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Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa makes it official: She’s not seeking re-election next year

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Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa formally announced on Monday that she will not run for re-election in next year’s midterms.
«Having been raised in a family who has given me so much love and support, now as our family ages and grows, it’s my time for me to get back to then. After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking re-election in 2026., the 55-year-old Ernst,» who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, said in a video posted to social media.
Ernst, a retired Army Reserve and Iowa National Guard officer who served in the Iraq War, has been wrestling for months over whether to run for re-election in 2026.
TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa announced on Tuesday that she wouldn’t seek re-election in the 2026 midterms. (Reuters)
«This was no easy decision,» the senator said in her video announcement.
The senator’s decision to retire rather than seek a third six-year term creates an open seat in Iowa.
GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson, a former TV news anchor who is in her third term representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northeastern portion of the state, is planning on running to succeed Ernst, multiple sources confirmed last week to Fox News.
FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Iowa was once a top battleground state that former President Barack Obama carried in his 2008 and 2012 White House victories. But the state has shifted to the right in recent election cycles, with President Donald Trump carrying the state by eight points in 2020 and by 13 points last November.

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa is expected to launch a Senate campaign in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, according to sources. (Getty Images)
Republicans currently hold both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats – Ernst and longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley – and all four of Iowa’s congressional districts, as well as all statewide offices except for state auditor, which is held by Democrat Rob Sand, who’s running for governor next year.
But Democrats in Iowa are energized after flipping two GOP-held state Senate seats in special elections so far this year.
Four Democrats are already running for Senate in Iowa. The field includes state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian wheelchair basketball player, state Sen. Zach Wahls, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce executive director Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris.
SENATE DEMOCRATS RECRUITING TOP CANDIDATES IN PUSH TO WIN BACK MAJORITY
Ernst first grabbed national attention 11 years ago with her «make ‘em squeal» ads as she won the high-profile Senate election in the race to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa sits for a Fox News Digital interview, on June 2, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
The senator, thanks to her military background, has often taken the lead on defense issues. She is the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate, and made combating sexual assault in the military a priority, having been a survivor of sexual assault herself.
Since Trump’s White House victory in 2016, Ernst has tried to strike a balance between her support for the president as she hued to a more traditional Republican agenda.
But earlier this year, Ernst sparked a controversy after she said, «We are all going to die,» when responding a voter at a town hall meeting who raised concerns over Medicaid cuts in the GOP’s sweeping domestic policy bill.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, seen on June 3, 2023, at her annual Roast and Ride fundraising event, has decided not to seek re-election in 2026. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
Republicans are aiming to not only defend, but expand, the current 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s elections.
Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back the majority.
KEY HOUSE GOP MODERATE DON BACON OF NEBRASKA WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION
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 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.
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.
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But the GOP is defending an open seat in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tills decided against seeking re-election. And Republicans will likely be forced to spend resources to defend Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio – who was appointed to succeed former senator and now-Vice President JD Vance – as he faces off next year against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Meanwhile, Democrats are also targeting moderate Sen. Susan Collins – who has yet to announce her expected 2026 re-election – in blue-leaning Maine.
senate,elections,midterm elections,politics,iowa,republicans elections
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El nuevo presidente de Bolivia: Rodrigo Paz, el trotamundos del «capitalismo para todos»

