Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping a U.S. Senate seat in the traditionally blue stronghold of Minnesota, a shift fueled by a massive fraud scandal that has already led to Democratic Governor Tim Walz dropping out of his re-election campaign. As the 2026 election cycle approaches, the GOP sees a rare opening to reclaim the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D), potentially upending the state&#8217;s Democratic dominance.
The core of the GOP’s momentum lies in the fallout from what investigators describe as the largest theft of taxpayer funds in American history. A sprawling network of fraud involving programs like &#8220;Feeding Our Future,&#8221; Medicaid exploitation, and autism services has allegedly bilked billions from state and federal coffers. The Department of Justice has already secured 64 convictions among nearly 100 defendants, many of whom are of Somali descent. Furthermore, the Treasury Department is investigating reports that stolen funds were funneled through &#8220;hawalas&#8221; to the al-Qaeda-linked terror group Al-Shabaab.
New <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4411921/gop-minnesota-fraud-scandal-bid-flip-minnesota-senate-seat/">internal polling</a> from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) indicates significant vulnerability for the two leading Democratic contenders, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig. According to the survey, 55% of likely voters hold the Walz-Flanagan administration responsible for the misuse of funds, while 69% expressed concern over Rep. Craig&#8217;s handling of the issue.
The scandal has created a &#8220;messy&#8221; Democratic primary. While Craig represents the party&#8217;s more centrist wing, Flanagan’s candidacy is defined by a hard-Left record that has drawn both high-profile endorsements from figures like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and intense national scrutiny over state-level scandals.
Flanagan has consistently aligned herself with radical leftist causes, often centering her leadership on identity-based advocacy. She has been a vocal supporter of Minnesota’s Somali community; the most recent example was a <a href="https://x.com/AmyMek/status/2004423151778721947">video</a> that went viral over Christmas showing her wearing her version of a hijab and pledging to “have the back” of Somali immigrants against the federal government.
After President Donald Trump scorched Minnesota’s Somali community over allegations of massive welfare fraud and ties to terrorism, Flanagan <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR0z4DGidic/">posted</a> on Instagram to sneer: “You know, this vile, racist stream of consciousness from a President ‘Old Man Yells At Cloud,’ you’re disgusting.”
Flanagan’s record on social issues is equally polarizing. She was a primary architect of Minnesota’s “Trans Refuge” laws, which grant the state emergency jurisdiction over children seeking so-called gender-altering medical procedures, even without parental consent.
With 50% of respondents stating they are more likely to support a GOP candidate pledging stronger audits and oversight, the NRSC believes Minnesota is firmly &#8220;in play.&#8221; As Republicans fight to protect their 53-47 Senate majority, the combination of fiscal corruption and radical social experimentation has provided the GOP with the political ammunition necessary to potentially turn this deep-blue state red.

MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-11-29-AM-5834

Fraud Scandal Puts Minnesota Senate Seat In Play For Republicans

Fraud

Minnesota

Peggy Flanagan

U.S. Senate

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
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

