Democrat Derek Tran wins California’s 45th congressional district
Democrat Derek Tran has won election to the US House of Represenatives in California’s 45th congressional district, beating incumbent Michelle Steel.
The AP has called the race for Tran after a weeks-long count. Republicans already control the US House, as well as the Senate, but picking up the seat is a big win for Democrats, who lost it to Steel in 2020.
Although Steel initially had a commanding lead, the race became neck and neck as election workers tallied more ballots.
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As the Associated Press called California’s 45th district for Democrat Derek Tran, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel appeared to concede.
In a statement posted on social media, Steel did not use the word “concede” or name Tran but said her journey in Congress “is ending”.
“Everything is God’s will and, like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin,” she said. “I owe a debt of gratitude to my supporters, my staff, my family, my daughters and especially my husband, Shawn, for standing by me through endless campaigns. To my volunteers, we would never have made it this far without your tireless efforts. And, to the voters, thank you.”
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Updated at 17.01 EST
Derek Tran, who won his race for California’s 45th district today, flipped one of just three seats for Democrats this election.
The other two pick-ups for Democrats were elsewhere in California and Oregon.
Tran, an attorney and Army veteran, defeated two-term Republican Michelle Steel, largely by focusing on her record on abortion rights. Steel had twice co-sponsored a nationwide abortion ban, called the Life at Conception Act, but later withdrew her support from the bill.
Despite criticism from Donald Trump, who called Tran a “Radical Left Puppet of Communist China”, Tran was able to dodge such criticism as the son of war refugees from Vietnam. His district – which is anchored by Orange County – includes the nation’s largest Vietnamese community. Tran will be the district’s first Vietnamese American representative.
He said his win “is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our community. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, I understand firsthand the journey and sacrifices many families in our district have made for a better life.”
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Updated at 16.55 EST
Democrat Derek Tran wins California’s 45th congressional district
Democrat Derek Tran has won election to the US House of Represenatives in California’s 45th congressional district, beating incumbent Michelle Steel.
The AP has called the race for Tran after a weeks-long count. Republicans already control the US House, as well as the Senate, but picking up the seat is a big win for Democrats, who lost it to Steel in 2020.
Although Steel initially had a commanding lead, the race became neck and neck as election workers tallied more ballots.
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Iowa representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican, has won reelection to the House of Representatives, the Associated Press announced after a recount. Miller-Meeks’ lead over her opponent, Democrat Christina Bohannan, was less than a percentage point. Although Miller-Meeks had declared victory, the AP had not called the race because the margin was close enough that it could prompt a recount – which Bohannan’s campaign called for on 14 November.
“This is a delaying tactic to thwart the will of the people,” the Miller-Meeks campaign said of the recount, adding that it wasted taxpayer dollars. “A recount won’t meaningfully change the outcome of this race as the congresswoman’s lead is mathematically impossible to overcome.”
Miller-Meeks’ victory gives Republicans 220 seats in the House to Democrats’ 214 (the AP has yet to call one remaining House race). It also marks the first time in three decades that Iowa will have an all-Republican congressional delegation.
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Updated at 16.38 EST
A little-known Florida-based drones company said on Wednesday it had appointed Donald Trump Jr as an adviser – then saw its stock price surge.
The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly has more on the president-elect’s son:
“Don Jr joining our board of advisors provides us unique expertise we need as we bring drone component manufacturing back to America,” said Allan Evans, chief executive of Unusual Machines.
By mid-morning on the New York stock exchange, company shares had climbed as high as $11.67, more than double the day’s opening price.
Unusual Machines also said Trump Jr, the oldest son of the president-elect, was among its investors. A filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission listed Trump Jr as the second-biggest shareholder.
In a press release that described Trump Jr as “a globally recognized business leader” and “best-selling author”, Evans said he would “bring a wealth of experience”.
Trump, typically referred to as Don Jr, has spent most of his adult life working for his father’s company, the Trump Organization, on real estate and branding. But he has risen to political prominence since his sister Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, distanced themselves from Donald Trump following his defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and incitement of the January 6 attack on Congress by Trump supporters who tried in vain to overturn his loss.