Heredero de una influyente dinastía política de Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz rehúye el membrete ideológico. Cuando cierra sus mítines, reparte lemas para todos: desde el conservador «dios, familia, patria» hasta el guevarista «hasta la victoria siempre». Es el candidato que promete cambiar el sistema y a la vez no afectar a nadie.
Hijo del expresidente Jaime Paz Zamora (1989-1993), tuvo que empezar varias veces de cero porque su familia se veía obligada a viajar de un lado a otro, a menudo perseguida por dictaduras militares.
Hijo de la española Carmen Pereira y del expresidente boliviano Jaime Paz Zamora (1989-1993), el aun senador opositor nació en Santiago de Compostela en 1967 y vivió su niñez en varios países debido a que sus padres fueron perseguidos durante los gobiernos militares.
El político es economista y tiene estudios en relaciones internacionales, además de una amplia experiencia en el sector público al haber sido diputado, concejal, alcalde de la ciudad sureña de Tarija entre 2015 y 2020 y actualmente es senador por la fuerza opositora Comunidad Ciudadana (CC), del expresidente Carlos Mesa (2003-2005).
Para llegar a la Alcaldía de Tarija, Paz derrotó en las elecciones municipales de 2015 al gubernamental Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), entonces liderado por el expresidente Evo Morales (2006-2019).
En 2019, fue parte de la llamada Coordinadora de la Defensa de la Democracia que exigió que haya una segunda vuelta electoral, en medio de las denuncias de un fraude a favor del entonces mandatario Morales y en desmedro de Carlos Mesa en los fallidos comicios generales de ese año, posteriormente anulados.
El éxito de Paz en la primera vuelta fue atribuido por expertos a la conexión que logró con las clases populares en las áreas rurales y zonas periurbanas, espacios donde en las elecciones pasadas triunfó el MAS, que en los comicios de agosto apenas logró el 3% requerido para no perder la sigla.
Ese respaldo fue trabajado por el opositor desde su llegada al Senado, pues en sus redes sociales se puede constatar que desde 2021 recorrió numerosos municipios bolivianos, 220 según asegura él mismo, llegando incluso a participar activamente en fiestas patronales populares y desfiles folclóricos junto a distintos sindicatos.
Otros atribuyen ese apoyo a su compañero de fórmula en el Partido Demócrata Cristiano (PDC), el excapitán de policía Edman Lara, quien se hizo popular en las redes sociales por sus revelaciones de supuestos casos de corrupción en la institución policial, hasta que en 2024 fue dado de baja.
La faceta de trotamundos la retomó durante su campaña electoral. El economista de 58 años señala que recorrió cientos de municipios de Bolivia en cinco años. «No soy un candidato de hace seis meses«, asegura.
Compite para administrar este país en crisis de 11,3 millones de habitantes contra el expresidente de derecha Jorge Quiroga, tras 20 años de gobiernos socialistas iniciados por Evo Morales.
«Mi voto de confianza es por Rodrigo Paz (…). Es una renovación», dice Walter López, abogado de 27 años, a la puerta de un local de campaña del Partido Demócrata Cristiano-afiliado a la centroderecha-, que cobija su candidatura.
Pero Paz no es nuevo en política. Fue diputado, alcalde y ahora es senador por Tarija, un departamento rico en gas y petróleo, del que su familia es oriunda.
En su linaje también aparece su tío, el guerrillero Néstor Paz, que murió de inanición luego de un combate, y su tío abuelo Víctor Paz Estenssoro, cuatro veces presidente y artífice del voto universal y la reforma agraria.
El parecido con su padre, las cejas pobladas y su intenso pelo negro, funciona como un catalizador nostálgico para los viejos izquierdistas. En algunos de sus videos en redes sociales, donde es muy activo, también ha hecho aparecer al patriarca de 86 años.
Pero él propone un «capitalismo para todos». «No tengo por qué definirme, sino ofrecer al país una alternativa», replicó en una entrevista con CNN cuando le pedían definiciones ideológicas.
Paz llegó al balotaje de manera inesperada, ganador de la primera vuelta. Las encuestas lo situaban entre el tercer y quinto puesto una semana antes de esa elección. En su programa «capitalismo para todos», Paz promete fuertes recortes del gasto público, formalización de la economía y cambios de la Constitución para abrir el país a las inversiones privadas. «Yo espero entrar a gobernar, tomar las decisiones adecuadas. Y no a la reelección, que venga otro», dijo a la AFP.
INTERNACIONAL
Hong Kong cargo plane skids off runway, killing two

