Sen. Mark Kelly flew with Russian pilots in the Navy and with NASA, and he said the Russian fighter jet running into a US drone shows 'how incompetent they are'
Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, compared the drone incident to the "incompetence that we see on the battle field every day in Ukraine."
news.yahoo.comCongress floats ways to secure skies after Chinese balloon
WASHINGTON — (AP) — As the only current U.S. senator to have visited space, Mark Kelly knows something about unexplained objects in the skies. President Joe Biden has said the military is developing "sharper rules" to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects. China's alleged practice of using balloons for surveillance exploits a potential oversight in air traffic control systems, Kelly said. “China has fused its commercial, military and technological applications in ways no other nation ever has,” Rubio told reporters. As senators were clued in to the origins of the objects shot down this month, some appeared ready to move on.
wftv.comU. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame set to welcome a new class of honorees
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, located at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, will add two new plaques to its walls this year. Veteran astronauts Roy Bridges and Senator Mark Kelly will be welcomed to the hall of fame next month. “The Hall of Fame has inducted 105 individuals with this honor; this year’s nominees are perfect examples of the accomplished individuals who are inducted each year. Bridges went on to serve as Center Director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center from 1997 to 2003. An official ceremony and gala will take place at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on May 6.
wftv.com2nd Arizona county delays certifying election, for now
Mohave became the second state county to delay certification, following Cochise in Arizona's southeast. Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich wants an explanation of how the printer problems happened before Maricopa County does its certification on Nov. 28. Only 16% of the 1.56 million votes cast in Maricopa County were made in-person on Election Day. The vote to delay the Mohave County vote canvass was not unanimous, although all five board members are Republicans. Member Jean Bishop called the decision “kind of ludicrous.”“We’re not Maricopa County, we’re Mohave County,” she said.
wftv.comMasters concedes Senate race, Hobbs celebrates governor win
Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor, however, had not conceded a day after The Associated Press called the race for Democrat Katie Hobbs. A Democrat was also elected secretary of state this year and the race for attorney general was extremely close. Mark Finchem, who lost the secretary of state race to Democrat Adrian Fontes, has spent days spreading Q-Anon memes and conspiracy theories alleging the contest was stolen from him. Sixty-four percent of Hobbs voters were that confident, compared with only 12% of voters backing Lake. “In this election, Arizonans chose solving our problems over conspiracy theories," Hobbs told supporters in a victory speech Monday.
wftv.comShorter voting window could cut turnout in Georgia runoff
Under Georgia's 2021 election law, there will be only four weeks before the runoff — with Thanksgiving in the middle. Those changes could disadvantage Democrats, who tend to push early voting and vote-by-mail more than Republicans. Democratic U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson said it will be challenging to reignite the kind of early voting enthusiasm that Democrats displayed ahead of the general election, when overall early voting set a new midterm record. Georgia's 159 counties can open early voting sooner than Nov. 28 if they are able. Opponents of Georgia's voting law say changes to mail voting hurt voters, disputing Republican claims that high turnout proves the law didn't hurt anyone.
wftv.comDemocrat Katie Hobbs keeps lead in race for Arizona governor
Hobbs led Lake by 1.6 percentage points after the release of roughly 85,000 votes from Maricopa County. Approximately 270,000 ballots remain uncounted statewide, and Hobbs leads by about 35,000 votes. Protracted counts are the norm in Arizona, where a record number of people returned mail ballots on Election Day. A few protesters wore ballistic vests or carried handguns as a number of county sheriff’s deputies nearby guarded the complex. Arizona was central to former President Donald Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election and cast doubt on the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory.
wftv.comCortez Masto wins in Nevada, giving Democrats Senate control
With Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly's victory in Arizona on Friday, Democrats now hold a 50-49 edge in the Senate. Cortez Masto, the first Latina in the Senate, was considered the most vulnerable Democratic senator in the midterm elections, and the Republican Party had high hopes of flipping the seat. But despite an influx of spending on attack ads from national GOP groups, Cortez Masto managed to secure her reelection bid. Democrats had an uphill battle given the nation’s turbulent economy, and Nevada exemplified the party’s challenges. Nevada is also a famously live-and-let-live state, and Cortez Masto’s message on preserving abortion rights resonated.
wftv.comDemocratic Sen. Cortez Masto takes narrow lead in Nevada
LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto took a narrow lead over Republican Adam Laxalt on Saturday night in Nevada's closely watched Senate race, which could determine control of the chamber. The Nevada race took on added importance after Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly was declared the winner in Arizona on Friday night, giving his party 49 seats in the chamber. Cortez Masto was a few thousand votes ahead of Laxalt, with most of the remaining uncounted ballots in heavily Democratic Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. “This has narrowed our victory window,” he tweeted, acknowledging the race comes down to the final Clark County ballots. In another key race, Democratic Gov.
