Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) launched her bid for the United States Senate on Tuesday, which paves the way for a competitive primary battle between her and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy.
Letlow earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump over the weekend. In 2021, Cassidy voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The senator did play a critical role in getting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed in 2025.
“Highly Respected America First Congresswoman, Julia Letlow, of the wonderful State of Louisiana, is a Great Star, has been from the very beginning, and only gets better!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115913818366988479">posted</a> to Truth Social on Saturday.
“I know Julia well, have seen her tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! A Proud Mother of two children, Julia is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Louisiana, and would continue doing so in the United States Senate,” he added.
In her launch, Letlow said that in “a state as conservative as ours, we shouldn’t have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure’s on. Louisiana deserves conservative champions, leaders who will not flinch.” The congresswoman took office in April 2021 due to a special election triggered by her husband’s death, as Rep.-elect. Luke Letlow died from COVID-19 shortly before his swearing-in, leaving behind Julia and their two children.
Before her announcement, Cassidy <a href="https://x.com/BillCassidy/status/2013640184697344158">responded on X</a> that he’s confident he will come out on top.
“Congresswoman Letlow called me this morning to say she was running. She said she respected me and that I had done a good job. I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election. I am a conservative who wakes up every morning thinking about how to make Louisiana and the United States a better place to live,” he wrote.
When the Trump endorsement dropped, he wrote that he is “proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana. If Congresswoman Letlow decides to run I am confident I will win.”
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the general election race as solidly Republican. POLITICO has reported that Cassidy is one of three Republicans running for Senate this cycle without the president’s backing yet, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
It’s unknown whether Trump will endorse any candidate in the heated Texas Senate primary between Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt. In Maine, Collins has not formally launched her bid yet, but is expected to run without any major primary challengers.
Republicans currently hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer believes that his path to Democratic control of the upper chamber runs through North Carolina, Alaska, Maine, and Ohio, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/chuck-schumer-senate-interview-838be10d?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfvdxx5brYmJNM0glzRuyCgHDM2Z9cJ5cFLCZNtzMn2_6v2xpGRlb10p7NNKVk%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6968e3ac&amp;gaa_sig=yvmU_TcAoizvyqICDiIoc92fLzKGVeAIRYOGJdsXZDe_lvubrlFTgNgnPGyrSd4LcYd5ECX_WFyIDnpV-Dyn3A%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing On Steward Health Care Bankruptcy

Senate Slugfest All But Inevitable As Trump-Backed Lawmaker Enters Louisiana Race

Southern Senate Slugfest Likely As Trump-Backed Lawmaker Enters Louisiana Race

2026 election

bill Cassidy

Congress

julia letlow

Senate

Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is being sued under North Carolina’s “Homewrecker Law” over alleged interference in the marriage between a former member of her “security detail” and his now ex-wife.
North Carolina is only one of the handful of states that allows individuals to sue for “alienation of affection,” and the lawsuit accuses Sinema of “intentional and malicious interference” in a “good and loving marriage” between Heather and Matthew Ammel, who separated in November 2024, according to the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ncmd.103845/gov.uscourts.ncmd.103845.2.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> filed in September 2025 that has recently resurfaced.
Ammel joined Sinema’s security team in 2022, and the lawsuit claims that Sinema&#8217;s head of security left her job in fall 2023 over concern that the senator was &#8220;having sexual relations with other security members.&#8221; Ammel decided to stick around &#8220;due to the financial security of the job,&#8221; despite receiving encouragement from the head of security to also quit, the lawsuit says. Sinema allegedly hired Ammel as a Defense and National Security Fellow for her official Senate office while also working as her &#8220;personal security guard.&#8221;
The lawsuit alleges that Sinema had “numerous lengthy conversations with Mr. Ammel” through multiple platforms, including in-person and over text, that were “emotionally romantic or sexual in nature.&#8221; The lawsuit also alleges that Sinema met with Ammel regularly outside of professional settings, including meetings that were “emotionally or physically romantic or sexual in nature,” and that Sinema was &#8220;encouraging&#8221; Ammel to leave his wife. It says in the spring or early summer of 2024 that Ammel &#8220;stopped wearing his wedding ring,&#8221; and the lawsuit says it is because Ammel said it was to avoid negative &#8220;public optics&#8221; when the then-senator was &#8220;putting her hands on a married man when they were out at concerts and various other public events.&#8221;
Other allegations in the lawsuit detail messages where Sinema was “wrapped in a towel” and suggested that Ammel “bring MDMA drugs on a work trip so that she could guide him through a psychedelic experience,” as Sinema offered assistance with his “mental health challenges.”
The lawsuit said that Ammel was on numerous trips with Sinema, and that starting in 2024, the plaintiff noticed frequent messaging on Signal between the two, alleging that it “exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship.” One of the messages exchanged included Sinema saying she was not attending the State of the Union address because &#8220;she didn&#8217;t need to listen to some old man, President Biden, talk about the legislation that she wrote.&#8221;
Another message exchange said that Ammel wanted to start a &#8220;F*ck the troops&#8221; chant at a baseball game he attended alone, to which Sinema allegedly replied that &#8220;she would &#8216;f*ck the hot ones.'&#8221;
It also outlines that the duo went to numerous concerts together, including U2 and the Extra Innings Festival. The plaintiff claims that Ammel said that Sinema was &#8220;handsy with him at this event.&#8221; She is asking for damages “in excess of” $25,000 for the allegations outlined in the case.
The lawsuit said that Ammel is an Army veteran with PTSD, and the <a href="https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/why-arizona-sinema-is-pushing-for-psychedelic-drug-research-21386425/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoenix New Times</a> reported in March about Sinema’s post-Senate advocacy for more psychedelic research, noting Ammel’s experience with it.
“I saw the difference it was making in his life, his thinking, and his behavior,” Sinema said to the Phoenix New Times in the interview.
The Daily Wire reached out to the former senator, who is now an attorney at Hogan Lovells, for comment. The Daily Wire attempted to reach Matthew Ammel through a publicly available email that appeared to belong to him. A man by the same name appeared to have been arrested in Moore County, North Carolina, for assault charges in November, but The Daily Wire is unable to confirm whether it is the same individual.

