INTERNACIONAL
4 key Senate seats Republicans aim to flip in 2026 midterms to expand their majority
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s goal in next year’s midterm elections is not only to defend the GOP’s 53-47 margin in the Senate, but to expand the majority.
Scott, the conservative senator from South Carolina, told Fox News Digital soon after taking over late last year as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) that he aimed to increase the GOP’s control in the chamber to at least 55 seats.
And he’s standing by his goal.
«The bottom line is, I believe that we can defend our current seats while adding at least two more seats to our numbers,» the NRSC chair told Fox News Digital earlier this year.
THIS REPUBLICAN JUST JUMPED INTO BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA’S HIGH-PROFILE SENATE RACE
Sen. Tim Scott spoke to a South Carolina GOP delegation breakfast on Wednesday (pictured speaking on the RNC stage). (Getty Images)
Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back the majority.
But the party in power—clearly the Republicans right now—traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, a current read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states.
In battleground Georgia, which President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year’s White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year.
TRUMP-BACKED RNC CHAIR JUMPS INTO THE NATION’S ‘MARQUEE’ SENATE RACE
They’re also targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring at the end of next year, and swing state New Hampshire, where longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided against seeking a fourth six-year term in the Senate.
Also on the NRSC’s target list is blue-leaning Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith isn’t running for re-election.
At the top of their list is Ossoff, who narrowly won election to the Senate in a January 2021 runoff contest.
Republicans view Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat running for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. (AP)
But Ossoff is off to a very hot fundraising start, and a GOP primary in Georgia between Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former college and professional football coach Derek Dooley, is starting to turn combustible.
DNC CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS DIGITAL DEMOCRATS HAVE HIT ‘ROCK BOTTOM’ – HERE’S HIS PLAN TO REBOUND
Republicans are also confident they can flip Michigan, another battleground Trump narrowly carried last November.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the 2024 GOP Senate nominee who lost last year’s race by a razor-thin margin, has at this point cleared the Republican primary field, thanks in great part to Trump’s endorsement.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican Senate candidate in Michigan for a second straight election cycle, is interviewed by Fox New Digital in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 2, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
Democrats, meanwhile, have a very competitive primary on their hands. The primary race includes three well-known Democrats: Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who enjoys the backing of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
With Shaheen, who made history as the first woman in the nation’s history to win election as a governor and a senator, out of the running in New Hampshire, the GOP is hoping to win a Senate election in the Granite State for the first time in 16 years.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, seen at a policy event in Concord, N.H. on Oct. 22, 2024, isn’t seeking a fourth term in the Senate when she’s up for re-election in 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
They’re encouraged by the gains Trump made in New Hampshire in last year’s election, as he improved on his showing from four years earlier and came close to carrying the state.
But four-term Rep. Chris Pappas’ announcement in early April that he would run to succeed Shaheen has cleared the Democratic primary field, as of now, of any potential rivals for the party’s Senate nomination.
Meanwhile, a Republican primary in the state—where the GOP hasn’t won a Senate race in 15 years—is heating up between former Sen. Scott Brown and state Sen. Dan Innis, with the possibility of more candidates entering the race.
In Minnesota, the leading candidates in the Democratic primary to succeed Smith are Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig.
Former professional basketball player Royce White, who won the 2024 Senate nomination in Minnesota, and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze are currently running in the GOP primary. But another Republican Senate hopeful may soon enter the field.
While Republicans will work to defy political history in next year’s midterms, they point to the Democratic Party’s current brand issues.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«Democrats have historically low approval ratings because candidates like Jon Ossoff and Chris Pappas keep prioritizing radical policies like men in women’s sports, protecting sanctuary cities for criminal illegal aliens, and raising taxes on working families,» NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez argued in a statement to Fox News.
And Rodriguez touted that «Republicans are delivering on policies that keep Americans safe and let families and workers keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. Voters will reward us for it in 2026.»
midterm elections,elections,senate elections,republicans elections,georgia,michigan,new hampshire,minnesota
INTERNACIONAL
El jefe de la OTAN respaldó la capacidad de respuesta del bloque frente a las incursiones de drones rusos en territorio aliado
El secretario general de la OTAN, Mark Rutte, destacó este jueves la rápida respuesta aérea del bloque frente a las recientes incursiones de drones y aviones rusos en el espacio aéreo de la Alianza.
