Mike Kelly

The president-elect is rewarding supporters who lost elections with plum positions. Now they owe him.

A judge has refused to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity.

President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he would consider pardoning embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams and declared the country was "not going to lose" the polio vaccine.

More than a month after the November election, Iowa-based pollster Ann Selzer still is searching for answers.

President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution's suggestion of preserving the verdict.

A Denver district court judge has upheld a decision of the Colorado Court of Appeals regarding whether the state's ethics commission can assert jurisdiction over local governments that have their own ethics code.

In addition to Habba, Trump made several appointments Sunday for State Department roles.

President-elect Trump sat for his first network interview Sunday since winning the 2024 election — where he reaffirmed his intention to pardon Jan. 6 defendants, end birthright citizenship and implement his sweeping deportation plans. Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, December 8.1. Trump: I don't need to pardon myself President-elect Trump speaks during an interview aired Dec. 8 with NBC's "Meet the Press."President-elect Trump dismissed the idea of pardoning himself in a "Meet the Press" interview, saying he didn't need to do it as he's winning "almost all" of his legal cases.Driving the news: Pardons have become a hot topic amid reporting that President Biden might issue them pre-emptively for individuals who have drawn the ire of Trump and his allies, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).The idea for Trump to pardon himself was also floated during his previous presidential term, something which the president-elect said in the pre-taped interview that he "didn't want to do."Trump said he had the option to pardon himself, but a "very specific lawyer" in his administration advised him that doing so would imply guilt. "I could have saved myself a lot of legal fees," Trump said about a pardon.What they're saying: Trump said he never considered if Biden would offer him a pardon, but added that he didn't think the president would do it."He's the one that started this whole thing," Trump said. "He got the Justice Department to go after me."Trump also accused the Justice Department of running the two cases where he's facing violations of state laws — his hush-money case in New York and the election interference case in Georgia.Read the full transcript of Trump's "Meet the Press" interview.2. Syrian shock felt globally House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) during a Dec. 8 interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation."The upheaval of leadership in Syria has thrust the region and several world powers into an unexpected period of uncertainty. The big picture: 900 U.S. troops remain in Syria, where they have been conducting counterterrorism operations against ISIS.The U.S. has condemned Assad's brutal regime, which has been supported by Iran, Russia and Hezbollah. But Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has also been labeled a terrorist by the U.S.House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that he expects there will be an "assessment as to whether or not the (U.S.) troops should remain" in Syria."This is going to be an area that's going to be volatile and in transition," he said, pointing to Russian bases in the region that are both at risk for Russia in the face of the rebel offensive and a lingering threat to the Syrian people.Zoom out: Trump began his withdrawal of U.S. troops from Northern Syria in 2019, abandoning Kurdish partners in the region and earning him condemnation from fellow Republicans (including Marco Rubio, who he's tapped to serve as his secretary of state)."He [Trump] does absolutely support the Kurds," Turner said Sunday, predicting the president-elect is "going to look for a diplomatic solution."Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of CENTCOM, told ABC's Martha Raddatz Sunday he thinks there is "less danger" in the region for U.S. troops at the present moment, as Iran, Hezbollah and Russia are on their "back heels."But he noted that while the fall of Assad leaves U.S. enemies without a partner and is "bad news for them," it's not obvious "who it's good news for."He continued: "I'm not sure it's ultimately going to be good news for the people of Syria .... we could have an Islamic state arise there, which will have profound negative implications across the region."Yes, but: While the future is murky, Syrians and others have rejoiced at the downfall of a regime that gassed its people and clung to power over more than a decade of civil war.Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said on "Face the Nation" he is feeling "an indescribable feeling of happiness" at Assad's defeat. Asked what comes next as rebels take over political prisons, Moustafa told Brennan the "first thing that we are working really hard and ... all the rebel factions are working really hard to do is find Austin Tice."Tice, an American journalist who has been missing in Syria for 12 years, is believed to be alive, President Biden told reporters Sunday.3. Congress wants answers on assassination attempts Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) speak during a prerecorded interview with CBS News' Margaret Brennan.Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), the ranking member on the bipartisan Trump Assassination Attempt Task Force, said in an interview aired Sunday that the Justice Department and FBI's lack of transparency with Congress over the two attempted assassinations of then-candidate Trump is "an unacceptable position."Catch up quick: The Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting that left one rally-goer dead sparked a series of investigations into the security failures that day, eventually leading to a change of Secret Service leadership. But Crow and others still have questions: "Why did the shooter do this? What drove him to do it? Was he a lone wolf shooter? Did he have associates or affiliates? What was his motivation? How was he radicalized?"He said the agencies' safeguarding of information differs from what he's encountered in his past committee work."You can't tell me there isn't a way to put us into a secure facility and get us information about an ongoing criminal investigation when I regularly am receiving briefs on what our spies and our military special operators are doing regularly around the world," he said.More from Axios' Sunday coverage:Trump sticks by tariffs, but no guarantees on inflationTrump suggests deporting families with mixed immigration statusTakeaways from Trump's "Meet the Press" interview

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," he again suggested political rivals should be imprisoned and repeated his deportation promises.

