The sex scandal that erupted around former Rep. Matt Gaetz before his exit from Congress centered on a 17-year-old high schooler who was homeless and wanting cash to pay for braces, court records reveal.
The girl at the center of the scandal is now an adult, but back in 2017 when she met the then-congressman, she was a high school junior living in Florida and offering to have sex with men for money, according to court documents made public last month and first reported by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/us/politics/in-matt-gaetz-scandal-circumstances-left-girl-vulnerable-to-exploitation.html">The New York Times</a>.
The woman’s attorney, Laura Wolf, told the Times that she and her client want the public to know some of the background involved in the Gaetz scandal.
“The vulnerable circumstances most crime victims face are rarely known to the public,” Wolf told the Times. “Although my client’s circumstances were revealed outside of her control, I hope it helps for the public to see a fuller and more human picture of her than the press has reported on to date.”
Gaetz has denied a core detail surrounding the scandal, that he had sex with the then 17-year-old girl.
“I never had sex with this person,” the former congressman told the Times in a text message. “This person threatened me with a lawsuit if I didn’t pay her $2.3 million dollars. … She never sued me because her story is fiction.”
Before she met Gaetz, the girl and her siblings split time living with each of her divorced parents. One of her parents was homeless and stayed in a shelter off and on. When the girl and her siblings stayed with that parent, they all stayed together at the shelter, according to Wolf.
The girl worked at McDonald’s to make money, according to a <a href="https://ethics.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Committee-Report.pdf">report</a> by the House Ethics Committee on Gaetz. In an effort to make extra cash, the girl signed up on a website that offered to set up older men with younger women ages 18 and above for a “sugar dating” relationship.
Through the website, the girl first met Joel Greenberg, a Florida tax collector and friend of Gaetz. Greenberg paid the girl for sex multiple times before taking her to a July 15, 2017, party at the home of Chris Dorworth, then a lobbyist for Ballard Partners. Gaetz also attended the party and, according to the girl’s testimony to the Ethics Committee, had sex with the girl twice. One of those times allegedly took place on a “pool table or … air hockey table.”
In 2022, Greenberg was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/01/politics/joel-greenberg-sentencing">sentenced</a> to over a decade in prison after pleading guilty to underage sex trafficking, wire fraud, stalking, and a host of other crimes. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Gaetz.

Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz Sex Scandal Centered Around A ‘Then-Homeless 17-Year-Old High Schooler’

Congress

Crime

The New York Times

U.S.