Congress

Donald Trump

Politics

Senate

Venezuela

War Powers Resolution

Secretary of State Marco Rubio jabbed at his former colleagues on Wednesday, saying that Senate Democrats were going to malign and second-guess President Donald Trump&#8217;s actions in Venezuela no matter what.
Rubio, flanked by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, responded to a reporter who said that Democrats on Capitol Hill had said the Trump administration was &#8220;winging it&#8221; with regard to Saturday&#8217;s attack on Venezuela and the simultaneous arrest and extradition of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 REPORTER: Dems say you&#8217;re WINGING Venezuela, you have no plan!
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: &#8220;Yeah, I know. They&#8217;re gonna say that. I used to be a senator too! That&#8217;s what you ALWAYS say!&#8221; 😂
&#8220;It&#8217;s not just speculating what&#8217;s gonna happen &#8211; IT&#8217;S ALREADY HAPPENING.&#8221; 🔥
WE LOVE MARCO <a href="https://t.co/dFiT7QF9ZK">pic.twitter.com/dFiT7QF9ZK</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2008943109930143834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Hegseth appeared to have a good idea of what was coming, and could be seen ducking his head slightly and smiling in the background as the reporter asked the question.
&#8220;Yeah, I know. They&#8217;re gonna say that. I used to be a senator too! That&#8217;s what you always say when it&#8217;s the other party,&#8221; Rubio explained — and then said that the same people accusing him of &#8220;winging it&#8221; had actually been filled in on exactly what was happening.
&#8220;The bottom line is we&#8217;ve gone into great detail with them about the planning, we&#8217;ve described it to them, in fact, it&#8217;s not just winging it. It&#8217;s not just saying or speculating what&#8217;s gonna happen, it&#8217;s already happening. Like the oil arrangement that we&#8217;ve made with PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, SA) on their sanctioned oil that they can&#8217;t move — understand, they are not generating any revenue from their oil right now. They can&#8217;t move it unless we allow it to move because we have sanctions, because we&#8217;re enforcing those sanctions.&#8221;
&#8220;This is tremendous leverage,&#8221; Rubio continued, saying that the way things were playing out would ultimately benefit everyone involved, including both the Venezuelan people and any American interests.

Secretary Marco Rubio Meets With Ecuadoran Foreign Affairs Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld

Rubio Torches Democrats Who Say He’s ‘Winging It’ On Venezuela: ‘I Used To Be A Senator Too’

Marco Rubio

Senate Democrats

Former Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse revealed on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, adding that he is &#8220;gonna die.&#8221;
Sasse, a 53-year-old husband and father of three, <a href="https://x.com/BenSasse/status/2003483746540965891">announced</a> the tragic news in a lengthy social media post, saying that the diagnosis is a &#8220;death sentence.&#8221;
&#8220;Friends- This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,&#8221; Sasse wrote. &#8220;Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.&#8221;
Sasse, who represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate for eight years, resigned from his seat in 2022 and, shortly after, was appointed the president of the University of Florida. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-gop-senator-ben-sasse-announces-he-is-stepping-down-as-university-of-florida-president">stepped down</a> from leading the University of Florida in July of 2024 after revealing that his wife was dealing with a serious medical condition and had suffered an aneurysm and a series of strokes. During his time as president of Florida, Sasse took a strong stance against anti-Israel protesters in the wake of Hamas&#8217; terrorist attack on Israel and said the university would &#8220;draw a hard line at unlawful action.&#8221;
Sasse was a staunch pro-life advocate in the U.S. Senate and constantly pushed the U.S. government to remain tough on China. He has also been a strong critic of President Donald Trump since Trump first stepped into the political spotlight in 2016.
The former Republican senator said on Tuesday, &#8220;I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad.&#8221; Sasse added that he is relying on his Christian faith to get him through his recent cancer diagnosis.
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&#8220;There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in). Nope — often we lazily say &#8216;hope&#8217; when what we mean is &#8216;optimism.&#8217; To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son.&#8221;
&#8220;I’ll have more to say. I’m not going down without a fight,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape.&#8221;

Ben Sasse

Former Senator Ben Sasse Reveals Stage-Four Cancer Diagnosis: ‘I’ve Got Less Time Than I’d Prefer’

