INTERNACIONAL
Veteran Dem operative says subpar GOP candidates poised to hand over Senate majority
A top Democratic operative warned that poor campaigns and candidate choice from Republicans are opening the door for Democrats to seize control of the Senate during an interview with Digital.
Dan Turrentine, who served as chief of staff to current Colorado Gov. Jared Polis when he was a member of Congress, said several close Senate races seem to be trending Democrat in the leadup to Tuesday’s election.
«Five days out, Democrats have a pretty good chance to retake the Senate,» Turrentine said.
He cited several races, including North Carolina, where incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is retiring. That seat, which has long been red, seems poised to flip as polls show former Gov. Roy Cooper holds a commanding lead over former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley.
SENATE CONTROL IS A COIN FLIP — AND DEMOCRATS’ PATH RUNS THROUGH TRUMP COUNTRY
Republicans, who are widely projected to lose their slim House majority, currently hold a 53-47 lead in the Senate. In addition to North Carolina, a number of surprisingly close Senate races in both swing states like Ohio and Michigan, and in typically deep red states such as Texas, Kansas and Missouri, have Democrats like Turrentine hopeful they can gain full control of Congress on Tuesday.
While crediting smart campaigning from Democrats, Turrentine also pinned Republican shortcomings on what he called poor candidate quality. He cited Ken Paxton in Texas, Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, Roger Marshall in Kansas and Darlene Graham Nordone, who is running to take the seat of her late brother, former Sen. Lindsey Graham.
GOP SENATE MAJORITY FACES FRESH UNCERTAINTY AS 2 KEY RACES TIGHTEN DAYS BEFORE MIDTERMS
«If Republicans lose the Senate, it’s likely one of those four loses,» said Turrentine, who hosts «The Huddle» podcast with former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. «While the president’s standing is part of the problem, that last mile comes down to weak candidate quality.»
POWER RANKINGS: SOUTH CAROLINA MOVES TO TOSS-UP
But while Democrats are performing well in polls, Turrentine acknowledged that previous surveys have overstated support for his party.
«Campaigns are terrified about polling,» he said, adding that «reaching voters is harder than ever; people don’t have landlines and routinely ignore unknown numbers.»
THE SILENT MAJORITY PROBLEM AND WHY CAMPAIGN POLLSTERS KEEP ‘FIGHTING THE LAST WAR’ ON ELECTIONS
«We’ve had consecutive change elections — 2016, 2022, 2024 — where polling struggled to capture late-breaking dynamics. Will frustrated Trump voters stay home, or will early Democratic surges in Texas just reflect high-propensity voters banking votes early rather than expanding the electorate? Nobody knows, and people have a knot in their stomach about Tuesday,» he said.
Turrentine was a even more confident in a Democratic takeover of the Senate before this week’s bombshell New York Times report alleging that Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit a man named Daniel J. Sullivan to run against incumbent Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan, R-Alaska, to ostensibly confuse voters into accidentally choosing Daniel J. Sullivan over the incumbent senator.
MARY PELTOLA’S CAMPAIGN, DEMS BACKED COVERT SCHEME TO FIELD SPOILER CANDIDATES IN ALASKA SENATE RACE: REPORT
Peltola has denied any involvement in the former Sullivan’s campaign.
«Peltola has led almost every single poll until yesterday. Like so many of these states, Democrats win on disgruntled Republicans. It wouldn’t take much for those voters to say they can’t stomach the Democrat,» said Turrentine, adding that the Frontier State may now be a tossup.
If Alaska’s Senate seat slips from the Democrats’ grip, a majority could come down to the Democrats winning Ohio, Texas and one of Michigan, Maine, Kansas or Mississippi, Turrentine said.
«In Maine, we’ve spent entire careers thinking we’re going to defeat [GOP incumbent] Susan Collins. It feels slightly different this time, but it also doesn’t; she’s within a point or two. No Democrat wants the majority coming down to Maine or Alaska,» he added.
Collins trails Graham Platner replacement Troy Jackson 49-45, according to a recent CNN poll.