When the news broke on Thursday that Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) had suffered a fall in his home town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, the response on social media was immediate: conservatives flooded the platform with well wishes for the Democratic senator, and the lefties on BlueSky mocked him and complained that he&#8217;d lived.
Fetterman&#8217;s team announced that he&#8217;d simply suffered a &#8220;ventricular fibrillation flare-up,&#8221; and then fell because he&#8217;d felt light-headed. He sustained minor injuries to his face and is expected to recover. Fetterman himself seemed to be in good spirits, quipping, &#8220;If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!&#8221;
Conservative commentator Steve Guest shared a screenshot showing a few of the posts from BlueSky responding to the news — and they ranged from simply mocking him to wishing he&#8217;d been unable to get up again.
&#8220;Blue Sky is an absolute cesspool right now in the wake of the news about John Fetterman&#8217;s fall,&#8221; he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Blue Sky is an absolute cesspool right now in the wake of the news about John Fetterman&#8217;s fall. <a href="https://t.co/fNKhvXEGuQ">pic.twitter.com/fNKhvXEGuQ</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1989041566275760554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Tragically, he&#8217;s expected to live,&#8221; one post read, and another said, &#8220;Karma is a bitch, ain&#8217;t it, Fetterman? Looks like he&#8217;s not getting enough oxygen to his brain, I could have told you that &#8230;&#8221;
Commenting on a headline about the injuries to Fetterman&#8217;s face, another asked, &#8220;How the f*** could anyone tell?&#8221;
&#8220;Damn, I hope the pavement is ok,&#8221; another posted.
Meanwhile, Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham offered well wishes via X. &#8220;Wishing Sen. Fetterman a full and speedy recovery. Health scares are no joke. Glad he’s doing well and under care,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wishing Sen. Fetterman a full and speedy recovery. Health scares are no joke. Glad he’s doing well and under care. <a href="https://t.co/E8ODdn7vUm">pic.twitter.com/E8ODdn7vUm</a>
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) <a href="https://twitter.com/IngrahamAngle/status/1989055505390809113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I reached out to Senator Fetterman and Dina has spoken to Gisele. John is a tough Pittsburgher and is already on the mend. We are thinking of him, Gisele, and their entire family — looking forward to seeing my good friend in the coming days,&#8221; Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I reached out to Senator Fetterman and Dina has spoken to Gisele. John is a tough Pittsburgher and is already on the mend. We are thinking of him, Gisele, and their entire family — looking forward to seeing my good friend in the coming days.
— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMcCormickPA/status/1989068482194076112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Lindsey Graham offered his thoughts as well, adding, &#8220;Like so many who know and appreciate Senator Fetterman, I’m wishing him a speedy and full recovery. Praying for John and his wonderful family.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Like so many who know and appreciate Senator Fetterman, I’m wishing him a speedy and full recovery.
Praying for John and his wonderful family. <a href="https://t.co/iuSsCwQakB">https://t.co/iuSsCwQakB</a>
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1989092534094819786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The decidedly meaner comments from the Left only served to back up what Fetterman said a day earlier during an interview with CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash, when he explained just how much more vicious the attacks from the Left had been compared to the attacks from the Right.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: John Fetterman *STUNS* CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash by telling her how Left crueler than Right🚨
FETTERMAN: &#8220;The Right would say really rough things and names &#8230; but on the Left, it was like they want me to die or that &#8216;We&#8217;re cheering for your next stroke&#8217; &#8230; they even have a gif… <a href="https://t.co/iMRyVTssgs">pic.twitter.com/iMRyVTssgs</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1988670736924336374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The Right would say really rough things and names,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;But on the Left, it was like they want me to die or that &#8216;We&#8217;re cheering for your next stroke.'&#8221;

Sen. John Fetterman

Conservatives Rally Around Fetterman After Fall, Lefties Can’t Get The Knives Out Fast Enough

Conservatives Rally Around Fetterman After Fall, Lefties Can't Get The Knives Out Fast Enough

Democrats

John Fetterman

Politics

Republicans

Social Media

Utah is expected to get a Democrat-favored congressional district following a court ruling earlier this week on redistricting maps, adding yet another complicated layer to the nationwide gerrymandering battle.
Utah Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson ruled on Monday in favor of a map that went against the map proposed by Republicans in the legislature, who are expected to appeal the ruling, which sides with the plaintiffs, Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) and the League of Women Voters, <a href="https://www.ksl.com/article/51403648/utah-judge-selects-new-congressional-map-tossing-map-drawn-by-lawmakers">KSL</a> reported.
“In the coming hours and days, there will be many who will try to frame this victory through the lens of partisanship. Some will co-opt this as a win for their party, and others will see this as a loss and use it as a rallying cry for theirs. Let us be clear about what this case has always been about for MWEG: MWEG stands firmly opposed to gerrymandering, no matter which party initiates or benefits from it,” the Mormon Women for Ethical Government said in a statement.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said that he would back a legal appeal to the judge’s decision.
“The Utah Constitution clearly states that it is the responsibility of the Legislature to divide the state into congressional districts,” the governor posted to X on Tuesday. “While I respect the Court’s role in our system, no judge, and certainly no advocacy group, can usurp that constitutional authority. For this reason, I fully support the Legislature appealing the Court’s decision.”
In the meantime, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said that the process is kicking off to make sure candidates can file to run for the congressional seat properly early next year at the state level.
“There will likely be an emergency appeal, but the process of finalizing new boundary details will take weeks of meticulous work on the part of state and county officials,” Henderson posted Tuesday. “Barring an appellate court ruling, we must begin without delay to ensure that everything is in place for candidate filing in January. The people of Utah deserve an orderly and fair election and we will do everything in our power to administer one.”
Democrats in Utah are already chomping at the bit for a chance at the seat, as the Beehive State currently has four Republican representatives in the House, and the map the judge ruled on encompasses the Salt Lake City area.
“I’ve done it before, to stand up against Trump when it was hard, not just when it was expected,” former Rep. Ben McAdams said in a campaign launch video Thursday morning. McAdams was elected to Congress in 2018 by defeating late Rep. Mia Love, and then lost to Rep. Burgess Owens in 2020 – both of which were competitive races prior to the redrawing after the 2020 census. McAdams previously served as mayor of Salt Lake County.
In addition, Utah Democratic Sen. Kathleen Riebe also launched her bid for a seat this week.
The ongoing legal battle in the state is only one element of how the 2026 congressional maps across the country could end up looking very different in the coming weeks. Other states have taken major steps toward voluntary mid-decade redistricting, including in Texas and California, especially with the passage of Proposition 50 in the Golden State.
Red states and blue states are reworking their maps, which some say could benefit Republicans, whereas others caution it could just end up making the numbers look similar to where they are now, despite a potential party flip in the chamber. Republicans hold a narrow 219-214 majority in the House.
“The whole thing might come out to be a wash anyway,” Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-redistricting-battle-keeps-getting-messier">The Daily Wire</a> earlier this month.
“I am continuing to advocate for my legislation to stop this whole redistricting domino effect. I think it’s a really bad thing for the country. I think it is degrading democracy in every state where it happens. I think gerrymandering is wrong, and we need to just put an end to this,” Kiley added, explaining his proposal to create a federal law against mid-decade redistricting, as it&#8217;s typically only done each decade with new census data.