Cancer

Health

Wyoming Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election in 2026, becoming the fifth GOP senator to announce her retirement this year.
&#8220;Deciding not to run for re-election does [not] represent a change of heart for me, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/CynthiaMLummis/status/2002116715845665055?s=20">said</a> Lummis, who has served in the Senate since 2021.
“I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up,&#8221; the 71-year-old senator added.
Lummis joins a growing list of Republican senators who have announced this year that they will not seek to remain in the chamber, including longtime GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell (KY), Joni Ernst (IA), Tommy Tuberville (AL), and Thom Tillis (NC).
The Wyoming senator was a strong ally of President Donald Trump, who endorsed her in the 2020 election before Lummis went on to win the primary and general elections in landslide victories.
&#8220;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,&#8221; Lummis added in her statement. &#8220;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.&#8221;
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Lummis&#8217; departure will likely not affect the balance of power in the Senate as Wyoming remains a reliably red state, but with her retirement, the GOP must now rally behind a new candidate in 2026. Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, who defeated Trump critic Liz Cheney in 2022, is considered a potential candidate to replace Lummis.
Before being elected to the Senate in the 2020 election, Lummis served in the U.S. House for eight years. She got her start in politics in the Wyoming House of Representatives at just 24 years old. Lummis became known as the &#8220;Crypto Queen&#8221; in the Senate for her work to develop U.S. regulations on cryptocurrency and establish a national Bitcoin reserve.
&#8220;We sincerely thank Senator Cynthia Lummis for her dedicated service to the people of Wyoming and congratulate her on a well-deserved retirement,&#8221; The Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund said. &#8220;Senator Lummis’ strong conservative record is unquestioned, and her list of accomplishments includes ensuring that the United States is the world leader in digital currencies and energy production. While she will be missed, we look forward to seeing many more great things ahead for Senator Cynthia Lummis.&#8221;

Cynthia Lummis

Another Republican Senator Announces Retirement Ahead Of 2026 Midterms

2026 Midterms

Republicans

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat who&#8217;s running for U.S. Senate in 2026, said in a video posted to social media on Thursday that she &#8220;would not be able to control&#8221; herself if she saw conservative Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh in public.
The undated video, posted on X by Townhall, shows McMorrow answering a question from someone about the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. McMorrow, a Notre Dame grad and one of the Democratic leaders in the Michigan Senate, said that it makes her &#8220;furious&#8221; that Coney Barrett also graduated from Notre Dame.
&#8220;I talked to somebody yesterday who said they saw her with Brett Kavanaugh at a tailgate last weekend. I was like, &#8216;I would not be able to control myself,'&#8221; McMorrow said. &#8220;That would be a bad— there would be beers thrown in people&#8217;s faces.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨WATCH: Democrat Candidate for Senate in Michigan Mallory McMorrow says that she would not be able to stop herself from hurling cans of beer at Amy Coney Barrett &amp; Brett Kavanaugh if she saw them in public.
Despicable! <a href="https://t.co/aQTsPBnvQC">pic.twitter.com/aQTsPBnvQC</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/2001727745919680652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire reached out to McMorrow&#8217;s Senate office and her campaign team to ask about her comments, but they did not respond.
Conservative Supreme Court justices have been the target of intense criticism from Democratic leaders in recent years. In 2020, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/05/chuck-schumer-supreme-court-comments-121960">called out</a> Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch by name and warned that they would &#8220;pay the price&#8221; if they voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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&#8220;You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,&#8221; Schumer added at the time. The Democratic leader was rebuked by many of his colleagues and by Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote, “Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous.”
Then, in 2022, shortly after the court overturned Roe v. Wade, a trans-identifying male traveled to the home of Kavanaugh with plans to assassinate the conservative justice.
McMorrow is one of three Democrats who are seeking to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. The 2026 election in Michigan will be one of the most closely watched contests in the country, as Republicans hope to capitalize on the open seat. McMorrow, 39, has served in the Michigan Senate since 2019 and became the Senate majority whip in 2023, where she has focused on advocating for abortion, especially after the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Earlier this year, McMorrow rubbed shoulders with a radical leftist blogger who mocked Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated. In late September, McMorrow <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-democrat-teams-up-with-leftist-blogger-who-mocked-charlie-kirk-after-assassination">attended a fundraiser</a> alongside Rebecca Schoenkopf, who, a day after Kirk was killed, published an article titled “Second Amendment Comes for Charlie Kirk.”

