Midwest
Vance says he doesn’t think Trump ‘needs to pivot,’ praises his ‘unscripted nature’
Ohio Sen. JD Vance told reporters Friday that he doesn’t think former President Trump “needs to pivot” with his campaign despite a number of recent polls showing Vice President Harris gaining ground.
Vance, speaking at the Milwaukee Police Association, made the remark after a reporter said to him that “it seems like some allies of former President Trump have said in recent days he’s to focus more on policy, just like you talked about, less personal attacks.”
“I’m curious, have you had that conversation with him and does he need to pivot, especially when you look to swing states like Wisconsin?” Vance was asked.
“I don’t think the president needs to pivot,” the vice presidential candidate responded. “And if I told him that, I can guess what he’d say. I think that the reason that President Trump has been so successful connecting with Americans is even when they disagree with something that he might say, they know that he just is who he is, right?
TRUMP RUNNING MATE VANCE AIMS TO TURN BLUE WALL STATES RED
JD Vance speaks to reporters on Friday, Aug. 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Pool/Fox News)
“I’d much rather have a political candidate who I disagreed with 25% of the time, but was a real human being and was willing to speak off the cuff then to have somebody like Kamala Harris, who hides behind a teleprompter and doesn’t speak to the American people directly unless she’s got a script in front of her telling her exactly what to say,” Vance continued. “I think the unscripted nature of President Trump is one of the reasons why his campaign gives a pretty good insight into the kind of president that he’s going to be.
“Now that said, we are focusing a lot on policy. We’re here in Wisconsin today talking about public safety. I was in Pennsylvania yesterday talking about veterans’ issues. I was in Michigan the day before, talking about how we have to stop the trade and energy policies that ship all of our manufacturing jobs to China,” Vance added.
“But my only advice to my running mate is be yourself and let people see who you are. And I think he’s doing that every day on the campaign trail,” he concluded.
TRUMP HAS TAKEN 81 QUESTIONS AT PRESS CONFERENCES, INTERVIEWS COMPARED TO HARRIS’ 14 SINCE WALZ JOINED TICKET
Former President Trump and vice presidential candidate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, appeared on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
In the most recent Fox News Poll, Trump is leading Harris nationally 50-49%.
However, in polls released this past weekend by Siena College for the New York Times, Harris tops Trump by four points – 50% to 46% – among likely voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Polling and data guru Nate Silver also said Wednesday on “Special Report” that “if you have the election tomorrow… I think Harris would be a slight favorite.”
“She has been ahead in most recent polling in the ‘blue wall’ states, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada all polling in the margin of error range,” Silver said.
Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is gaining ground against Trump in some recent polls. (RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)
“People should remember, though, two things,” he added. “One, we have three more months to go. There will be more surprises. And two, the polls have been wrong before. In both the last two general elections they underestimated Trump.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Yael Halon contributed to this report.
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North Dakota
Hoeven, Armstrong, Traynor speak on OBBB Rural Health Transformation Fund updates in ND
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – On Friday, North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven, Governor Kelly Armstrong and Health and Human Services Commissioner Pat Traynor explained how the state plans to use millions of dollars from the Big Beautiful Bill’s Rural Health Transformation Fund to transform healthcare across the state.
They spoke extensively about the special session to allocate the funds, and confirmed that it is still tentatively set for Jan. 21.
The Big Beautiful Bill allocated $25 billion for rural healthcare nationwide. North Dakota received $500 million for five years and $200 million for the first year. There is still another $25 billion left to be spent, and North Dakota is hoping to receive an extra $500 million.
“I truly believe that with the plan we’re putting in place and the things we built that line up with that, we’ll get a billion dollars over five years,” said Hoeven.
Federal rules require the state to lock in contracts for the money by October first— a deadline officials say is driving the need for a special session.
In the first year, North Dakota will focus on retention grants to keep existing staff, technical assistance and consultants for rural hospitals, as well as telehealth equipment and home patient monitoring.
Governor Armstrong says the special session will include policy bills tied to how much federal rural health funding the state can earn.
“We’re going to have a physical fitness test for physical education courses, nutrition education, continuing education requirement for physicians, physician assistant licensure compact—which North Dakota has been doing, dealing with that since the heart of the oil boom and moving forward—and then an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists,” said Armstrong.
Hundreds of millions of dollars could reshape healthcare in rural North Dakota, and state leaders say the next few weeks are key to receiving and spending that money wisely.
The governor says he only wants to focus on bills related to the Rural Health Transformation Program during the special session and doesn’t intend to deal with other state issues during that time.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
Ohio
Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Friday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Mich. 43, Notre Dame Academy 35
Baltimore Liberty Union 47, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 34
Berlin Center Western Reserve 68, N. Jackson Jackson-Milton 46
Blanchester 40, Bethel-Tate 37
Chagrin Falls 37, Burton Berkshire 32
Circleville 62, Amanda-Clearcreek 40
Cle. Hay 88, Cle. Glenville 2
Cols. Centennial 78, Columbus International 50
Cols. Linden-McKinley 54, Cols. Whetstone 28
Cols. Walnut Ridge 73, Cols. Marion-Franklin 12
Delaware Buckeye Valley 50, CSG 43
Delta 48, Bryan 44
Dublin Coffman 47, Cols. Upper Arlington 39
Hilliard Darby 43, Thomas Worthington 32
Johnstown 47, Johnstown Northridge 41
Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32
Newark 56, Ashville Teays Valley 42
Oak Harbor 52, Millbury Lake 31
Ohio Deaf 50, Ky. School for the Deaf, Ky. 9
Pemberville Eastwood 65, Rossford 35
Pickerington North 41, New Albany 33
Springboro 66, Centerville 33
Stryker 54, Montpelier 20
W. Chester Lakota W. 76, Fairfield 24
Wauseon 55, Swanton 13
Western Reserve Academy 65, Lawrenceville School, N.J. 33
Westerville Cent. 57, Grove City Cent. Crossing 20
Worthington Christian 57, Tree of Life 16
Zanesville 58, Newark Licking Valley 40
South Dakota
SD Highway Patrol releases new details on hit and run, asks for public’s help
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Highway Patrol is continuing to look for the suspect in a deadly hit-and-run near Humboldt, SD.
In a Facebook post, the SD Highway Patrol has released new details regarding the semi suspected of committing the hit and run.
According to police, the semi is a red Freightliner Cascadia semi, missing its passenger-side headlight.
The semi was traveling eastbound from the Humboldt area on I-90 in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, 2026.
Police are seeking information, video, or pictures from 2:13 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. along I-90 and I-29 from the public.
If you have any tips or footage, contact the South Dakota Highway Patrol District 2 Office at (605) 367-5700.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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