US President Joe Biden hosts governors and their spouses in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington

Utah Might Get A Democrat In Congress After Controversial Court Ruling

Redistricting

Spencer Cox

Utah

The Justice Department is fighting back against the Democrat-backed congressional maps in California following the overwhelming passage of Prop. 50, which would temporarily change the state’s maps in the next three election cycles.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said that the DOJ “filed a motion to intervene in the Prop 50 lawsuit.”
“The race-based gerrymandered maps passed by the California legislature are unlawful and unconstitutional. We are moving swiftly to prevent these illegal maps from tainting our upcoming elections,&#8221; Essayli posted to X. “California is free to draw congressional maps, but they may not be drawn based on race.”
Proposition 50 would allow for five seats to potentially add to the Democrats&#8217; roster in the House, and it was done as a direct countermeasure to Texas’ Republican-backed mid-decade redistricting efforts earlier this year.
“These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told The Daily Wire in an email on Thursday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted to X on Thursday that “Newsom should be concerned about keeping Californians safe and shutting down Antifa violence, not rigging his state for political gain.”
The California Republican Party announced legal action against the maps last week, calling them unconstitutional.
“Dear Gavin Newsom, I hate to rain on your parade but your celebration over the passage of Prop 50 will need to wait a few days,” Mark Meuser, an attorney with Dhillon Law Group, posted to X regarding the lawsuit.
“You have been sued. Your unconstitutional racial gerrymandering is now heading to a federal three-judge panel and maybe to the SCOTUS to determining if your use of race in drawing congressional districts should be enjoined,” Meuser added.
The Daily Wire reported last week that the nation’s redistricting fight continues to get messier, as multiple red and blue states have already taken or are weighing mid-decade redistricting steps. Redistricting is typically only done each decade when there is new census data, but the fight for the House and a Voting Rights Act case before the Supreme Court could drastically change the landscape in 2026, or leave it looking similar with extra steps in between.
Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-redistricting-battle-keeps-getting-messier">The Daily Wire</a> last week that Republicans could ultimately have the upper hand nationwide. Republicans currently hold a narrow 219-214 majority.
“I think the Republicans will, and the reason for that is that, you know, with a few exceptions, Democratic-controlled states have already gerrymandered their states pretty much to the maximum you can,” he said.
“So, I actually think even if California is successful, I think with what the other states are doing, I still think Republicans may come out slightly ahead,” he added.
“Look, what’s at stake in the Louisiana case is actually very simple: it’s the conflict between the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment,” he continued, noting that Louisiana v. Callais could potentially pave the way for many more Republican seats in the south, as it could possibly result in Section 2 of the VRA being nixed.