Mallory McMorrow/Brett Kavanaugh/Amy Coney Barrett

Dem Senate Hopeful Says She’d Throw Beer At Conservative Justices, Lacks Self-Control

Amy Coney Barrett

Brett Kavanaugh

Democrats

Elections

Michigan

Supreme Court

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) wasted no time on Sunday in blaming the horrific Brown University shooting — which had occurred less than 24 hours earlier — on President Donald Trump.
Murphy joined CNN anchor Dana Bash on &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; where he claimed that the uptick in violence was the direct result of a president &#8220;engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Chris Murphy goes after Trump for Brown University shoot*ng:
“Donald Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country.&#8221;
Dana Bash provides an assist to Murphy for his garbage rhetoric. <a href="https://t.co/pGrOEpQIOI">pic.twitter.com/pGrOEpQIOI</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/2000213541412851777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s not shocking, because over the last year, President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country,&#8221; Murphy began, clearly insinuating that the Trump administration was encouraging violence.
&#8220;He&#8217;s restoring gun rights to felons and to people who have lost their ability to buy guns, he eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Protection, and he has stopped funding mental health grants and community anti-gun violence grants that Republicans and Democrats supported in that 2022 bill,&#8221; Murphy continued.
&#8220;He has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely, and I think you&#8217;re unfortunately going to see the results of that on the streets of America,&#8221; Murphy said.
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Bash pressed him on his assertion, saying, &#8220;That&#8217;s a pretty big statement, he&#8217;s in a campaign to make violence more likely?&#8221;
&#8220;Of course! I mean, he&#8217;s knowingly restoring gun rights to dangerous people. He is cutting off grants that have bipartisan support to try to interrupt violence in our cities, or to try to get necessary mental health resources to families and children in need,&#8221; Murphy claimed. &#8220;The evidence tells you that when you stop funding mental health, when you stop funding community anti-gun violence programs, when you give gun rights back to dangerous people, you are going to have increase in violence. That is knowable and that is foreseeable.&#8221;
Murphy was referencing a proposed rule — published by the Justice Department in July — that would restore Second Amendment rights only after evaluating whether or not someone actually poses a threat.
&#8220;For too long, countless Americans with criminal histories have been permanently disenfranchised from exercising the right to keep and bear arms—a right every bit as constitutionally enshrined as the right to vote, the right to free speech, and the right to free exercise of religion—irrespective of whether they actually pose a threat,&#8221; said Attorney General Pamela Bondi at the time. &#8220;No longer.&#8221;

Sen. Chris Murphy

Senate Dem Wastes No Time, Blames Brown Shooting On Donald Trump

Chris Murphy Wastes No Time, Blames Brown Shooting On Donald Trump

Chris Murphy

The U.S. Senate failed to advance two competing health care proposals on Thursday, leaving millions of Americans possibly facing steep insurance premium hikes when enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expire at year’s end.
Both parties offered plans aimed at averting those increases, but neither secured the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The Republican measure, the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025, co-sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo, would have allowed the COVID-era subsidies to sunset on the timeline Democrats originally set. Instead of continuing tax credits to insurers, the bill would have redirected federal funds into health savings accounts (HSAs): $1,000 for adults ages 18–49 and $1,500 for those 50–64, capped at 700% of the federal poverty level. The proposal also would have expanded eligibility for catastrophic plans and restricted federal funds from being used for abortion or gender transition services. Republicans argued the plan sends money “back to patients” rather than insurance companies. Still, it failed <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00643.htm">51–48</a>.
The Democrat-backed proposal, the Lower Health Care Costs Act, sought a three-year extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies created during the pandemic, at an estimated cost of $83 billion. Democrats warned that without renewal, premiums could double for many families and that the expiring subsidies were crucial to keeping coverage affordable. Republicans countered that claims of widespread doubling were misleading, noting that most enrollees would continue receiving the original ACA subsidies and that only about 1.6 million people would lose enhanced credits entirely.
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With both bills blocked in the Senate, millions nationwide are expected to face higher premiums. According to <a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/mapping-the-uneven-burden-of-rising-aca-marketplace-premium-payments-due-to-enhanced-tax-credit-expiration/#:~:text=In%2019%20states%2C%20this%20person,modest%20at%20all%20income%20levels">KFF</a>, those losing enhanced support could see increases ranging from several hundred dollars to more than $1,500 per person. University of Montana economist Katrina Mullan warned that lower-income individuals not eligible for Medicaid and older adults not yet on Medicare will feel the sharpest impacts. Rising premiums may also push healthier people out of the market, potentially driving costs higher for those who remain insured.
Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul, the only Republican to vote against the GOP bill, has his own plan, which he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-senate-is-about-to-vote-on-obamacare-heres-what-to-know">said</a> was not a “watered-down version” of Obamacare.
“My plan actually fixes the system. It doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime, and it finally frees Americans to buy insurance across state lines through real co-ops. No bureaucracy, no bloated mandates – just competition, choice, and lower costs,” Paul said. &#8220;Basically I would legalize the ability to buy insurance across state lines, through a co-op.”
Despite the Senate stalemate, House lawmakers may pursue their own measure, while Republicans continue developing alternative plans, including broader HSA-based proposals and bills to expand insurance competition across state lines.

