Midwest
Who is Elissa Slotkin, and why did Dems choose her for the party's rebuttal to Trump speech?
Democrats picked freshman Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who represents a swing state, to give the party’s official response to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
“BIG: I’m announcing @SenatorSlotkin will deliver our Democratic response to Trump’s Joint Address. Nothing short of a rising star in our party – she’s dedicated her life to our country. She will layout the fight to tackle the deep challenges we face and chart a path forward,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed on X recently.
Slotkin was elected to an open Senate seat in Michigan, which was also won by Trump in the same election. She wrote on X, “I’m looking forward to speaking directly to the American people next week. The public expects leaders to level with them on what’s actually happening in our country.”
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New Sen. Elissa Slotkin, will be giving the Democratic response to Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday evening. (Reuters)
“From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that improves people’s lives in the country we all love, I look forward to laying that out. Tune in,” she previewed.
The senator received a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Slotkin spent much of her career in the national security space, serving three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst alongside the U.S. military. After that, she worked in multiple roles in the Pentagon and White House under two different presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In 2014, Obama nominated Slotkin to serve at the Pentagon as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
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She then chose to run for Congress in 2018 in Michigan, where she grew up.
Slotkin managed to defeat a Republican incumbent in a key Michigan swing district. She served several terms as a member of the House of Representatives before choosing to run for Senate to replace former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
Despite Trump winning the battleground state in 2024, Slotkin pulled out her own win for Democrats, beating the GOP contender Mike Rogers by less than a percentage point.
Since coming to the Senate, she’s offered some stark criticism of her party, urging Democrats to get away from identity politics.
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Schumer announced that Slotkin would give the party’s response to Trump’s address. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“As a moderate Democrat, I think she was an excellent choice,” Jim Manley, former senior communications advisor and spokesman for former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Senate Democratic Caucus, told Fox News Digital.
He said the choice of Slotkin would be “especially” good if “Trump just throws red meat to the base while using the kind of unhinged rhetoric that will turn off swing voters.”
However, “based on years of experience dealing with these when [I was] working for Sen. Reid, they are usually much more of a hassle than they are ever worth,” he added.
Jim Kessler, former senior aide to Schumer, told Fox News Digital he was a fan of Slotkin for the response. “She’s tough, smart and unafraid to ruffle feathers,” he said.
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Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks on stage during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“She also comes from the centrist wing of the Democratic Party and that’s important as a signal to voters. I expect she’ll focus on bread and butter issues, because right now the middle class is starting to lose confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy,” he continued.
According to Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe, Slotkin is “one of the better options Democrats have.”
The more “centrist” senator’s response comes at a time when Democrats are “in absolute disarray,” he said.
“You are seeing, I think, a real tug of war between the more progressive elements of the party and the more traditional elements of the party,” Roe added.
Slotkin’s office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
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Midwest
Sen Amy Klobuchar says she’s ‘seriously considering’ a gubernatorial bid
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Long-serving Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., indicated that she is giving serious consideration to mounting a gubernatorial bid.
“I love my job, I love my state and I’m seriously considering it,” the lawmaker told CNN.
Current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mounted a re-election bid last year, but he later announced on Monday that he was dropping out of the race. His reversal comes amid the massive fraud scandal unfolding in the state linked to the Somali community.
MINNESOTA REPUBLICANS SAY TIM WALZ NOT OFF THE HOOK AFTER DROPPING RE-ELECTION BID
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington D.C., Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Shannon Finney/NBC via Getty Images)
“In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort,” he said in a statement.
“But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences. So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,” he noted.
Klobuchar, who has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2007, called Walz “a true public servant” in a post on X.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would not be seeking reelection on Monday Jan. 5, 2026, at a press conference at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
JAMES COMER TO ACCUSE TIM WALZ OF BEING ‘ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL’ AT FRAUD HEARING
Walz’s announcement came after independent journalist Nick Shirley’s reporting about alleged massive fraud linked to taxpayer-funded daycare facilities in the state went viral.
But the governor asserted on Tuesday that he will not resign from office.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he asserted. “And you can make all your requests for me to resign over my dead body will that happen.”
Walz ran as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate during the 2024 presidential election.
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Detroit, MI
Canucks Continue Road Trip with a Stop in Detroit on Thursday Night | Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are set for game two of their season-long six-game road trip. They will face the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night for the second and final time this season.
Brock Boeser picked up a pair of assists in Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, while the Canucks’ three goals came from Liam Öhgren, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson.
Filip Hronek also had an assist in the game and played a team-high 26:20 of ice time. The 28-year-old, who will represent his home country of Czechia at this year’s Olympics, has been strong at both ends of the ice this season and holds a 59.7% control of the goal share at five-on-five this season. He has been on the ice for 34 goals scored and 23 goals against.