Pam Bondi

Trump Admin Takes Legal Action Against California’s ‘Race-Based’ Gerrymandering

2026 elections

California

Elections

Executive

Gavin Newsom

gerrymandering

Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was encouraged by anti-Trump author Michael Wolff to sink then-Republican nominee Donald Trump&#8217;s presidential campaign less than two weeks before the 2016 election, according to emails made public on Wednesday.
Emails included in a 20,000-page document dump by Congress show that Wolff acted more like an adviser than a journalist during many of his discussions with Epstein, with their email conversations often focusing on Trump. In one email sent in October 2016 under the subject line &#8220;Now could be the time,&#8221; Wolff told Epstein that he had an “opportunity to come forward this week and talk about Trump in such a way that could garner you great sympathy and help finish him.” Wolff sent Epstein the message shortly after Trump&#8217;s vulgar &#8220;Access Hollywood&#8221; tapes were revealed, embroiling his campaign in scandal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In October 2016, so-called journalist Michael Wolff was conspiring with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to “finish” Trump. A few months later, Wolff was granted several months of all-access privileges in the Trump White House. Make it make sense. <a href="https://t.co/5CYtXAtvZo">pic.twitter.com/5CYtXAtvZo</a>
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) <a href="https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/1988694491864383983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In January 2016, Wolff emailed Epstein, telling him that he could be &#8220;Trump&#8217;s bullet,&#8221; The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/13/us-news/michael-wolff-encouraged-jeffrey-epstein-to-blackmail-donald-trump-emails-reveal/">reported</a>. That email was sent in response to Epstein telling Wolff that more reporters had begun approaching him as Trump&#8217;s campaign gained traction. Later that month, Wolff wrote to Epstein, &#8220;NYT called me about you and Trump. Also, Hillary campaign digging deeply. Again, you should consider preempting.&#8221;
Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s, but the president has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein&#8217;s sex crimes. In one email <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-drop-new-epstein-emails-in-which-he-claims-trump-knew-about-the-girls?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dems+Drop+New+Epstein+Emails+In+Which+He+Claims+Trump+%E2%80%98Knew+About+The+Girls%E2%80%99">released</a> on Wednesday, Epstein told Wolff that Trump &#8220;knew about the girls&#8221; and that Trump asked Epstein&#8217;s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, &#8220;to stop.&#8221; That email was included in a small dump from House Democrats on Wednesday morning, which the White House said was “selectively leaked” and designed “to create a fake narrative to smear” Trump. House Republicans later released <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-additional-epstein-estate-documents/">20,000 pages</a> of documents from Epstein&#8217;s estate.
In yet another email between the two men in December 2015, Wolff and Epstein appeared to be strategizing on political tactics surrounding Trump.
“I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you–either on air or in scrum afterwards,” Wolff wrote to Epstein on December 15, 2015, the same day that CNN hosted a Republican presidential primary debate.
“If we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?” Epstein replied.
“I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable P.R. and political currency,” Wolff wrote of what he thought Trump’s strategy should be. “You can hang him in a way that generates positive benefits for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt. Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”
After Trump won the 2016 election over Democrat Hillary Clinton, Wolff boasted in an email to Epstein that he was &#8220;doing this Trump book for a pile of money and with so far quite a bit of co-operation from them.&#8221; Wolff added, &#8220;[Trump] called me the other day and spent 45 minutes on the phone ranting and raving about the media–alarming.&#8221; Wolff then asked Epstein to connect him to people who could help him with an “off-the-record perspective on White House procedures,” according to the Post.
Wolff gained access to Trump&#8217;s White House during the president&#8217;s first term, and his book, &#8220;Fire and Fury,&#8221; sold millions of copies in 2018 by offering an inside view of the first Trump administration. The book also bashed the president as &#8220;an absentee father&#8221; and &#8220;notorious womanizer,&#8221; and Trump called Wolff&#8217;s work &#8220;trash&#8221; and &#8220;full of lies.&#8221;
Critics have pointed out numerous holes in Wolff’s reporting throughout the years, including in &#8220;Fire and Fury.&#8221; Wolff was also blasted recently for his reporting on Epstein and Trump when he wrote a piece for The Daily Beast linking first lady Melania Trump to Epstein, alleging that she was “very involved” in the scandal. The Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removed</a> Wolff’s article from its site, writing in an editor’s note, “Upon reflection, we have determined that the article did not meet our standards and has therefore been removed from our platforms.”
Wolff has written columns for various media outlets, including USA Today, Vanity Fair, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Jeffrey Epstein/Michael Wolff