Durante su visita al Mando Conjunto Aliado de la Fuerza de Brunssum, en los Países Bajos, Rutte subrayó que la organización está plenamente preparada para reaccionar ante cualquier amenaza en el norte y el este de Europa.
También remarcó la importancia estratégica de ese centro como pieza clave en la coordinación de las operaciones defensivas de la OTAN, en un contexto de creciente actividad militar rusa orientada a poner a prueba los límites de las defensas occidentales.
Rutte describió el flanco norte y oriental de Europa como escenarios donde Moscú evalúa la determinación de la Alianza y busca detectar debilidades en la coordinación defensiva.
“Estas son zonas donde Rusia intenta constantemente poner a prueba nuestra determinación y nuestras respuestas”, señaló el ex primer ministro neerlandés.
“La OTAN ha respondido de manera rápida y decisiva a las violaciones del espacio aéreo por parte de Rusia, y cada día nuestra sólida presencia sobre el terreno demuestra nuestra determinación”, agregó Rutte tras una reciente oleada de incidentes en territorio aliado.
El dirigente de la OTAN manifestó que la labor de Brunssum, uno de los tres mandos estratégicos en Europa, resulta fundamental para sostener la credibilidad disuasiva del bloque atlántico. Rutte argumentó que el despliegue de fuerzas multinacionales en ocho países del flanco oriental funciona como mensaje inequívoco hacia Rusia y otros adversarios.
“Las fuerzas en el flanco oriental, con los batallones multinacionales en ocho países aliados, envían una señal clara a cualquier adversario de que la OTAN se toma en serio su misión de protegerse mutuamente”, afirmó.
En incidentes anteriores, la OTAN optó por escoltar o interceptar aeronaves rusas y evitar acciones que pudieran convertirse en una escalada, aunque Rutte subrayó que la Alianza cuenta con todos los recursos y la voluntad política para defender su territorio y el aire aliado en caso de una agresión intencionada.
“Si Rusia intenta algo intencionalmente contra la OTAN, tenemos todas las herramientas para defender nuestro territorio y espacio aéreo”, puntualizó.
El secretario general defendió el compromiso asumido por los aliados para reforzar el gasto en defensa, camino al objetivo de destinar un 5% del PIB para 2035.
El acuerdo alcanzado meses atrás en la cumbre de La Haya refleja la evolución que el entorno internacional exige a la organización. Para la OTAN, el fortalecimiento defensivo no solo responde a la amenaza rusa sino también a la transformación acelerada de la guerra, impulsada por nuevas tecnologías y el aumento de ataques híbridos.
Rutte también aplaudió el avance de la coalición gubernamental sobre la reforma del servicio militar de Alemania.
Berlín adoptó una nueva fórmula que exigirá a partir del próximo año a jóvenes de 18 años —hombres obligatoriamente y mujeres de manera voluntaria— que informen su aptitud para el ejército, una medida calibrada para responder al déficit de personal en las fuerzas armadas.
Si el reclutamiento voluntario resulta insuficiente, la ley contempla la reintroducción de la obligatoriedad. El Ministerio de Defensa de Alemania proyecta incrementar su plantilla a 270.000 efectivos antes de 2035, frente a los cerca de 183.000 actuales.
Para el secretario general de la Alianza, la decisión alemana refuerza la capacidad colectiva de defensa.
“Cada país decide por sí mismo cómo encontrar suficientes hombres y mujeres para el ejército. Estoy muy feliz de escuchar que la coalición en Alemania ha acordado avanzar. Es muy importante”, evaluó Rutte.
El líder de la OTAN sostuvo que cualquier medida que implique mayor participación nacional en el esfuerzo militar constituye una contribución directa a la solidez conjunta de la Alianza, en tiempos de renovada rivalidad estratégica.
La agenda del bloque contempla, además, la entrega coordinada de materiales y equipamiento avanzado a Ucrania, en el marco de la invasión rusa y con financiación compartida entre Estados Unidos, la Unión Europea y el conjunto de los aliados.
(Con información de Europa Press y EFE)
International,Relations,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe
INTERNACIONAL
Progressive Democrats turn on party leadership after government shutdown ends without healthcare guarantees
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Several Democrats broke ranks with their party to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history in a move that has triggered backlash from rising progressive stars, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who questioned whether the 43-day standoff had been worth it.
The intraparty revolt has exposed a widening rift between Democratic leadership and its left flank, as progressive candidates accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of surrendering leverage to Republicans and President Donald Trump in exchange for a funding deal that left key healthcare priorities unresolved.