Affordable Care Act ACA and stethoscope on a table.

Senate Gridlock Puts Obamacare Funds At Risk As Competing Health Care Bills Fail

Healthcare

Obamacare

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) declared her candidacy for the United States Senate seat currently held by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) — but Mark Halperin is saying she doesn&#8217;t stand a snowball&#8217;s chance in the Lone Star State.
Halperin, speaking with &#8220;AfterParty&#8221; host Emily Jashinsky, explained that Crockett was fighting an uphill battle in the reliably red state and would likely struggle to win a statewide election even if the Republican candidate was not ideal.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkHalperin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarkHalperin</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/emilyjashinsky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@emilyjashinsky</a> Jasmine Crockett&#8217;s Senate hopes *DEAD IN WATER*🤣
&#8220;Emily, a Democrat has not won a statewide office in Texas for over a quarter century. And if you&#8217;re asking me if Jasmine Crockett will be the Democrat who breaks that streak, the answer… <a href="https://t.co/D6g3NqFwPX">pic.twitter.com/D6g3NqFwPX</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1998390337841066405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Emily, a Democrat has not won a statewide office in Texas for over a quarter century. And if you&#8217;re asking me if Jasmine Crockett will be the Democrat who breaks that streak, the answer is no,&#8221; he began.
He went on to say that it was certainly possible Crockett would make it through a Democratic primary, however unlikely an eventual win might be.
&#8220;Maybe she&#8217;ll be the nominee, and if she is, the Republicans will rejoice because any of the three Republicans in the Republican primary can beat her, almost certainly,&#8221; Halperin continued. &#8220;Because again, there&#8217;s a profile that&#8217;s been bandied about for years of the kind of Democrat who could break this 35 — or whatever it is, I guess 31-year losing streak to win a statewide office in Texas, and that profile matches not at all with Jasmine Crockett.&#8221;
Crockett&#8217;s campaign pitch thus far appears to be yet another lode from the same vein as much of her career so far in the U.S. House, largely built on direct and vocal opposition to anything President Donald Trump says or does.

Delivering On Government Efficiency Subcommittee Holds Hearing On Foreign Aid

Mark Halperin Says Jasmine Crockett Doesn’t Stand A Snowball’s Chance In Texas: ‘The Answer Is No’