‘Help Finish Him’: Anti-Trump Hack Urged Epstein To Sink Trump’s 2016 Campaign

Donald Trump

emails

Jeffrey Epstein

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) cozied up to a reporter and a man wearing a dress while laughing and mocking “MAGA women” based on their appearances.
Crockett was speaking to a reporter — while standing alongside a drag queen in full costume — and the three of them attempted to spin cosmetic treatments such as Botox or collagen fillers as “gender-affirming care” in order to downplay the invasive and destructive treatments given to trans-identifying patients.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett makes fun of how MAGA women look while standing next to a 6-foot-5 dude wearing a dress.
&#8220;You know a MAGA woman when you see one. They all have a look, right? Like, they lips be up to&#8230; anyway.&#8221;
&#8220;But yeah, they don&#8217;t even know.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/zLbDrode2y">pic.twitter.com/zLbDrode2y</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1988736790140952962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Okay, a lot of the MAGA women receive gender-affirming care such as lip fillers, breast augmentation, et cetera,” the reporter began, prompting an apparently amused reaction from Crockett. “Why do you think they are so against gender-affirming care for trans people?”
Crockett, her mouth hanging open, stomped her feet several times before the drag queen beside her waved her forward: “You know you want to say it.”
“So I have this thing, where like you know a MAGA woman when you see one,” she said.
“1,000%” the reporter agreed.
“They all have a look, right?” Crockett continued, over comments from the drag queen out of frame. “But they lips be up to — anyway, that’s a whole other issue. But yeah, it&#8217;s — they don&#8217;t even know. &#8216;Cause when that was brought up on the House floor, &#8217;cause there was a discussion about this on the House floor, they were like, &#8216;How dare you say we use —&#8217; and it&#8217;s like, no, that&#8217;s exactly what y&#8217;all do. Y&#8217;all just didn&#8217;t realize that that&#8217;s what it is. But okay.”
Crockett, like the reporter and a number of others, has repeatedly conflated surgical enhancements of one’s natural biology with surgeries designed to subvert or outright erase one’s natural biology artificially.

House Oversight And Accountability Members And Watchdog Group Court Accountability Focus On Supreme Court Ethics

Jasmine Crockett Cozies Up To Man In Dress While Mocking ‘MAGA’ Women

Jasmine Crockett Cozies Up To Man In Dress While Mocking 'MAGA' Women

Jasmine Crockett

MAGA

Transgender

transgender surgery

Women

Embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner will lose the state’s Democratic primary to Governor Janet Mills, a new poll found.
EMILY’s List, which is supporting Mills in the primary, <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019a-7501-dfdd-af9b-75912aca0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commissioned a poll</a> from Impact Research that found Mills would lose to incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R) with just 42% of the vote. But that’s only when respondents were given “balanced information” about the candidates.
When “additional information” was given about the Platner — such as quotes from deleted social media posts where he called himself a communist, and his Nazi symbol tattoo — Collins’ lead climbs to 57%.
“The statements include quotes from Platner’s posts, including his history of stoking political violence, use of homophobic slurs, and offensive views towards law enforcement and sexual assault victims,” the memo stated.
The poll was taken among 700 likely voters from October 22 to 27, with a 3.7% margin of error.
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the race as a “toss-up.” The Republican won re-election in 2020 with 50.98%, compared to 42.39% for the Democrat, Sara Gideon.
Platner has remained in the race despite the wave of negative headlines and most recently spoke out against the Democrats who backed the deal to reopen the federal government, even calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to “step down.”
“We get nothing. No healthcare. No subsidies,” Platner posted to X on Tuesday. “This is not a ‘deal.’ It&#8217;s a surrender.”
The vote to reopen the government by Collins and other Senate Republicans, in addition to some Democrats, was the hot topic on the campaign trail in recent days.
“This short-term continuing resolution would reopen government immediately, provide back pay to all federal workers, and fund important federal programs on which many Americans rely,” Collins, who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Mills said Collins “voted against extending ACA subsidies,” as an amendment to continue the Obamacare subsidies for another year was shot down by Senate Republicans.
“This vote is a betrayal of Maine people, and it will send health care costs through the roof. While I have fought to expand health care and to make it more affordable, Senator Collins and Republicans in Washington are doing the opposite,” the governor posted.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Platner, Collins, and Mills campaigns, which were not immediately available for comment. Democrat Jordan Wood dropped out of the Maine Democratic primary on Wednesday, instead opting to run for Maine’s Second Congressional District, which is now open due to Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-ME) retirement announcement. The seat is considered competitive, but is labeled by the Cook Political Report as “Likely Republican.”
“If Chuck Schumer’s mountain of opposition research against Graham Platner wasn’t enough to scare him out of this race, it’s doubtful a poll from a group that has endorsed Janet Mills will do much,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell told The Daily Wire in a statement.

