INTERNACIONAL
Democrats see new chances to flip red states — but a $400M GOP spending advantage could derail their plans
With just over three weeks to go until Election Day, more and more red states and congressional districts appear in reach for the Democrats, as they work to win back House and Senate majorities from the Republicans in the midterms. But a massive Republican spending advantage threatens to complicate those ambitions.
Republican campaigns, committees and aligned groups have outspent their Democratic counterparts by $400 million so far this election cycle, according to AdImpact, a leading political advertising tracking firm.
The disparity is forcing Democrats to make difficult decisions about where to invest and how much to spend as the party tries to expand the electoral map.
«We are being outspent by the Republicans. That’s just a fact,» Lauren French, communications director at the Senate Majority PAC, told Digital. «In many of these states, they have really transactionalized elections, so they have monopoly money to play with, whereas we are working with real resources.»
DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS FORMER – HERE ARE THREE FACTORS THAT COULD STOP IT
The latest Power Rankings shifted GOP-dominated South Carolina from Solid to Likely Republican. The Senate showdown in reliably Republican Kansas is Lean Republican, while the races in red-leaning Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas are rated toss-ups.
«Senate Majority PAC has resources to compete, and we are very happy that we’re able to be in 9 battleground states,» French said.
The super PAC is the leading outside group supporting Democratic Senate candidates and incumbents and is aligned with longtime Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
French highlighted record-setting fundraising over the past three months, but added, «of course, more recess resources would be helpful.»
With the latest polls from and other organizations showing Democrats increasingly competitive across the Senate map, the party is pleading for more money.
«Last month a pro-Trump PAC reserved $10 million in New Hampshire advertising, and we’re being outspent 3-to-1,» reads a fundraising pitch to supporters by Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democratic Senate nominee in swing state New Hampshire.
WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN IN THE LATEST MIDTERM POWER RANKINGS
Senate Majority PAC is rushing some of its record fundraising into the newly competitive battlegrounds. And American Bridge PAC, a Democrat-aligned group, recently pumped over $20 million into South Carolina and Kansas, as well as competitive races in two other red states, Florida and Mississippi.
But the Democratic groups are being outspent by their Republican-aligned counterparts, thanks to major expenditures by Senate Leadership Fund, the President Donald Trump-allied MAGA Inc. and a super PAC bankrolled by Elon Musk.
«The hard reality is there isn’t enough funding to protect the toss-up states and also heavily invest in the red-leaning states where we’re playing offense,» a veteran Democratic Senate operative who requested anonymity to speak candidly told Digital.»
French told Digital «This is the time in the campaign season where everyone really has to make some of those belt-tightening decisions, and that’s why we’re looking at every race really closely to make sure we have enough resources to get to the majority, but we’re also not leaving anyone shortchanged.»
House Democrats are facing a similar predicament.
A memo from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) shared with donors warned that Republicans «are now flooding districts across our battlefield with MAGA Inc. and Trump super PAC money that we simply cannot match.»
DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE ELECTION HUB
The memo, which was obtained by Digital, requested an additional $17 million that was needed by Oct. 22 «to close the sale» in what they described as «winnable races.»
The GOP is fighting political history, which has traditionally seen the party in power in Washington lose congressional seats during midterm election years. Add to that a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation Americans see at the grocery store, high gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and Trump’s negative approval ratings.
SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER
But the Republicans’ financial advantage has allowed GOP campaigns and allied groups to spend more on political advertising nationally.
«Thanks to the tireless efforts of Leader John Thune, Senate Leadership Fund has amassed a financial advantage that neither party has had before. SLF will continue to invest unprecedented resources across the map to maintain the Republican Senate majority,» Senate Leadership Fund communications director Chris Gustafson told Digital.
Veteran GOP strategist Jesse Hunt told Digital that «Republican outside groups will have played a decisive role in positive Republican performance if they have a good election night despite what is strong headwinds working against them.»
«This is not an advantage Republicans typically have and it’s definitely a contributing factor to a lot of candidates on the ballot right now keeping their races close,» Hunt emphasized.
politics, midterm elections, power rankings, elections, democrats elections, senate, democrats
INTERNACIONAL
Benjamin Netanyahu’s legacy and political future on the line in Israel’s Oct 27 election
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
TEL AVIV, Israel: As Israel prepares to hold national elections on Oct. 27 for the first time since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the ensuing wars, Benjamin Netanyahu’s long political career and legacy are once again at the center of a vote some describe as the most fateful in the country’s history.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu, has overseen the country’s transformation into a free-market, high-tech economy and a regional military powerhouse.
Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, told Fox News Digital that people under 20 «don’t even know an Israel without him being prime minister,» aside from the brief period from 2021 to 2022 when a government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid was in power for over a year. The two are running again on a joint slate in the upcoming elections.
FLYDUBAI PILOT STABS FELLOW PILOT, ATTEMPTS TO CRASH PLANE, NETANYAHU SAYS
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the plenum of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo)
Gadi Taub, co-host of Tablet’s Israel Update podcast, said Israeli voters will have one central question in mind when they cast their ballots: who is best positioned to continue the work begun under Netanyahu, foremost prosecuting the wars that have, to a large extent, dismantled the Iranian-led Shiite axis surrounding Israel.
«The job is not finished. On the one hand, you have Netanyahu, who from the first moment, two days after Oct. 7, said that we are going to change the Middle East,» he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with IDF commanders in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza to discuss Hamas activity. Nov, 19 2024. (Photo provided by TPS)
Eylon Levy, a former spokesman for the State of Israel, told Fox News Digital, the election represents, for many Israelis, a critical opportunity to change course following what he described as the country’s biggest disaster. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has cumulatively served some two decades in office, is fighting for both his political future and his legacy.
«He doesn’t want to go down in history books as the man on whose watch the Oct. 7 massacre happened; he wants to have a long political career ahead of him and take the really incredible military achievements of the last few years as a credit to his leadership,» he said.
NETANYAHU REVEALS HE WANTS AMERICAN FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL TO ‘DRAW DOWN TO ZERO’
This is an election with a lot of anger about responsibility for the Oct. 7 massacre and about the social and economic cost of sustaining the war since,» Levy stated.
Few polls are projecting a majority for either the current government or the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. The most likely outcome of the upcoming elections, Levy said, would be some form of deadlock, in which case Netanyahu would continue serving as caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022, amid prolonged political instability.
Unlike the United States, Israel operates under a parliamentary system, with voters casting ballots for parties to represent them in the Knesset. The legislature has 120 seats and uses a system of proportional representation, with each party receiving seats based on the percentage of the vote it garners. The electoral threshold for parties to enter the Knesset is around 3.25%.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, pauses thoughtfully at the lectern while speaking during the launch of the party’s candidate list ahead of October’s general election on September 7, 2026 in Rosh HaAyin, Israel. Eisenkot, a retired chief of the Israel Defense Forces, has emerged as the foremost challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
IDF PUSHES BACK ON CLAIM IT TARGETS JOURNALISTS IN GAZA, SAYS 170 WERE PART OF TERROR GROUPS, INCLUDING HAMAS
No party has ever won more than half of the vote. As a result, after each election, leaders of the larger parties seek to persuade smaller parties to join them in forming a governing coalition.
«If one can get 61 of the members of Knesset, basically half plus one, to support them as prime minister, then they become prime minister and their teammates from the other parties join as government ministers,» said Levy, who hosts Israeli Channel 16’s flagship international magazine program, «From Here to There» and its election podcast «EYLON:Israel Electioncast.»
Opposition leader and former Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid gestures as he speaks on stage during the B’Yachad (Together) candidate list presentation on September 6, 2026 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid announced on April 26, 2026, they will run on a joint list in this year’s elections, in a move aimed at unseating incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
Klein said this is the first time in several decades that an Israeli government has completed its full term.
«There is a group called ‘Rak Lo Bibi,’ translated as ‘anyone but Bibi,’ and that’s the opposition groups, which includes Eisenkot’s party Yashar, BeYachad, headed by Naftali Bennett [and] Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, all [of whom] have worked with Netanyahu in the past in different capacities,» Klein said.
The loose alliance also includes The Democrats, which Klein described as the most left-wing party in the so-called «change» alliance.
NETANYAHU REJECTS BOARD OF PEACE’S GAZA PLAN: NO ‘WITHDRAWAL UNTIL HAMAS IS GENUINELY DISARMED’
A giant electoral poster for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party with the slogan «no surrender» is displayed on the facade of a building in Tel Aviv on September 29, 2026, during campaigns ahead of the October 2026 legislative elections. (Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images)
The conservative commentator Taub said, «When you look at the candidates on the left, one after the other, they wanted to stop the war very early already in Gaza. Gadi Eisenkot, the leading contender on the left, wanted to finish the war after the pager operation, where he said we should cut a deal with Hezbollah. Netanyahu kept saying total victory,» he added.
The vulnerability on the right, Taub said, is that victory has not been total.
«We have an existential danger. That danger is Iran, with the support of Russia and China, rehabilitating its nuclear program, which we can’t let happen. It is not all up to us; there is the U.S. dealing directly with this, but this is going to be the decisive issue,» Taub concluded.
