The Issue Is: Billy Bush, Kamala Harris, Rick Caruso
We join former Vice President Kamala Harris on her first trip to the Pacific Palisades since the Palisades Fire.
The visit comes as speculation intensifies whether she'll run for California Governor.
Businessman Rick Caruso is also considering a run for Governor.
We caught up with him at his home as he launched a non-profit for fire relief.
"Extra" host Billy Bush joins us to talk about his new show "Hot Mics with Billy Bush."
On the streaming show, Billy weighs in on politics, sports, and entertainment with hot takes...and he brings that candor to our set.
He also shares the key lessons he learned from his famous Bush family members.
"The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson" is California's statewide political show.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - To become governor, Kamala Harris must leap hurdles she created
I have no inside knowledge or insight as to whether Kamala Harris will run for governor of California in 2026. I'm not looped into her inner circle or decision-making process. But as someone who has advised many potential candidates about whether to run for offices from president to city council, I do have some perspective on what she should be considering. Having managed four campaigns for governor of California, I know the process is often harrowing and humbling for those who throw their hat in the ring. The state's electorate is not on the whole very attentive to politics, picking up only bits and snippets about candidates, many of them negative, and the media is out to turn over every rock to expose every frailty, screw-up, inconsistency and verbal slip. In Harris's case, she is already well known to voters, having been on the statewide ballot eight times, and having served as vice president, U.S. senator and attorney general. But she will be tested on two issues having nothing to do with her service as a senator or attorney general. If she does run, she will be pestered unmercifully about whether she would just be using the governorship as a holding room on her way to another White House bid. She would, of course, have to issue a pro forma pledge to serve a full term. The question is whether voters would believe have witnessed presidential fever infect their governors before. Jerry Brown was elected the first time in 1974. A little more than a year after being inaugurated, he was gallivanting off to Maryland and other states campaigning for president. Brown then ran yet again for president just over six months into his second term. Pete Wilson was handily reelected in 1994, then announced he was running for president less than five months after being sworn in. A perhaps even more serious problem for Harris is the current orgy of reporting about the new book, 'Original Sin,' which purports to tell the inside story of Joe Biden's physical and mental decline — and the complicity of those close to him in covering up and making excuses for his lapses. Some Democrats have tried to push back on the book by questioning this or picking at that, but come on, millions of Americans witnessed firsthand the pathetic and alarming former shell of himself that Biden displayed during the debate with Trump. Already, announced gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa (D), the former L.A. mayor, has very publicly taken Harris to task, demanding to know what she knew and when she knew it and criticizing her for not sounding an alarm about Biden's decrepitude. Just wait until the press gets her in their sights. And Harris will really have no good option: She will either have to throw Biden under the bus — an uncomfortable route given his recent cancer diagnosis, and her mum's-the-word approach until now — or claim she didn't witness the deterioration while sitting at his elbow, thus implicating herself in the cover-up. The emperor has no clothes, anyone? With all due respect to Harris, there is also the matter of her own presidential campaign. From a Democratic point of view, it was a total failure. She not only lost to Trump, of all people, but was the only Democratic nominee in the last 20 years to lose the popular vote. She lost all seven swing states — five of which had Democratic governors, and five of which had not one, but two Democratic senators. Democrats lost the Senate and failed to take back the House. She actually got a smaller share of the vote here in her own home state than Biden had in 2020. She even received fewer women's votes than Biden did in 2020. Does any of that shout, 'Hey, I should be able to waltz into the governor's office of the biggest state as a consolation prize?' Now, no doubt, a lot of Democrats in California would still support her, even if only as a big middle finger to Trump. But going for governor would inevitably result in a relitigation of questions about her flop of a run for president, as laid out in the best-selling book 'Fight,' a detailed chronicle of the 2024 race that sheds light on many of the missteps and mismanagement of her campaign. Again, I don't have a clue about Harris's intentions. But I do have some free advice about what she should be thinking about in making her decision. She's welcome. Garry South is a veteran Democratic strategist who has managed four campaigns for governor of California and two for lieutenant governor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Supreme Court turns away RNC challenge to Pennsylvania ballot ruling