Kyrsten Sinema At State Of The Union Address

Kyrsten Sinema Sued By Ex-Wife Of Security Guard, Alleging Affair

kysten sinema

North Carolina

Talks on extending Obamacare subsidies in the Senate appear to be stalling, as President Donald Trump calls for the “Great Healthcare Plan” to go through Congress.
Enrollment for those who use Affordable Care Act plans ends Thursday in most of the country, as expired subsidies have led to higher premium costs. Many conservatives argue that this is evidence that the ACA was not a sustainable program in the first place.
The White House released a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-calls-on-congress-to-enact-the-great-healthcare-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fact sheet</a> on Thursday about Trump’s healthcare plan, which would include “price transparency” reforms and “send money directly to the American people, lower health insurance premiums, and cut kickbacks that raise insurance premiums.” The president’s proposal would also expand the list of “verified safe pharmaceutical drugs” that Americans can buy over the counter and include a “cost-sharing reduction program” for plans.
“The Great Healthcare Plan stops sending big insurance companies billions in extra taxpayer-funded subsidy payments and instead sends that money directly to eligible Americans to allow them to buy the health insurance of their choice,” the webpage states.
President Donald Trump said in a video on Thursday that it “will truly make healthcare affordable again.”
In the Senate, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said, “We’re still in the red zone” when it comes to the possibility of extending the subsidies for another two years while a longer-term plan is figured out, according to <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/senate-obamacare-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Punchbowl News</a>. <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/01/13/congress/senators-punt-release-of-health-package-to-end-of-january-00725086" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> reported that the actual language of a proposal might not be ready until after the Senate returns from its 10-day recess that began Thursday.
However, there have been serious splits regarding taxpayer dollars for abortions through the Hyde Amendment, along with the generally partisan divide on whether the subsidies should continue in the first place.
In December, Moreno and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) went public with a two-year extension proposal, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has sought a three-year extension of the COVID-era subsidies.
“Barack Obama and the Democratic Party created this disaster, lining the pockets of massive insurance companies while healthcare costs for everyday Americans skyrocketed,” Moreno said in a statement last month. “But I refuse to let the American people pay the price for the Democrats’ incompetence. I am willing to work with anyone to finally bring down costs for all Americans and hope my colleagues across the aisle will commit to doing the same.”
According to Punchbowl News, the proposal could restore enrollment in March if a deal is reached in Congress.
In the House, a bill to extend ACA subsidies for the next three years passed last week, with Democrats and 17 Republicans passing the legislation in the Republican-led chamber after a successful discharge petition to forced a floor vote — but it seems unlikely to gain traction in the Senate.
“The House just decisively passed legislation that restores the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Over the objection of Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. If you don’t know, now you know,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote on X after the vote.

