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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fox News Host Rages at Dem After Abruptly Ending Interview
Fox News host Will Cain followed up an on-air clash with Texas Democrat James Talarico with an even more heated debate on social media. The fiery exchange between the pair on TV on Tuesday spilled over onto social media after Talarico claimed their chat was cut short by the Fox News host. Cain labeled the accusation as 'dishonest.' The state legislator, a fourth-term representative from Austin, is seen as a rising star in the party as he considers a U.S. Senate run against Sen. John Cornyn. His appearance on The Will Cain Show from Illinois, where Texas Democrats are racking up fines as they fight new legislative maps that would give Republicans up to five extra seats in Congress, comes after a flurry of interviews, including a sitdown on Joe Rogan's top-rated podcast. Cain claimed Talarico had 'abandoned' his office and took umbrage at his guest using the phrase 'rigged' to describe the map changes, which would boost the GOP's 2026 midterm election hopes, as the pair often spoke over each other during their 10-minute interview. At one point, Talarico appeared to stump Cain after asking if he knew how many Republican members of Congress had joined Democrats to vote to ban gerrymandering in Congress. The pair had been debating rule changes that would affect the midterms. 'Which one? I'm sorry, which state did you just refer to?' Cain responded after a pause. 'I'm asking, do you know how many Republicans joined Democrats in the U.S. Congress to ban gerrymandering? All the Democrats voted for it. Zero Republicans voted for it, zero,' Talarico said. 'You can spare me both-sides rhetoric. It's clearly one side that is trying to rig the rules in the middle of the game... We don't accept cheating in politics and in our relationships. We shouldn't accept cheating it in our elections... We should stand up to politicians that don't want to face accountability at the ballot box. That's what's happening here.' Cain acknowledged he was 'unfamiliar' with the details of the vote, which took place in 2021. At another point, Talarico appeared to stump Cain by asking him, 'If Republican policies are popular, why do they need to redraw these maps, why can't they run on their policies? Cain did not answer the question, instead signaling that he was being told to cut the interview. 'I'm getting wrapped on time,' he said. 'I'm enjoying this conversation. I apologize.' The Fox News host still managed to get another question in before inviting Talarico into the studio for a future interview and bonding over breakfast tacos. The Texas legislator posted on X after the appearance and claimed the Fox host had 'cut the interview early. 'I just went on Fox News to tell the truth about the redistricting power grab in Texas,' Talarico wrote. After mentioning the question on Republican policies that stumped Cain, he added that the host had 'refused to answer—and cut the interview early." Cain took to his X account to clap back on Talarico's claim. 'Oh James. Trolls distorting the interview is one thing, but you were there. I respectfully gave you ten minutes, an eternity in cable news. And in all that time you had no answer as to why you've abandoned your job. You can take a flag to IL but you still cut and run from Texas.' He added, 'And your dishonesty in suggesting I cut your interview short perfectly illustrates the honesty of your run away from TX. I always welcome honest debate but it's clear that's not who you are. Stay in Illinois little Jimmy. Better fit for you than TX.' The Daily Beast has contacted Talarico and Fox News for additional comment.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
RNC chair steps down to run for Senate in NC
Michael Whatley is stepping down as chairman of the Republican National Committee to focus on a U.S. Senate run in North Carolina. Meanwhile, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, will announce 'in the coming days' whether he will run for Senate, said Morgan Jackson, Cooper's adviser. Whatley, a Watauga County native, previously led the state's Republican Party before Trump picked him to lead the national committee in 2024. Whatley has a long history in and around North Carolina politics but has yet to be a candidate. Whatley and Lara Trump, his former RNC co-chair, were rumored to be considering a run for the seat currently occupied by Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, who unexpectedly announced he wouldn't seek a third term as planned. Politico reported Thursday morning that Trump, who is the president's daughter-in-law and a Fox News host, will not run. It was widely reported that Republicans across the state were waiting for Lara Trump to make a decision about running before others declared their candidacy in the 2026 Senate election. Whatley will face off against retired businessman Andy Nilsson and former JAG officer Don Brown in the Republican primary. The race is expected to be highly watched and break campaign finance records while Republicans try to maintain the narrow majority it holds in the Senate. Whatley's departure as chair of the National Republican Committee leaves the party looking for a replacement at a time when Republicans are trying to maintain the narrow majorities they hold in both chambers of Congress. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
