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Swing-state Democrat Casey walks a fine line between his own campaign and turmoil surrounding Biden

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Swing-state Democrat Casey walks a fine line between his own campaign and turmoil surrounding Biden

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey has a fine line to walk.

He and other Democrats fighting to hang on to hotly contested Senate seats have seemed jittery about the turmoil surrounding President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance. In many cases they’re trying to minimize any damage to their own races by saying as little as possible about it in public.

But with control of the Senate on the line, the drama is an unavoidable and unwelcome development for Democrats. They are defending far more Senate seats than Republicans this year, including in the presidential swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona.

Incumbents in Republican-leaning Montana and Ohio appear nervous, too, and there’s an unexpected challenge in the Democratic stronghold of Maryland from former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

The turmoil surrounding Biden is especially delicate for Casey, long seen as one of the safest Democratic bets in battleground races. He has defended Biden, but in the halls of the Capitol this week, even Casey brushed aside questions about how Biden’s predicament might affect his race.

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“I’ve got work I got to do as a senator and as a candidate,” he told The Associated Press. “I’m not going to be a pundit or an analyst. Obviously voters can make up their own minds.”

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Casey grew up on the same street as Biden in Scranton. Their families have known each other for decades, and he’s campaigned with Biden countless times, including this year. Biden — a Delaware resident but a Pennsylvania native, as is first lady Jill Biden — has long claimed Pennsylvania as his own.

When Casey’s mother died last year, Biden came to Scranton to pay his respects.

On Sunday, Casey greeted Biden in Philadelphia on the president’s campaign swing through Pennsylvania, attending worship services with him at a predominantly Black church there. Answering reporters’ questions during his own campaign events, Casey has maintained that he supports Biden and was not concerned about his debate flop.

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Still, Casey’s backing has lacked the gusto of Pennsylvania’s other Democratic senator, John Fetterman, who told Biden supporters in Pennsylvania that Biden is “the only person that’s ever kicked Trump’s ass in an election.”

Other Democratic incumbents have been less hesitant to set themselves apart from Biden, before and after the debate. Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio have offered little public support for the president since the debate.

Tester and Brown — prime GOP targets in states that Republicans have dominated in recent years — have been distancing themselves from Biden for quite some time.

For Tester, a centrist lawmaker representing a fossil fuel-friendly state, steering clear of national Democrats has long been crucial to his political survival. Most recently, he pushed back against the administration over new pollution rules that could hurt Montana’s energy industry.

Yet Tester has also said that the president himself was doing a good job — comments that his opponent, Republican Tim Sheehy, resurrected in an online campaign ad after Biden’s shaky debate performance.

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In a statement this week, Tester adopted a more skeptical stance. He said Biden must “prove to the American people — including me — that he’s up to the job.”

Montana voter Kathryn Natzel, a self-described moderate Democrat, supports Tester for his position on women’s reproductive rights and is clear about her reasoning.

“Don’t tell me what to do with my family,” she said.

But the 29-year-old stay-at-home mother from Billings worries younger voters who cringe at Biden’s age could also turn against Tester as he seeks a fourth term.

“It’s kind of a point against him for younger people,” Natzel said, noting that Tester’s political career spans almost her whole life.

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Brown, the Ohio incumbent, was asked repeatedly about Biden on a conference call with reporters Wednesday. The subject of the call was federal rules for hydrogen hubs, but the questions focused heavily on Biden.

Brown acknowledged there are “legitimate questions” about whether Biden should continue his campaign. The senator wouldn’t answer when asked what he told colleagues privately about Biden or if he thought having Biden on the ballot hurts other Democrats, including him. He even refused to answer directly when asked if he supported the president.

“I’m not talking about politics on this call,” Brown said. “I’ve said enough.”

On a campaign swing through Wisconsin, Baldwin told reporters that the “bottom line” is that it’s Biden’s decision on whether to run and that she’s heard a lot from voters and “passed those onto the White House.”

In Pennsylvania, for the most part, Casey has brushed aside questions about how Biden’s predicament might impact his race. But his opponent, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, is highlighting Casey’s support for Biden. In digital ads, McCormick’s campaign calls Casey the “one man who will never leave Biden.” Clips of Biden calling Casey “one of my best buddies,” “one of my closest friends” and “Bobby Casey” drive home the point.

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When he has talked about it, Casey has acknowledged that Biden had a bad night. But at a recent appearance with Biden in Harrisburg, e asserted that voters would ultimately side with Democrats, even in the race for the presidency. He said it comes down to whether candidates support reproductive rights for women, working families rather than billionaires, and voting rights over an insurrection.