DeBrusk had a hat trick and four points in the game the last time these two teams met in Detroit.
Pettersson has five goals and 18 points in his 12 games against the Red Wings. He has four three-point games against them in his career and has three goals and 10 points in his six games in Detroit.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Red Wings come into Thursday’s game with an 8-3-1 record in their last 12 games.
- They picked up a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators in their most recent outing.
- Detroit is sitting pretty with a 25-15-4 record, and are second in the Atlantic Division.
- On home ice, they posted a 14-8-1 record this season and have an 8-0-1 record in one-goal games on home ice.
- Lucas Raymond (45 points) and Alex DeBrincat (43 points) lead the offence. DeBrincat is tied with Dylan Larkin for the team lead with 22 goals this season.
- DeBrincat has scored 10 power play goals this season, and the Red Wings’ power play is tied for sixth in the league with its 24.6% conversion rate.
- Moritz Seider leads the way on the backend. He is averaging 25:12 of ice time per game and has 31 points in 44 games.
- John Gibson has made 25 starts this season, while Cam Talbot has 19 of his own. Gibson has a 14-9-1 record while Talbot is 11-6-3.
The Story: Power Plays
Rookie defenceman Tom Willander has been getting a run on the first power play unit over the past few games. The Canucks’ 2023 first-round pick is up to two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 32 games this season.
The Canucks have picked up four power play goals in their last three games.
Jake DeBrusk leads the team with 10, and Kiefer Sherwood sits second on the squad with six.
The team ranks 13th on the power play this season. They have scored on 20.4% of their opportunities with the man advantage.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 3g-1a-4p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-2a-4p
Linus Karlsson: 2g-2a-4p
Filip Hronek: 1g-3a-4p
Tom Willander: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game is at 4:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee man charged; officer trapped in defendant’s getaway car
MILWAUKEE – A 26-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of fleeing police during an arrest attempt. An officer who was present to make the arrest ended up being trapped in the backseat of the defendant’s vehicle during an attempt to flee law enforcement. The accused is Kewane Daniels – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety
- False imprisonment
- Operating a motor vehicle to flee or in an attempt to elude an officer
- Second-degree recklessly endangering safety
Property taken, arrest attempt
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police reported to the Comfort Suites near 118th and Silver Spring after a caller indicated that “property had been taken from her by the defendant,” the complaint says. The caller indicated location data alerted her that the property was in the hotel parking lot. Daniels also had two warrants for his arrest.
The caller reached out to Daniels to come outside and meet her. Law enforcement were going to assist with arresting Daniels and getting the property back.
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The complaint indicates Daniels approached his car, and an officer followed and positioned himself behind an open rear door. He “drew his service weapon knowing that Daniels was reported to frequently be armed,” the complaint says. The officer ordered Daniels not to place the car in drive, but the complaint says Daniels ignored the orders and “accelerated in reverse in an attempt to flee (the officer).”
Arresting officer trapped in defendant’s vehicle
Dig deeper:
The officer, who was now being forced to back pedal, “realized he could not keep up with the quickly reversing vehicle, and feared he may be overtaken and crushed beneath the auto. (The officer) stated that he had to jump into the open rear passenger’s seat in order to escape the possibility of being knocked down beneath the oncoming vehicle’s door and tires,” the complaint says.
The defendant quickly accelerated out of the hotel parking lot with the officer in the rear seat. The officer “continually ordered him to stop the car,” the complaint says. The officer stated, “Daniels fled at a high rate of speed near 90 mph east on W. Silver Spring Drive while losing control and mounting the curb several times,” the complaint says. During this entire incident, the officer said he “kept his service weapon aimed at Daniels while in the back seat. Due to the speeds and reckless driving, (the officer) could not exit the vehicle,” the complaint says.
The court filing says the officer having his firearm pointed had no effect on Daniels pulling over the vehicle. Later, he put his weapon away to try and convince Daniels that he was not in danger and to pull over the vehicle. Instead, the defendant continued fleeing and driving recklessly, the complaint says.
Defendant bails, car crashes
What we know:
Near 92nd and Birch Avenue in Milwaukee, the complaint says, “Daniels opened the driver’s door and abandoned the vehicle which was still moving at approximately 35 mph.” The officer remained trapped in the rear passenger seat of the driverless vehicle which “came to a stop when it mounted the curb, continued into a front yard, and eventually crashed into a tree,” the complaint says. It is noted that Daniels’ vehicle had the child locks engaged, so the officer was unable to exit the vehicle on his own.
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Officers in other squads quickly located Daniels. The complaint indicates the defendant was “missing footwear in extremely frigid temperatures.” His footwear was recovered in a grassy area near where he was taken into custody.
What’s next:
Online court records indicate Daniels is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Thursday, Jan. 8.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and the criminal complaint associated with this case.
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