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Election Forecaster Predicts Trump-backed Murkowski Challenger Will Cruise to Victory

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Lisa Murkowski via Wikimedia Commons

RINOs beware.

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski is on the edge of losing her seat in Congress to Trump-endorsed challenger Kelly Tshibaka according to election forecaster FiveThirtyEight.

Alaska’s 2022 race is operating on a 2020 ballot measure in which voters approved ranked-choice voting in the state’s elections, meaning both Tshibaka and Murkowski will appear on the ballot despite being members of the same party. The two women emerged as the top two candidates in the state’s August nonpartisan blanket primary. They will face off with Democrat candidate Patricia Chesbro in November’s general election.

The latest report from FiveThirtyEight revealed the GOP is more-than-likely going to win the seat this November and Tshibaka is considered most likely to emerge with the victory at 53%.

Tshibaka, the Trump-backed Republican challenger who previously served as a commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, opted to challenge Murkowski after the incumbent senator voted to impeach former President Trump following the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.

The Alaska Republican Party voted to censure Murkowski after her impeachment vote.

Originally appointed to the Senate in 2002, Murkowski has long been a swing vote during partisan senate battles, ranking in as the second most liberal Republican senator to a 2017 GovTrack analysis of lawmakers reported. Her ranking put her to the left of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., the senate’s most conservative Democrat, according to Fox News.

According to the latest poll from RealClearPolitics, Tshibaka was reported to have a nine-point advantage over Murkowski.

Trump’s Attorney Confirms Trump Ballot Concerns

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,

Trump will never let them see him sweat…

Former President Trump’s attorney Alina Habba confirmed his concerns the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold Colorado and Maine’s decisions to boot Trump from the primary ballot.

Responding to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s recent comments about Trump’s concerns, Habba during an interview on Fox News said, “That’s a concern he’s voiced to me, he’s voiced to everybody publicly, not privately. And I can tell you that his concern is a valid one.”

“You know, Republicans are conservative, they get nervous. They unfortunately … sometimes shy away from being pro-Trump because they feel that even if the law is on our side, they are swayed much like the Democratic side, right?” Habba told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. “So they’re trying so hard to look neutral that sometimes, they make the wrong call.”

Last month, Colorado and Maine sparked swift backlash after ruling Trump is ineligible to be on the primary ballot under the 14th Amendment.

Trump on Wednesday appealed Colorado’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, one day after he appealed Maine’s decision.

Three of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court were appointed by Trump, a point of concern Haberman addressed last week.

“They believe, generally speaking, he and his advisers, that they will have success at the Supreme Court, but he has also voiced some concern that a court that has — he appointed three of the justices at the Supreme Court and gave the conservatives a supermajority — he is concerned that they are going to look as if they’re trying not to rule in his favor and might rule against him,” Haberman said during a CNN appearance last week.

However, both Trump and his legal team have reportedly privately voiced concerns the justices may “shy away from being pro-Trump.”

Habba on Wednesday said she encourages the justices to “really look at the law in the Constitution.”

“It’s a very clean cut,” she said. “There’s no … politics that should be involved in this. It’s just simply American, and if the justices read the law, as I do, as most Americans and attorneys do, even [Alan Dershowitz] — who’s a known liberal — it’s just a simple decision, and it should have nothing to do with if you’re Republican or Democrat.”

Dershowitz last month called Colorado’s decision “an attempt to totally manipulate an amendment that was never designed to disqualify people in a future election,” Forbes reported.

Years After Public Feud Trump Endorses South Dakota Senator

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In an unexpected move, President Trump has endorsed Sen. Mike Rounds for re-election despite vowing to “never endorse” him again years ago.

Trump previously endorsed Rounds in 2020, but later eviscerated the senator in 2022 after Rounds appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and described the 2020 election as “fair.”

“‘Senator’ Mike Rounds of the Great State of South Dakota just went woke on the Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020,” Trump declared at the beginning of a lengthy statement in January 2022.

“Even though his election will not be coming up for 5 years, I will never endorse this jerk again,” Trump later said in the statement.

