Rick Scott picks up votes after Senate Republican leader forum
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) picked up two more public endorsements for his Senate GOP leadership bid on Tuesday as senators left a multi-hour discussion about what they want the future of leadership to look like.
Why it matters: On the eve of Wednesday's leadership election, Scott — as well as Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) — gave their final pitch and answered colleagues' questions on everything from amendments to the debt ceiling to the border.
Driving the news: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who organized and led the meeting, posted on X shortly after its conclusion that he would be voting for Scott.
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also said she would back the conservative dark horse.
- Mitch McConnell did not attend — instead receiving an award at the AEI dinner.
By the numbers: That brings Scott's total public vote tally up to seven.
- Thune now has four public endorsements.
- Cornyn has one.
Between the lines: Public endorsements can signal momentum for a candidate, but they do not necessarily translate to final support on a secret ballot.
- Even conservatives who have thrown their support behind Scott shared optimism about all three candidates and their willingness to address what they see as issues in the way the Senate has been led — especially when it comes to allowing votes on amendments.
- "I do think we're at an inflection point in the Senate's history where we need aggressive reform and an aggressive return to the rules that made this entity something worthy of the title of the world's greatest deliberative body," Lee told reporters.
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Trump Names Fox News Host, Veteran Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary
Trump praised Hegseth’s commitment to veterans and his advocacy for a strong, merit-based military aligned with his ‘peace through strength’ mandate.
President-elect Donald Trump has announced the nomination of Army combat veteran and longtime Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, highlighting Hegseth’s military background and expressing confidence in his commitment to an America First agenda.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country,” Trump said in a statement on social media. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge. A Princeton and Harvard graduate, Hegseth spent eight years as a Fox News host and wrote the bestseller “The War on Warriors,” a critique of left-wing policies undermining the military.
In announcing the nomination, Trump praised Hegseth’s commitment to veterans and his advocacy for a strong, merit-based military aligned with his “peace through strength” mandate.
If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would assume the role of Pentagon chief at a time of multiple global crises, including the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, and a growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.
During Trump’s first term, five individuals cycled through the role of Pentagon chief, each either resigning, being dismissed, or serving briefly as an interim replacement. Some repeatedly sought to counter Trump’s directives, from banning transgender troops and withdrawing forces from conflict zones, to deploying military personnel at the border and during domestic unrest.
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‘Brace Yourselves’: Victor Davis Hanson Predicts How Dems Will React To Trump’s Deportation Plans
Hoover Institute senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson predicted Tuesday on his podcast that when President-elect Trump goes through with his deportation plans, Democrats will be “weeping and crying” on television
Since Trump won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, Democrats have had a wide range of reactions and responses to their party’s loss. On “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” Hanson stated that Trump will bring a “return to normalcy” regarding illegal immigration, noting that Democrats will most likely push back.
“But I will issue a warning to everybody, you haven’t seen the left. When you start deporting people, even with a criminal record, they’re going to be on CNN weeping and crying. They’re going to be on the internet [saying], ‘This is like Hitler.’ So brace yourself,” Hanson said.
Hanson went on to state that while he believes some sanctuary cities may push back against federal penalties for not assisting in the deportation of illegal immigrants, liberals won’t be able to blame a lack of federal funds.
“If you say that a sanctuary city is not going to get [money] — if it insists and it will not get certain types of federal funds [then] people say, ‘Oh, my daughter was killed on the freeway because it wasn’t fixed,'” Hanson added. “The same left-wing mind that looks over here at High-Speed Rail, this Stonehenge six miles from my house — $15 billion — nothing. There’s the most dangerous freeway in the world parallel to it, the 99.”
“Just two lanes in each direction … It hasn’t changed since 1960 and because why? Because money has been siphoned off from the highway funds and put into this boondoggle and no one said a word. That is criminal. That really is because thousands of people have been maimed and injured on this freeway in the last 15 to 20 years,” Hanson concluded.
Fetterman Surprises By Backing One Of Trump’s Picks
In an unexpected move, Senator John Fetterman has endorsed Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, making him the first Democrat to support Rubio’s potential appointment in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Fetterman’s endorsement adds bipartisan momentum to Rubio’s nomination, marking a notable shift in the typically polarized Senate and showing Fetterman’s willingness to support key appointments in Trump’s cabinet.
Fetterman’s endorsement follows reports that Trump has chosen Rubio to lead America’s foreign policy. Although Trump hasn’t officially announced Rubio for the position, sources close to Trump’s decision-making said on Monday that Rubio is his top choice, explained The New York Times.
Confirming his support for Rubio’s appointment, Fetterman wrote, “Of course, the other team’s pick will have political differences from my own. But my colleague @SenMarcoRubio is a strong choice, and I look forward to voting for his confirmation.” This endorsement underscores Fetterman’s pragmatic approach, prioritizing effective governance over partisan allegiance.