The Supreme Court on Friday turned away the Republican National Committee's (RNC) bid to block Pennsylvania voters' in-person, do-over option when they return a defective mail ballot. The announcement was intended for Monday morning, but the court mistakenly released it early due to what a court spokesperson called an 'apparent software malfunction.' The order leaves in place a 4-3 ruling from Pennsylvania's top court that voters can still cast a vote at their polling place on Election Day if their mail-in ballot was rejected for technical reasons, despite a state law saying such votes 'shall not be counted' if the mail-in ballot was timely received. The additional option impacts thousands of voters each election cycle. The legal battle gained attention just ahead of the 2024 election, when President Trump narrowly beat former Vice President Kamala Harris in the key swing state and went on to retake the White House. Just before the election, the Supreme Court declined the RNC's request to intervene on an emergency basis. Now returning to the high court on its normal docket, the RNC urged the Supreme Court to use its case as a vehicle to more broadly restrict state courts' power over elections. Two years ago, the high court declined to endorse the maximalist version of the 'independent state legislature' theory, which would give state legislatures near-total control over setting federal election rules by preventing state courts from restraining their actions. However, the justices in that decision warned that courts may not 'arrogate to themselves the power vested in state legislatures.' The justices have yet to adopt a specific test to measure when a court crosses that constitutional line, and the RNC cast its petition as a prime opportunity to do so. 'Failure to correct the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's indefensible distortion of the General Assembly's laws would effectively do just that by sending a strong message that judicial review under the Elections and Electors Clauses is illusory. The result would directly contravene the Constitution,' the RNC's attorneys at Jones Day wrote in the petition. The justices' refusal to take up the case comes months after the justices turned away a petition arising from Montana asking them to take up similar issues. The Pennsylvania case arose after Faith Genser and Frank Matis attempted to vote in the state's 2024 Democratic primary. Initially, the duo planned to vote by mail. But they mistakenly returned 'naked' ballots, meaning they didn't include a required secrecy envelope. With their votes invalid, Genser and Matis went to their polling place on the day of the primary election to cast provisional ballots. They sued after the Butler County elections board refused to count those ballots. The RNC's petition was joined by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and the Butler County Board of Elections. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Behind the scenes of Trump's 'iconic' McDonald's visit before election victory
Fox Nation is offering a rare glimpse into Donald Trump's pivotal McDonald's visit during the final weeks of his 2024 campaign with a multi-episode installment of "The Art of the Surge." It all starts at a McDonald's drive-thru, where the then-GOP nominee traded a suit for an apron and got to work as a fry cook in Feasterville, Pennsylvania last October. "I've always wanted to work at McDonald's, and I never did," he told workers inside the building. The first episode of the series documents Trump's "first day" on the job from the very beginning, as he requested to work the french fry cooker and learned the process. He walked through, step-by-step, dunking fries into hot oil, shaking the basket, pouring servings into the signature red McDonald's cartons and sprinkling salt over them. It became an iconic moment on the campaign trail as the notorious New York City business magnate-turned-president performed a job many Americans have had at one point in their lives. He even greeted customers wrapped around the building at the drive-thru window. As one family took a Happy Meal from his hands he quipped with a smile, "It's going to be the best you've ever had. It had better be. I made it myself." Customers passed on their messages of encouragement as the high-stakes faceoff with then-vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was merely two weeks away, with both teams in a mad sprint to the finish line. "Make America great again!" one driver said. Another, shaking hands with Trump, said, "45-47, you've got this, sir." Trump paused, on occasion, to wave at the mass of fans cheering and holding "Trump-Vance" signs nearby. He told WTXF reporter JoAnn Pileggi that the crowd was smiling and upbeat because they wanted hope. Turning back inside the building, he faced the camera at one point and smiled as he noted how much fun he was having. "I could do this all day. I wouldn't mind this job," he said. Trump's efforts were viewed by many as a mockery of a claim his opponent had worked for the fast food chain while in college. At one point, Trump even remarked, "I've now worked for 15 minutes. Fifteen more than Kamala." As his team departed on his personal plane, Trump's deputy director of communications Margo Martin enthused about the day. "That was epic," she said. "Donald Trump working the McDonald's drive-thru – iconic." Trump would go on to defeat Harris in the 2024 election, sweeping all campaign swing states, including Pennsylvania. "The Art of the Surge" follows that journey to the finish line even after the McDonald's stop-in, showing last-minute efforts like podcast visits and his massive Madison Square Garden rally, while also featuring Trump allies like Alina Habba, Tulsi Gabbard, Hulk Hogan and more. To watch the series, subscribe to Fox Nation and begin streaming "The Art of the Surge" today. Fox Nation programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. Go to Fox Nation to start a free trial and watch the extensive library from your favorite Fox Nation personalities.