Jasmine Crockett

Mark Halperin

Media

Texas

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that Republicans should end the filibuster if the Democrats attempt to once again shut down the government in January.
Speaking with Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Bessent was asked about the viability of ending the filibuster.
“You call for an end to the filibuster. In the past, leader Thune has said that it&#8217;s just not happening. There aren&#8217;t the votes. Mr. Secretary, do you believe that you have enough votes, that the president has enough votes to get rid of the filibuster?” Welker asked.
Bessent responded, saying that his editorial, which was published in The Washington Post on Sunday, was designed to “put the Senate on notice.”
“The Democrats kept the government shut down — and Ezra Klein in The New York Times took the mask off. He said this wasn&#8217;t about health care; this was about stopping totalitarianism. The Democrats haven&#8217;t been able to stop President Trump in the courts; they haven&#8217;t been able to stop him in the media, so they had to harm the American people — 1.5% hit to GDP, $11 billion permanent hit. They don&#8217;t care. So I believe that Senate Democrats, if Senate Democrats close the government again, Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster,” the Treasury secretary stated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: &#8220;If Senate Democrats close the government again [on January 30], then Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/IXTzdKMDwN">https://t.co/IXTzdKMDwN</a> <a href="https://t.co/XqJNXuJeNo">pic.twitter.com/XqJNXuJeNo</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1992611413903159675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In his Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/11/23/scott-bessent-treasury-senate-republicans-filibuster/">editorial</a>, Bessent laid out the history of the filibuster, arguing that it is a relic that no longer serves its intended purpose. “Today, the minority party can abuse the filibuster to the point of rendering the Senate almost useless as a deliberative body,” he wrote.
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“Some Republicans hesitate to end the filibuster out of fear that Democrats will one day use that same power against them,” Bessent noted. “But Democrats will use that power against them whether Republicans end the filibuster or not. GOP senators who defend the filibuster are ignoring basic game theory. As the classic prisoner’s dilemma shows us, in a repeated game, the player who always cooperates while the opponent who always betrays is doomed to lose.”