“The Radical Left Democrats and RINOS, like ‘Senator’ Mike Rounds, do not make it easy for our Country to succeed. He is a weak and ineffective leader, and I hereby firmly pledge that he will never receive my endorsement again!” Trump asserted in that statement several years ago.

But in a surprising turnaround, President Trump is now endorsing Rounds.

In a Monday Truth Social post, the President called the South Dakota Senator “An America First Patriot,” declaring, “Mike Rounds has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Sen. Rounds responded to Trump, thanking him for the endorsement.

Trump Wins Key Battleground!

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Trump completes ‘Blue Wall’ sweep…

Decision Desk HQ has projected Donald Trump to be the winner of Michigan.

Michigan, part of the so-called “Blue Wall” states that includes Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, was one of the most valuable targets for both candidates in this year’s race. Trump is projected to win the presidential election, and adds the pickup in Michigan to his total.

Long known as a Democratic stronghold, Michigan had not gone to a Republican candidate since the late former President George H.W. Bush won the state in 1988. Trump ended that streak in 2016, narrowly defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by less than one percentage point on his way to the White House.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Tucker Carlson’s Show Once Acted as ‘Effectively a Senior Adviser’ to Trump

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

At one point during Donald Trump’s presidency, Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program functioned as more than just a primetime show. According to a former Fox News producer quoted in Jason Zengerle’s new book, Hated By All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind, the program was “effectively a senior adviser” to the president.

Zengerle reports that Carlson’s influence extended deep into the Trump White House. Alyssa Farah Griffin — now a co-host of The View who served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2020 — said the show was considered required viewing for administration officials.

According to the book, Jared Kushner once rebuked her after she admitted missing part of an episode. “You can’t work in this White House and not watch Tucker Carlson,” Kushner told her.

The Daily Mail highlighted those revelations this week, along with another detail from Zengerle’s account: Trump was reportedly frustrated when he could not reach Carlson directly.

“Tucker was the hot girl that didn’t want to f*ck him,” a former White House official said in the book.

The same official added that Carlson’s reluctance to be easily accessible “intrigued” Trump and made him more “alluring,” as The Daily Mail described it.

Carlson’s prominence at the time was reflected in his ratings. Tucker Carlson Tonight set a cable news record in October 2020, averaging 5.36 million viewers. The program routinely drew more than 4 million viewers per month before Carlson’s departure from Fox News in April 2023.

Fox News experienced a ratings decline immediately following Carlson’s exit, but the network later regained its footing and maintained its position as the top-rated cable news channel. Mediaite reported Wednesday that Fox News averaged 34% more primetime viewers in February than CNN and MSNBC combined, crediting much of that performance to Carlson’s replacement, Jesse Watters.

The relationship between Trump and Carlson appears to have evolved since Trump returned to the White House last year. Carlson has been seen visiting the White House several times. However, tensions may remain. According to Free Press reporter Eli Lake, Trump “has privately urged the popular podcast host to end his battle with prominent pro-Israel MAGA influencers,” believing the dispute could harm Republican prospects in the 2026 midterm elections.

GOP Senator Breaks with Trump Over Kanye Dinner

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Donald Trump’s recent moves in Mar-a-Lago have triggered a distinct uptick in criticism from his Republican colleagues.

Trump hosted the rapper “Ye,” formerly known as Kanye West as well as white nationalist Nick Fuentes for dinner at his Florida resort last week. Ye has also faced criticism for his recent antisemitic remarks published on his social media channels.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Ye brought Fuentes, who has been labeled a “white supremacist” by the Justice Department, to the dinner and claimed he did not know who Fuentes was. Fuentes has denied that the Holocaust took place. 

“So I help a seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black, Ye (Kanye West), who has been decimated in his business and virtually everything else,” Trump wrote. “And who has always been good to me, by allowing his request for a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, alone, so that I can give him very much needed ‘advice.’” 

“He shows up with 3 people, two of which I didn’t know, the other a political person who I haven’t seen in years,” the former president added. “I told him don’t run for office, a total waste of time, can’t win. Fake News went CRAZY!”