Fox News’ Sydney Finver contributed to this report.
israel, benjamin netanyahu, elections
President Donald Trump last week touted a diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that prices for the fuel would swiftly fall, but some Republicans have responded by rebuking the president’s move.
«I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel,» Trump declared in an Oct. 9 Truth Social post.
«Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST! Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority. This is a very big and important announcement. Additionally, it must be understood, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon!» Trump declared.
The announcement sparked blowback from some Republicans, including outgoing Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who declared in a post on X that Trump’s «policies towards Russia and Ukraine are failures.»
ZELENSKYY ACCUSES PUTIN OF DEFYING TRUMP’S CEASEFIRE PUSH, SENDS POINTED MESSAGE TO WHITE HOUSE
«Propping up Putin’s war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities,» Bacon asserted. «We need moral clarity not moral ambiguity.»
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., declared in a post on Saturday, «We will be introducing bipartisan legislation to block any and all purchases of Russian oil. It will be called the ‘Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act.’ It will be forced to the Floor via discharge and it will pass overwhelmingly.»
Bacon shared Fitzpatrick’s post and noted, «I’ve already agreed to be an original cosponsor. Congress must make a stand.»
A bipartisan group of senators — including Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ron Wyden of Oregon, as well as GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah — joined together in a statement pressing the administration to «reverse course.»
«Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine. Congress was clear: The U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO Allies,» the statement declares.
TRUMP RUSSIA DEAL COULD FUEL PUTIN’S WAR, EX-NATO COMMANDER WARNS AS ZELENSKYY SAYS ‘NYET’
«President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law. The Administration has also failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute. The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course,» the statement adds.
Tillis, an outgoing senator who is not seeking re-election, is the author of the recently released book, «How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.» Shaheen is also not seeking another term.
Former U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette explained during a Monday appearance on Business that he does not expect the agreement to cause the price of diesel to decline significantly.
He said that he believes «it’s important for Americans to realize that … we may not be talking about brand new barrels to the marketplace. So if there’s an expectation that prices are gonna come down dramatically as a result of this agreement, I’m a bit skeptical of that.»
TRUMP CALLS FOR UKRAINE TO REPLACE ZELENSKYY AFTER CLASH OVER RUSSIA DIESEL DEAL: ‘GET A NEW PRESIDENT’
Brouillette said that if the aim is to decrease «prices in the long term,» then it is «challenging to see how this is going to help. What we’re in essence doing is rearranging the barrels,» Brouillette explained, «we’re moving the barrels from one customer to another customer. We’re not producing new barrels of diesel, which is really what the market is expecting and wanting.»
Digital reached out to the White House on Monday.
foreign policy, politics, russia, donald trump, republicans, republicans
INTERNACIONAL
Neandertales en Barcelona: lanzas, mazas y paravientos de madera documentados en 20.000 años de ocupación
Un equipo arqueológico reveló la colección de madera neandertal más diversa de la prehistoria, hallada en el abrigo rocoso de Abric Romaní, en Capellades, Barcelona: lanzas de hasta 2,45 metros, una maza tallada de una sola pieza y bandejas de corteza que apuntan a una vida doméstica mucho más organizada de lo que se suponía.
El estudio, liderado por Palmira Saladié, investigadora del Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) y la Universitat Rovira i Virgili, analizó 597 especímenes de madera recuperados en 16 niveles arqueológicos fechados entre aproximadamente 62.000 y 40.000 años atrás. De ese total, 13 piezas presentan evidencias claras de modificación intencional. Los resultados fueron publicados en la revista Science Advances.
Los moldes de carbonato de calcio conservaron formas imposibles de otro modo
Lo que hace singular a Abric Romaní en el panorama arqueológico mundial es su geología. El agua rica en carbonato de calcio que goteaba constantemente por el abrigo rocoso cubría los objetos abandonados por los neandertales antes de que se descompusieran, formando moldes minerales que reprodujeron sus contornos con una precisión inusual. En algunos casos, la resolución llega al nivel celular, lo que permitió confirmar que se trata de trazas de madera y no de otro material orgánico. Esta preservación contrasta con los yacimientos de Alemania, Italia y Grecia, donde la madera sobrevivió gracias al barro, y donde los hallazgos se limitaban mayormente a lanzas y palos cavadores.
El análisis mostró que el pino silvestre representó más del 90% del carbón identificado en los hogares, lo que lo convierte en el combustible predominante. Pero los neandertales también lo usaron para fabricar herramientas resistentes. Para los recipientes domésticos, en cambio, optaron por la corteza de enebro, más flexible y fibrosa: una elección que implica conocimiento específico de las propiedades de distintas especies vegetales.