President Trump Signs Executive Order In The Oval Office

Bessent: Republicans Must Nuke Filibuster If Dems Attempt Shutdown Again

Democratic Party

Filibuster

Government Shutdown

Republican Party

Scott Bessent

Democrats currently have a massive advantage in Congress for 2026. According to the latest <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/19/nx-s1-5611088/poll-democrats-republicans-trump-approval-inflation">NPR/PBS News/Marist poll</a>, this is their largest advantage since 2017 in terms of whom people would vote for on the congressional ballot.
When you actually go to the polling place to cast your vote, you are not voting on a generic member of Congress, you are voting on your congressperson. Thus, it&#8217;s possible that widespread dissatisfaction with the Republican Party doesn&#8217;t necessarily translate into your individual congressperson losing his or her seat.
Democrats, however, currently hold a 14-point advantage in this poll — a very, very large advantage. If that were to stick in the generic congressional ballot, then we’re looking at a Democratic wave in 2026.
President Trump’s approval rating is just 39%, which is his lowest since right after January 6.
A combined 6 in 10 people blamed congressional Republicans or Trump for the government shutdown, which is likely the result of the legacy media spinning a completely Democrat-caused government shutdown into a story about President Trump and Republicans.
Nearly 6 in 10 say that Trump&#8217;s top priority should be lowering prices. No other issue comes close.
So, those are very bad numbers for the Republicans right now. What does that mean for the 2026 election? 
In fall 2022, Democrats had a lead in the generic congressional ballot. They ended up losing nine House seats to the Republicans. In 2018, during Trump&#8217;s first term, the Democrats’ lead was somewhere between 6 and 12 points, and they also ended up winning 40 seats. In 2014, when Obama was president, Republicans had a five-point advantage, and the GOP gained 13 seats. So, the number of actual vulnerable districts has shrunk dramatically.
So, even if Democrats have a gigantic advantage in the generic congressional balloting, the way the districts are stacked up, there are a lot more solid dem districts and a lot more solid Republican districts and fewer swing districts overall. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2322-uh-oh-democrats-pull-ahead-in-2026-race?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Democrats need three seats to take control of the House. So, what is the most likely outcome?
The upper end of disaster for Republicans would be 20 to 25 seats, which would put Democrats pretty solidly in control of the House. Now, it would take a massive Democratic wave for them to take over the Senate. The two most vulnerable seats are in Maine and in North Carolina.
Senator Susan Collins — who is frequently a target for many dyspeptic Republicans who don&#8217;t understand that if you want a Republican to hold the seat in Maine, that Republican is not going to look like Tom Cotton or Rick Scott — is a battler and a survivor up in Maine. She is the only Republican incumbent running in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024. Collins is facing a radical democratic socialist, Graham Platner, who is a disaster area for a wide variety of reasons.
In North Carolina, the seat is open because Thom Tillis, a frequent target of the president, has decided that he is not going to run for reelection. Perhaps that seat swivels blue.
If the Democrats take both those seats, they still won’t have the upper hand because Republicans hold 53 seats, which means that in order for Democrats to take control of the Senate, they would need to take two more. It’s not totally out of the range of possibility for Democrats to win the Senate, but it would take a lot.
But losing the House would be bad enough; if the GOP loses the House, that&#8217;s the end of major legislation from the Trump administration. It means endless investigations. It means that the House becomes a baton to wield against everything the Trump administration is trying to do on the executive level.
There’s a brand new <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-approval-falls-lowest-his-term-over-prices-epstein-files-reutersipsos-poll-2025-11-18/">Reuters/Ipsos poll</a> that shows similar numbers, with Trump at 38%, which, again, is the lowest rating he has had since he returned to power in January.
Why is President Trump lagging in the polls now? Why is he at 39%-40%?
The reason is not what people think it is. It’s not his foreign policy or that Trump&#8217;s foreign policy is tearing apart the Republican Party. In fact, he only part of his policy right now that is wildly popular, at least by Trumpian standards, is his foreign policy. In fact, his approval ratings on foreign policy are better than any prior president of the modern era at this point in his term, which is extraordinary.
For the amount of crap that he is currently taking in the very online spaces, you guys should get out and touch grass. It turns out many Americans like the stuff that President Trump has been doing on foreign policy,
It isn&#8217;t immigration either. The president&#8217;s net approval ratings on immigration have gone down, but that&#8217;s largely because he has solved the immigration crisis in the United States. He solved the problem of the southern border. If Americans were thinking about the southern border in comparison to Biden, Trump’s approval ratings would be 80%.
The reason Trump’s approval ratings are low are two: The economy and the Epstein files.
He has slid 24 points since February of 2025 on the economy and 59% of Americans do not approve of his handling of the Epstein files.
The reason president Trump’s approval ratings have dropped on the Epstein files is because there are actors trying to use the Epstein files as a club against the president in order to seize control of the MAGA movement. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s happening.
Trump, however, has not done anything radically different from Joe Biden when it comes to Epstein. In fact, he has been significantly more transparent than Joe Biden ever was.
It’s notable that many of the big advocates on the Epstein matters are either directly implicated by the Epstein files, like Steve Bannon, or are people who had no qualms about Epstein and were not talking about Epstein a year and a half ago. There were no major motions from Rep. Thomas Massie, for example, to the Biden administration asking for the release of the Epstein files.
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Now there are a bunch of angry critics of the president&#8217;s foreign policy who are attempting to use the Epstein files as a way to undermine him.
That doesn&#8217;t mean people don&#8217;t have open questions; of course, that&#8217;s true. But the people who have elevated this to the top of the issue stack are people who, shall we say, do not like the president&#8217;s foreign policy decisions.
Why do you think Abby Phillip is now massaging Marjorie Taylor Greene? You can tell who&#8217;s getting the strange new respect these days when you&#8217;re on the same side as Abby Phillip.
There are also popular podcasters and voices who continue to malign the president without saying his name because they&#8217;re cowards who continue to say that the administration is covering up the Epstein files, but don’t say Trump&#8217;s name because they don&#8217;t want to offend Trump. They&#8217;re afraid that Trump will reach over like King Kong and crush them.
Instead, they simply imply and imply and imply, without just saying the thing they want to say, out of pure, unbridled cowardice.
It&#8217;s pretty impressive.
But it’s not right.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-SHUTDOWN