wftv.comMark Kelly: Time to let go of "conspiracies of the past"
PHOENIX — (AP) — Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly urged Arizonans to let go of "conspiracies of the past" on Saturday, calling for unity a day after he won re-election to a crucial Senate seat. Kelly pressed to move past the false claims of a fraudulent election have shaped the state's politics for the past two years. Kelly was elected in a special election two years ago to finish McCain's term. “If, at the end, Senator Kelly has more of them than I do, then I will congratulate him on a hard-fought victory,” Masters said. “At Maricopa County, we follow the laws as they are written.”The closely watched race for governor between Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake was too early to call Saturday.
wftv.comDemocrat Katie Hobbs keeps lead in race for Arizona governor
The release of ballots on Saturday from Arizona's largest county netted Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake a few thousand votes, but she's still trailing Democrat Katie Hobbs by tens of thousands of ballots. Hobbs led Lake by 1.6 percentage points after the release of roughly 85,000 votes from Maricopa County. Approximately 270,000 ballots remain uncounted statewide, and Hobbs leads by about 35,000 votes.
news.yahoo.comSenate control may come down to Nevada as count nears end
LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Control of the U.S. Senate may come down to Nevada, where a slow ballot count entered its final act Saturday in the nail-biter contest between Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. If Cortez Masto wins, Democrats would maintain their control of the Senate given Vice President Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote. If Laxalt wins, the Georgia Senate runoff next month would determine which party has the single-vote Senate edge. They also sought to capitalize on lingering frustrations about pandemic shutdowns that devastated Las Vegas’ tourist-centric economy in 2020. ___Associated Press writer Scott Sonner in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
wftv.comMark Kelly defeats Blake Masters in Arizona, putting Democrats one seat from holding Senate
Incumbent Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly has defeated Republican challenger Blake Masters in Arizona, boosting Democratic hopes of holding onto the Senate. <<< 2022 Arizona Senate Midterm Election: Latest Updates and Results >>>Along with neighboring Nevada, Arizona was one of two battleground states where the Senate result remained up in the air long after Election Day as officials tallied every last batch of ballots to determine the winner. But Kelly’s crucial victory in Arizona gives the Democrats 49 Senate seats. (In a 50-50 Senate, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote.) In the end, most Arizona voters (54%) simply said that Masters was “too extreme.” Far fewer (43%) said the same about Kelly.
wftv.comWhy the AP called the Arizona Senate race for Mark Kelly
The Republican challenger was significantly outpacing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly only in a small number of vote batches coming in from Maricopa County; in nearly all other cases, Kelly had a slight or substantial edge. That’s what led AP to call the race for Kelly after Maricopa County released another batch of 80,000 votes late Friday. Now elected to his first full term, Kelly has been one of the most successful Democrats to run statewide in Arizona. Arizona has a long political history of voting Republican, but changing demographics have made the state friendlier to Democrats. The AP has not made a call in Arizona's governor's race between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs.
wftv.comKelly win in Arizona puts Dems 1 seat from Senate control
With Vice President Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote, Democrats can retain control of the Senate by winning either the Nevada race, which remains too early to call, or next month's runoff in Georgia. The Arizona race is one of a handful of contests that Republicans targeted in their bid to take control of the 50-50 Senate. It was a test of the inroads that Kelly and other Democrats have made in a state once reliably dominated by the GOP. Kelly's victory suggests Democratic success in Arizona was not an aberration during Donald Trump's presidency. Other Arizona contests, including the closely watched race for governor between Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake, were too early to call Friday night.
wftv.comVictims in 2011 Giffords attack see parallel to Capitol riot
“As I sat waiting for information about @SenMarkKelly’s safety today, I couldn’t stop thinking about what you must have gone through 10 years ago this week,” Giffords wrote on Twitter on Wednesday after it was clear lawmakers were unharmed. Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords' community outreach director, was the first congressional staffer killed on the job in the United States. She went to see her congresswoman with a child’s optimism and a belief that public service is exciting and hopeful. A decade later, in the aftermath of an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his words carry new meaning. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”
World’s space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020
The European and Russian space agencies skipped the 2020 Mars launch window, their life-sniffing Mars rover grounded until 2022 because of technical issues and COVID-19 restrictions. Three weeks later, SpaceX launched its biggest cargo shipment yet to the space station for NASA. If the repairs work and the capsule finally reaches the space station, the first Starliner astronauts could be flying by summer. The actor was in talks with NASA this year about filming a movie at the space station. “Whatever else can be said about the four years of the Trump administration, they have been positive for the U.S. civilian space program,” noted John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute.
