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White House race underway: With 2026 looming, both parties are already playing for 2028
TPUSA goes ‘all in’ for Vance in 2028
‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ executive producer Andrew Kolvet says Turning Points USA is ‘all in’ behind Vice President JD Vance for 2028, honoring Charlie’s vision of coalition-building and open debate.
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From a major endorsement of Vice President JD Vance to speculation-sparking appearances by former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a major Democratic Party summit, it appears to be game on in the next White House race.
Even though the main campaign focus this year will be on the 2026 midterm elections and the battle for Congress, early moves are underway in the 2028 race to succeed term-limited President Donald Trump.
The starting gun for the next presidential showdown won’t be fired until after November’s midterms. But that’s not preventing the large field of potential White House contenders from making headlines.
Vance, considered by many to be Trump’s heir apparent to eventually take over the MAGA mantle, was endorsed last month by Erika Kirk at an annual summit hosted by Turning Point USA, the increasingly influential and politically powerful conservative group.
VANCE AMPLIFIES HIS 2026 MESSAGE WHILE LANDING KEY 2028 BACKING
Vice President JD Vance speaks at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference, on Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Caylo Seals/Getty Images)
Kirk, who took over the reins of Turning Point after her husband and conservative champion Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September, opened the conference by supporting Vance.
«We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,» in 2028, she said. «Forty-eight» refers to the number of the next president.
The backing of the vice president by Turning Point, which is particularly influential among younger conservatives and whose political arm has built up a powerful grassroot outreach operation, could give Vance a major boost should he decide to run for president in the 2028 election.
SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON
A longtime Trump adviser told Fox News Digital that «it wasn’t a surprise to see her endorse, given that while he was still alive, Charlie couldn’t have been more explicit about supporting Vance in 2028.»
And the adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized that Erika Kirk’s backing «reaffirmed that Turning Point’s entire political machinery will be behind him [Vance] if he decides to run. It’s another big get for the vice president and a warning shot to other potential candidates.»
While Vance is considered the clear Republican frontrunner at this extremely early point in the 2028 cycle, other GOP lawmakers appear to be laying down markers.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, on Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
Two Republicans who tangled with Trump during the party’s contentious 2016 presidential primary — Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky — are increasingly voicing their differences with the president and his administration.
Among the other Republicans to keep an eye on in the new year are Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who was battered by Trump and his allies during the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Brian Kemp of Georgia, and possibly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who as a senator from Florida ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 nomination.
Whether the Republicans have a competitive 2028 presidential primary will depend in part on the success of Trump’s second term, whether the economy soars and how the GOP fares in next year’s midterms.
Regardless of those factors, as the part out of power, it’s a sure bet the Democrats will have a wide open race for their party’s presidential nomination.
Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 standard-bearer after then-President Joe Biden exited the race, showcased an edgier stump speech as she railed against both major parties and the political status quo in an address at the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) winter meeting in December.
And Newsom landed the red carpet treatment, as he mingled with delegates during the opening day of the DNC’s confab, which was held this year in Los Angeles, home turf to both Harris and Newsom.
DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS TURN HEADS, SPARK 2028 SPECULATION
«Obviously, we must focus on the midterms,» Harris said in her speech. «But Democrats, we must also have a clear vision for what comes after the midterms. And then after Trump. We need to answer the question. We need to answer the question: what comes next for our party and our democracy?»
Expect to see more of Harris in the new year helping Democrats from coast to coast as the party works to win back congressional majorities in the midterms.
And Harris has added more 2026 stops to her book tour promoting «107 Days,» her reflections on her abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign. Among the stops is one in South Carolina, a crucial early-voting primary state in the Democratic Party’s presidential nominating calendar.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, seen speaking at the 2025 New York Times DealBook Summit in New York City on Dec. 3, enjoyed a very warm reception as he held meetings at the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting, on Thursday in Los Angeles. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
While Newsom didn’t address the delegates at the DNC’s general session, he was treated like a VIP as he held meetings and mingled with delegates during the opening day of the winter meeting. And Newsom met with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state, and Nevada, another crucial early voting state.
«We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues,» longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital.
Newsom’s stature in his own party has soared this year, thanks to his very vocal and visual pushback against the president, including his viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful California push to counter the Republican congressional redistricting effort.
«Newsom has shown an ability to stand up to Trump in a bold and highly effective manner without shying away from core democratic values,» veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital.
21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028
While both Newsom and Harris made a splash at the DNC winter meeting, they both have plenty of detractors who worry that neither would be electable in 2028 when the Democrats try to win back the White House.
And if one or both of them launch presidential campaigns, they’ll likely be joined by a large crowd of other contenders.
One of those possible White House hopefuls is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who was also making the rounds during the opening day of the DNC meeting.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, seen attending a Veterans Day ceremony in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on Nov. 11, 2025, held a major fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, on the sidelines of its winter meeting, in Los Angeles last month. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
There are more than a dozen other Democrats thought to be potential 2028 White House contenders. And most of them have been paying visits to the early voting states, as well as parachuting onto the 2025 campaign trail.