«We have federal workers across the country that have been missing paychecks. We have SNAP recipients, millions of SNAP recipients across the country whose access to food stability was imperiled, and we have to figure out what that was for,» Ocasio-Cortez said, before adding, «We cannot enable this kind of cruelty with our cowardice.»
Back on the campaign trail, several Democrats running in next year’s midterm elections blasted colleagues who voted to reopen the government without extending the pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies — the key provision they’ve pushed for since the shutdown began on Oct. 1.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 101: WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol about members security after the murder of Charlie Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Aftyn Behn, the Democratic nominee to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District who has been described as the «AOC of TN,» said the shutdown ending proved «we need a new generation of leadership in Washington» and criticized the «career politicians» who caved without a guarantee to vote on ACA subsidies from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
SCHUMER PUSHES SHUTDOWN INTO RECORD BOOKS AFTER REJECTING GOP BILL A 14TH TIME
Saikat Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez’s former chief of staff who is running to replace House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in her congressional district in San Francisco, agreed those Democrats who «caved» to Trump to reopen the government proved «we need a new generation of leaders in Congress.»
Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn speaks to members of the audience before the start of a Democratic Party forum for candidates running for the 7th Congressional District special election at the Fairview Recreation Center in Fairview on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Alan Poizner-For The Tennessean/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
«After 40 days of holding firm, with public opinion and momentum on our side, establishment Democrats decided to cave to Trump. Schumer and the entire democratic leadership need to step down — and if they run for re-election, we need to primary them,» Chakrabarti said.
THE 5 LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS IN HISTORY: WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY ENDED
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, one of several progressive candidates vying for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat next year, who «literally wrote the book on Medicare for All,» according to his campaign website,» said the healthcare fight shouldn’t end with ACA subsidies.
«It HAS TO BE bigger. Too many Americans are suffering over medical debt and spiraling costs. It should be nothing short of Medicare for All,» he said.
El-Sayed said Americans should be «spitting mad about a few Senate Dems capitulating as health insurance premiums skyrocket for 25M people.»
As word circulated Sunday night that Congress was approaching a deal to reopen the government, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani called on Democrats to reject the bill.
«This ‘deal’ dramatically hikes healthcare premiums and only exacerbates the affordability crisis,» Mamdani said. «It should be rejected, as should any politics willing to compromise on the basic needs of working people.»
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., speaks at a campaign event for Zohran Mamdani in New York City on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. New York voters are turning out early in high numbers for a mayoral race that’s captured the country’s attention. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who traveled to Queens, New York City, to campaign for Mamdani last month, has said this week that reopening the government without healthcare guarantees proved Schumer is «no longer effective and should be replaced.»
«If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?» Khanna said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Thursday shifted the blame to Republicans, charging Trump and Republicans of adopting a «my way or the highway» approach in Congress.
«Unless they change course, we’re going to have challenges governmentally for the balance of the first two years of Donald Trump’s time in office,» Jeffries said on MSNBC’s «Way Too Early.»
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expired on Nov. 1, jeopardizing food access for millions of low-income Americans who rely on the benefit.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at the «No Kings» Rally in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)
While Ocasio-Cortez questioned what the shutdown was for, if not to preserve the healthcare subsidies, Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., argued Wednesday that healthcare in Alabama is more than just a «talking point,» citing Alabama’s low life expectancy rates and limited hospitals.
«Protecting health care for us is a requisite,» he said. «It’s a requirement. It’s something we have to do. And if you ask us if the shutdown was worth it, I say, hell yes, it was worth it. Because fighting to maintain healthcare for American people, there’s nothing more pure than that. There’s no more important role that we have here as members of Congress.»
Meanwhile, «Squad» member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called the Senate’s deal a «betrayal of working people and a sham.»
«The public rightly recognizes that Trump and Congressional Republicans are to blame for the longest government shutdown in history,» Omar said in a statement on behalf of the progressive caucus.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
And Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a longtime supporter of Medicare for All and universal healthcare, also criticized Trump on Wednesday for being «willing to see children go hungry to make a political point.»
«I think what is so important for folks to understand is that this problem is bigger than one person, and it actually is bigger than the minority leader in the Senate,» Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday, calling this failure of Democrats to hold the line on the government shutdown a «reflection of the party.»
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.
democratic party,the squad,socialism,elections,midterm elections,government shutdown
INTERNACIONAL
Top Ukrainian officials in Zelenskyy government submit resignations amid $100 million corruption scandal
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Two senior Ukrainian officials submitted their resignations Wednesday amid the fallout over an alleged $100 million kickback corruption scheme linked to the state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom.
Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on X that Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk submitted their resignations, and the government suspended several senior officials at Energoatom amid the corruption probe.
Svyrydenko added that the cabinet also submitted proposals to apply personal sanctions against Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and businessman Alexander Tsukerman.
Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk submitted their resignations on Nov. 12, 2025. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images; Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said they led a 15-month investigation code-named «Midas» that uncovered a «large-scale corruption scheme to influence strategic state-owned enterprises.»
WITKOFF MEETS UKRAINE OFFICIALS IN NEW YORK AHEAD OF EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING: ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’
It involved a «high level criminal [organization]» that systematically received «illicit benefits from Energoatom’s contractors in the amount of 10% to 15% of the contract value,» NABU said.
«In particular, Energoatom’s contractors were forced to pay kickbacks to avoid having payments for their services/products blocked or losing their supplier status,» the agencies announced.
The offices of NABU, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, on Oct. 1, 2019, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Sean Gallup/Getty)
The anti-corruption agencies stated that the alleged criminal organization ran a Kyiv-based «laundry» office whose premises belonged to the family of former Ukrainian lawmaker and current Russian senator Andrii Derkach.
ZELENSKYY: UKRAINE ‘CONFIDENTLY MOVING TOWARD’ EU MEMBERSHIP AFTER EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROGRESS REPORT
The office kept «black accounting» records and laundered approximately $100 million through non-resident companies, according to NABU and SAPO.
Five people were detained and another seven were placed under suspicion, including a former advisor to the Minister of Energy.
The scandal comes amid Russia’s escalating attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that have led to power outages across the country.
A seller waits for customers in a shop during a partial blackout in Lviv on Nov. 28, 2024, following Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)
3 CHINESE NATIONALS ARRESTED IN GEORGIA FOR TRYING TO BUY $400K WORTH OF BLACK-MARKET URANIUM
«Internally this scandal will be used to undermine unity and stability within the country. Externally, our enemies will use it as an argument to stop aid to Ukraine,» said Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy’s party, according to The Associated Press.
«It looks really bad in the eyes of our European and American partners,» Merezhko said. «While Russians destroy our power grid and people have to endure blackouts, someone at the top was stealing money during the war.»
Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he supports the investigations carried out by Ukraine’s law enforcement and anti-corruption officials.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy participates in a briefing at the Office of the President following a staff meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 7, 2025.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«Right now it is extremely difficult for everyone in Ukraine – enduring power outages, Russian strikes, and losses. It is absolutely unacceptable that, amid all this, there are also some schemes in the energy sector,» he wrote. «I will sign a decree to impose sanctions on two individuals implicated in the NABU case concerning Energoatom. Right now we all must protect Ukraine. Undermining the state means you will be held accountable. Breaking the law means you will be held accountable.»
ukraine,corruption,world,energy
Alerta en Pro por la posible salida de otras dos legisladoras
La familia dice basta: Oscar, ex del Chelsea, se plantea colgar las botas tras su desmayo
Martín Redrado aseguró ante industriales que la política cambiaria que se necesita es acumular reservas
El Gobierno analiza convocar a la CGT para negociar antes de presentar la reforma laboral en el Congreso
El escándalo que amenaza a la pareja de Luciano Castro y Griselda Siciliani a 1 año de su noviazgo
El jefe de la OTAN respaldó la capacidad de respuesta del bloque frente a las incursiones de drones rusos en territorio aliado
Promociones en YPF, Shell, Axion y Puma: cómo aprovechar los descuentos en combustible
Wada Nara se despidió de sus hijas con un desgarrador mensaje al entregárselas a Mauro Icardi: «Que la pasen hermoso»
Viene un nuevo esquema para el dólar: qué anticipa el mercado tras sorpresiva «confesión» de Caputo
Axel Kicillof prometió no subir impuestos, pero montó un mecanismo de recaudación con Ingresos Brutos
CHIMENTOS2 días agoWada Nara se despidió de sus hijas con un desgarrador mensaje al entregárselas a Mauro Icardi: «Que la pasen hermoso»
- POLITICA2 días ago
Axel Kicillof prometió no subir impuestos, pero montó un mecanismo de recaudación con Ingresos Brutos
- ECONOMIA1 día ago
Guiño al crédito fintech: el BCRA autorizará el débito directo de cuotas, prohibido durante el Gobierno anterior