Donald Trump

Trump Pitches ‘Great Healthcare Plan’ As Senate Stalls On Obamacare Subsidies

Bernie Moreno

Healthcare

Trump

WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers continue to turn up the pressure on the Trump administration to crack down on the widespread mailing of abortion drugs across the country. 
Senate and House Republicans repeated calls for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reverse Biden-era regulations allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be sent through the mail. The calls come as data shows that abortions have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despite-dobbs-more-babies-are-still-being-aborted-in-the-united-states">only increased</a> after Roe v. Wade was overturned, largely fueled by mail-order drugs. 
The first call to action came during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee Wednesday morning, which focused on the dangers of the abortion pill. The committee hearing was packed with both pro-abortion and pro-life activists. 
“I urge Secretary Kennedy and Commissioner Makary to complete the safety review of mifepristone that they both promised us during their confirmation hearings. Republican members of this committee and many other senators expect an answer. At an absolute minimum, the previous in-person safeguards should be restored, and it should be done immediately,” said Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the chair of the HELP Committee. 
During Cassidy’s hearing, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill testified Wednesday that abortions have been rising in her state. 
“Indeed, abortions have tragically increased in Louisiana and other pro-life states since Dobbs because of the Biden administration&#8217;s actions,” she said. “Shield laws in some states protect providers from liability and effectively nullify laws in our states. Their purpose is to make it more difficult to sue or prosecute individuals in those states where abortion drugs are prohibited.&#8221; 
After the hearing, Murrill told reporters that she had briefly flagged the issue for Makary, but that there had been no further developments. She said she would like to see quick action on the issue.
During the hearing, Democrat Senator Patty Murray, who called the hearing a “sham,” cited the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-lifers-demand-answers-from-trump-admin-after-shocking-abortion-pill-approval">recent approval</a> of another generic form of the abortion pill in September by the FDA. That approval shocked pro-life advocates and lawmakers, prompting Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) to say he had completely lost faith in the agency. 
Murray later cut off Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst, another witness, as she spoke about the women delivering fully developed dead babies after taking the abortion pill.
Medication abortions, which are the most common abortion method, are facilitated by a woman taking mifepristone and misoprostol. After a pregnant woman takes mifepristone, the unborn child is cut off from the nutrients it needs to survive and is effectively starved to death.
Calls to reverse the mail regulations were echoed Wednesday afternoon as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of President Donald Trump’s closest supporters, led a press conference demanding that the mail-order abortion pill regulations be scrapped.
“The pro-life community is not asking too much of Republican administrations in Congress to repeal the Biden policy. I think that’s why we got elected,” Graham said. “A Biden policy that undercuts the state&#8217;s rights approach because the Biden policy allowed the abortion pill to be sent through the mail, regardless of what the state of law is, effectively destroying every pro-life law in the country at the state level.”
Appealing directly to the president, Graham said it was “time to deal with this issue.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Family Research Council just kicked off a press conference led by Senator Lindsey Graham urging the Trump admin to crackdown on the mailing of abortion drugs into red states. <a href="https://t.co/ABakoDfBJN">pic.twitter.com/ABakoDfBJN</a>
— Leif Le Mahieu (@leif_lemahieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/leif_lemahieu/status/2011500628808216997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The conference, organized by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, was attended by Cassidy, Hawley, Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), and Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN). 
“There are more abortions committed today in the United States than when Roe was the law of the land,” Hawley said. “Do the American people have any right to protect life in their states, in their localities, nationally?”
Pro-life groups have grown increasingly impatient with the Trump administration&#8217;s action toward the abortion pill. Some groups have called for Makary to be ousted from the FDA, while others have accused him of slow-walking a study on the safety of the drug. 
Perkins said Wednesday that there would be a “political problem” for those who “sold out the pro-life movement.” 
“This policy could be changed overnight, and it should be. Politics aside, this is an issue of the sanctity of human life, it is an issue of the promises made to protect the unborn,” he said. “The states took the initiative, they took the action, and they&#8217;ve been denied the right to see those walls effectively put into place through the undermining of the FDA policy.”
Those sentiments were shared by several pro-life leaders who watched the abortion pill hearing. 
“Mailing the abortion pill is illegal, immoral, and deadly. And I&#8217;m calling on President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to reverse the Biden administration&#8217;s policies and return to requiring an in-person doctor&#8217;s visit for anyone being prescribed mifepristone,” Doug Truax, the CEO of Restoration of America, told The Daily Wire. 
Shawn Carney,  the president and CEO of 40 Days for Life, said it was time “for the government to intervene and to finally protect women and their unborn children from a dangerous, predatory industry.&#8221;
Live Action President Lila Rose said that the abortion drug should be pulled from the market altogether. 
&#8220;This hearing must be a turning point. The Trump administration should immediately restore in-person safeguards, fully investigate the mounting evidence of harm, and act decisively to protect women and children,” she said. “But more than that, the FDA must reverse its reckless approval of mifepristone and pull this dangerous drug from the market altogether.”