Lanzas, una maza y una estructura de palos sobre el fuego
Entre los 13 objetos modificados identificados, dos lanzas procedentes del nivel R destacan por su estado de conservación. Una mide 2,45 metros y la otra preserva 1,99 metros en tres fragmentos; ambas presentan los ramales laterales eliminados y marcas de preparación deliberada. La segunda apareció asociada directamente a restos de ciervo, herramientas de piedra y estructuras de combustión, lo que el equipo interpreta como una instantánea congelada de una jornada de caza y procesamiento de carne.
El objeto que más interés generó entre los investigadores es una maza tallada de una sola pieza de madera, hallada en el nivel P. Tiene un mango de 16 centímetros y una cabeza asimétrica en forma de media luna con un extremo ensanchado y apuntado, cuya superficie muestra surcos de raspado paralelos y controlados. Saladié señaló que las hipótesis sobre su función van desde instrumento para rematar presas o herramienta tipo martillo hasta objeto con valor simbólico, posiblemente indicador de estatus dentro del grupo. “Son posibilidades, no usos que podamos demostrar”, aclaró la investigadora en declaraciones recogidas por IFLScience.
También se documentó un poste de 5,10 metros de largo, completamente despojado de ramas y trabajado, que habría servido como soporte principal de estructuras tipo trípode, así como paravientos para protegerse de las corrientes de aire. Sobre uno de los hogares, se identificó una estructura de palos cruzados que pudo funcionar como parrilla o plataforma elevada para ahumar y conservar carne.
Las bandejas de corteza y los espacios para dormir completan el cuadro doméstico
Cuatro piezas de corteza carbonizada y aplanada, ubicadas en torno a los hogares, habrían cumplido la función de bandejas o recipientes. Según Saladié, estos contenedores pudieron usarse para aislar alimentos del suelo, recolectar vegetales o miel e, incluso, para transportar bebés. El registro también incluye pequeñas herramientas como punzones de madera diseñados para perforar materiales blandos como cuero o pieles animales.
El conjunto apunta además a una organización deliberada del espacio habitado: había zonas reservadas exclusivamente para dormir, equipadas con pequeños hogares que funcionaban como braseros individuales para mantener el calor corporal durante la noche.
“Abric Romaní nos da razones para pensar que la tecnología de la madera era importante, diversa y flexible, adaptada a las necesidades que tenían… desde la caza hasta la preparación de alimentos”, sintetizó Saladié. “Esa versatilidad práctica y adaptabilidad son cualidades que podemos reconocer fácilmente en nosotros mismos.”
El estudio reconoce sus límites: los moldes de travertino complican la reconstrucción de las etapas de fabricación, y la evidencia vinculante entre herramientas de piedra específicas y trabajos de carpintería es parcial. Aun así, la secuencia de 20.000 años de ocupaciones documentadas en Capellades convierte a Abric Romaní en el registro continuo más largo de uso doméstico de madera por parte de neandertales conocido hasta la fecha.
neandertal,Pleistoceno,caza,herramientas de piedra
Marcos Rojo: tercera semifinal de Libertadores en cuatro años, ¿cómo le fue en las anteriores?
Benjamin Netanyahu’s legacy and political future on the line in Israel’s Oct 27 election
Republican lawmakers break with Trump on diesel deal with Russia
Tormenta tropical en Utah: 70 corredores de ultramaratón quedaron atrapados en el desierto y fueron evacuados tras una noche a la intemperie
Javier Milei habló de la reelección, de la visita del papa León XIV y sobre el Nobel de Economía: “No me lo merezco, al menos no hoy”
Fran Yankelevich relató el momento más crítico que con su papá, Darío Giordano, con apenas 10 años: «Me cagó a trompadas, me desmayó a golpes»
Conciliaciones entre comercios y consumidores resuelven reclamos por más de $12.5 millones en Panamá
Regresos importantes y una duda clave: Arruabarrena definió el equipo de Boca Juniors para visitar a Instituto
El nuevo mapa del mercado automotor: qué marcas ganaron y cuáles perdieron con la apertura de las importaciones
Cómo evitar multas durante el fin de semana largo: cuál es la documentación que hay que llevar sí o sí al salir a la ruta
INTERNACIONAL3 días agoConciliaciones entre comercios y consumidores resuelven reclamos por más de $12.5 millones en Panamá
- DEPORTE3 días ago
Regresos importantes y una duda clave: Arruabarrena definió el equipo de Boca Juniors para visitar a Instituto
- ECONOMIA3 días ago
El nuevo mapa del mercado automotor: qué marcas ganaron y cuáles perdieron con la apertura de las importaciones