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Updated at 16.38 EST
The day so far …
A host of Trump appointees experienced bomb threats today. To recap the day:
Several Trump appointees were confirmed to have been targets of bomb threats at their homes on Wednesday. The FBI confirmed it is investigating the threats. Those targeted include: Pete Hegseth, Matt Gaetz, Elise Stefanik, Howard Lutnick and Lee Zeldin.
Trump named some new people to round out his second administration. He added Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health; Jim O’Neill as deputy health secretary; John Phelan as Navy secretary and Keith Kellogg as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
House speaker Mike Johnson said he would host a meeting with Republican lawmakers and the two leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, to discuss government cuts next week.
A lawsuit was dismissed against Fox News brought by Ray Epps, a Donald Trump supporter who became the subject of a rightwing conspiracy theory about the January 6 attack and sued the outlet for defamation.
Democrats are criticizing Kamala Harris’s campaign for failing to critically analyze her loss and any missteps she made.
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Updated at 16.41 EST
Harris criticized for campaign ‘patting each other on the back’ despite loss
Democrats are criticizing Kamala Harris and her campaign for not critically analyzing her run or acknowledging any errors that could have contributed to her loss.
Harris participated in a video call to thank donors, clips of which spread around the internet, with one Democratic National Committee official calling the call essentially “just patting each other on the back”, despite Harris’s loss.
Separately, Pod Save America released an episode yesterday with several Harris campaign officials which has received pushback for failing to hold the campaign to account for its decisions and saw the aides defensive rather than reflective of any mistakes.
For more on how some Democrats are reacting to the Harris post-mortems, the Guardian’s Robert Tait has the full story:
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Updated at 15.58 EST
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would host Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Capitol Hill next Thursday to talk about ways to cut the government as part of the two men’s Department of Government Efficiency effort.
In a post on Musk’s platform, X, Johnson said Republican House and Senate members were invited to “discuss major reform ideas to achieve regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions, and cost savings—& revive the principle of limited government!”
While it’s called a “department,” the new effort is not a department of the government – a president cannot unilaterally create a department. Instead, it is expected to offer suggestions to Trump on places to cut, which could include entire agencies and programs.
Musk has previously said the government should have 99 agencies, a seemingly arbitrary number, instead of the several hundred it has now. Earlier today, he suggested getting rid of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency tasked with protecting consumers from predatory behavior in the finance sector.
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Updated at 15.38 EST
A report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that abortions decreased by 2% in 2022, the year Roe v Wade was overturned.
Since Roe’s demise, abortion restrictions and bans in some states have closed off or limited access in those places – though other states have increased access.
More from the Guardian’s Carter Sherman in the full story here:
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Updated at 14.13 EST
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s pick to lead the environmental protection agency, said on X that a pipe bomb threat targeting his home “was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message”.
He and his family weren’t home, he said, and are safe. Zeldin added: “We are working with law enforcement to learn more as the situation develops.
“We are thankful for the swift actions taken by local officers to keep our family, neighbors, and local community secure.”
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Updated at 13.58 EST
Keith Kellogg tapped as Ukraine-Russia envoy
Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he chose Keith Kellogg to serve as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, a newly created role as the two countries remain at war and the US’s support for Ukraine will be a key decision for Trump’s incoming administration.
Kellogg previously served as a national security adviser to Trump and to former vice president Mike Pence in Trump’s first term.
“I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration. He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!”
The choice comes after reports last week that Trump was considering Richard Grenell for the role. Grenell served as intelligence chief during Trump’s first term.
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Who in Trump’s team has been targeted?
More members of Trump’s cabinet have emerged as subjects of bomb threats today. So far, those known to have had their residences targeted are:
Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary and part of his transition team, whose home was threatened, Bronx outlet News 12 reported.
Lee Zeldin, the environmental protection agency pick, who saw his Long Island home threatened, News 12 in Long Island reported.
Matt Gaetz, the initial nominee for attorney general who has since withdrawn, had his Florida home targeted, various news reports said.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Trump’s UN ambassador choice, confirmed her home in New York was targeted.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary pick, whose home was targeted.
Those targeted appear to be physically safe, and law enforcement has responded to check their homes for any devices or threats, several outlets have reported.