Senate Hearing on CDC Firings

GOP Lawmakers Ramp Up Pressure On Trump Admin To Crack Down On Abortion Pill

GOP Lawmakers Increase Pressure On Trump Admin To Crackdown On Abortion Pill

Abortion Drug

Department of Health and Human Services

Josh Hawley

During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist refused to say that a man can&#8217;t get pregnant.
The <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/2011482034321920483">exchange</a> between Dr. Nisha Verma and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley took place during the &#8220;Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs&#8221; Senate Hearing. Dr. Verma was the witness Democrats brought in to represent their side of the hearing.
Senator Hawley repeatedly asked Dr. Verma throughout the exchange, &#8220;Can men get pregnant?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m not really sure what the goal of the question is,&#8221; Dr. Verma said.
Senator Hawley&#8217;s question followed Senator Ashley Moody&#8217;s similar question to Dr. Verma. The reproductive doctor refused to answer Moody as well. Moody asked the question to point out that men were getting hold of the abortion pill.
Hawley reminded Dr. Verma that the goal of this point-blank question was to get to the truth.
&#8220;The goal is just to establish a biological reality,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Can men get pregnant?&#8221;
The Emory physician again refused to answer the question. Instead, she told the senator she takes care of people with many &#8220;identities.&#8221;
&#8220;I do take care of people that don&#8217;t identify as women,&#8221; she said while still refusing to say if men get pregnant.
Dr. Verma, who was speaking in favor of mifepristone, the abortion drug up for debate, urged the committee to follow the science and evidence on the medication, but couldn&#8217;t speak to the science behind a man&#8217;s reproductive limitations.
&#8220;I think you&#8217;re trying to reduce the complexity of a lot of people&#8217;s lives,&#8221; Dr. Verma said to Sen. Hawley.
Neither side budged from their beliefs during the exchange. In an effort to ignore the science and Hawley&#8217;s question, Dr. Verma said the question of whether men can get pregnant was being asked as a &#8220;political tool.&#8221;
&#8220;Yes/no questions like this are a political tool.&#8221; Dr. Verma argued. &#8220;I would be more than happy to have a conversation with you that is not coming from a place of trying to be polarized.&#8221;
&#8220;It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;That is not polarizing, that is [the] truth.&#8221;
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Hawley appeared alarmed by the doctor&#8217;s lack of reproductive knowledge.
&#8220;We are here in a hearing about science, and about women and, for the record, it&#8217;s women who get pregnant, not men,&#8221; Hawley told the doctor. &#8220;And yet you won&#8217;t even acknowledge the basic reality that biological men don&#8217;t get pregnant. There is a difference between biological men and biological women. I don&#8217;t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science if you won&#8217;t level with us on this basic issue. I thought we were past all of this.&#8221;
Verma claimed to be a &#8220;person of science&#8221; and continued to argue that &#8220;polarized&#8221; language and questions &#8220;don&#8217;t serve the American people.&#8221;
Dr. Verma is not the first one in Washington, D.C. to challenge basic biology this week.
During a Supreme Court hearing on two cases involving men in women&#8217;s sports, the lawyer representing the trans-identifying athlete couldn&#8217;t define the word &#8220;sex&#8221; in regard to biology when Justice Samuel Alito asked her to.
“We do not have a definition for the court,&#8221; Kathleen Hartnett said.
By definition, an obstetrician-gynecologist specializes in women&#8217;s reproductive health.
&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t trust her to give me an aspirin,&#8221; Fugitive Mama said on <a href="https://x.com/fugitivemama/status/2011498692021534844?s=20">X</a>.
Hawley didn&#8217;t get his answer, but got the final word.
&#8220;I am glad we had this exchange because it&#8217;s exceptionally clarifying. It is also in many ways quite depressing,&#8221; Hawley said.

Sen. Josh Hawley

‘Can Men Get Pregnant?’: Reproductive Doctor Refuses To Answer Senator’s Simple Question