If the Democrats do take the Senate, Turrentine suggested, they will have to contend with the rising tide of socialism and an increasingly popular far-left wing within the party.
«This tension between who will be what I’ll call the majority makers and the base that feels like… both feel like, ‘You need me,’ right? A moderate can’t win if the base doesn’t turn out,» Turrentine added.
He relayed party criticisms of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become speaker should the Democrats wrest control of the lower chamber from the GOP.
«Nobody knows where Hakeem Jeffries comes down. And no one knows who Hakeem Jeffries is,» Turrentine said.
«Pelosi had the trust of both wings; Hakeem Jeffries still faces questions from both sides about where he stands, all while [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer watches for a primary challenge from his left,» he added.
politics, midterm elections, senate, chuck schumer, alaska, democrats elections, democrats senate, maine, north carolina, kansas, missouri
Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s warning to young Americans not to join the Trump administration could backfire by handing Trump officials legal ammunition to derail the investigations Democrats hope to launch if they retake Congress, a former federal prosecutor warned.
The freshman Michigan Democrat said last month that she wants her party to pursue «signature cases» against officials who helped Trump, reasoning that it would discourage young Americans from considering jobs in his administration.
«I want that deterrence message sent,» Slotkin said during an Oct. 13 event at the University of Chicago, describing how young graduates might fear «buying myself a ton of problems» by joining the administration.
But Abhishek Kambli, a former deputy associate attorney general in Trump’s Justice Department, said Slotkin’s remarks could backfire if Democrats retake either chamber of Congress in the midterm elections and gain greater control over congressional investigations.
«If they just throw in boilerplate language that this is for legislative purpose, anyone challenging those subpoenas will have that entire record to demonstrate that it’s anything but that,» Kambli, a partner at Holtzman Vogel, told Digital.
HOUSE DEMS PLOT TRUMP INVESTIGATION BLITZ IF THEY SEIZE MAJORITY
While Congress has broad authority to conduct investigations, subpoena witnesses and review government operations, the Supreme Court has ruled that lawmakers cannot use those powers solely to punish individuals.
The Supreme Court confronted those limits in 2020, when House Democrats attempted to obtain Trump’s personal financial records through congressional subpoenas.
In Trump v. Mazars, the justices established a four-factor test requiring courts to examine whether Congress demonstrated a legitimate legislative need for the records, whether its requests were sufficiently narrow, whether the information could be obtained elsewhere and what burden the subpoenas would impose on the president.
The court sent the dispute back to lower courts without ruling that the subpoenas satisfied those standards, leaving unresolved questions about how the framework would be applied.
«So it’s not enough just to tack on a legislative purpose,» Kambli said, arguing that courts must look beyond Congress’ stated reasons for an investigation to determine whether its demands are constitutionally justified.
Democrats’ public remarks could become evidence against them if future subpoenas are challenged, according to Kambli.
SLOTKIN WANTS GOP PROSECUTIONS TO DETER YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION JOBS
«They don’t have to bury their head in the sand,» Kambli said of the courts. «I think they have to look at the facts of the case and look at it in terms of how they fits into the broader comments that they made.»
House Democrats are already laying the groundwork for investigations into Trump’s family business dealings and potential conflicts of interest if they regain control of Congress. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has also vowed to expand his investigation into donors funding Trump’s White House ballroom if Democrats retake the Senate,
But another constitutional law expert questioned whether Democrats’ remarks would carry enough legal weight to undermine future congressional investigations.
Michael Morley, a professor at Florida State University College of Law, said courts generally recognize that politicians bring partisan motivations to congressional investigations and would be reluctant to invalidate subpoenas merely because of provocative public remarks.
«I don’t think that the fact that there might be partisan motivations for a congressional investigation would ultimately be a valid basis for refusing to comply with a subpoena,» Morley told Digital.
«At the end of the day, a court is going to be very reluctant to conclude, based on one or more members’ possible subjective motivations, that Congress lacks constitutional authority to investigate,» Morley said.