Democrats Pull Ahead In 2026 Race

Ben Shapiro

Opinion

Polls

U.S. House of Representatives

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) said on Saturday evening that he&#8217;s made a &#8220;full recovery&#8221; after taking a nasty fall at his home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, this past week.
&#8220;[Twenty] stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home with [Gisele Fetterman] and the kids,&#8221; the Democrat posted to X, captioning a photo of himself. &#8220;I’m overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes. Truly.&#8221; 
&#8220;Grateful for the [University of Pittsburgh Medical Center] for the incredible medical care that put me back together,&#8221; he added. &#8220;THANK YOU SO MUCH. See you back in DC.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
20 stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home with <a href="https://twitter.com/giselefetterman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@giselefetterman</a> and the kids.
I’m overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes.
Truly.
Grateful for <a href="https://twitter.com/UPMC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UPMC</a> for the incredible medical care that put me back together.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
See you back in DC. <a href="https://t.co/j81LXZGLBx">pic.twitter.com/j81LXZGLBx</a>
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1989784336170684880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Fetterman’s team announced Thursday that the senator suffered a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up&#8221; and subsequently fell as he was light-headed, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-rally-around-fetterman-after-fall-lefties-cant-get-the-knives-out-fast-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Conservatives+Rally+Around+Fetterman+After+Fall%2C+Lefties+Can’t+Get+The+Knives+Out+Fast+Enough">The Daily Wire</a> reported. He sustained minor injuries to his face, as Fetterman&#8217;s attached photo on Saturday showcased.
At the time, Fetterman quipped, “If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!”
Conservatives rallied around Fetterman when they heard of his fall, but the tone from leftists on X-alternative Bluesky was far different. As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-rally-around-fetterman-after-fall-lefties-cant-get-the-knives-out-fast-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Conservatives+Rally+Around+Fetterman+After+Fall%2C+Lefties+Can%E2%80%99t+Get+The+Knives+Out+Fast+Enough">The Daily Wire</a>, leftists mocked Fetterman for falling and complained that he lived.
Just before his fall, Fetterman said on CNN airwaves that the most vicious attacks aimed at him have not come from conservatives, but rather those on the Left. The Democrat has strayed from his party on numerous occasions, like supporting the reopening of the government and giving nuanced takes on the Israel and Gaza conflict.
“I asked my digital team, I said, ‘We’re on all the platforms, you know, what’s kind of the harshest? What’s kind of the most personal?” Fetterman recalled. “And the answer was immediate. They said, ‘Oh, Bluesky. It’s Bluesky.'&#8221;
“And the difference is the Right would say really rough things and names, some names I won’t repeat on TV,” he continued. “But on the Left, it was like, they want me to die, or that, ‘We’re cheering for your next stroke’ or, that’s terrible that depression — ‘Why couldn’t the depression won?’ And, ‘I hope your kids find you.’&#8221;
“I remember one that they claimed, ‘Oh, the doctor let us down,’ and ‘Why did they have to save his life?&#8217;” Fetterman added. “I mean, just really — I just can’t imagine people are wishing, ‘I wish he dies,’ or ‘I want him to die,’ you know, literally cheering for a stroke. And I don’t know &#8230; the kind of a place where that comes from.”
“That’s much different from calling me a name,” he explained. “And that’s really been consistent in that community online.”
<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>
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-rally-around-fetterman-after-fall-lefties-cant-get-the-knives-out-fast-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Conservatives+Rally+Around+Fetterman+After+Fall%2C+Lefties+Can’t+Get+The+Knives+Out+Fast+Enough">Conservatives Rally Around Fetterman After Fall, Lefties Can’t Get The Knives Out Fast Enough</a>

John Fetterman

John Fetterman Shares Photo, Medical Update After Fall Lands Him In Hospital

Pennsylvania

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