Federal law enforcement agencies did not share requested documents and testimony with Congress.

Ronald Rowe promised accountability for what he called the agency’s “abject failure” to secure the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire from a nearby building on July 13.

Patel called for reducing the FBI's footprint, said he intends to aggressively hunt down leaks and wants to make it easier to sue journalists.

Meanwhile, Trump threatened 100% tariffs against the BRIC alliance of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar.

Among those targeted was New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick to serve as the next UN ambassador. A family member of Matt Gaetz also received a bomb threat.

With votes still being counted in the 2024 election, at least two dozen ambitious House members are already sizing up runs for higher office in 2026, Axios has learned.Why it matters: This extraordinarily large cohort could cause all kinds of headaches for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as they navigate a razor-thin House majority.Both sides are trying to maximize attendance and minimize early retirements in one of the most closely divided Houses in history.Driving the news: The scale of House members eyeing bids for higher office in 2026 is far greater than is publicly known, according to lawmakers and aides who spoke to Axios.Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told Axios that "folks have talked about" him running for governor and that he is "not actively seeking it nor ruling it out."Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) is being encouraged to run for governor and considering it, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) is weighing running for Senate if Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) retires, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) may run for Vice President-elect Vance's Senate seat if outgoing Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) doesn't, sources told Axios.Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is also considering a run for governor, according to sources familiar with her thinking.Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is seen as a potential candidate for governor, Axios previously reported.Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who has floated a run for governor, is also considering vying to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), according to sources familiar with the matter.Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) is a potential candidate for statewide office in Colorado, several senior House Democrats told Axios.Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) is being encouraged to run for governor, a source familiar with the matter told Axios, though he hasn't publicly indicated any plans to do so.Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told Axios he is "considering both" challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) or a run for governor.Zoom in: Those names are on top of a slew of House members already publicly running or considering bids for other offices.Considering a run for governor: Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), John Rose (R-Tenn.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).Considering a run for Senate: Reps. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) Clay Higgins (R-La.), Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) are both running in the 2025 New Jersey governor election.Several House members, including Reps. Mike Carey (R-Ohio) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), are also vying for Vance's Senate seat.Zoom out: House members have been fleeing the lower chamber at a historic clip in recent years, with many saying the body is dysfunctional and toxic.Congressional leaders will also have to deal with cash-strapped members looking to potentially jump ship early for a private-sector payout.Between the lines: Some members just want to keep their names in the mix or boost their name ID. Others will have to undergo a genuine deliberation process.Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), seen as a potential candidate for governor or Senate in 2026, "will have political options" but is spending most of his time on "how Republicans can be successful in the 119th" Congress, a source close to him told Axios.Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), floated as a potential Senate candidate, is focused "on the upcoming Congress and hasn't made any decisions about 2026 yet, but is committed to working to ensure Democrats win back control of the Senate and the House," a spokesperson said.

President-elect Donald Trump has filled key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbles during his first term. Among his choices are Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as health...

At-Large Ald. Jazmine Newton abstained from voting, saying she did not get requested information back in time to fully review it.

President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, and it's shaping up much differently than his first. He's prioritizing loyalists for top jobs.

Rollins, who heads the Trump-allied America First Policy Institute, was the director of his office of American innovation in his first term.

President-elect Donald Trump says he is nominating Dr. Mehmet Oz, who hosted a long-running television talk show, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

As commerce secretary, Lutnick would have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs.

The Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on Monday issued subpoenas to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for testimony from two ATF employees regarding the response to the July 13 assassination attempt​.

Donald Trump is considering recess appointments to skip over Senate confirmations for some of the most powerful positions in the U.S. Here's how that would work.

Johnson's intervention is highly unusual, as the Ethics panel traditionally operated independently.

The lawmaker, who leads the House Republican Conference, is a Trump loyalist, a strong Israel supporter, and a Harvard graduate.

Raheim Sanders and Princely Umanmielen headline top transfer performances from Week 11

Just days after winning a landslide election for his second term in office, Democratic Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver has told 9News he intends to announce his resignation Tuesday.

Both James Franklin and Brian Kelly have big game coaching issues, but who would you rather have?

Control over the U.S. House of Representatives still hangs in the balance, teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with fewer than 20 races left to be called.

Milwaukee: A military judge has reinstated the plea deal for three 9/11 defendants, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who are being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The pre-trial agreement had been thrown out by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

President-elect Trump was seen spending time with his grandchildren and golfing at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, days after he won the 2024 presidential race against Vice President Harris.

by Megan Henry, for Ohio Capital JournalAll three Republican Ohio Supreme Court candidates swept their races Tuesday night, giving them a 6-1 majority on the state’s highest court and striking fear into abortion rights advocates while giving hope to anti-abortion advocates.Republican Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan defeated incumbent Democratic Justice Michael P. Donnelly.Incumbent Republican Justice Joseph Deters, who decided not to run for his current seat, defeated incumbent Democratic Justice Melody Stewart.Republican Judge Dan Hawkins defeated Democratic Judge Lisa Forbes for Deters’ open seat. Shanahan, Deters, and Hawkins each received 55% of the vote, according to the Associated Press’ unofficial results. Results will remain unofficial until they are certified by local boards of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State.Republicans have controlled the Ohio Supreme Court since 1986 and their current 4-3 majority will become a 6-1 majority starting next year.