SLOTKIN’S VIRAL ‘THREAT’ TO CONSERVATIVES TAKES NEW TWIST AS STUDENT MOVES TO HOLD HER ACCOUNTABLE: ‘SHOCKING’
He also emphasized that Trump v. Mazars focused specifically on subpoenas for the president’s personal records, arguing that applying the same heightened legal standards to subpoenas targeting other administration officials would be a stretch.
But Morley said Slotkin’s language could give judges pause when the legal basis for a subpoena is already uncertain.
«It’s bad atmospherics,» he said, adding that such statements could make courts «marginally less likely» to resolve doubts in Democrats’ favor.
Slotkin has rejected accusations that she wants to target Americans merely for working for Republicans. She told CNN that she was talking about officials who break the law or misuse taxpayer dollars, calling the criticism «manufactured outrage.»
But Kambli warned the consequences could extend beyond whether Democratic subpoenas survive legal challenges, saying that investigations could inflict financial and reputational damage even without criminal charges.
«There is the idea that the process is the punishment, and there is no doubt that some members of Congress intend to use the process to bankrupt people that can’t afford legal representation,» Kambli said.
He also said that while Trump’s Justice Department would be unlikely to prosecute administration officials over criminal contempt referrals from a Democratic-controlled Congress, that could change under a future Democratic administration.
Morley also criticized the prospect of intimidating young government employees who may lack the resources to defend themselves.
«That’s just not how we want our political disputes to be handled,» Morley said.
politics, congress, senate, justice department, attorney general
INTERNACIONAL
El Niño marca el pulso: qué regiones tendrán más lluvias y temperaturas más bajas, según el pronóstico trimestral
El mapa climático de los próximos tres meses dibuja un contraste sobre buena parte de Argentina: el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) anticipa una mayor probabilidad de precipitaciones por encima de lo habitual y temperaturas medias más bajas en sectores del centro y noreste. Entre noviembre de 2026 y enero de 2027, el Litoral, Córdoba, el oeste de Santa Fe, el este de San Luis, La Pampa y áreas de Buenos Aires concentran las principales señales del informe. El escenario coincide con un El Niño que continúa fortaleciéndose y que tendría alta probabilidad de persistir hasta el trimestre enero-marzo de 2027.
La proyección no supone tres meses de lluvias continuas ni un descenso constante del termómetro. Se refiere a la tendencia promedio del período, aunque el SMN advierte que el cielo puede salirse del libreto: podrían registrarse eventos de lluvia localmente intensos, en especial en el centro y noreste del país. El informe no atribuye de forma directa esas condiciones al fenómeno del Pacífico, pero incorpora la evolución oceánica y atmosférica entre los elementos que analiza para elaborar sus previsiones.
La franja central concentra la tendencia a temperaturas inferiores a lo normal
La mayor probabilidad de temperaturas inferiores a lo normal abarca toda la franja central del país. El informe identifica una señal más marcada sobre Córdoba, el sudoeste de Santa Fe, el este de San Luis, el este de La Pampa y el oeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires.
La señal no anticipa tres meses de frío sostenido ni excluye jornadas de calor intenso. El pronóstico trabaja sobre promedios estacionales: cuando señala una temperatura inferior a lo normal, indica que los valores medios del período tendrían mayores chances de ubicarse por debajo de los registros habituales para esa época del año.
El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) aclara que “esta previsión debe ser considerada sobre el valor medio del trimestre”. En otras palabras, puede haber días calurosos e incluso episodios de temperaturas altas, aunque el balance general del período tienda a resultar más fresco que lo esperado según los valores climatológicos.
La previsión también incluye al norte de Cuyo, el sur de Santiago del Estero y el noreste de la Patagonia dentro de la categoría “normal o inferior a la normal”. Esto supone que, para esas regiones, las probabilidades se inclinan entre valores cercanos a los promedios históricos y registros algo más bajos.
El noroeste y el sur patagónico tendrían temperaturas por encima del promedio
El panorama cambia hacia el norte y el sur. El Noroeste Argentino y el sur de la Patagonia son las áreas donde el pronóstico señala la mayor probabilidad de temperaturas superiores a lo normal durante el trimestre.