Susan Collins

Maine Voters Embrace Susan Collins The More They Learn About Graham Platner: Poll

graham platner

Maine

Polls

Senate

Republican senators caught up in Jack Smith’s phone-record seizures may soon get their chance to strike back thanks to a provision quietly tucked into a bill the Senate passed Monday night.
The provision was included in a bill that funded the legislative branch and was part of the package passed by the Senate to end the government shutdown. It would allow senators to sue for damages if the government accessed their records without their knowledge. 
“Any senator whose Senate data, or the Senate data of whose Senate office, has been acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the United States if the violation was committed by an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any federal department or agency,” the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr5371/BILLS-119hr5371eas.pdf">bill </a>says. 
The provision applies when their Senate data was “acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed pursuant to a search, seizure, or demand for information without notice being provided.”
Senators could be entitled to up to $500,000 per violation, and they would have five years from the date of learning of the infraction to bring a suit. 
“No officer, employee, or agent of the United States or of any Federal department or agency shall be entitled to assert any form of absolute or qualified immunity as a defense to liability,” the provision adds. 
If a senator is under criminal investigation and there’s concern about evidence being destroyed or the senator fleeing, officials can delay notification, but only for 60 days.
The provision comes after Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-watergate-bidens-fbi-snooped-on-phone-records-from-gop-lawmakers-in-trump-investigation">revealed</a> that he had uncovered evidence that the FBI analyzed the metadata of phone calls from several Republicans in Congress, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Ron Johnson (WI), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Josh Hawley (MO) Bill Hagerty (TN), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA).
The FBI took those actions as part of Smith’s “Arctic Frost” investigation, which led to President Donald Trump being charged in Washington, D.C., over accusations that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Biden administration also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-justice-department-took-unprecedented-action-against-trump-bondi-reveals">turned over</a> Trump&#8217;s government-issued phone to Smith as part of the investigation and subpoenaed his personal phone records. 
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) told POLITICO that Senator Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) included the provision in the bill. 
“Leader Thune inserted that in the bill to provide real teeth to the prohibition on the Department of Justice targeting senators,” Cruz <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/10/john-thune-government-funding-phone-records-seizure-00646094">said</a>.
In a series of 60-40 votes on Monday night, the Senate passed a package of spending bills to end the government shutdown that now heads to the House. The package is expected to end the longest government shutdown in history and pass after enough Democrats crossed the aisle to give the GOP-led Senate the 60 votes needed for approval.

