratic column. Porter’s decision to run for Senate instead of seeking reelection — which resulted in a middling third-place finish in the primary — caused significant angst among …

NBC News reports: Senate Republicans will meet behind closed doors Wednesday to elect a new leader, capping a battle that has divided the party and pitted a candidate backed by vocal MAGA allies of President-elect Donald Trump against two long-serving senators with institutional knowledge and deep relationships in the body. The three-way race features Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, …

The Daily Beast reports: Republican senators, some of whom will have to vote for Hegseth for him to be confirmed, were surprised when asked about the news Tuesday. “Wow,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, per NBC reporter Frank Thorp. “I’m just surprised because the names that I’ve heard for Secretary of Defense have not included him.” Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville reportedly …

Axios reports: A week after the election, Democratic governors and attorneys general are sharpening plans to become the de facto blue state resistance to a second Trump term. J.B. Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday the creation of the Governors Safeguarding Democracy organization as a leading voice against President-elect Trump’s policies — and to provide a playbook for …

The Hill reports: Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde questioned the Wisconsin election results that reflect his loss to incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) in a Tuesday video posted on the social platform X. Hovde said he went from receiving “congratulations” calls to doubting a shocking loss after over 100,000 new absentee ballots were reported. Decision Desk HQ/The Hill declared Baldwin the …

CNN reports: Donald Trump has chosen John Ratcliffe to serve as his CIA director, the president-elect announced in a statement Tuesday. Ratcliffe had been high on the list of potential attorney general candidates, sources told CNN. He is currently a co-chair at the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-linked think tank. Ratcliffe stayed in …

CNN reports: Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto posted a video of his phone call congratulating Donald Trump on his reelection, during which the former special forces commander referenced his American “training” and called the US-president elect “sir” multiple times. Prabowo, who is in Washington for an official visit, posted the almost three-minute phone conversation on his official social media channels …

The Arizona Republic reports: Ruben Gallego, a child of immigrants who found his way to Harvard, Iraq and Congress, was projected to defeat Republican Kari Lake on Monday night and in January will become Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator. The Associated Press, NBC and CNN called Gallego’s victory Monday after another batch of Democratic-heavy votes from Maricopa County confirmed Lake …

Axios reports: House Democrats are strategizing ways to put a damper on the Trump administration’s sweeping plans while their party still retains some control in Washington, Axios has learned. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash) said one plan is to propose a raft of executive orders President Biden could issue to “protect existing structures,” such as shielding career civil …

The Hill reports: Republicans began scrambling to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as House GOP conference chair almost immediately after news broke that President-elect Trump had picked her to serve at the United Nations, with two contenders announcing their bids. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the House GOP conference secretary, told The Hill she is running for Stefanik’s old post, as …

“We now have a situation in the state of Florida. You notice on election night the other day that nobody was worrying about how Florida was going to come out. In fact, the Florida Democratic Party, most recently, changed its mascot, and they chose a very beautiful, nice Florida panther. “The only problem is that is an endangered species, but …

CNN reports: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has made clear she has no plans to step down, according to people close to her, despite calls from some on the left that Biden should try to name a successor before Trump takes office. “She’s in great health, and the court needs her now more than ever,” said one person close to …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: Gov. Mike DeWine’s phone is blowing up with calls over Ohio’s soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat, but he’s not giving away who’s in line for the job. Per state law, DeWine will appoint someone to serve with Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno until 2026. Voters will then elect someone to fill out the remaining two years of Vance’s …

The Washington Post reports: Democrat April McClain Delaney is projected to win the competitive race for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District seat, according to the Associated Press, keeping the seat in Democratic hands as the balance of power in the House remains uncertain with 21 races still uncalled. Delaney’s victory after a close, often acrimonious race against Republican Neil C. Parrott …

The Associated Press reports: First-term Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won reelection late Saturday in southwestern Washington state’s closely watched 3rd Congressional District, surviving a rematch with Republican Joe Kent. Two years ago, Gluesenkamp Perez, who owns an auto-repair shop with her husband, came out of nowhere to win the seat, which hadn’t been in Democratic hands for over a decade. …

NewsNation reports: NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for the U.S. Senate seat for Arizona in favor of Ruben Gallego. The race between U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Republican Kari Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for Arizona governor two years ago, was one of the closest watched Senate races this election cycle. Lake, a former news anchor, has been …

The Washington Post reports: Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) said in a statement on Friday that he was recently notified by police that he was the target of a potential assassination plot and that a suspect was arrested near his Florida residence. Moskowitz, who assumed a seat in Congress in 2023, said that on Monday, the day before the election, he …

The Associated Press reports: Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen has won reelection, beating Republican Sam Brown in a tight but unusually quiet race for the battleground state. The first-term senator had campaigned on abortion rights and positioned herself as a nonideological politician, a formula that also worked for the state’s senior senator, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, in her own reelection …

Mediaite reports: CNN anchor John Berman was stunned by a bombshell suggestion from analyst Bakari Sellers — that President Joe Biden should rush through the nomination and confirmation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the Supreme Court. Politico Playbook led Friday morning with a piece on the chatter among Democrats to encourage Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire and …