Democrats in State Senate Have Unclear, Expensive Path After Rough Election, Infighting
A heated debate about leadership elections and a grim outlook for flipping seats marked the small caucus’ first pre-session meeting of the year
by Sarah Grace TaylorNovember 13, 2024
Tennessee Senate Democrats are trying to find a productive and united way forward after a rough election cycle and a testy meeting between members of the smallest party caucus in the state’s legislature.
In their first caucus meeting since the session ended months ago, the six-person coalition discussed the high cost and bleak outlook of flipping seats in a heavily gerrymandered state and held a contentious, though anticlimactic, leadership election.
Shrouded by big wins for Republicans in federal elections last week and a predictable lack of movement for Democrats in Tennessee’s General Assembly, the caucus met to start planning for the next two-year legislative session, which will begin in January.
“What do we have to lose at this point?” Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) asked. “I think where I’m at is we’re going to be fighting a lot more than we’re going to be gaining over the next couple of years.”
With palpable tension between some of the members and a shared sense of frustration over President-elect Donald Trump’s populous win, the group shared concerns about how to move forward as a super minority working against state Republicans who will likely be emboldened by the conservative shift in the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Nashville Police Claim Covenant Killer Investigation Still Underway, ‘Some Work’ Still Needed to Document March 2023 Attack
November 12, 2024 Tom Pappert
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) told The Tennessee Star earlier this month that its investigation of Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale remains ongoing, with “some work” still needed to document the March 27, 2023 attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three school staff members.
MNPD Public Affairs director Don Aaron told The Star the investigation is still underway and remains in a documentation phase in a November 1 email. The MNPD official wrote, “Considerable progress has been made, though there is still some work to complete,” and said there is not a specific date for completion.
Aaron did not respond to a Tuesday inquiry from The Star inquiring whether the investigation would be finished before the end of 2024, despite MNPD previously estimating its investigation would conclude in July.
The department originally reported proceeding to a documentation phase of the Covenant investigation in August, when Aaron told The Star, the case “remains open and is largely in a documentation phase where the lead detective is writing his and the department’s actions, findings, etc.”
MNPD’s months-long documentation process comes after Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles ruled the police department is not required to release details about its investigation until after the case concludes.
Myles made the ruling on July 4 in response to a lawsuit brought by media companies including Star News Digital Media Inc. (SNDM), the parent company of The Star, and editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy, that sought to compel MNPD to release documents written by Hale, including those originally called a “manifesto” by MNPD Chief John Drake.
Leahy and at least one other party to the lawsuit have already announced their appeals of Myles’ decision, with Leahy stating he expects to win in a higher court.
In addition to allowing MNPD to retain documents until the conclusion of its investigation, Myles ruled that not one page of Hale’s writings would be released, citing the copyright claims of the Covenant Children’s Trust, which purports to own the copyright to the killer’s works.
Hundreds of children in DCS custody are sent to out-of-state facilities
Families struggle to visit children sent across the country
Ben Hall
Posted 9:31 AM, Nov 06, 2024
and last updated 7:07 PM, Nov 06, 2024
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Department of Children's Services sends many kids in its custody to out-of-state facilities because it does not have the resources in Tennessee to care for them.
As of last month, the department had 229 children in other states.
The department uses 38 different out-of-state facilities — some are as far away as Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming. The kids sent out of state include those with mental health issues, autism or are involved in the juvenile justice system. Child advocates said they were surprised Tennessee sends so many kids out of state.
Her granddaughter recently went into DCS custody because of mental health issues. The family agreed she needed a residential treatment facility.
"I assumed that she would be in the state of Tennessee. That's when they dropped the bomb, and said, 'No, we have found her a place in Mansfield, Ohio.'"
Herald was shocked her granddaughter was sent to another state more than 11 hours away.
"I said, 'You can't tell me you can't find a place for this child in Tennessee,'" Herald remembered.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Herald, "How surprised were you that she was taken out-of-state?"
"Very, I didn't even know that DCS did this," Herald responded.
Pentagon flamed for Veterans Day post depicting Chinese aircraft
by JACKSON WALKER | The National News Desk
Tue, November 12th 2024 at 12:41 PM
WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Biden administration’s Department of Defense was the subject of widespread mockery Monday after a Veterans Day social media post featured a Chinese aircraft.
The post was created by the F-35 Joint Program Office. The office describes itself via social media as “the DoD’s focal point for defining next gen strike aircraft weapons systems.”
Its now-deleted post read “Veterans Day: honoring those who served” beneath an image of an aircraft, according to screenshots circulating social media. That aircraft, according to Military.com, was not an American F-35, but a Chinese plane.
“You might think that, given the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office’s singular responsibility of ensuring the U.S. military’s F-35 fleet is ready to fight tonight, the service members working for that office would be intimately familiar with at least a handful of the passing details of the aircraft, no matter how far from an engineering bay their job may take them,” the site wrote. “Sadly, that is not the case.”
Criticism began to pile on as Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., reposted a screenshot of the deleted post, writing “WTAF.”
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