Trump’s recent actions caused Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy to strongly rebuke the former President on Twitter.

“President Trump hosting racist antisemites for dinner encourages other racist antisemites. These attitudes are immoral and should not be entertained,” Cassidy tweeted.

Cassidy was among the seven Senate Republicans to vote to impeach the former President but the Senator’s harsh language comes after Trump saw a tepid response from GOP lawmakers after announcing his third campaign.

James Carville Reveals Who He’s Betting ‘A Lot Of Money’ On In 2028

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Democrat strategist James Carville—known as much for his fiery rhetoric as his mixed record of election predictions—says he’s ready to “bet a lot of money” that Democrats will take the White House in 2028 and then move to pack the Supreme Court.

Speaking on his Politics War Room podcast Thursday with co-host Al Hunt, Carville responded to a listener question about what Democrats could have done differently to prepare for President Donald Trump’s second term. Instead of looking back, he offered a bold forecast for the next presidential cycle.

Carville eventually dropped a whopper of a prediction that he insisted he has plenty of confidence in.

“I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen. A Democrat is going to be elected in 2028. You know that. I know that. The Democratic president is going to announce a special transition advisory committee on the reform of the Supreme Court,” the longtime Democratic strategist declared.

Carville—once a top adviser to Bill Clinton—has not always had a stellar record when it comes to predictions. Before the 2024 election, he confidently declared that Kamala Harris would “sail her way to victory,” repeating that claim several times, including in an op-ed for The New York Times.

In January, Carville admitted he had gotten it “all wrong.” He’s since been openly critical of Harris’s failed campaign, recently warning her allies to “pipe down” because “no Democrat wants to hear” from them.

On his 2028 prediction, Carville laid out how he believes a Democrat will expand the Supreme Court from nine seats to 13.

He argued:

“They’re going to recommend that the number of Supreme Court justices go from nine to 13. That’s going to happen, people,” Carville said. “They’re going to win. They’re going to do some blue ribbon panel of distinguished jurists, and they are going to recommend 13, and a Democratic Senate and House is going to pass it, and the Democratic president is going to sign it, because they have to do an intervention so we can have a Supreme Court that the American people trust again.”

Carville wrapped up his remarks by doubling down on his bet.

“Just keep that in the back of your mind,” he said. “And I would bet a lot of money that that’s what’s going to happen. A lot.”

If Carville is right this time, Democrats are preparing to reshape the nation’s highest court—and, with it, the balance of power in Washington—for generations to come.

Watch:

READ NEXT: Trump Pardons Ex-MLB Star Darryl Strawberry

Report: Controversial Cabinet Pick Has Secured Support For Confirmation

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David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

He’s in…

A new report Sunday revealed Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has privately promised President-elect Donald Trump that Pete Hegseth has enough votes in the Senate to be confirmed to head the Department of Defense.

According to a report by CBS News, three sources have confirmed that Thune has assured Trump privately that his embattled defense secretary nominee will make it through the Senate confirmation process.

When asked to confirm the reporting, a spokesperson for Thune told CBS News, “Two things we don’t discuss publicly: Whip counts and private conversations with the president.”

The confirmation briefing for the former Fox News star will occur later this month on Jan. 14.

On Sunday, Thune told Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan that all of Trump’s nominees will “still have to make their case in front of the committee.”

A week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump nominated Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. However, Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct after an anonymous woman accused him of sexual assault in a Monterey hotel room back in 2017.

Hegseth has also faced accusations of alcohol abuse.

Trump Assassination Attempt 911 Calls Released

Months after a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, Butler County officials have released 911 calls from that day.

One redacted call came from the wife of a 74-year-old shooting victim from Moon Township, telling police her husband was shot at the rally, but she does not know what hospital he was transported to. James Copenhaver, a 74-year-old man from Moon Township, was shot and critically wounded at the rally.

“Paramedics serviced him. I called Butler Hospital. He’s not there. They told me to call 911,” the woman can be heard telling a dispatcher.

The dispatcher tells her to stay on the line and not hang up.

“I won’t,” she says.