US Special Counsel Jack Smith Statement

Shutdown Deal Packs A Surprise As Republicans Strike Back After Phone Snooping

2020 Election

Arctic Frost

Government Shutdown

Jack Smith

John Thune

WASHINGTON—The Senate passed a bipartisan agreement Monday night to reopen the federal government, which, if it passes the House as expected, will bring an end to the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history.
As the shutdown reached day 41, lawmakers passed a final package including a continuing resolution until January 30 and three bipartisan full-year appropriations bills — also known as a &#8220;minibus.&#8221;
A big hurdle was cleared late Sunday night when the Senate voted 60-40 on the House-passed continuing resolution, officially reaching the 60-vote threshold needed to pass.
Lawmakers extended the resolutions expiration date — originally set for November 21 — so the regular appropriations process could continue after the prolonged shutdown.
On Sunday, after 14 failed votes to reopen the government, Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin (IL), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (NH), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Tim Kaine (VA) flipped their votes to side with Republicans.
The group that previously sided with Republicans voted with them again: Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Angus King (I-ME), and John Fetterman (D-PA).
For nearly 40 days, both parties held firm. Democrats said they wanted to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits — which expire at the end of the year — among other demands. Republicans said they’d discuss health care, but demanded the Democrats vote to open the government first.
While Republicans did not give Democrats an extension of the tax credits, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said on the floor Sunday night that he guaranteed Democrats a vote no later than the second week in December on their health care proposal.
The deal also reinstates reductions in force (RIFs) that occurred during the shutdown.
The “minibus” includes full-year funding for agriculture appropriations, military construction-VA appropriations, and legislative branch appropriations.
On November 7, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed a one-year ACA extension in exchange for immediately ending the shutdown.
The proposal was swiftly rejected as a &#8220;non-starter&#8221; from Republicans.
Thune said on Sunday that he was &#8220;thankful to be able to say that we have senators, both Democrat and Republican, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way.&#8221;
&#8220;These senators are not interested in political games – they’re interested in finding real ways to address health care costs for American families. We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue,&#8221; Thune said.
Thune said he is looking forward to seeing &#8220;what solutions might be brought forward.&#8221;
Schumer, in a <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1987710257053790574?s=20">post on X</a> Sunday night, vowed to &#8220;keep fighting&#8221; and said Dems &#8220;have been fighting for months to address America&#8217;s healthcare crisis. For the millions who will lose coverage&#8230;&#8221;
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem <a href="https://x.com/RepJeffries/status/1987665600731103513?s=20">Jeffries</a> (D-NY) and <a href="https://x.com/RepMcGovern/status/1987686691411272130?s=20">several</a> <a href="https://x.com/DorisMatsui/status/1987741459316105554">House</a> Democrats took to X to oppose the Senate’s proposal.
Jeffries said he will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that “fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.&#8221;
The House is expected to vote on the resolution as early as Wednesday.

Chuck Schumer

Senate Dems Finally Crack, Vote To End 41-Day ‘Schumer Shutdown’

Health Care

Democratic lawmakers are targeting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) after eight senators defected from his caucus to push forward a deal to end the government shutdown.
On Sunday, seven Democratic senators and one independent, Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats, joined Republicans to push forward a deal that would end the record shutdown. Schumer voted against the measure, but his vote has not protected him from critics on the Left who say that the deal has exposed Schumer’s inability to lead.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” Rep. Ro Khanna of California <a href="https://x.com/RoKhanna/status/1987704522391630139">posted</a> on X.
“Don’t endorse or say who you voted for in NYC despite there being a Dem candidate. Get Dem Senators to negotiate a terrible ‘deal’ that does nothing real about healthcare. Screw over a national political party,” Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin said in an X <a href="https://x.com/MarkPocan/status/1987727713474420761">post</a>, referring to Schumer. “Profile of scourge? Next.”
“Tonight is another example of why we need new leadership. If [Schumer] were an effective leader, he would have united his caucus to vote ‘No’ tonight and hold the line on healthcare. Maybe now [Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts] will finally join me in pledging not to vote for Schumer?” Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who is running for U.S. Senate, <a href="https://x.com/MarkPocan/status/1987727713474420761">posted</a> on Sunday night.
“Chuck Schumer has not met this moment and Senate Democrats would be wise to move on from his leadership,” wrote Rep. Mark Levin of California in a <a href="https://x.com/MikeLevin/status/1987905484100112871">post</a> on X.
Democratic contenders vying for a spot in the next Congress have echoed the calls as well, including Graham Platner, who is running to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, and Saikat Chakrabarti, who is running for retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/nov/10/us-government-shutdown-record-donald-trump-syria-president-ahmed-al-sharaa-rudy-giuliani-pardon-politics-live-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-691237948f08d3736687b5e9#block-691237948f08d3736687b5e9">The Guardian</a>.
The Democratic senators who joined King in pushing forward the deal to end the shutdown are Catherine Cortez Masto, Dick Durbin, John Fetterman, Maggie Hassan, Tim Kaine, Jacky Rosen, and Jeanne Shaheen. But Schumer has borne the brunt of the criticism despite voting against the measure.
“Democrats have been fighting for months to address America&#8217;s healthcare crisis,” Schumer said in a <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1987710257053790574">post</a> on X Sunday night. “We will keep fighting.”