Para el SMN, la categoría superior a lo normal se aplica cuando los valores previstos se ubicarían por encima del límite alto del rango considerado habitual. Esa referencia se construye con datos históricos de cada zona, por lo que no equivale a un único número de grados para todo el territorio.
El centro-oeste de Chaco y Formosa, el este de Salta y el oeste patagónico se ubican en una situación intermedia. Allí, el organismo proyecta temperaturas “normales o superiores a la normal”, con una mayor chance de que los registros medios queden dentro de ese rango.
En el norte del Litoral, en tanto, la previsión apunta a valores normales. Esto comprende una temperatura media que se mantendría dentro de los parámetros usuales para los meses de noviembre, diciembre y enero, sin una inclinación marcada hacia uno u otro extremo.
Menor frecuencia de máximas muy altas en el centro y noreste
El SMN advierte que “no se descarta que predomine una menor amplitud térmica media”, sobre todo en la franja central y el noreste del país.
La amplitud térmica mide la diferencia entre las temperaturas máximas y mínimas. Una baja en ese indicador puede reflejar contrastes diarios menos marcados, aunque su expresión concreta varía según la localidad y los eventos de corta duración.
El organismo agrega otra precisión relevante: se esperan “mayores chances a registrar una menor frecuencia de temperaturas máximas muy altas”. La frase no descarta períodos calurosos durante el trimestre, pero sí plantea que esos picos extremos podrían ser menos frecuentes, especialmente en las provincias que integran el centro y noreste del país.
Cómo leer el mapa climático que anticipa el SMN
El pronóstico climático trimestral se elabora mediante un consenso entre modelos globales de simulación del clima, modelos estadísticos nacionales y el análisis de las condiciones oceánicas y atmosféricas. El resultado no representa un calendario del tiempo, sino una estimación probabilística para cada región.
Para presentar esas probabilidades, el SMN utiliza terciles. Se trata de una división de los datos históricos de temperatura y precipitación en tres partes iguales: inferior a lo normal, normal y superior a lo normal. Para la temperatura, el rango central contempla valores cercanos al promedio; por fuera de ese margen se ubican las otras dos categorías.
El organismo remarca que “el pronóstico no indica valores de la variable pronosticada ni su variabilidad a lo largo del trimestre”. Por eso, una tendencia a temperaturas inferiores al promedio no impide que haya jornadas con calor intenso, del mismo modo que una señal de temperaturas superiores no excluye ingresos de aire frío.
Las condiciones de escala diaria y semanal pueden modificar la experiencia concreta de cada período. Frentes, tormentas, bloqueos atmosféricos, olas de calor o irrupciones de aire frío son fenómenos que el pronóstico estacional no puede precisar con meses de anticipación.
Por esa razón, el organismo recomienda seguir los pronósticos diarios, la perspectiva semanal y el sistema de alertas tempranas. Esas herramientas permiten conocer con mayor precisión los eventos de alto impacto que pueden afectar a una localidad, aun cuando la tendencia trimestral general apunte a un escenario de temperaturas medias más bajas o más altas que las habituales.
Buenos Aires,Obelisco,avenida 9 de Julio,lluvia,tránsito
INTERNACIONAL
Major US children’s hospital opens historic detransition clinic after $10M legal showdown
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that the nation’s first-ever detransition clinic has opened at Texas Children’s Hospital following a $10 million settlement with the state.
The announcement comes after Paxton reached a settlement with TCH in May, finalized in August, requiring the hospital to pay $10 million to resolve government claims and separately establish and fund a detransition clinic. The new clinic provides «detransition-related medical care to patients through age 21, along with detransition-related obstetric and gynecologic care to patients older than 21,» according to Paxton’s office.
«In accordance with my settlement with Texas Children’s Hospital, the nation’s first-ever Detransition Clinic is now open,» Paxton said in a statement. «I will continue to ensure that this clinic provides the care and support that victims of the radical left’s gender ideology deserve.»