Among them are Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former White House chief of staff and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), seen speaking at a rally for worker’s and immigrants’ rights on May 1, 2025, in New York City, is seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
With crucial midterm battles from coast to coast this year, expect to see much more of potential 2028 contenders out on the campaign trail in the months ahead.
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A New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that he and activists in the state are receiving fundraising emails on a regular basis from some of the White House hopefuls.
«Every week I receive a dozen,» the strategist said,
donald trump,jd vance,ted cruz,kamala harris,gavin newsom,democratic party,republicans elections,midterm elections,presidential primaries
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Por primera vez miden un planeta errante que desafía lo que se sabía sobre mundos solitarios
Crédito: J. Skowron / OGLE
Un planeta errante es un mundo que viaja solo, sin una estrella que lo acompañe. Se desplaza solo por el espacio interestelar.
Por primera vez, un equipo de científicos de diez países logró medir directamente la masa y la distancia de un planeta errante mediante observaciones coordinadas desde la Tierra y el espacio.
Publicaron el estudio en la revista Science y los resultados abren acceso a información sobre ese tipo de planetas que antes era inalcanzable.
El planeta tiene una masa parecida a Saturno y se ubica a 9.780 años luz del centro de la Vía Láctea.
“La mayor dificultad fue ganarle al tiempo, porque este evento de microlente duró solo alrededor de dos días”, contó a Infobae el doctor Subo Dong, del Departamento de Astronomía de la Universidad de Pekín, en China.
Lo que permitió lograrlo fue “una combinación de suerte extraordinaria, que probablemente solo ocurre una vez en la misión de más de una década de Gaia, y la persistencia de los relevamientos de microlente desde la Tierra”, aclaró.
“Por casualidad, durante la ventana de unos dos días del evento, Gaia no solo estaba escaneando esa región, sino que, gracias a una configuración orbital especialmente favorable, observó el objetivo seis veces en unas dieciséis horas, al comenzar cerca del pico de magnificación. Así se obtuvo la cobertura y el muestreo necesarios”, precisó.
Fue fundamental -puntualizó en la entrevista con Infobae– que los relevamientos terrestres, como KMTNet y OGLE, “monitorearan cientos de millones de estrellas hacia el bulbo galáctico con alta frecuencia”.
Gracias a la medición, los astrónomos podrán entender mejor cómo surgen y se expulsan planetas lejos de cualquier estrella.
Participaron equipos del Instituto Kavli de Astronomía y Astrofísica, el Observatorio Astronómico de Varsovia, la Universidad de Cambridge, el Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Corea del Sur y otros centros de China, Corea del Sur, Polonia, Reino Unido, Estados Unidos, Alemania, Israel y Suiza.
Los planetas errantes no emiten luz y solo se detectan cuando su gravedad curva la luz de una estrella lejana, en un fenómeno conocido como microlente gravitacional.
Esta técnica permitió descubrir algunos planetas, pero hasta ahora no era posible conocer exactamente su tamaño ni ubicación. Estos cuerpos suelen descubrirse por pura coincidencia, porque el efecto es breve y puede pasar inadvertido.
Los científicos buscaban una manera precisa de medir sus características sin depender de cálculos aproximados.
El equipo observó el mismo evento desde la Tierra y desde el telescopio Gaia en el espacio. Así lograron calcular el paralaje de microlente, una diferencia en el tiempo con la que llega la luz, que permite saber la masa y la distancia del planeta.
Quisieron averiguar si los planetas errantes nacen en sistemas con estrella y después son expulsados, o si se forman solos. Este paso resulta clave para entender la historia de la Vía Láctea.
El 3 de mayo de 2024, las iniciativas KMTNet y OGLE detectaron el evento, que llamaron KMT-2024-BLG-0792 y OGLE-2024-BLG-0516.
Consistió en un aumento temporal en el brillo de una estrella, causado por el paso de un planeta errante frente a ella, lo que generó el efecto de microlente gravitacional.
Los telescopios de KMTNet en Chile, Sudáfrica y Australia, y el telescopio OGLE en el Observatorio de Las Campanas en Chile, registraron imágenes con alta frecuencia.
El telescopio espacial Gaia, de la Agencia Espacial Europea, observó el mismo evento desde el espacio, a 1,5 millones de kilómetros de la Tierra.
“La luz alcanzó su máximo en Gaia casi dos horas después que en la Tierra”, comentaron los investigadores. Esa diferencia permitió calcular la masa y la distancia del planeta.
Los datos mostraron que la estrella fuente era una gigante roja ubicada en el bulbo de la Vía Láctea. El planeta, que causó el efecto de lente, se encuentra a unos 3.050 pársecs (equivale aproximadamente a 9.943 años luz).
El modelo empleado permitió calcular que el planeta tiene 0,219 veces la masa de Júpiter, casi igual a Saturno. Es la primera vez que se determina con tanta precisión la masa de un planeta errante de baja masa.
