The White House News

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat representing what’s been a competitive U.S. House seat in Virginia, announced Monday that she’s running for governor of the state. 

The third-term congresswoman will not seek re-election in 2024 for the House seat she held by 4.66 percentage points in 2022. She defeated Republican Dave Brat in 2018.

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who assumed office at the start of 2022, is barred by the state constitution from running for a second consecutive term in 2025. 

“The greatest honor of my life has been to represent Virginians in the U.S. House. Today, I am proud to announce that I will be working hard to gain the support and trust of all Virginians to continue this service as the next Governor of Virginia,” Spanberger said in a statement. 

“Virginia is where I grew up, where I am raising my own family, and where I intend to build a stronger future for the next generation of Virginians,” she continued. “As a former CIA case officer, former federal law enforcement officer, and current Member of Congress, I have always believed in the value of public service. I look forward to serving the Seventh District through the end of this term and then pursuing the important work of bringing Virginia together to keep our Commonwealth strong.”

YOUNGKIN FALLS SHORT IN HIS MISSION TO WIN TOTAL GOP CONTROL OF VIRGINIA STATE LEGISLATURE

In her gubernatorial campaign announcement video titled “What Matters Most,” Spanberger took aim at Republicans over abortion and “banning books.” 

“Despite dangerous polarization, I have found ways to bring people together and focus on what really matters,” she said of her career in Congress, claiming to have provided support to veterans, small businesses and families and communities struggling with addiction. 

“But today, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Our country and our Commonwealth are facing fundamental threats to our rights, our freedoms, and to our democracy. While some politicians in Richmond focus on banning abortion and books, what they’re not doing is helping people,” she said. “I know how to bring people together and get real things done that improve lives.”

In Congress, Spanberger serves on the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. 

Spanberger represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, a key swing seat in northern Virginia that will be up for election next year. Her decision not to seek reelection in the House could lead to a competitive Democratic primary in the 7th. A handful of Republican candidates have also already announced campaigns.

The former CIA officer and law enforcement officer for the U.S. Postal Service won her first congressional race in a district that had been held by Republicans for almost 50 years.

TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM ELECTION DAY 2023 AND WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE 2024 ELECTIONS

The Commonwealth prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. That’s led to intense speculation about Youngkin’s next political move, as well as early jockeying in effective shadow campaigns for the chief executive’s office.

As for other potential gubernatorial candidates, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a Democrat, is expected to announce campaign plans soon, according to The Associated Press. 

Among Republicans, Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are widely seen in political circles as likely contenders. Neither has publicly committed to a run, and both have also said they were focused on this year’s legislative races.

Outgoing Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase may also run. Chase, who lost a June primary and ran unsuccessfully for her party’s nomination for governor in 2021, said she’s ruled out running for the U.S. Senate next year and is contemplating another run for governor or lieutenant governor, characterizing the latter of those two as more likely.

Last month, former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced she would not run for governor in 2025 and will instead run next year to represent the competitive northern Virginia congressional seat being vacated by a fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

San Francisco has erected barricades and fencing to secure the APEC summit where President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet this week. 

Photos and videos show black metal fenced barricades erected outside the Moscone Center, where leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group will gather this week to talk about how to better spur trade and economic growth across the Pacific region. Biden and Xi will meet face to face on the sidelines of the San Francisco summit, hosted against a backdrop of icy relations between China and the United States and as wars rage in Israel against Hamas and in Ukraine against Russian invaders. 

The decision to erect the temporary barricades faced criticism on social media. 

The account End Wokeness, which has garnered 1.8 million followers on X, shared video of the black fence barricades lining the streets of downtown San Francisco.

“San Francisco’s homeless population was entirely cleared out for Xi Jinping,” the account wrote. “The government can easily fix our cities overnight. It just doesn’t want to.” 

WH OFFICIALS CONFIRM DATE, LOCATION FOR BIDEN’S US MEETING WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT XI

“U.S. taxpayers’ money is being used to protect the ‘safety’ of a communist dictator, suppressing the voices of the public living in America,” X user Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng, who shares information and insights about China and the Chinese Communist Party, wrote to her 244,300 followers. 

Noting California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent visit to Beijing, where he made a surprise visit with Xi, Zeng alleged the barricades were placed by the APEC center in advance to prevent the public from protesting or getting too close to the Chinese leader’s motorcade through San Francisco. 