A Reproductive Doctor From Atlanta Apparently Thinks Men Can Get Pregnant

Abortion

News

Senate GOP

Transgender

Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) entered the United States Senate race in Alaska on Monday, which likely made the 2026 race against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan more competitive.
Shortly after her announcement, the Cook Political Report moved the race from solid Republican to lean Republican.
“My agenda for Alaska will always be fish, family, and freedom,” she said in a video. “But our future also depends on fixing the rigged system in DC that’s shutting down Alaska while politicians feather their own nest.”
The announcement quickly appeared on the national radar, with the National Republican Senatorial Committee launching a digital ad against the Democrat.
&#8220;Peltola rubber-stamped Biden’s Alaska last policies and didn&#8217;t get a single bill signed into law,” the ad states. “Mary Peltola. Still radical. Still ineffective. Still Alaska Last.&#8221;
&#8220;After voters rejected Mary Peltola&#8217;s record pushing radical transgender policies and protecting Joe Biden&#8217;s relentless attacks on Alaska energy, she immediately cashed out to lobby for special interests,&#8221; NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement regarding the advertisement. &#8220;Voters trust Dan Sullivan to keep fighting for the Alaskan comeback and will reject Peltola again.&#8221;
On the flip side, it was welcomed news to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which posted to X that “Mary has always been a champion for Alaskans, focusing on her core values of fish, family, and freedom. This November, she’s going to win this seat.”
Statements from both committees could indicate that resources will be poured into the race, as Republicans currently hold 53 seats and Democrats hold 45, with two independents caucusing with Democrats.
The Cook Political Report has the Georgia, Michigan, Maine, and North Carolina Senate races ranked as toss-ups. Meanwhile, New Hampshire is rated as “Lean Democrat,” and Ohio is also rated with Alaska as “Lean Republican.”
Peltola was in Congress from 2022 to 2025, succeeding late Republican Rep. Don Young. Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system, which led to her defeating former Republican Gov. Sarah Palin in the third round in 2022 with just under 55% of the vote, and then losing to Rep. Nick Begich III in 2024, who won with just over 51%.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was re-elected in 2022, said she would back Sullivan.
“We&#8217;ve had a pretty solid team here in the Senate for the past 12 years, so we want to figure out how we&#8217;re going to keep in the majority,” the Senator said, according to <a href="https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/washington-d-c/2026-01-12/mary-peltola-enters-alaska-u-s-senate-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaska Public Media</a>. “And Dan delivers that.”

US-POLITICS-ELECTION-PORTRAIT

Alaska Senate Race Heats Up After Prominent Democrat Enters Contest

Alaska

dan sullivan

Elections

mary peltola

Politics

The U.S. Senate voted 52-47 on Thursday to advance S.J. Res. 98, sponsored by Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, requiring Congress to approve any further military action against Venezuela. Every Democrat voted for the bill, as did five Republicans &#8212; Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young.
The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/98/text">resolution</a> states:
<blockquote>
To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress. Congress makes the following findings: (1) Congress has the sole power to declare war under article I, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution. (2) Congress has not declared war upon Venezuela or any person or organization within or operating from Venezuela, nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for use of military force within or against Venezuela. (3) The use of military force by the United States Armed Forces within or against Venezuela constitutes the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities within the meaning of section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution.
</blockquote>
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrated, “The Senate advanced @SenTimKaine and my bipartisan war powers resolution, which would block the Trump administration’s use of the U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. Today we send a powerful message to the Trump administration: no more endless wars.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
JUST NOW: The Senate advanced <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTimKaine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTimKaine</a> and my bipartisan war powers resolution, which would block the Trump administration’s use of the U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.
Today we send a powerful message to…
&mdash; Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/2009311838278738182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Oklahoma GOP senator Markwayne Mullin responded, “Wrong move. @POTUS drove a successful law enforcement operation to capture a U.S.-indicted drug trafficker who targets and kills American citizens. He was 100% within his Article II authority. Joe Biden put a $25 million bounty on Nicolas Maduro&#8211;Trump put him in jail.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wrong move. <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> drove a successful law enforcement operation to capture a U.S.-indicted drug trafficker who targets and kills American citizens.
He was 100% within his Article II authority.
Joe Biden put a $25 million bounty on Nicolas Maduro&#8211;Trump put him in jail. <a href="https://t.co/oPoW1fYMJD">https://t.co/oPoW1fYMJD</a>
&mdash; Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMullin/status/2009312932883255305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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If the House of Representatives approves the bill, which is possible, President Trump will veto it. Once that happens, overriding the bill would require a 2/3 majority in both the House and the Senate, which is unlikely to happen.
Last June, Kaine introduced a similar resolution that instructed Trump to end the use of U.S. armed forces in any hostilities with Iran. The motion to “discharge” the resolution from the Foreign Relations Committee (to bring it to a full floor vote) was rejected by a vote of 47–53. The vote fell largely along party lines. All 52 Republicans (except for Sen. Rand Paul) and one Democrat (Sen. John Fetterman) voted against it.