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Two airport security officers in Hong Kong were killed early Monday after a cargo jet arriving from Dubai veered off the runway during landing and slammed into a patrol vehicle, authorities said.
Both the car and the Boeing 747 – in what was Hong Kong’s worst airport disaster in decades – plunged into the sea though all four crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.
A Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft is seen after it skidded off the runway into the sea on Oct. 20, 2025. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu)

Rescue workers at the wreckage of an AirACT cargo aircraft operated for Emirates Airline near the runway at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, China, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Leung Man Hei/Bloomberg)

The wreckage of an AirACT cargo aircraft operated for Emirates Airline near the runway at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, China, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Leung Man Hei/Bloomberg)
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
hong kong,asia,travel,transportation
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Letitia James up against ‘by the book’ prosecutor ‘who means business,’ former Kentucky AG Cameron says

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Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron applauded the prosecutor handling Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, celebrating that she is prosecuting the case «by the book» in a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in two decades.
«Lindsey Halligan means business,» Cameron, who serves as CEO of nonprofit the 1792 Exchange, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday Zoom interview. «And she has been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that no one is above the law in the Eastern District of Virginia. And she certainly is heeding that call and commitment and that responsibility, which I applaud.»
A grand jury in Virginia indicted James Oct. 9, months after Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte wrote in a criminal referral to the Department of Justice in April that James allegedly falsified mortgage records to obtain more favorable loans.
Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan is the top federal prosecutor overseeing the case, following her nomination to the role by President Donald Trump in September. Halligan previously served as special assistant to the president and White House senior associate staff secretary in the early months of the administration before moving to her new role.
LEGAL EXPERT CALLS OUT ‘IRONIC’ TWIST AS NY AG WHO PROSECUTED TRUMP FACES FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES
Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron applauded the prosecutor handling Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Halligan also landed on the political map while serving as one of Trump’s attorneys after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022 in search of classified documents retained at the Trump residence.
The Trump-nominated federal prosecutor, who also was appointed to the job on an interm basis, has since secured separate indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey, both of whom are longtime political foes of Trump’s.
Cameron applauded that Halligan was handling the cases «by the book,» pointing to how grand juries comprised of Virginia locals determined there was enough evidence to charge the pair in both cases.
MAMDANI ASSAILS TRUMP FOR ‘POLITICAL RETRIBUTION’ AGAINST LETITIA JAMES IN SWEEPING DEFENSE OF EMBATTLED AG
«Whether it’s this case or the Comey case, she has been taking them to the grand jury,» he said. «And I remind people that the grand jury process is a deliberative process. It appears within the community that sit on that grand jury to ultimately make a decision about whether there’s probable cause to move forward with an indictment. And that has happened in both of these instances.»

Lindsey Halligan, then-special assistant to the president, speaks with a reporter outside the White House, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press )
Cameron, who also is running for the Senate in Kentucky in the 2026 cycle, noted that Virginia is by no means a conservative-leaning state, with many of its residents working as employees in Washington, D.C. Virginia previously voted for a Republican presidential candidate 20 years ago in the 2004 race, and is in the midst of a high-stakes gubernatorial election.
«Virginia is not a hotbed for conservatism,» he said. «This is a jury or grand jury of peers that ultimately makes this indictment. And when you look at the facts that are alleged, it seems pretty cut and dry in the context of General James and what was misrepresented on the loan documents and whether it was a primary residence versus a rental property.»

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Oct. 9, 2025, by a grand jury in Virginia. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
«I applaud Lindsey Halligan for taking this by the book and, you know putting forth the case before the grand jury that ultimately gave them the information to make a judgment about indictment,» he continued.
Cameron is the CEO of the 1792 Exchange, which is a nonprofit focused on providing information to businesses, other nonprofits and philanthropy groups to shield against «woke» corporations.
It also educates «Congress and stakeholder organizations about the dangers of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies, and to help steer public companies in the United States back to neutral on ideological issues so they can best serve their shareholders and customers with excellence and integrity,» according to the group’s website.
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AS RESURFACED AG JAMES POSTS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER: ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’
Cameron served as the Republican attorney general of Kentucky from 2020 to 2024, providing him unique insight on the James case as a top state prosecutor himself.
James came under investigation over a Norfolk, Virginia, home she purchased in 2020, which she identified on mortgage documents and a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac form as a property that would serve as her primary residence. Federal officials claim that the home was listed as such to secure more favorable loans, while pointing to state law that requires the New York attorney general to reside in the Empire State.
Prosecutors of the case said James’ «ill-gotten gains» from the mortgage documents sit at «approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.»

