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Harris calls for eliminating filibuster to pass 'Roe' abortion bill into federal law

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Harris calls for eliminating filibuster to pass 'Roe' abortion bill into federal law

Vice President Kamala Harris said she backs eliminating the 60-vote filibuster requirement in order to reinstate Roe v. Wade, which would federalize abortion access nationwide, during a Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) interview Tuesday. 

The filibuster is a Senate rule that allows a minority to block legislation pending a supermajority vote, so ending it would make it easier to pass laws related to abortion rights.

“I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” Harris said on the “Wisconsin Today” show. “And get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do.”

YOUNG SWING STATE VOTERS DELIVER ADVICE FOR KAMALA HARRIS: ‘THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENCY’

The vice president’s comments come amid her fourth campaign visit to the battleground state. 

Harris also said in the WPR interview that, “It is well within our reach” to keep a Democratic Senate majorirty and “take back the House.”

“I would also emphasize that while the presidential election is extremely important and dispositive of where we go moving forward, it also is about what we need to do to hold onto the Senate and win seats in the House,” Harris said.

NEW POLL INDICATES WHETHER HARRIS OR TRUMP HAS THE EDGE IN THIS KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE

abortion rights protester holds up sign in crowd

A pro-choice protester holds a sign reading, “Abortion on demand and without apology.” (Fox News Digital)

While Harris first said she would support ending the filibuster to reinstate Roe v. Wade era abortion protection in 2022, she has since made abortion a major issue in her Democratic bid for presidency this election cycle. She also supported ending the filibuster to pass the progressive Green New Deal climate legislation in 2019. 

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“With just two more seats in the Senate, we can codify Roe v. Wade, we can put the protections of Roe in law,” Harris said in September 2022. “With two more seats in the United States Senate, we can pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Two more seats.”

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., speaks with other Democratic lawmakers during a press conference to call on Senators to end the filibuster for abortion rights on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., speaks with other Democratic lawmakers during a press conference to call on Senators to end the filibuster for abortion rights on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“You know, our President, Joe Biden, he’s been clear. He’s kinda done with those archaic Senate rules that are standing in the way of those two issues,” Harris said of the Senate filibuster. “He’s made that clear and has said that he will not allow that to obstruct those two issues. And, you know, for me, as vice president, I’m also president of the Senate.… I cannot wait to cast the deciding vote to break the filibuster on voting rights and reproductive rights. I cannot wait! Fifty-nine days.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

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Tracking Trump’s Cabinet Nominations

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Tracking Trump’s Cabinet Nominations

President-elect Donald J. Trump is assembling the cast of characters who will serve in his cabinet and in other senior positions during his second term. The cabinet always comprises at least 16 positions — the vice president and the heads of the 15 executive departments — and presidents have discretion to elevate other officials, like the White House chief of staff, to the cabinet level. This page will be updated as new announcements are made.

Senate confirmation required

3 of 24 announced

Mr. Ratcliffe is a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during Mr. Trump’s first term.

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A former congressman from Long Island who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022, Mr. Zeldin is an avid supporter of Mr. Trump who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election. During Mr. Zeldin’s tenure in the House of Representatives, he voted against clean water legislation at least a dozen times and clean air legislation at least half a dozen times, according to a scorecard from the League of Conservation Voters.

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Ms. Stefanik, who represents an upstate New York district in the House and is a member of the Republican leadership in the chamber, has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump. She emerged as a key ally during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment proceeding. She has minimal experience in foreign policy and national security.

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4 named

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Mr. Vance, a former venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, is a relative political newcomer. He rose to fame in 2016 after the publication of “Hillbilly Elegy,” his best-selling memoir about his experiences growing up in Appalachia. He previously criticized Mr. Trump as “reprehensible,” but won Mr. Trump’s backing when he ran successfully for Senate in 2022 by embracing Mr. Trump’s politics and his lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

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Ms. Wiles, the political tactician who managed Mr. Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, has worked in Republican campaigns and administrations, at both the federal and state levels, since the Reagan era. She was the only campaign manager to survive an entire campaign working for Mr. Trump, and will be the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff.

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Mr. Homan, who served as a senior immigration official in Mr. Trump’s first administration, will manage Mr. Trump’s campaign promise of widespread deportations of undocumented immigrants and the tightening of measures that allow some of them to stay in the country legally. He has decades of experience in immigration enforcement.

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A former Green Beret and current Florida congressman, Mr. Waltz is widely regarded on Capitol Hill as a hawk on China and Iran. He served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and opposed President Biden’s withdrawal of troops from the country.

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Transition officials

2 named

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Mr. Lutnick is the chairman and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm. A longtime registered Democrat, he has said that the party moved away from his interests and that he is now a Republican. He donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and appeared on an episode of “The Apprentice” while Mr. Trump was the show’s host. He has no known experience in the federal government.

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Ms. McMahon is a major donor to Mr. Trump, a onetime Senate candidate from Connecticut and a former executive of a professional wrestling empire that she founded with her husband. She served in Mr. Trump’s first cabinet as the head of the Small Business Administration.