Other 911 calls released by Butler County give more insight into the moment gunman Thomas Crooks fired approximately eight times, nicking Trump in the ear, killing Corey Comperatore, and injuring Copenhaver and another man named David Dutch.

“We’re at the Butler Farm Show. We need assistance now,” says another.

“We’re at the Trump assembly, and there’s a guy shooting,” another caller can be heard telling dispatchers.

Listen to the chilling audio below:

The calls reveal a chaotic scene after shots rang out at the rally, with attendees unaware whether the shooter was an active threat to those attending the event.

Investigation revealed that Crooks had accessed the roof of a nearby building by climbing HVAC equipment and piping on the side of the building, which was outside the official perimeters of the rally but less than 200 yards from where Trump was speaking on stage.

A local officer with Butler County identified where the shots were coming from, located the shooter, and fired one round at Crooks with his rifle, “which caused the shooter to recoil and briefly fall out of sight,” Adams Township Police Department Sgt. Edward Lenz testified in September.

A Secret Service counter sniper then fired the fatal shot that neutralized Crooks on the roof of the AGR building, where he was perched with a direct line of sight to Trump.

Lara Trump Teases ‘Many’ Trumps May Run For Office

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Fox News host Lara Trump suggested on Tuesday that “many” members of the Trump family could eventually pursue political office, hinting that the political ambitions of President Donald Trump’s relatives may extend beyond his own career. Her comments came during an appearance on Miranda Devine’s Pod Force One podcast.

Reflecting on her father-in-law’s influence, Lara Trump said, “I have looked at my father-in-law over the past eleven, almost twelve years now, and I’ve watched the impact that he’s been able to make in people’s lives and it’s amazing. Look, he’s dealt with hell, right? He has gone through so much.” She added that watching Trump’s persistence has inspired “everyone in our family” and left open the possibility that more Trumps could enter electoral politics:

“…I’d consider running for a possible Senate seat. So I would never say never to anything. What I do feel like, and whether it’s for Donald Trump running… or a Senate run, or whatever it might be for me or I think anyone in our family, I think the timing has to be right…”

Lara Trump noted that timing thwarted her own past efforts, pointing to earlier years when a run “didn’t work out” — a reference to when she considered but ultimately declined Senate bids in 2022 and again in 2025.

Turning to the question of broader family ambitions, she said, “we’ve all kind of dipped our toe in the water of politics enough to know that it’s something that I think possibly interests many of us in our family…” before acknowledging that Democrats “would love to hear that it may not end just with Donald Trump.”

When asked whether former President Trump encourages potential family runs, Lara Trump replied that he has been “absolutely a champion” of her own political endeavors, calling her regularly with names of supporters urging her to run. She added that Trump “certainly would have their backs” if any of the family chose to seek office.

Devine closed the discussion by musing that the future might bring a “President Trump of the new generation,” perhaps from among “all three” of Trump’s children or close relatives.

Context: Past Speculation About Trump Family Political Runs

Lara Trump’s comments tap into ongoing speculation that the Trump family might try to extend its influence beyond Donald Trump’s own career:

• Lara Trump and the North Carolina Senate:
Before deciding not to run, Lara Trump was widely viewed as a potential Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina after Senator Thom Tillis announced his retirement, drawing substantial interest from GOP leaders and national strategists. Georgia Republicans had even paused their own campaigns pending her decision. However, she ultimately chose not to enter the race, and former RNC Chair Michael Whatley has since picked up key endorsements from Donald Trump and Lara for the seat.

• Other Trump family members:
There has also been public conversation about other Trump relatives entering politics. Eric Trump, the president’s second son, spoke in mid-2025 about the possibility that he — or other family members — could seek public office in the future, suggesting a “Trump political dynasty” might emerge beyond Donald Trump’s own presidency. Eric said a political career for the family “would be an easy one” if the relatives were willing to commit, though no formal campaigns have been launched.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. has maintained a high public profile through media and podcasting, and Ivanka Trump served as a senior adviser during her father’s earlier presidency, though she has since stepped back from active politics. Other younger family members, like Tiffany Trump and Barron Trump, have been less involved publicly, and there is no indication they have declared political intentions