President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting at the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 23, 2025, in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
James has denied wrongdoing, claiming that any errors were not intended to deceive a lender, but were mistakes. She, as well as Democrat allies, have instead claimed the indictment is an example of Trump «weaponizing» the Justice Department against political foes.
«I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend,» James said earlier in October during a campaign stop for socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. «You come for me, you’ve got to come through all of us. Every single one of us. We’re all in this together.»
LETITIA JAMES’ OWN WORDS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER AFTER FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES FILED
«I know what it feels like to be attacked for just doing your job,» James said, while reprimanding those who «weaponize justice for political gain.»
Cameron noted that James’ office has prosecuted similar cases at the state level, which he said exposes the «hypocrisy» of claims the case is political weaponization at the hands of the Trump administration. James’ office previously has prosecuted cases involving mortgage fraud entwined with money laundering, deed theft cases, and mortgage fraud schemes, a review of previous press releases from James’ office show.

President Trump named lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Virginia in September. (Marco Bello/AFP via Getty Images)
«This is not weaponization,» he said. «This is about no one being above the law. And again, whether it’s the Department of Justice or the individual U.S. attorneys across this country, there’s a responsibility to follow the law wherever it may lead. And I appreciate the work that’s been done on that front.»
James, herself, also personally railed against «powerful people» who «cheat to get better loans» in 2024, when reacting to the civil fraud verdict against Trump that year.
«When powerful people cheat to get better loans, it comes at the expense of hardworking people. Everyday Americans cannot lie to a bank to get a mortgage, and if they did, our government would throw the book at them. There simply cannot be different rules for different people,» James wrote in a February 2024 post on X when she was attacking Trump on social media.
NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ INDICTMENT SPARKS SHARP PARTISAN DIVIDE
James campaigned on aggressively pursing legal action against Trump during her successful 2018 run to serve as New York attorney general, and brought forth dozens of cases against his first administration, including more than 70 legal and regulatory actions in 2020 alone that specifically combated the administration’s environmental laws, according to James’ office in 2021.
«I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president,» James said in a video after her primary win in 2018.
«We here in New York — and I, in particular — we are not scared of you,» she added of Trump after her statewide win that same year, the New York Times reported. «And as the next attorney general of his home state, I will be shining a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings, and every dealing, demanding truthfulness at every turn.»
James did bring forth the 2022 civil fraud case against Trump and the Trump Organization, accusing them of lying to lenders by inflating the values of Trump properties. James won the case, but the appeals court threw out a massive $500 million judgment against Trump in August. Trump slammed the case as lawfare, alongside a bevy of other criminal and civil cases he faced ahead of the 2024 election.

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at Manhattan Federal Courthouse on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago)
James faces up to 60 years, 30 years per count, if found guilty, as well as a $1 million fine on each count, and forfeiture, according to the Department of Justice’s press release on the indictment, which noted actual federal sentences are typically less severe than the maximum penalties.
Trump held a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and other federal law enforcement officials at the Oval Office Wednesday, when United States Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche slammed any claims the Department of Justice has become «weaponized,» while rattling off the bevy of cases Trump faced in the lead-up to the general election in November 2024.
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«When people talk about this department weaponizing, it’s embarrassing because there’s no in which you can look at what we’re doing restoring justice, doing the right thing and every single case and say that that’s weaponization, and yet remain eerily silent about what happened for the past three years,» Blanche said.
virginia,justice department,new york,crime
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