Several reports say San Francisco officials have been stepping up efforts to clear homeless encampments, which have long plagued the city’s downtown, through dedicated outreach intervention focused on the vicinity of the conference. Open-air drug dealing and homelessness have long troubled business owners and residents across the city. 

However, with the conference in town, the city is only allowing homeless people normally living in the area deemed a security zone for APEC access to nearby shelters in an effort to get them off the street ahead of this week’s events. 

Some argued the decision to erect barricades to secure the APEC summit was hypocritical for Democratic-run San Francisco after Rep. Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif., and Newsom, the former mayor of the city, both criticized walls as immoral and unnecessary in the past regarding former President Trump’s initiative along the U.S.-Mexico border meant to deter illegal immigration, which has now become a divisive issue for the Biden administration.

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The account Asians Against Wokeness, which bills itself as a group of Asian-American activists organizing to fight woke culture, violent crime and leftist ideology, said of the San Francisco barricades, “Woke liberals fear/respect Xi Daddy more than their fellow Americans. Soft core authoritarians fear/respect hardcore authoritarians.” 

The White House announced Friday that Biden would meet with Xi on Wednesday. 

“The Leaders will discuss issues in the U.S.-PRC bilateral relationship, the continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication, and a range of regional and global issues,” the White House said. “Building on their last meeting in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, the Leaders will also discuss how the United States and the PRC can continue to responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align, particularly on transnational challenges that affect the international community.” 

San Francisco Mayor London Breed boasted on X that APEC is “projected to bring over $50 million in economic impact to the City — this is support for our small businesses & restaurants, people staying in our hotels, and tax revenues that pay for things like our parks, libraries, services, and police officers throughout our city.” 

You can put lipstick on a pig, but…

If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck…

What’s in a name? That which we would call a rose…

Don’t spit on cupcakes and call it frosting…

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., faces his first true test this week. The newly elected House speaker is offering something he’s characterized in recent weeks as a “laddered CR.” Yeah, not a lot of people in Washington knew what that was either.

Johnson engineered a plan to fund the entire government on a temporary basis through Jan. 19, which is when Congress is expected to pass one batch of spending bills to avert a shutdown. The remainders would have until Feb. 2.

The “laddered” concept stems from dealing with one “rung” of bills by one date and the next “rung” of bills later on. Laddered. Get it?

WHEN IT COMES TO THE NEXT SHUTDOWN FIGHT IN CONGRESS, SILENCE IS GOLDEN

Call it what you will, but what Johnson proposed is a “CR” – short for “Continuing Resolution.” An interim spending bill which simply renews all funding at current levels to avoid a government shutdown early Saturday morning.

Ironically, this is exactly the same legislative idea that got former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., canned earlier this fall. So, what gives?

It’s rebranding. Companies change their names all the time. Firms wrap their products up in shinier, newer packages. It doesn’t affect the stuff inside. The term “CR” became toxified inside some quarters of the House Republican Conference. So, you have to alter the marketing. Moreover, Johnson reiterates that he is committed to advancing the 12 annual appropriations bills which fund the government one by one as Republicans promised.

Except for a couple of things. A CR is still a CR. There was never enough time from when Johnson clasped the gavel to advance all the spending bills through the House and merge them with the Senate to avoid a shutdown, so this was the only way out of this cul-de-sac for Johnson.

But moreover, Johnson is running into the same problems which dogged his predecessor. Republicans insist on passing their own partisan spending bills individually, but they can’t.

Republicans had to yank a Transportation/Housing spending bill off the floor last week and did the same with a Treasury/White House spending bill on Thursday.

And for the record, the latter bill met its demise after the House rejected an amendment to reduce the pay of White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre to $1 a year. That’s right. $1.

What is this? The Price is Right?

Jean-Pierre’s annual take-home pay is $188,000. Point being, Republicans burned crucial time making amendments like those pertaining to Jean-Pierre in order for debate and a vote when they couldn’t even get the overall legislation to pass.

These appropriations bills are not exactly ready for the Showcase Showdown.

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It’s far from clear whether the House can even pass Johnson’s proposal. And, because of GOP skepticism, Johnson may need to rely on Democrats to avert a government shutdown. Sound familiar?

If Republicans give Johnson a pass and approve his “laddered” CR – especially with Democratic assistance – we will have confirmed something significant about the Speaker’s debacle which consumed most of October and prompted McCarthy’s ouster: the motion to vacate the chair was never about spending bills or legislation. It was a personal vendetta against McCarthy.