A LANDMARK TEXAS RULING BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO ONE DETRANSITIONER’S QUEST FOR JUSTICE
«Together, we will protect our children and defeat the dangerous ideology that has inflicted irreversible harm on innocent kids,» he continued.
Tuesday’s announcement comes as Paxton is running for election in Texas’ 2026 Senate race. President Donald Trump campaigned in two separate Texas cities, Corpus Christi and Lubbock, on Tuesday in an effort to boost Paxton’s Senate bid.
The Trump administration has been targeting initiatives related to transgender people in recent months. Trump announced in August that his administration will cease providing funding for gender transition surgeries using Medicaid for minors.
Paxton’s office did not respond to Digital’s request for comment.
A TCH spokesperson told Digital on Wednesday that the hospital prioritizes providing patients «the highest standard of care,» including through the detransition clinic.
«First and foremost, patients and families are at the center of all we do and we will always provide the highest standard of care, including through this clinic, which formalizes the supportive, multidisciplinary services we have and will continue to deliver,» the TCH spokesperson said. «Given the multidisciplinary approach, care may be delivered in multiple locations, depending on individual patient needs.»
«All services provided will be within our hospital’s existing licensure and scope,» the spokesperson added. «Services will include Endocrinology, Surgery, Primary Care, Fertility Counseling, Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work/Case Management and Speech Pathology. The clinic is operational and we are complying with all requirements in the settlement agreement.»
The TCH spokesperson also told Digital that the hospital is «actively triaging prospective patients» for the detransition clinic.
«Protecting the privacy of our patients and their families is a top priority, thus we are unable to share patient information,» the spokesperson stated. «We are actively triaging prospective patients through our established intake process. We can tell you that thus far, we have not yet had clinical appointments with patients.»
INSURANCE COMPANIES PUT ON NOTICE FOR STRANDING TRANS PATIENTS WHO WANT TO REVERSE SURGERIES
TCH is required to fully fund services provided through the detransition clinic for its first five years, ensuring patients receive those services at no cost, and must also publicize the clinic on its website, per the settlement.
The May settlement also required TCH to pay $10 million to resolve claims brought under the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act and the federal False Claims Act over allegations that the hospital improperly billed Texas Medicaid for gender-transition treatments, according to Paxton’s office.
Do No Harm, a medical advocacy organization critical of gender-transition treatments for minors, estimates that 13,994 minors received gender-transition-related medical interventions between 2019 and 2023, based on its analysis of insurance claims data.
A poll published on Oct. 21 found that Democratic candidate James Talarico and Paxton were tied at 49% each among likely voters in the Lone Star State.
politics, texas, health care healthy living, attorney general, childrens health
El “efecto Lula” sigue pegando en Argentina: los bonos sintieron el impacto, pero el tipo de cambio aguantó
How House Democrats’ ‘deterrence message’ on Trump jobs could backfire
Hat-trick de lesiones en el Bayern antes de recibir al Atlético
Monseñor Braida: “Es importante que el Papa vaya a Don Orione; los más postergados nunca pueden ser la variable de ajuste”
Condenaron a 3 años de prisión a los responsables de intimidar a una empresaria de Entre Ríos con un paquete que tenía dos balas
Golpe milmillonario a Binance: así han perpetrado los hackers norcoreanos el mayor robo cibernético de la historia
Avanza la búsqueda de los hermanos desaparecidos que fueron arrastrados por la corriente de un río en Santa Cruz
Malvinas: tras aceptar modificaciones, el Gobierno buscará llevar al recinto el proyecto de Ley de Soberanía el 12 de noviembre
Luis Enrique no tiene al gran ‘killer’ de París: una ‘bestia’ supera a Ferran Torres
Europa entre Escila y Caribdis
INTERNACIONAL3 días agoEuropa entre Escila y Caribdis
- DEPORTE3 días ago
Goleada en contra y apenas 22 minutos para el Chango Zeballos en Monza
- SOCIEDAD3 días ago
La reflexión de Gabriel Rolón sobre la felicidad: “Es ese momento de eternidad donde lo que fuiste, querés ser, te atormenta y temés coexisten”