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Updated at 13.34 EST
FBI confirms bombs threats and swatting incidents
The FBI has confirmed bomb threats and swatting incidents against Trump cabinet picks.
In a statement, the agency said it is “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees” and working with other law enforcement agencies to respond.
“We take all potential threats seriously and, as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement,” the statement said.
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Updated at 12.45 EST
Martin Pengelly
Fox News has welcomed the dismissal of a defamation case brought by Ray Epps, a Donald Trump supporter who became the subject of a rightwing conspiracy theory about the January 6 attack.
A Fox News Media statement referred to other dismissed lawsuits when it said: “Following the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski, and now Epps cases, Fox News is pleased with these back-to-back decisions from federal courts preserving the press freedoms of the first amendment.”
Epps, now 63, is a former US marine and ex-member of the Oath Keepers militia who traveled from Arizona to Washington on 6 January 2021, as Trump sought to overturn his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden. Epps was eventually sentenced to probation for his role in the attack on Congress that ensued, a riot linked to nine deaths and over which Trump was impeached but acquitted.
After becoming subject to claims he was a covert government agent who stirred Trump supporters to cause trouble, Epps was forced into hiding.
At his own sentencing, Epps said: “I have learned that truth is not always found in the places that I used to trust.”
He filed suit against Fox in July last year. The suit said: “In the aftermath of the events of January 6, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to blame other than Donald Trump or the Republican party. Eventually, they turned on one of their own.”
The suit cited Fox News hosts including Laura Ingraham and Will Cain but most prominently Tucker Carlson, who it said “was bluntly telling his viewers that it was a fact that Epps was a government informant. And they believed him.”
Carlson was not a target of the suit – a lawyer for Epps said he “was an employee of Fox when he lied about Ray, and Fox broadcast those defamatory falsehoods. Fox is therefore fully liable for Mr Carlson’s statements.”
Carlson was fired by Fox in April 2023, shortly after it settled (for $787.5m) a defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over the advancement of Trump’s electoral fraud lie.
Carlson has since flourished as an independent voice in far-right media, retaining influence with Trump as the president-elect prepares to return to power in January.
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Trump’s Pentagon pick among several people targeted with bomb threats
Pete Hegseth, nominated to be Donald Trump’s defense secretary, was among several cabinet nominees and appointees of the president-elect who were targeted with bomb threats and so-called swatting on Wednesday, the Guardian has learned.
A report also emerged that former congressman Matt Gaetz, who was briefly Trump’s first choice for US attorney general but stood aside after eight days amid a sexual misconduct scandal, was also targeted.
A spokesperson for Trump confirmed threats against some of his cabinet picks but did not initially give any names or say how many people had received threats.
But Hegseth, the military veteran steeped in controversy over his conservative views after being selected, was understood to be among the number, according to two people familiar with the developments.
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Updated at 12.17 EST
Reports by the Trump transition team that multiple Trump appointees and nominees were targeted by bomb threats and swatting comes amid a season of heightened concerns about political violence – and following two assassination attempts against Trump himself.
On 13 July, a shooter fired into the crowd during an open-air Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring two attendees and killing one. Trump was grazed by the gunfire but emerged almost entirely uninjured.
Two months later, on 15 September, a suspect was caught while pointing a gun toward Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf course, where Trump was golfing. He was apprehended the same day.
Both incidents prompted the Trump and Harris campaigns to adopt heightened security for the duration of the race. After the Pennsylvania shooting, Trump frequently appeared at rallies behind bulletproof glass.
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Updated at 12.11 EST
Elise Stefanik, Trump’s new UN envoy, says she was among targets
Elise Stefanik, the congresswoman and Trump’s appointee for ambassador to the United Nations, confirmed on X that there was a bomb threat at her home.
“This morning, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, her husband, and their three year old son were driving home to Saratoga County from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence,” her X post says.
Law enforcement responded immediately, she noted, “with the highest levels of professionalism.”
Office of Chairwoman Stefanik released the following statement:
“This morning, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, her husband, and their three year old son were driving home to Saratoga County from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their…
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) November 27, 2024
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Updated at 12.12 EST