UK Hosts President Trump And First Lady Melania Trump For State Visit – Day Three

Senate Advances War Powers Resolution To Limit Trump’s Military Action Against Venezuela

U.S. Senate

Venezuela

War Powers Resolution

The Senate is set to hold a hearing next week on the dangers of the abortion pill, as pro-life groups urge the Trump administration to roll back Biden-era rules allowing the drug to be shipped through the mail, The Daily Wire has learned. 
The hearing will be led by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Cassidy has pushed for the Trump administration to end the mail-order abortion policies and release a safety study on the effects of mifepristone, the active drug used in medication abortions. 
“As a doctor and a strong pro-life conservative, I am committed to protecting mothers and the unborn. The medical evidence is clear: chemical abortion drugs not only kill innocent babies, but also put women in serious danger,” Cassidy told The Daily Wire. “As Chairman of the HELP Committee, I look forward to discussing how to uphold a culture of life and prioritize women‘s safety over political ideology.”
The hearing, titled “Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs,” will take place at 10:00 am in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. 
Medication abortions, now the most common abortion method, involve the use of two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. After a pregnant woman takes mifepristone, the unborn child is cut off from the vital nutrients it needs to survive and is effectively starved to death. Misoprostol is then used to induce labor and expel the deceased baby from the mother.
The hearing comes as Cassidy has pushed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for answers after it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-lifers-demand-answers-from-trump-admin-after-shocking-abortion-pill-approval">approved</a> another generic form of mifepristone in September, much to the surprise of pro-life advocates, and left in place rules allowing abortion pills to be mailed. In response, more than 51 senators <a href="https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/db3c8d4f-f16b-4393-9005-13461dcde9c2/letter-from-senator-graham-et-al-to-hhs-and-fda-re-mifepristone.pdf">asked</a> for the FDA to reverse course and reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement. 
Earlier this year, Cassidy and 16 other GOP senators wrote a <a href="https://www.help.senate.gov/rep/newsroom/press/chair-cassidy-leads-pro-life-republicans-seeking-answers-on-fda-approving-dangerous-chemical-abortion-drug">letter</a> to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in October asking if the agency was conducting a study into the dangers of the abortion pill and whether it was aware of cases in which women had been coerced into taking the drugs or given them without their knowledge. 
In one recent incident, an Ohio surgeon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-surgeon-accused-of-forcing-abortion-pill-on-sleeping-girlfriend?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ohio+Surgeon+Accused+Of+Forcing+Abortion+Pill+On+Sleeping+Girlfriend">was charged</a> after allegedly forcing his girlfriend to take an illegally obtained abortion pill, resulting in the death of her unborn child.
&#8220;The in-person dispensing requirement also helped guard women from being coerced into having chemical abortions against their will,&#8221; the senators wrote.
During his confirmation hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would conduct a study into the abortion pill. That study has yet to be released, and some pro-life groups have accused the FDA of slow-walking it for political reasons. 
Data has shown that allowing abortion pills to be shipped by mail has resulted in tens of thousands of abortions in states like Texas and Tennessee, where medication abortions are technically illegal. This largely happens under &#8220;shield laws&#8221; in states like New York, which bar prosecution of those who ship abortion pills into states with abortion bans.

Senate Health Committee Hears Testimony From Fired CDC Director Susan Monarez

EXCLUSIVE: Senate To Zero In On ‘Exposing The Dangers’ Of The Abortion Pill

Pro-Life Movement

Trump Administration

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to decide whether or not she will run for governor in light of current Gov. Tim Walz’s decision not to seek a third term amid numerous fraud scandals in the state, according to The New York Times.
Klobuchar reportedly met with Walz on Sunday and defended him in an X post on Monday after his announcement.
“Governor Walz made the difficult decision to focus on his job and the challenges facing our state rather than campaigning and running for reelection. He has always dedicated his career to delivering for Minnesota — from providing school breakfast and lunches to our kids to passing gun safety legislation to maintaining our state’s AAA bond rating. He is a true public servant,” the senator wrote.
The high-ranking Democrat could create another open seat if she were to be elected governor, and she would then get to appoint her own successor.
This unfolds against the backdrop of an open Senate battle for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat, including a hotly competitive Democratic primary between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
Flanagan said in an X post on Monday that she is “focused on [her] race for U.S. Senate to ensure people can afford the lives they want to live.” Craig expressed thanks to Walz for his “service” to Minnesota and said that the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party “must nominate the strongest possible candidate in every race on the ballot in November” to counteract the Trump administration.
Republicans are feeling optimistic that Walz’s announcement and the ongoing fraud scandals could present an opening for them in the upper Midwestern state. President Donald Trump lost Minnesota in 2024 by just over 4%, but Klobuchar won in the same cycle by nearly 16% against Republican Royce White.
“After presiding over one of the biggest fraud scandals in history, it’s no wonder that Tim Walz is being forced to drop his re-election bid. Walz’s failed leadership is emblematic of Minnesota Democrats’ agenda and whoever Democrats choose to replace Walz with at the top of the ticket will need to defend years of mismanagement and misplaced priorities,” Republican Governors Association Communications Director Courtney Alexander said in a statement on Monday, pointing out that it was not long ago that Walz was close to becoming the next vice president.
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Even in the open Senate race, there is a degree of hopefulness from the Republicans, as reports swirled that former sportscaster Michelle Tafoya could jump into that race.
&#8220;The seriously retired Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Democrats like Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig oversaw massive fraud that has hurt Minnesotans, and their failed leadership puts Minnesota in play for Republicans in 2026,&#8221; National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia stated on Monday.
When The Daily Wire reached out to Flanagan’s campaign prior to Walz’s announcement, a spokesperson said that “what’s hard to take seriously is Republicans talking about accountability while Donald Trump has pardoned 27 corporate fraudsters and fired the Inspectors General whose job it is to police fraud” and added that “the Lt. Governor has made clear that the amount of fraud that is acceptable is zero.”
Cook Political Report ranks both the Senate and gubernatorial races as “Likely Democrat.” The last Republican to hold the governor’s office was Tim Pawlenty, who left office in 2011, and Norm Coleman was the last Republican senator for the state, whose term ended in 2009.

Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate In Charleston Ahead Of SC Primary

Klobuchar Could Enter Minnesota Governor’s Race As GOP Seeks Power Play

Amy Klobuchar

Fraud

Minnesota

Tim Walz

It was a busy 2025 for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who took the reins from Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in November 2024.
The Daily Wire’s Washington Bureau Chief Tim Rice spoke with the Republican leader for Thursday&#8217;s episode of “Morning Wire” and reflected on what the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term has looked like in the upper congressional chamber. Thune also looked ahead to the big debate on Capitol Hill around health insurance, as some Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire on Wednesday.
As the Obamacare issue looms, Thune gave some insight into what he would be looking for in a health care plan.
“What we do believe makes sense is a model that a creates for an expansion of health savings accounts and putting the money back in the pockets of people in this country, incentivizing them to buy the insurance that makes sense for them, rather than buying the insurance the government tells &#8217;em they have to buy,” Thune said.
“And so they get a better rate, lower premium and better access to coverage. And I think those are things, those are elements of healthcare policy that we think makes sense, and none of which were included in what the Democrats voted on last week or what the Democrats in the House are trying to get done over there now,” he continued.
The health care debate focuses on whether the Obamacare subsidies should continue to keep premiums down. The lengthy federal government shutdown in the fall centered around the Obamacare debate, and it could strike Washington once <a href="https://www.livenowfox.com/news/government-could-shut-down-again-january-what-we-know">again</a> if lawmakers do not pass a bill to continue funding the government after January 30. Many conservatives argue that the program was unsustainable to begin with.
Thune said that 2025 was a &#8220;very productive&#8221; year thanks to President Donald Trump&#8217;s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&#8221; which was passed by Congress and signed into law in July.
“In fact, the president&#8217;s agenda, for the most part, was all accomplished in that &#8216;One Big, Beautiful Bill.&#8217; Whether it&#8217;s national security or the border, energy, tax policy, school choice have been a priority for the movement for a long time, newborn accounts, childcare,” Thune said, also noting the farm bill and “the biggest spending reduction literally in history.”
However, he noted that being able to get the bill passed and to the president’s desk in July “was a Herculean task.”
“If you&#8217;d spread that out, you know, these things over a long period of time, like we would normally do, then it would look like a lot of stuff,&#8221; Thune continued. He also highlighted different Trump administration nominees making their way through the chamber, as well as cutting red tape, especially on energy.
“So it&#8217;s been busy, just in terms of volume of votes and time, and then in session and all that too. But I think also, I would argue very productive. But doing it all in one big, a lot of that one big package, then it gets the peanut gallery going, like, &#8216;Why aren&#8217;t you guys doing anything this week?&#8217;” the Republican said.
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The majority leader also addressed national security concerns, as well as threats abroad, like the recent antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi Beach, Australia.
“His investment in securing the border, working with us, his investment in America&#8217;s national security and projecting a policy of peace through strength around the world are all things that contribute to keeping people in this country safe,” the Republican said regarding Trump’s agenda on public safety.
“But when you see things like what happened in Australia, or even things that some of these horrible incidents here in the United States, they&#8217;re really tragic,” he said.
“I think that the best thing we can do is try to put in place the things that our law enforcement needs, that our military needs to deter bad behavior. And then, of course, obviously, when it happens make sure that people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And I think the president&#8217;s focus on law enforcement and on security is in a clear-eyed way, focused on that,” the majority leader later continued.

