Democrats

The Los Angeles Times reports: In a major victory for Democrats, first-time candidate Derek Tran defeated Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in a hotly contested Orange County congressional race that became one of the most expensive in the country. Tran will be the first Vietnamese American to represent a district that is home to Little Saigon and the largest population of …

The Daily Beast reports: Vice President Kamala Harris, during a virtual call with supporters Tuesday, thanked them for their campaign efforts and pledged that the “fight’s not over.” “The fight that fueled our campaign, a fight for freedom and opportunity, that did not end on Nov. 5. A fight for the dignity of all people? That did not end on …

ABC News reports: President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a deal brokered by the U.S. “to end the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.” “This has been the deadliest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in decades,” Biden said in remarks from the Rose Garden. Biden said the agreement reached will go into effect early …

ABC News reports: Peach and Blossom are the two lucky turkeys from Minnesota who escaped a fowl fate of ending up on someone’s Thanksgiving table this year when they were pardoned Monday by President Biden at the White House. “This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington,” Biden said to what he said was a …

Politico reports: Kamala Harris has been lying low since her defeat in the presidential race, unwinding with family and senior aides in Hawaii before heading back to the nation’s capital. But privately, the vice president has been instructing advisers and allies to keep her options open — whether for a possible 2028 presidential run, or even to run for governor …

Ars Technica reports: US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York have called on government bodies to investigate what they allege is the “predatory pricing” of .com web addresses, the Internet’s prime real estate. In a letter delivered today to the Department of Justice and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a branch of the …

“Our job is to look at the FBI background check and is to ask some questions to make sure they’re fulfilling the mission of the department. I am concerned with all these nominees, we do not have an agreement for FBI background checks. “As far as I know the transition committee has not made that agreement yet. This has been …

Michigan Live reports: Books with sexually explicit or LGBTQ content would largely be protected from being pulled off public library shelves under new legislation proposed by Michigan Democrats. The two bills introduced Nov. 7 would require public libraries to adopt uniform policies outlining unacceptable reasons for residents to request a book be removed from the shelves. School and university libraries …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: The United States’ longest-serving congresswoman is headed back for her 22nd term. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur defeated state Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova, in a close race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District seat. The Associated Press called the race for Kaptur Wednesday after county boards of elections submitted certified results for the Nov. 5 election. Kaptur won …

The Associated Press reports: House Leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection Tuesday as the Democratic leader, receiving support from his colleagues despite the party’s inability to win back majority control of the chamber in the November election. Jeffries of New York was chosen during an internal party vote of the House Democrats underway at the Capitol. Most of the Democratic leadership …

NBC News reports: The race for Democratic Party chair has officially launched with former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a onetime presidential candidate, announcing a bid to take the reins. O’Malley, who has faded from the national scene of late, made a brief bid in 2016 to lead the Democratic National Committee, only to withdraw his name days later. O’Malley, who …

The New York Times reports: Representative Jared Golden, a three-term Democrat from Maine, has defeated his Republican challenger, Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver and northern Maine native, The Associated Press declared on Friday. Mr. Golden’s narrow victory in his largely white, rural and working-class district — one of five Democratic-held districts that Donald J. Trump won in 2020 — …

“I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA. “I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most …

The Associated Press reports: Democrat Janelle Bynum has flipped Oregon’s 5th Congressional District and will become the state’s first Black member of Congress. Bynum, a state representative who was backed and funded by national Democrats, ousted freshman GOP U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Republicans lost a seat that they flipped red for the first time in roughly 25 years during the …

Gothamist reports: Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to relaunch the MTA’s congestion pricing program with a $9 base toll for passenger cars — marking a 40% reduction from the price previously approved by the MTA — according to four sources briefed on the governor’s plan. The governor’s move comes just over a week after the election, and more than five months …

The Hill reports: Texas lawmakers, during the state’s upcoming legislative session, will have the opportunity to formally decriminalize gay sex, still technically a misdemeanor under Texas law. On Tuesday, the first day state lawmakers were able to prefile legislation before the Legislature convenes on Jan. 14, Texas Democrats filed two bills — one in the House and one in the …

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 …

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 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 …