Arizona's Kelly is sworn into Senate, narrowing GOP edge
(Nicholas Kamm/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Arizona Democrat and former astronaut Mark Kelly was sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, narrowing Republican control of the chamber and underscoring his state's shift from red to blue. Kelly, 56, defeated GOP Sen. Martha McSally in last month's election, making her one of only three incumbents to lose. Kelly's Arizona colleague, Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, held the Bible on which he took his oath. In what was one of the country's most expensive Senate races, Kelly raised $89 million. That was second only to the $108 million collected by defeated South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Arizona certifies Biden's narrow victory over Trump
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, left, and Arizona Gov. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool)PHOENIX – Arizona officials certified the state's election results on Monday, formalizing Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory over Donald Trump even as the Republican president's attorneys continued to make baseless claims of fraud about the state's vote count. In the final tally, he beat Trump by 10,457 votes, or 0.3 percent of the nearly 3.4 million ballots cast. Nine Republican state lawmakers attended the meeting. A judge in Phoenix has scheduled a Thursday trial in Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward’s lawsuit that seeks to annul Biden’s victory in the state.
The Latest: Biden, foreign leaders talk about pandemic
WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):5:30 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden spent Monday at home accepting congratulatory calls from foreign leaders, a day after being diagnosed with stress fractures in his foot. __HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN'S TRANSITION TO THE WHITE HOUSE:President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House. __1:50 p.m.Arizona officials have certified Joe Biden’s narrow victory over President Donald Trump in the state. The inaugural committee works in coordination with Congress’ planning group around arrangements for the Capitol ceremony, and organizes inaugural balls and other events surrounding the swearing-in. In a statement Monday, the inaugural committee said it will work on “prioritizing keeping people safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19 while engaging all Americans” in the festivities.
Senate control hangs in balance with a few races undecided
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks with reporters during a press conference in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. “We’re waiting — whether I’m going to be the majority leader or not,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday. There already is a Jan. 5 runoff in the state's other Senate race. Securing the Senate majority will be vital for the winner of the presidency. John Hickenlooper defeated GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat Republican incumbent Martha McSally.
Democrats win big in Arizona, now a former GOP stronghold
The outcome delighted Democrats and was sure to bring a reckoning for Republicans who have enjoyed decades of dominance in Arizona politics. In turning toward friendly territory for Democrats, Arizona is following a path blazed by its neighbors Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. It’s also the Democrats’ brightest light among the Sun Belt states they tried to flip from the GOP this year. A decade of work organizing Latinos to vote helped Arizona Democrats outperform other states where Democrats came up short, Gallego said. President Bill Clinton won Arizona in his 1996 reelection bid.
Democrats' Senate drive halted by GOP; key races undecided
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump’s campaign helped his GOP allies, but that state election officials were still counting ballots. Key Senate races in North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia remained undecided. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has struggled against Democrat Cal Cunningham, despite the married challenger’s sexting scandal with a public relations strategist. GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face Democrat Raphael Warnock, a Black pastor at the church where the Rev.
Senate Latest: Kelly win gives Arizona 2 Democratic senators
The former astronaut defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat after McCain’s death in 2018. Daines’ first election in 2014 broke a Democratic lock on the Senate seat that had lasted more than 100 years. The six-term congressman from northern New Mexico defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti, a former television meteorologist, and Libertarian Bob Walsh. Reed cruised to victory over Waters, an investment consultant who mounted earlier unsuccessful campaigns for state Senate and U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Warner defeated Republican challenger Daniel Gade in a low-key race in which the incumbent had a massive cash advantage.
Democrats losing paths to Senate control as GOP hangs on
Republican Senate candidate Sen. Mitch McConnell, second from right, and his wife, Elaine Chao, right, look on as aides show him the election results in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)WASHINGTON – Hopes fading for Senate control, Democrats had a disappointing election night as Republicans swatted down an onslaught of challengers and fought to retain their fragile majority. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. The Democrats' gains were in Colorado and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat GOP incumbent Martha McSally. Republican Cynthia Lummis, the former congresswoman from Wyoming, won the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mike Enzi.
GOP tries to save its Senate majority, with or without Trump
Republican senators are fighting to save their majority against an onslaught of challengers in states once off limits to Democrats that are now hotbeds of the backlash to President Donald Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans are fighting to save their majority, a final election push against the onslaught of challengers in states once off limits to Democrats but now hotbeds of a potential backlash to President Donald Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill. With it, a reelected Trump could confirm his nominees and ensure a backstop against legislation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. With the chamber now split, 53-47, three or four seats will determine Senate control, depending on which party wins the White House. Swooping in to fill the gap for Republicans is the Senate Leadership Fund, tapping deep-pocketed donors.