Senators Hold Their Policy Luncheons At The Capitol

Thune Previews Major Hurdle To Start 2026 After Momentous First Year As Majority Leader

Health Care

John Thune

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) is running to succeed outgoing Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis in the United States Senate.
“We must keep up this fight, and that’s why today, I’m announcing my campaign for United States Senate,” the Republican said in a campaign video on Tuesday, which featured her 102-year-old mother, Marion Hageman.
“This fight is about making sure the next century sees the advancements of the last, while protecting our culture and our way of life,” she added.
Hageman gained nationwide attention in 2022 for defeating former Rep. Liz Cheney in the Republican primary after an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Hageman blew past Cheney with 66% of the vote to Cheney’s 29%. Cheney, formerly the chair of the House Republican Conference, became a staunch opponent of Trump and campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Wyoming has a singular at-large House district, and Trump campaigned for Hageman in May 2022 in Casper.
“I spoke with Harriet yesterday— She will be one of the best US Senators in the country. No question. We need her in there!” Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point Action, posted to X on Tuesday. It’s unclear if any other major candidates will enter the Republican field at this point.
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The seat is considered to be solidly Republican, according to the Cook Political Report. Lummis won in 2020 with nearly 73% of the vote, and Trump won the state in 2024 with nearly 72% of the vote. Wyoming has a population of under 600,000 people.
As for Lummis, she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-republican-senator-announces-retirement-ahead-of-2026-midterms">announced</a> that she would not be seeking a second term in the upper chamber on Friday. The senator was known as a leader on cryptocurrency policy as well as energy.
“Deciding not to run for reelection does represent a change of heart for me, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I&#8217;ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me. I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn&#8217;t match up,” Lummis, 71, stated.
“I am honored to have earned the support of President Trump and to have the opportunity to work side by side with him to fight for the people of Wyoming. I look forward to continuing this partnership and throwing all my energy into bringing important legislation to his desk in 2026 and into retaining commonsense Republican control of the U.S. Senate. Thank you, Wyoming!” she continued.
If elected, Hageman would be serving alongside Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, who was re-elected in 2024.

Harriet Hageman

Congresswoman Who Defeated Liz Cheney Launches Senate Bid

Wyoming

For years, the pediatric cancer community fought to pass a single bill designed to help children with cancer access better drug treatments.
The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act empowered the FDA to push drug companies to study combination therapies that could save young lives. After countless setbacks, the bill finally appeared headed for success — unanimous passage in the Senate, a signature from the president, and long-overdue relief for families who had already waited too long.
Then one senator <a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/p/pediatric-cancer-bill-bernie-sanders-mikaela-naylon">stopped it:</a> Bernie Sanders.
On the night the bill reached the Senate floor, advocates, reporters, grieving siblings, and a cancer survivor filled the gallery expecting a rare moment of bipartisan decency. Instead, Sanders objected to unanimous consent, killing the bill’s momentum in a dramatic floor exchange that most Americans never saw coming. His objection was not to the bill’s purpose — he supports it, in theory — but to unrelated provisions attached to it and to his insistence that other health-care priorities be passed at the same time.
“He is literally killing kids in front of us because of his political movement,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who forcefully supported the Give Kids a Chance Act, said. “It is ridiculous.”
“A unanimous vote in the chamber would have allowed the bill to bypass several steps, which typically involve the committee process and rules for debate, to move it straight along,” the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/21/us-news/bernie-sanders-blasted-for-tanking-bill-to-help-pediatric-cancer-patients-for-leverage/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">noted</a>. “Given that the bill had already unanimously cleared the House, it only needed to get through the Senate before going straight to President Trump’s desk for his signature.”
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The context makes Sanders’ move look even worse. The bill gained renewed momentum only because of Mikaela Naylon, a 16-year-old dying of osteosarcoma who had suffered below-knee amputation, multiple lung surgeries, radiation, and radioactive treatments. She spent her final weeks — after her doctors told her she had only weeks to live — lobbying Congress instead of resting. Even after she returned home to Colorado, she was meeting with legislators over Zoom. She became so weak that her parents ultimately had to speak for her while she listened. She spoke to Sen. John Hickenlooper on October 29, dying three hours later.
After Mikaela’s death, the House passed the renamed bill unanimously. Every senator but one was ready to do the same.
Sanders justified his blockade by arguing that savings in the bill should fund community health centers and that other bipartisan health provisions killed months earlier should be revived alongside it. By demanding everything or nothing, Sanders ensured that vulnerable children got nothing.
In the end, the Senate left town for the holidays, and the bill died with the clock. Sanders may claim he was fighting for bigger goals, but history will record that when given the chance to deliver immediate help to sick children, he chose procedural purity and political leverage instead. Incremental progress was available. He alone decided it wasn’t good enough — and kids paid the price.

Bernie Sanders 12/9/25

Bernie Sanders Singlehandedly Kills Pediatric Cancer Bill

When Politics Trump Compassion: Bernie Sanders Singlehandedly Kills Pediatric Cancer Bill

Bernie Sanders

Children

Pediatric cancer

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