Democrats Roast Chuck Schumer Over Shutdown Deal: ‘We Need New Leadership’

Democratic Party

U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON—The Senate&#8217;s move towards ending the government shutdown sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, pitting former allies against each other — including a senator and her daughter.
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen was one of the Democrats who voted to break the filibuster Sunday night, a necessary first step towards ending the longest-ever government shutdown. Many Democrats opposed the move, claiming the shutdown will all be for naught if lawmakers cannot guarantee an extension of Obamacare subsidies. Shaheen acknowledged this opposition in a statement framing her vote less as a win than a necessity.
“This agreement gives Democrats control of the Senate floor — at a time when Republicans control every level of power — on one of our top legislative priorities: Extending the enhanced premium tax credits to make health care more affordable for millions of Americans,” Shaheen said.
&#8220;There is no one in the Senate who wants to see these tax credits extended more than me,&#8221; the Senator added. &#8220;But weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks — and that waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.&#8221;
Not everyone agrees with Shaheen. That includes the senator&#8217;s daughter, Stefany, who&#8217;s running in New Hampshire&#8217;s First Congressional District.
&#8220;Improving health care has been the cause of my life,&#8221; the younger Shaheen said. &#8220;It&#8217;s why I am running for Congress. So I cannot support this deal when Speaker Johnson refuses to even allow a vote to extend health care tax credits.”
“Too many people will see health care costs that are already too high skyrocket even further starting in January,&#8221; she added. &#8220;This means more people will be uninsured, unable to see a doctor in times of need, and risk bankruptcy because of a diagnosis.&#8221;
Lawmakers who favored keeping the government closed say that extending Obamacare subsidies was essential, since premiums would skyrocket if they expire at the end of this year. Republicans say that the need for these subsidies is proof that the Affordable Care Act was unaffordable to begin with, and that the subsidies were not worth holding the government hostage.
Stefany Shaheen has a foot in each camp, saying, &#8220;We need to both end this shutdown and extend the ACA tax credits. Otherwise, no deal.&#8221;
It&#8217;s essential to ensure people have access to health care, and it&#8217;s past time to put paychecks back into people&#8217;s pockets and food back on families&#8217; tables,” she added.
The Cook Political Report ranks Shaheen&#8217;s race as a “Likely Democrat.” The seat is currently held by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), who is running to succeed the elder Shaheen, who plans to retire upon finishing her term in 2027.
The federal government has not reopened as of Monday early afternoon, as the legislation in the Senate still needs a final vote before it heads to the Republican-majority House, and presumably President Donald Trump’s desk afterward.
Shaheen did not respond to a request for comment on her daughter’s statement.

Senate Democrats’ Medicare drug pricing presser

Jeanne Shaheen’s Shutdown Vote Put Her On The Outs With Dems — And Her Daughter

2026 election

Jeanne Shaheen

New Hampshire

U.S. airlines and travelers slogged through a second day of flight cuts across the country on Saturday as the government shutdown was expected to drive more cancellations in the days to come.
The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of flights on Saturday at 40 major airports because of the shutdown. The cuts will rise to 6% on Tuesday and then to 10% by November 14.
The cuts, which began at 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) on Friday, include about 700 flights from the four largest carriers &#8211; American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
Airlines will cut fewer flights on Saturday than Friday because of lower overall volume. United will cut 168 flights, down from 184 Friday, while Southwest will cancel just under 100 flights, down from 120.
During the record 39-day government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism. Many air traffic controllers were notified on Thursday that they would receive no compensation for a second pay period next week.
The Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Congressional Democrats to agree to a Republican plan to fund the federal government, which would allow it to reopen.
Raising the specter of dramatic air-travel disruptions is one such effort. Democrats contend Republicans are to blame for the shutdown because they refuse to negotiate over extending health insurance subsidies.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it was possible that he could require 20% cuts in air traffic if things get worse and more controllers do not show up for work.
&#8220;I assess the data,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace.&#8221;
Separate from the cancellations, absences of air traffic controllers on Friday forced the FAA to delay hundreds of flights at 10 airports including Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Newark. More than 5,600 flights were delayed Friday.
Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20% to 40% of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

Duffy Warns Of Worsening US Flight Delays As Paychecks Run Out

U.S. Hit With Second Day Of Flight Cuts As Shutdown Drags On

Air Travel

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

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