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Mutiny threat sparks House GOP infighting ahead of Trump visit: 'Just more stupid'

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Mutiny threat sparks House GOP infighting ahead of Trump visit: 'Just more stupid'

Tensions were high among House Republicans on Tuesday with a group of GOP hardliners threatening to protest Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership during the next day’s House GOP Conference leadership elections.

Three sources told Fox News Digital that members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus were exploring ways to show their discontent with House GOP leaders during the closed-door races to decide who will likely lead the majority next year.

Meanwhile, those threats sparked frustration among rank-and-file House Republicans, including one lawmaker who said such discussions were “just more stupid.”

The heart of the issue lies in proposed rule changes that the House GOP Conference will also vote on, including a measure pushed by some Republicans to punish colleagues who purposely sink their own party’s legislation on the House floor by stripping their committee assignments.

HOUSE LEADERS MOVE QUICKLY TO CONSOLIDATE POWER IN SHOW OF CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICAN MAJORITY

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House Republicans are fighting over their leadership races on Wednesday, taking place ahead of Trump’s address to the conference. (Getty Images)

Johnson told Politico on Tuesday evening that he would not support “punitive” measures against people who blockade the House floor, but sources signaled that would not be enough.

“There’s a difference between saying, ‘I don’t support it’ and ‘I’m going to stop it.’ That’s a big difference,” one source said. “His easy route is just to say, ‘All right, no rules changes. We’re just going to go forward.’”

Reports indicated earlier that Freedom Caucus members were looking for a candidate to challenge Johnson – something its chairman did not rule out.

“Having two people in a race is kind of the norm,” Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters when asked if his group was putting up a candidate. “We can do this Soviet-style, or we can do it American-style.”

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But no one candidate appeared to emerge as of Tuesday night, though Fox News Digital’s sources said conservatives could still coalesce around someone.

DEMS PRIVATELY FRET ABOUT LOSING HOUSE AFTER GOP VICTORY IN WHITE HOUSE, SENATE

Andy Harris

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris did not deny his group was looking at other candidates. (Getty Images)

Instead, Johnson’s GOP critics could seek a recorded vote where they could either simply vote against his candidacy for speaker or write another name in via secret ballot, Fox News Digital was told.

The discord comes as President-elect Donald Trump plans to address House Republicans on Wednesday morning ahead of their leadership races, two other sources familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.

Several GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital were frustrated that the public chaos that permeated the 118th Congress could once again rear its head – this time, when Republicans were poised to control all the levers of power in Washington.

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“Frankly, I am tired of the instigators. I am tired of the conflict for the sake of conflict-type nonsense that happened last session,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital.

Asked if lawmakers who help lead that charge should face consequences, Murphy said, “Absolutely. You can put that with an exclamation mark.”

JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’

Rep. Greg Murphy leaves House Republican meeting

Rep. Greg Murphy said Republicans who try to upend the conference should face consequences. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Another GOP lawmaker said they were concerned about whether such a protest would lead to another messy House floor fight over the speakership, similar to the 15 rounds of voting ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., faced nearly two years ago.

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“What would worry me is if they’re willing to take that battle to the floor again. That’s where it doesn’t serve any kind of positive purpose at that point,” that lawmaker said.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, posted on X, “Enough is enough with the unserious political games – we have work to do.”

Others who have criticized Johnson in the past – like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. – signaled little appetite for supporting a challenger against Johnson, particularly if Trump backs the speaker on Wednesday morning.

The Hill was first to report that House Freedom Caucus members were seeking a challenger to Johnson.

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Trump picks Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary

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Trump picks Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, making him the first on-air talent from the conservative-leaning network to join the incoming administration. And he may not be the last.

Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will leave the network immediately, a Fox News representative said Tuesday.

Hegseth, 44, has been a co-host of the weekend edition of morning program “Fox & Friends” since 2017 alongside Will Cain and Rachel Campos-Duffy. An Army National Guard officer, he joined the network as a contributor in 2014.

“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Trump said in his statement announcing the appointment. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

A number of Fox News contributors are expected to join the new Trump administration. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan, who made paid appearances on the network, was named as Trump’s border czar on Monday.

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But Hegseth’s exit is a surprise. He is a full-time host who enjoys a comfortable salary and the perks that come along with a high-profile TV job.

There has been chatter inside the network that others may follow him.

The revolving door of White House administrations and cable news channels has been active in recent years due to the number of opinion programs the outlets now present.

Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany joined Fox News in 2021 after Trump lost the 2020 election.

Jen Psaki, who served in the same capacity for President Biden, moved to MSNBC after serving two years. She now hosts a program on Sundays and Mondays on the network. Symone Sanders, former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris and former Biden campaign senior adviser, is also a weekend host on the network.

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Hegseth is a graduate of Princeton University, and has a graduate degree from Harvard University. For his military service, he was decorated with two Bronze Stars, as well as a Combat Infantryman Badge.

Hegseth is a best selling author for Fox News Books, the network’s publishing imprint.

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