New York Attorney General Letitia James vowed to continue legally pursuing President-elect Donald Trump after his massive victory last week.

President-elect Trump vowed on the campaign trail to pardon rioters accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress certified the 2020 election win of his Democratic opponent. “The moment we win, we will rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner unjustly victimized by the Harris regime, and I will sign their [...]

Donald Trump is preparing to hire a new round of people to help him run the country. With Trump’s track record of never-ending chaos and disorder, they may want to keep their resumes handy.Trump is reportedly considering a team of loyalists, the people who will tell him he’s never wrong when he suggests policies like injecting bleach to fight off COVID-19 and launching nuclear weapons at hurricanes.Among the names in circulation are former ambassador and social media troll Richard Grenell heading the State Department; apostrophe investigator Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.N. ambassador; Taliban meeting coordinator Mike Pompeo as secretary of defense; and anti-vaccine crackpot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running the Department of Health.

County Executive Sam Page’s choice to replace Wesley Bell could face County Council opposition.

In the state's most closely watched race, Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen fended off a challenge from Republican Joe McGraw in the 17th district.

In state after state, Trump outperformed what he did in 2020 while Harris failed to do as well as Joe Biden did in winning the presidency four years ago.

There’s been just shy of $1 billion spent on political ads up and down the ballot in the last week, data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact shows.The most expensive race over the last week is the presidential race, where more than $272 million has been spent on ads.The vast majority of the almost $1 billion spent on ads this week has come in down-ballot races across the country.With Election Day around the corner, there’s been just shy of $1 billion spent on political ads up and down the ballot in the last week, data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact shows.The $994 million is close to one-tenth of the more than $10 billion that’s been spent on political advertising so far since the start of 2023, spent across just seven days. And while Election Day may bring a temporary end to the spending onslaught that’s seemingly dominated every television commercial break in recent weeks, it’s not over yet: There’s still more than $300 million in future advertising time booked between Sunday and Tuesday.The most expensive race over the last week is, unsurprisingly, the presidential race, where more than $272 million has been spent on ads, according to data from AdImpact. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has narrowly outspent Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign $43.4 million to $40.7 million between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, but Democratic super PACs helped the party narrowly outspend Republicans over that period in the presidential race.The vast majority of the almost $1 billion spent on ads this week has come in down-ballot races across the country, as candidates and outside groups spend furiously in races for Congress, the state House, pivotal ballot questions and other races.There’s been more than $267 million spent on ads in down-ballot races, meaning all of the other races outside of races for president, governor and Congress.The two races drawing the most spending are in Florida, with $19 million in ad spending on the ballot referendum on abortion rights and about $18.5 million on the ballot referendum on legalizing marijuana there.One other down-ballot race saw more than $10 million in ad spending over the last week: California’s referendum on rent control.Senate races have drawn $227 million so far.Three Senate races have drawn more than $30 million each over the last week: Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.Wisconsin and Michigan are in the next tier, with more than $23 million in spending last week.House races have seen more than $208 million in ad spending.New York’s 19th District (where Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro is trying to hold on against Democrat Josh Riley) has seen the most, at almost $9 million in ad spending.California’s 45th District, a race featuring Republican Rep. Michelle Steel and Democrat Derek Tran, is seeing the next highest amount of ad spending with about $7.5 million, followed closely by California’s 27th District, where Republican Rep. Mike Garcia faces Democrat George Whitesides.Governors races have had just $18 million in ad spending in the last week, thanks to a relative lack of competitive races this cycle.New Hampshire’s open gubernatorial race, featuring Republican former Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democratic former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, is seeing the most ad spending ($6.7 million).

Is LSU or Ole Miss the better college football program right now based on their head coaches?

RFK Jr. dropped his presidential campaign earlier this year to endorse Trump, whom he had previously criticized.

Why is Tim Sheehy, who served his country in uniform, so self-loathing that he supports the presidential candidate who routinely reviles soldiers and veterans, and expresses nothing but contempt for their service to our country?

Submissions about charities, benefits and nonprofit fundraisers for the weekly Good Neighbors calendar published Wednesdays should be emailed to [email protected] by noon Friday.

The judge said the plaintiffs lacked standing and suggested their requested relief would be too disruptive before the election, which is a week away.

On Tuesday, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit by six Republican members of Congress over how to count votes from military members and others who cast ballots from overseas.

"That was love in the room, and it was love for our country," Trump said of his racist rally.

A federal judge in Pennsylvania is throwing out a lawsuit by six Republican congressmen over how to count votes from members of the military and others who cast ballots from overseas.

Almost four years after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, political violence remains a threat heading into another election. But the nature of the danger has changed.

Several members of the Trump administration, including former Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff, Mike Ayers, have sharply disputed the claims.