RNC chair: ‘Entire Republican universe' would coalesce behind Laura Trump Senate bid
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley said this week he hopes the GOP will rally behind the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, should she decide to run for North Carolina's vacant Senate seat next year. 'What I will say is this: If Lara Trump is going to be interested, then she is certainly going to have the entire Republican universe — myself included — that are going to coalesce behind her,' Whatley said in a Monday interview with the Washington Examiner published on Wednesday. 'And if not, we'll work with the president, and we'll figure out who the best candidate is to be able to win there.' Whatley, himself, has been floated as a possible contender for the seat after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) abruptly announced he would run for a third term after a falling out with President Trump. Whatley was chair of the North Carolina GOP for five years before then-GOP nominee Trump recommended that he move to the national role in 2024 ahead of the presidential election. The Hill confirmed in June that Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, is considering a Senate run in her home state, after Tillis announced he would not seek reelection while opposing the passage of President Trump's massive tax and spending bill. Lara Trump, who previously mulled a Tar Heel State campaign after the retirement of former Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) in 2020, recently told Fox News Radio that she is again considering a run in her home state. 'Look, I'm considering it,' the North Carolina State University grad said in a June 30 radio interview. 'I think that one thing that I think all of us in the Trump family have learned is that it is so incredible to be able to impact the lives of people across this country.' 'No one knows that more so than my father-in-law,' she added. She previously served as co-chair of the RNC alongside Whatley but resigned in December 2024 amid speculation she would fill former Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) seat after he was nominated to serve as secretary of State. Multiple attempts by The Hill to reach Lara Trump for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. Whatley told the Examiner that he doesn't know if Lara Trump, who is currently a Fox News host and runs an athletic clothing line, will make a run for the Senate seat, but he said he trusts the president's instincts on who will be best suited for the role. 'I've been the chair down there for five years; I've worked with the president through three different presidential election cycles,' Whatley said. 'We know how to win in North Carolina, and I feel very confident that we're going to be able to hold that seat.' Tillis's retirement prompted elections handicappers to reclassify the seat as a 'toss-up' race in the midterm cycle. President Trump, who had threatened to support a primary challenger against Tillis, called the Republican lawmaker's decision to retire from the Senate at the end of his second term 'great news.' 'Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis,' the president wrote in a Truth Social post June 28 shortly after Tillis's announcement. 'I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump whistleblower Alexander Vindman eyeing Florida Senate run
Alexander Vindman, the whistleblower who triggered Donald Trump's first impeachment, is considering a run for the United States Senate next year against Florida Republican Ashley Moody. In an exclusive interview with CBS News Miami, the retired lieutenant colonel said he was approached about running and was discussing it with close friends and advisors. "I think that the Democrats need to win in some very, very difficult places in order to wrestle control back," he explained during an interview scheduled to air Sunday morning on Facing South Florida. "I'm not sure if Florida is the place to do that. It might be. My worldview is that Trump is going to hurt a lot of people, and this will be a referendum [on Trump] and there'll be an opportunity for people power to manifest. Folks will show up that stayed on the sidelines last time, or that got more than they bargained for with Donald Trump. So, I don't think the state is too far gone by any means. I certainly don't believe that. I just don't know if I'm the right person to do that or if that's the right role for me." Moody, the state's former attorney general, was appointed in January to the Senate by Governor Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio after Rubio became Trump's Secretary of State. Moody has won statewide office twice, when she was elected AG in 2018 and 2022. But she has never had a serious contender in any of her elections and politically she had tended to fade into the background, often standing in the shadows during press conferences. The Senate election in 2026 will be to finish the remaining two years on Rubio's term. The winner of that election would have to run again in 2028. Vindman, 49, who has lived in Broward County since 2023, admitted that the path in Florida would be a difficult one as Republicans currently outnumber Democrats by more than 1.2 million voters. "I don't shy away from a challenge, so it wouldn't be that," he said, referring to the state's Republican bent. "But I also, don't want to be some sort of sacrificial player. I'd want to do something that actually is