Road to 270: Biden needs one more state to win
They would give Biden 279 electoral votes, as long as he wins all the other states in Clinton's column. Under this scenario, Biden would not need to win any other states Trump won in 2016. ___SOUTH BY SOUTHWESTIf Biden loses Pennsylvania, it would require him to find 11 electoral votes elsewhere. Should Biden win Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and either Arizona and North Carolina, he would capture at least 290 electoral votes. He's also competing for Ohio, which Trump won by 8 percentage points in 2016; Iowa, which Trump won by nearly 10 percentage points; and Georgia, which Trump carried by 5 percentage points.
McConnell tries to salvage Senate majority with court vote
Confirmation hearings are set to begin Monday for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee giving Republicans one last chance to salvage their Senate majority by wresting attention away from the White House and its COVID-19 response and onto the GOP’s longtime goal of fashioning a conservative court. Only two GOP senators balked at quick confirmation. This time, it's much about securing his own legacy reshaping the judiciary into what allies call the “McConnell Court” as giving his majority a landing pad after a tumultuous four years with Trump. Having already bent Senate rules to allow 51-vote threshold to advance Supreme Court nominees, rather than 60 as was tradition, McConnell is now poised to usher a third Trump justice to confirmation. “It’s not going to be remembered as the McConnell Court,” said Stevens.
Arizona Senate race could impact confirmation of new justice
FILE - In this May 16, 2011, file photo, former NASA astronaut STS-134 commander Mark Kelly, front, waves a he leaves the Operations and Checkout Building with fellow crew members, including Mike Fincke, for a trip to Launch Pad 39-A, and a planned liftoff on the space shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. A Kelly victory would shrink the GOP's Senate majority at a crucial moment and complicate the path to confirmation for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Arizona Senate race could impact confirmation of new justice
(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)PHOENIX – If Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly wins a seat in the U.S. Senate, he could take office as early as Nov. 30, shrinking the GOP’s Senate majority at a crucial moment and complicating the path to confirmation for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. “If Mark Kelly comes out on top, HE could block President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee from being confirmed,” she wrote. The Supreme Court vacancy could shake up the race and boost McSally’s lagging campaign by keeping those voters in her camp. Republican and Democratic election lawyers agreed that Arizona law is clear: If Kelly wins, he will take office once the results are official. Arizona Supreme Court precedent favors putting elected officials in elected positions as soon as possible, said the Tim LaSota, the former lawyer for the Arizona Republican Party and a McSally supporter.
Arizona Senate race could play crucial role in confirmation
If Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly wins a seat in the U.S. Senate, he could take office as early as Nov. 30, 2020. A Kelly victory would shrink the GOP's Senate majority at a crucial moment and complicate the path to confirmation for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)PHOENIX – If Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly wins a seat in the U.S. Senate, he could take office as early as Nov. 30, shrinking the GOP's Senate majority at a crucial moment and complicating the path to confirmation for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. “If Mark Kelly comes out on top, HE could block President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee from being confirmed,” she wrote. The Supreme Court vacancy could shake up the race and boost McSally's lagging campaign by keeping those voters in her camp.
Trump looms large over campaigns for control of Congress
Standing behind Trump are Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. So far, voters are signaling they want to finish the job they started in 2018 by installing Democrats for House majority control. In battleground Arizona, Republican Sen. Martha McSally is trailing Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut. Gonzales said after GOP losses in 2018 there was an expectation that Trump atop the ticket would bring back Republican voters in 2020. But President Trump continues to drive Democratic energy and turnout, he said.
Democratic convention takeaways: Make history, pound Trump
(Democratic National Convention via AP)There has been one persistent theme in the Democratic National Convention so far: to portray President Donald Trump in highly personal ways as one unsuited for the White House both in skills and temperament. Here are some key takeaways from the third night of the convention. Donald Trump hasnt grown into the job because he cant, Obama said, according to his prepared remarks. Thats been a theme of the entire Democratic Convention, but having the most recent former president make it explicit demonstrates that this time Democrats are taking Trump seriously, and literally. The Democratic party is increasingly dependent on female voters, as a gender gap grows in U.S. politics.
GOP candidates balance pros, cons of running with Trump
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, facing a competitive North Carolina reelection contest, is looking forward to campaigning" with Trump, Tillis' spokesperson said. GOP Sen. Steve Daines tweeted, Montana cant wait to have you back, Mr. President! after Trump promised to help him battle a strong Democratic challenger. Republican candidates are hostages, said Trump critic Tim Miller, an aide to past GOP presidential contenders including Jeb Bush. Anyone who wants to win in November should be running with the president, said Trump campaign spokesperson Erin Perrine. In the House, Democrats hope to use allegiance to Trump that GOP candidates touted in primaries against them in general elections.