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Top GOP senator steps up efforts to protect Republican majority in 2026 midterms
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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the number three Republican in Senate leadership, is turning up the volume on his effort to protect and strengthen the GOP’s majority in the chamber in next year’s elections.
A non-profit public advocacy group aligned with the senator on Tuesday launched an ad highlighting GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who’s running in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
The ad is the latest effort by Cotton, the Army veteran who served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars before becoming a rising GOP star, to support Republicans in key Senate races in next year’s midterm elections when the party will be defending its 53-47 majority in the chamber.
«Iowa has a fighter in Washington. Her name is Ashley Hinson,» says the narrator in the spot by America One Policies, which was first shared with Fox News Digital.
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Hinson, a former local TV anchor, has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) as she runs to keep Iowa’s open Senate seat in the party’s hands.
The narrator highlights that Hinson «is tough on crime, and she’s tough on China. Ashley fought to stop China from buying our farmland, and she voted for President Trump’s tax cuts.»
TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS
«Ashley Hinson is putting more money in your pocket. Tell her to keep fighting for Iowa,» the narrator adds.
The Cotton-aligned group tells Fox News that it will spend six-figures to run the ad on broadcast TV and digital in the Des Moines market.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill on May 1, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
It’s the second spot this cycle by America One Policies following an ad that targets Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, whom Republicans consider the most vulnerable Democratic senator running for re-election in 2026.
And earlier this month, Cotton’s leadership PAC went up with an ad that takes aim at North Carolina’s former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who’s running against former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whately in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.
An America One Polices spokesperson told Fox News that «Senator Cotton plans to fight for his colleagues in the US Senate, to ensure that we grow our majority in the senate, to fundraise and advertise for our candidates and to make sure that the American people know the records of their Democrat opponents. American One Policies will be assisting our candidates across the United States throughout this election cycle.»
TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS
Cotton, who didn’t face a Democratic Party opponent as he cruised to re-election in 2020 and who isn’t expected to face a difficult re-election next year in red state Arkansas, has crisscrossed the country in recent election cycles to campaign on behalf of fellow Republicans.
«As Tom Cotton has done since the first day he was elected to office, he will continue to help support Republicans around the country who are running for office at any level, to win,» a source in the senator’s political orbit told Fox News Digital.
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas was interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 20, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
The 48-year-old Cotton took a hard look at running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as he made numerous trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that have long kicked off the GOP’s presidential primary calendar.
But days before the 2022 midterms, Cotton announced he wouldn’t run for the White House in 2024.
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And last year, Cotton was considered to be on now-President Donald Trump’s larger list of potential running mates.
Cotton’s support for Hinson in Iowa may spark speculation about a potential future run by the senator for the White House.
elections,midterm elections,senate elections,republicans elections,arkansas,iowa,politics
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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
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Progressive Democrats turn on party leadership after government shutdown ends without healthcare guarantees
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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.
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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
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Top Ukrainian officials in Zelenskyy government submit resignations amid $100 million corruption scandal
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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)
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«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.
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«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
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