American TV networks announced on Saturday (12) that Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto retained the Senate seat for Nevada. As a result, the ruling party remains with 50 of the 100 seats in this House, necessary to have a majority, since Vice President Kamala Harris has the prerogative to break the tie.
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From Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he is participating in an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Joe Biden celebrated the result.
“I feel good and looking forward to the next two years”, he declared, ensuring that, after that, he arrives politically “stronger” at the meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
Democrats can still win the seat in the state of Georgia, where there will be a runoff on December 6th.
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On Friday, the networks had already projected the re-election of Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in Arizona.
On Friday, the White House said Biden called former astronaut Kelly, 58, to congratulate him on his victory. His Republican competitor, Blake Masters, has not yet conceded defeat and, last night, Trump stated on his Truth Social network that the result in Arizona was “a coup and electoral fraud”.
The Republicans, who did not reach the expected “red wave” in these mid-term elections traditionally unfavorable to the party in power, nevertheless appear in a position to regain the majority in the House of Representatives.
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And they have already anticipated that they will use this advantage in the lower house to launch parliamentary investigations against the Biden government and its associates.
Without the Senate, however, the Republican opposition will not be able to pass laws contrary to the interests of the Democratic government, nor block appointments of judges, ambassadors and government officials.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, was quick to celebrate his party’s victory, tweeting that the result was a “vindication” of his party’s achievements.
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According to NBC News, Republicans will have a majority of just five seats, 220 to 215.
Why does the Democrats' victory in the Senate matter? (BBC)*
There are, however, around 20 elections that have not yet released the results, mainly in California.
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Trump, again
Next week, Trump will announce that he intends to run for President in 2024, Jason Miller, the former president's advisor, said yesterday.
In recent days, the former president, who will be 78 years old in the next election, has been hinting at his intention to run again, while campaigning for Republican candidates. He specifically stated that he will make a “very important announcement” on November 15th.
“President Trump is going to announce on Tuesday that he is running for president,” Miller told Steve Bannon, another former Trump adviser, on his popular “War Room” podcast.
If confirmed, it will be her third run for the White House, after losing to Biden in 2020. After that defeat, the Republican tycoon promoted unfounded allegations of fraud, some of which led to an unprecedented January 6, 2021, invasion of the Capitol. , in Washington, D.C.
The big announcement that Trump promehis Florida residence will be made after disappointing midterm elections for several candidates he has endorsed.
Although more than 100 Republican candidates who challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election won their respective races, some of Trump's favorites lost crucial seats to Democrats.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats were left with one Republican seat following the defeat of Mehmet Oz, a Trump-backed celebrity television doctor. In addition to never having held public office, Oz lives mainly in New Jersey.
Trump hoped to take advantage of a “red wave”, the color that identifies Republicans, which could lay the foundations for his third presidential candidacy. So far, however, the party seems destined for a much smaller victory than expected.
In the “midterms,” all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the 100-member Senate are up for renewal, and several local governments and offices are elected.
With 211 seats so far, Republicans would have a slim majority in the House. Control of the Senate could be decided in a second round on December 6, in the state of Georgia. With the two parties tied on 49 seats in the Senate, Democrats now need just one more victory to maintain control in this House, as Vice President Kamala Harris has the casting vote.
Trump wants “absolute immunity”
Also on Friday, Trump's lawyers challenged a subpoena from the special committee of the US Congress investigating the attack on the Capitol in 2021. His defense claimed that the former president had “absolute immunity” and that he will not testify next week.
The subpoena is “invalid, illegal and unenforceable,” the lawyers said, arguing that the former president continues to enjoy so-called executive privilege almost 22 months after leaving office and therefore cannot be compelled by Congress to appear.
Trump's early entry into the race may be planned, in part, to avoid possible criminal charges for taking confidential White House documents; for attempting to overturn the 2020 election; and promoting the attack on the United States Capitol.
It could also be an attempt to undermine the chances of his main potential competitor in the Republican primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. After handily securing his re-election on Tuesday, he has become a rising star of the party.
(with AFP)