“I do think people across the country, they have real a sense of what’s at stake in this race,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report. Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

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Russia warns Western forces in Ukraine would be considered ‘legitimate combat targets’

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Russia warns Western forces in Ukraine would be considered ‘legitimate combat targets’

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Russia on Thursday warned that any Western military forces deployed to Ukraine under a post-war security arrangement would be considered “legitimate combat targets,” sharply criticizing a newly signed Paris declaration outlining security guarantees for Kyiv.

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In a statement posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Telegram channel, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the declaration, backed by Ukraine, the United States and several European countries, was not aimed at peace but at further militarizing Ukraine and escalating the conflict.

She specifically objected to provisions calling for a multinational force and continued military support for Ukraine’s armed forces, warning that any foreign troops, military infrastructure or facilities on Ukrainian territory would be viewed by Moscow as direct foreign intervention.

UKRAINE, US NEAR 20-POINT PEACE DEAL AS PUTIN SPURNS ZELENSKYY CHRISTMAS CEASEFIRE OFFER

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova attends the annual press conference held by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Jan. 14, 2025, in Moscow. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

“All such units and facilities will be considered as legitimate combat targets of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” Zakharova said.

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“These warnings have been voiced more than once at the highest level and remain relevant.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday the U.K. and France signed a declaration of intent to deploy forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, including establishing military hubs and facilities to store weapons and equipment after a ceasefire.

A soldier fires a third-generation Javelin man-portable anti-tank missile system during a professional training session on Jan. 7, 2026, in Ukraine. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil – securing Ukraine’s skies and seas – and regenerating Ukraine’s armed forces for the future,” Starmer told reporters at a press conference after the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris.

RUSSIA ALLEGES ATTACK ON PUTIN RESIDENCE AS UKRAINE DENIES CLAIM AHEAD OF TRUMP TALKS

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“We also have agreed [on] significant further steps. First, that we will participate in U.S.-led monitoring and verification of any ceasefire. Second, we will support the long-term provision of armaments for Ukraine’s defence. And third, we will work towards binding commitments to support Ukraine in the case of a future armed attack by Russia,” he added.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. businessman Jared Kushner speak at a press conference after signing a declaration at the Coalition of the Willing summit on Jan. 6, 2026, in Paris. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters)

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on X that negotiators made significant progress on a bilateral security guarantee framework and a prosperity plan for Ukraine, calling durable security guarantees essential to a lasting peace.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said the document on security guarantees for Ukraine is essentially “ready for finalization at the highest level with the President of the United States.”

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“Complex issues from the basic framework for ending the war were also addressed, and the Ukrainian side presented possible options for finalizing this document,” he added. “We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war.”

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Belgium open to housing foreign prisoners in other countries, minister says

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Belgium’s Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt is looking at “every possible solution” to increase the number of irregular migrants returned from Belgium, including renting or building prison space abroad to house foreign prisoners.

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Minneapolis on edge after fatal shooting of woman by ICE officer

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Minneapolis on edge after fatal shooting of woman by ICE officer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with the governor calling for people to remain calm and schools canceling classes and activities as a safety precaution.

State and local officials demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents are not going anywhere.

The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested.

Macklin Good’s killing Wednesday morning in a residential neighborhood south of downtown was recorded on video by witnesses, and by the evening hundreds of people came out for a vigil to mourn her and urge the public to resist immigration enforcement. Some then chanted as they marched through the city, but there was no violence.

“I would love for ICE to leave our city and for more community members to come to see it happens,” said Sander Kolodziej, a painter who came to the vigil to support the community.

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The videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

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It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

In another recording made afterward, a woman who identifies Macklin Good as her spouse is seen crying near the vehicle. The woman, who is not identified, says the couple recently arrived in Minnesota and they had a child.

Noem called the incident an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers, saying the driver “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

President Donald Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended ICE’s work.

Noem alleged that the woman was part of a “mob of agitators” and said the officer followed his training. She said the FBI would investigate.

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But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem’s version of events “garbage.”

“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” Frey said. “Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit.”

He also criticized the federal deployment and said the agents should leave.

The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. Wednesday’s is at least the fifth death linked to the crackdowns.

The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced the operation’s launch Tuesday, at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

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A crowd of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting to vent their anger at local and federal officers.

In a scene that hearkened back to crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago, people chanted “ICE out of Minnesota” and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

Gov. Tim Walz said he was prepared to deploy the National Guard if necessary. He expressed outrage over the shooting but called on people to keep protests peaceful.

“They want a show,” Walz said. “We can’t give it to them.”

There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot Macklin Good.

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Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.

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Dell’Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Mark Vancleave in Las Vegas, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

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