La colaboración internacional entre telescopios en varios continentes y un satélite en el espacio fue clave.
El hallazgo del planeta solitario confirma que los destellos captados por los telescopios realmente provienen de mundos con masa planetaria, no de objetos desconocidos.
Su masa, mayor que la de la mayoría de los planetas errantes detectados hasta ahora, revela un pasado agitado: nació en un sistema con estrella y acabó expulsado tras una fuerte interacción gravitatoria.
Los científicos saben que observar un planeta errante es poco frecuente porque depende de una alineación precisa entre el planeta, una estrella lejana y los instrumentos de observación.
Pero cada vez que eso ocurre se suma una pieza clave para entender la variedad y el destino de esos mundos.
En los próximos años, el Telescopio Espacial Nancy Grace Roman de la NASA, que se lanzaría en 2027, buscará miles de planetas errantes al emplear la técnica de microlente gravitacional.
La investigación publicada en Science muestra que unir observaciones terrestres y espaciales permite medir directamente la masa y la distancia de estos planetas, una estrategia que será esencial para el éxito de futuras misiones.
Misiones en curso, como Gaia de la Agencia Espacial Europea, y próximas, como Euclid, también reforzarán la búsqueda y el estudio de esos objetos.
“Esta investigación es la primera vez que se logra medir un planeta errante con el uso del método de paralaje de microlente”, subrayó el científico Dong.
“Esto abre el camino para que en el futuro se puedan detectar muchos más de estos planetas de forma sistemática -afirmó en la entrevista con Infobae-. Las próximas misiones espaciales tendrán instrumentos y planes específicos para buscar planetas errantes, sin depender de la suerte. Será posible pasar de encontrar uno por casualidad a descubrir muchos de manera regular”.
En tanto. Przemek Mróz, profesor del Observatorio de Astronomía de la Universidad de Varsovia en Polonia, también comentó a Infobae sobre el futuro de la búsqueda de planetas errantes.
“Este descubrimiento, sin duda, dará un fuerte impulso a futuras investigaciones intensivas sobre esta clase de objetos”, expresó.
“Otra misión próxima es el satélite chino Tierra 2.0, cuyo lanzamiento está programado para 2028. También buscará planetas errantes”, dijo Mróz.
“Nuestro hallazgo demuestra que es posible medir con precisión la masa de estos planetas mediante observaciones simultáneas desde la Tierra y el espacio. Esto puede motivar a muchos equipos a realizar observaciones coordinadas de las mismas regiones del cielo junto a misiones como Roman o Tierra 2.0, por ejemplo, al utilizar el Observatorio Vera Rubin”, agregó.
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Maduro says Venezuela is ‘ready’ to make deal with US on drugs and oil after military strikes
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said Thursday that his government is open to negotiating an agreement with the United States after months of American military pressure targeting drug trafficking networks tied to his government.
In a pre-taped interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet that aired on state television, Maduro said Venezuela is «ready» to discuss a drug-trafficking deal with the U.S. He called on the countries to «start talking seriously, with data in hand.»
«The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,» he said. «If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it.»
Chevron Corp. is the only major U.S. oil company currently exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States.
MADURO TRAPPED WITH FEW RETALIATION OPTIONS AFTER TRUMP ADMIN SEIZES VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro looks on during a meeting at the National Assembly in Caracas, Aug. 22, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
Maduro said the U.S. wants a regime change in Venezuela and access to its oil reserves through a months-long pressure campaign that began with a major military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.
He said it is clear the U.S. wants «to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force.»
The interview was recorded on New Year’s Eve, the same day the U.S. military announced a kinetic strike that killed five people aboard two vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations involved in narcotics trafficking.
SEN. KENNEDY DOUBLES DOWN ON VENEZUELA CRACKDOWN, URGES SANCTIONS TO ‘CHOKE OFF’ FUNDS
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro joined a rally in Caracas on Dec. 10. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
At least 114 people have been killed since the U.S. began bombing alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific in early September.
The U.S. may be signaling a possible expansion of its Venezuela-focused campaign, including potential ground operations.
President Donald Trump confirmed that a strike last week targeted what he described as a Venezuelan port used for drug trafficking, but declined to say whether the operation was carried out by the U.S. military or another entity, such as the CIA.
SOUTHCOM SAYS 8 NARCO-TERRORISTS KILLED IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC LETHAL KINETIC STRIKES
USSOUTHCOM announced another kinetic strike against alleged naro-terrorist vessels on Wednesday, Dec. 31. (@Southcom via X)
Maduro declined to comment on that strike during the interview, but said he could «talk about it in a few days.»
In recent weeks, Trump has intensified pressure on Maduro, ordering a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, designating his regime a foreign terrorist organization, and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to fund terrorism, drug trafficking and other criminal activity.
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U.S. authorities have also seized two ships carrying sanctioned oil.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner, Morgan Phillips, Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
venezuelan political crisis,narco terror,drugs,donald trump,military
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