Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., was caught on a hot mic Thursday discussing strategy following the passage of a new map by California voters that could potentially give Democrats an additional five House seats.

Issa was apparently referring to Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim, both California Republicans, during his remarks while attending President Donald Trump’s peace deal signing between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Just before the event began, Issa was captured on a pool camera discussing the race.

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“Ken has nowhere else to go,” Issa said in footage recorded ahead of the White House peace-signing event. The footage was posted online by a reporter at Spectrum News’ Washington, D.C., bureau.

“She does have a hard seat she could go to, and I know the administration would look favorably if she would do that,” Issa continued, apparently referring to Kim. “And then if she doesn’t win, you know, she could go to the administration for two years.

“With Ken, we need him exactly where he is, and most of this district is or has been his,” he added. “If anyone else had a claim for it, it’d be me.”

California voters in November approved Proposition 50, a measure that will redraw the state’s congressional map and give Democrats more House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The move was in response to a similar plan in Texas to give Republicans more seats.

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Calvert will challenge Kim, an incumbent, for California’s newly redrawn 40th Congressional District.

“Appreciate Congressman Issa saying what so many Californians already know: Ken Calvert is the strongest conservative who can win this seat and is on track to win the new 40th district,” a spokesperson for Calvert’s campaign told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Issa and and Kim.

Issa was reportedly considering a move to Texas to run for Congress. However, he previously told Fox News that he will remain in California to run in the newly gerrymandered 48th Congressional District.

“I’m thrilled to set the record straight, and here’s the truth: Texas House members and residents of that state did ask if I would consider running there following Gavin Newsom’s historically corrupt gerrymander,” Issa told Fox News Digital. “I appreciate the opportunity, but California is my home. I told them I’m going to stay in Congress, and I don’t need to go to Texas for that.

“I believe the people of Southern California in San Diego County and Riverside County who elected me so many times will, regardless of registration, consider my record in full and allow me to continue serving them,” he added. “I can hold this seat, I’m not quitting on California, and neither should anyone else.”

SAN FRANCISCO – A hit-and-run crash in San Francisco on Wednesday evening left a pedestrian dead.

Driver fled scene

What we know:

According to the San Francisco Police Department, the crash happened around 6:05 p.m. in the 5500 block of Mission Street. The driver fled the scene after striking the pedestrian.

The victim died at the scene.

Officers have not yet provided a description of the suspect vehicle involved in the incident.

No further details were immediately released. 

Hurricane-force winds in Colorado on Wednesday had a major impact across the Denver metro area, Front Range, and foothills. It’s a First Alert Weather Day because of the dangerous conditions.

Gusts of over 100 mph — equivalent to a category 2 hurricane — were reported in some parts of the Front Range, and over 100,000 people were without power as of 7 p.m. On Berthoud Pass, between Empire and Winter Park, wind gusts reached at least 102 mph. They reached 97 mph at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Boulder County, 96 mph in Marshall, and 93 mph in West Arvada. 

Several highways were closed, Denver International Airport saw dozens of delays, power lines and other property damage were reported, schools were closed, Denver’s holiday events were canceled, and thousands of homes and businesses were without power after Xcel’s Public Safety Power Shutoff and unplanned outages.

Power shutoff

Xcel Energy was implementing what it calls a Public Safety Shutoff, for only the second time ever in Colorado. An estimated 50,000 people across the Front Range were impacted, mostly in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties.

Restoration for some areas was expected to start around 6 p.m. Wednesday, but many customers told CBS News Colorado that Xcel told them it could be up to three days before their power is restored.

As a result, the Colorado Division of Emergency Management opened charging centers, shelters, and resource centers in the impacted areas.

Xcel said it shut off the power in these areas because of the combination of wind speeds and dry conditions that increase the chance of wildfires.

Once conditions improve, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney said crews will begin inspecting lines to determine when power can be restored.

“Once the wind event stops, that does not mean your power will be immediately restored,” he said. “We have several hundred crew members that are already being pre-positioned, that are on standby, so that when the wind event does end, they will be able to immediately begin inspecting the lines. They have to visually inspect the lines for damage before restoring the power.”

Delayed flights

The Federal Aviation Administration called for a ground delay at Denver International Airport from 5 through 8 p.m., although that’s subject to change, based on evolving weather conditions.

As of about 6:30 p.m., 66 flights were delayed, and one was canceled.

Wind gusts were recorded at around 40 mph at the airport around 5 p.m.

School closures

Several school districts — including Jefferson County, Colorado’s second-largest — closed schools, and many also canceled after-school activities.

The University of Colorado cancelled classes, but the Buffs’ basketball game against Portland State is continuing, although fans are not allowed to attend.

Highway closures

Several highways in the foothills near Boulder, as well as in Northern Colorado up to the Wyoming state line, were closed. At least one crash also closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 on the Eastern Plains.

Those planned closures included:

• Highway 93 between Boulder and Arvada
• Highway 36 between Boulder and Lyons
• Highway 128 from Superior to Highway 93 
• Highway 287 between Ted’s Place and the Wyoming border closed this afternoon, but has since reopened

Damage and other closures

Power lines were reported as having fallen across the Denver metro area, adding to the number of customers without power.

A number of local businesses were also forced to close — some out of caution, others due to a lack of power.

Car and structure windows were also broken by flying debris, like this car in Boulder, whose windows were shattered by small, flying rocks.

Despite losing power around 10 a.m., Ace Hardware in Golden remained open and kept busy, selling generators, flashlights, batteries, and tools and materials to prevent or fix damage.

Some business owners raised concerns about what a days-long outage could mean for their companies, products, and customers.

“We could lose everything,” DeAnn Wieber, owner of the Windy Saddle Cafe in Golden, said. “We could lose all our food, the time that it took to prepare everything, and we just don’t know. And there’s are a lot of businesses going through the same thing.”