But back to the task at hand: government funding expires at 11:59 p.m. ET Friday. There is not much turning radius to move a bill of any sort through the House and through the Senate. Either way, it doesn’t appear that Johnson faces some of the same opprobrium which was leveled at his predecessor, but Johnson doesn’t appear to have a Midas Touch yet, either.

Lawmakers from both sides long suggested that Johnson would enjoy a “honeymoon” after finally securing the gavel following a brutal three weeks incinerating one speaker and three speaker nominees.

“There’s a honeymoon period here. I’m not sure how long that lasts. Maybe 30 days,” opined Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., late last Thursday.

HOUSE ENDS WEEK BEHIND SCHEDULE WITH DAYS UNTIL POSSIBLE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

But minutes later, House Republican leaders pulled the Treasury/White House bill from the floor because it lacked the votes to pass.

“With what’s going on over on the floor today, I think that indicates that the honeymoon might be shorter than we thought. And every time the CR expires, the speaker’s putting his head in the lion’s mouth,” said Massie.

Johnson may not be able to control the CR and he also can’t control privileged resolutions offered by Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who filed a special resolution late last week to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Since the resolution is “privileged,” it goes to the front of the legislative line. The House will likely consider Greene’s gambit on Tuesday.

It’s possible that the GOP-led House could impeach Mayorkas with no hearings, no depositions and no markup of a resolution. This would be after Republicans brayed for months about “the regular order.” Greene said it was too late for all of that.

“No more strongly worded letters. No more committee hearings. No more clips on the press. We have to do something about it,” she said.

HOUSE MAY VOTE ON IMPEACHING MAYORKAS WITHOUT A MOTION TO TABLE: SOURCE

To be frank, many Republicans would rather talk about impeaching Mayorkas instead of actually impeaching Mayorkas, especially with no committee hearings or markups. 

The House just voted to table (or kill) a resolution to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., because the Ethics Committee hadn’t completed a report on his conduct. Moreover, Johnson said on Fox he was concerned about “due process,” but that’s cast to the wind with Greene’s measure to impeach Mayorkas.

A senior House leadership source told Fox to expect a straight up or down vote on the Mayorkas resolution. In other words, no motion to table. Of course, Democrats could move to table, but it’s unclear if they would do that. Democrats don’t want Mayorkas impeached, but they may feel it’s a victory either way.

One of two things will happen: The House votes to impeach Mayorkas. If so, he becomes only the second cabinet officer ever impeached. The last was Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, but Democrats know that the Senate would never hold a full trial on Mayorkas. It must start the process. But the Senate can vote to dispense with the articles.

Democrats will view impeachment as a victory because Republicans wasted their time – impeaching Mayorkas – as the government runs out of money. They’ll also point to who authored the articles of impeachment: Greene.

The other scenario is if the House fails to impeach Mayorkas. It’s far from clear that the House has the votes to do so. Democrats will then point to Republicans chattering ad nauseam about impeaching Mayorkas and then stumbling. 

All talk and no action, and some Republicans have had it.

“I’m not going to be thinking a lot about every privileged resolution that Majorie (Taylor) Greene files because we’ve got real work to do,” said freshman Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., who represents a battleground district and won by 564 votes in 2022. “I’m not interested in these peripheral impeachments.”

Regardless, Democrats will point to election results last week in Kentucky, Virginia and Ohio and suggest that Republicans are again focused on the wrong things.

Not everyone in the nation knows who Mike Johnson is yet, but if the government shuts down on Saturday, you can bet everyone will learn who he is.

So, you can dress things up by applying lipstick, mascara and anything else on a CR… but it’s still a CR. That’s something Republicans abhor, but Johnson has no choice when his side still can’t even pass their own spending bills.

There is one school of thought on Capitol Hill that maybe a shutdown is inevitable. Congress narrowly averted a shutdown once McCarthy put a straight, six-week CR on the floor at the last minute, so maybe McCarthy simply delayed a shutdown. McCarthy paid the price for preventing that earlier in the fall.

Johnson won’t pay an immediate price regardless of how things go. He might not get a laddered CR, but this is the challenge Johnson faces for climbing the leadership ladder.

Pro-life groups involved in the unsuccessful opposition to an Ohio ballot measure that enshrined abortion access into the state’s constitution on Tuesday are offering up “postmortem” insight into what went wrong and pushing back on the popular media narrative that abortion is an issue that Republicans can’t win on.