meaningful because the costs are pretty high." "Costs meaning being away from my daughter, being able to provide for my family," he continued. "So, I'd want to do something I think could achieve some results." In November, his identical twin brother, Eugene, was elected to Congress from Virginia. Alex Vindman said he worked closely on that campaign and learned a great deal. "I think my twin brother's campaign gave me a healthy sense of how hard you have to work in order to reach your community," he said. "And he went to places that were hard, that were resistant to somebody that had a D at the end of their name. But he did the hard work, and he was successful. And he's doing a great job of representing his community now, focusing on constituent services. So, I think it gives me certainly a better understanding for my work right now – helping veterans get elected." Vindman is working with the group Vote Vets, an organization seeking to elect more veterans to public office. "I think veterans, by and large, get things done," he said. "They are not extreme voices. They tend to be more moderate voices. Because they work in an environment that's representative of the country, having to bring teams together to compromise in order to achieve a common mission. I think veterans in that regard are very, very strong. They deliver for the public." If he did get into the race, Vindman may not be alone in the Democratic primary. CBS News Miami has also learned that Josh Weil, who ran for Congress in the special election last month against Randy Fine, is also considering a statewide run. Weil proved to be an adept fundraiser in his campaign, raising more than $10 million in small dollar donations. Weil lost by 14 points – but many Democrats saw it as a positive sign, since the last Republican who ran in that seat had won it in November by 33 points. In a statement to CBS News Miami, Weil said: "Voters want leaders who will stand up and fight for regular people against billionaires and corporations, and focus on lowering the cost of living. That message resonated with voters across all backgrounds in the recent special election. I'm now considering how I can take the enthusiasm we generated and best serve Florida moving forward." Given his connection to Donald Trump, a Vindman candidacy would immediately nationalize, and potentially energize, a race in a state that many national Democrats have written off. Vindman was born in the Kyiv in 1975 when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. His father fled Russia when Alex and his twin brother, Eugene, were four years old. They were part of a wave of Soviet Jews who settled in the United States in the late seventies. Vindman grew up in Brooklyn, joined the military, was awarded a Purple Heart when an I-E-D blew up his convoy in Iraq, and ultimately rose through the ranks to become the director of European Affairs for the National Security Council during President Trump's first term. An expert on Russia and Ukraine, Vindman was in the situation room on July 25, 2019, when he heard what he considered a deeply troubling phone conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, in which Trump asked Zelenski to investigate the Biden family as a favor to him while also threatening to withhold military aid. Vindman reported what he heard, and it was because of Vindman that Trump was impeached by the House for the first time. Trump was acquitted by the Senate and shortly afterwards Vindman was fired from the NSC staff. After 22 years in the military, he eventually resigned his commission. Since then he has been an outspoken critic of Trump. He's written two books, including "Here, Right Matters," which chronicles his family story and why he felt a sense of duty to report what the President said during the call with Zelenski. Evan Power, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, dismissed Vindman as a viable candidate. "Donald Trump won Florida by 13 points," he said. "The last thing our state wants is someone who was part of the obstruction of the first Trump Administration. Vindman should take his lies and his political opportunism elsewhere." Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried told CBS News Miami, "Alex Vindman has been an incredible example of what it means to selflessly serve our country. As we fight back against Donald Trump's extreme agenda, Alex is a perfect example of the caliber of Democrat that we need stepping up to lead."
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi announces Senate run
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi announced his Senate run on Wednesday morning. Krishnamoorthi released a campaign video highlighting his plans to fight against President Trump's policies. He also focuses on protecting Social Security for seniors, assisting veterans and defending public eduation. He released the following statement: "Senator Dick Durbin is a titan who will go down as one of the most effective and dedicated public servants in Illinois history. I am deeply humbled by the encouragement I have received from friends, family members, and community leaders encouraging me, a fellow son of downstate, to run for the U.S. Senate." Krishnamoorthi served as policy director for Barack Obama's 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate. Krishnamoorthi was first elected to Congress in 2016. Most recently in 2024, Krishnamoorthi won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Illinois.