After Ohioans voted “Yes” on Issue 1 by a 13 point margin on Tuesday, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser released a memo explaining how opponents of Issue 1 were outspent by a “2:1 margin” in a media blitz that SBA Vice President of State Affairs Stephen Billy said consisted of ads that were “lying to the voters of Ohio” because the abortion industry knows its positions are “too extreme” for most Americans.

“The abortion industry’s game plan is we’re going to spend tens of millions of dollars and lie to the American people and run ads that say that pro-life states don’t have protections for life of the mother situations. We’re going to run ads that say women can’t get care for a miscarriage because of the laws of pro-life states and those are the lies that are getting picked up by the national media as well,” Billy said.

One of the ways to do that, Billy said, is on the issue of messaging, which many pundits and media sources have said is something that Republicans routinely fail to do. Billy rejected that narrative and pointed out several areas where Republicans have won on abortion post the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

OHIO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON ABORTION GOES ‘WAY, WAY TOO FAR,’ EVEN FARTHER THAN ROE: GOV. DEWINE

Just a few months after the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 that sparked protests across the country, several staunch pro-life governors across the country won overwhelming re-election efforts, including in Florida, Ohio, Iowa and Georgia, and those governors had also previously signed abortion restrictions into law.

“Georgia is one of my favorite examples because you had the darling of the left, Stacey Abrams, at the front of the line trying to tell people that babies don’t have heartbeats and that the sound that the ultrasound machine makes is somehow some kind of creation to manipulate and Gov. Kemp strongly stood up for life and signed a heartbeat law and won that election.”

BIDEN FALSELY SAYS ABORTION RULING MAKES US ‘OUTLIER AMONG DEVELOPED NATIONS’

“We’re able to win when we’re able to directly expose the extremism of the other side and contrast that with the compassion and the love of the pro-life movement,” Billy explained. “It’s not a political liability to be pro-life. 

“It’s not a losing issue. The voters and the American people are with us in rejecting the extremism of the abortion industry and their desire for us to be like China and North Korea, to have abortions without limits. We just have to find a way to to translate the success our politicians have had into these ballot initiative fights.”

Ashley Hayek, political strategist and executive director of America First Works, told Fox News Digital that “conservatives are always going to be outspent” by massive pro-abortion networks and the key is, “We have to be a lot more strategic in how we spend money, how we target voters, how we message, and we need to be more unified.”

“It took 50 years to undo Roe v. Wade, so pro-lifers are used to temporary setbacks on the long road to ending abortion,” Rev. Dean Nelson, executive director of Human Coalition Action, said following the Ohio vote. “We will not rest in our work to save as many lives as possible and shield women from the horrors of the abortion industry.”

Mehek Cooke, who served as a spokesperson for Protect Women Ohio but spoke to Fox News Digital in her capacity as a Republican consultant and attorney, said conservatives “can and will win to protect the life of the unborn by finding consensus.”

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In order to win going forward, Cooke explained that abortion opponents must “frame the pro-life movement to fight against full-term abortions across America and for parental consent if our child is confronted with life-altering decisions like abortion.”

“The Democrats went from safe, legal and rare to infanticide for all,” Cooke said. “This is the battle we are faced with today. Whether you are pro-choice, pro-life or somewhere in between, there is a path for common sense to prevail where we protect the life of an unborn child at viability with exceptions such as protecting the life of the mother, rape or incest. Now is not the time to demonize one another but enact stronger policies and ensure consistent funding to assist pregnant mothers, pregnancy centers, and adoption services.”

Protect Women Ohio released a statement following the Ohio Issue 1 vote that said, “Our hearts are broken tonight not because we lost an election, but because Ohio families, women and children will bear the brunt of this vote.”

“When Michigan voters passed a similar amendment last year, they were sold the lie that parental rights would be unaffected, that late-term abortion would remain illegal, and that women’s health and safety standards would not be touched. But just last week, the Michigan legislature voted to repeal penalties for partial-birth abortions, to eliminate health and safety protections at abortion facilities, and they called parental consent laws ‘unconstitutional.’”

“They even vowed to come for informed consent laws and 24-hour waiting periods next. We know the same barbaric attacks on parents and children are now coming home to Ohio.”

Billy told Fox News Digital that he anticipates pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU using the same playbook from Ohio in future abortion battlegrounds like Arizona, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota. 

“It’s just been incredible to see how aggressive the legacy media has been in their willingness to parrot and amplify the misinformation from the abortion industry,” Billy said. “We know we’re going to be outspent and we know we’re going to have to fight legacy media bias. We just have to figure out a way to account for that and change the direction that these battles have been going.”