Mike's Blog Round Up

African leaders may have been quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his election, professing a desire for mutually beneficial partnerships, but there are meager expectations that his presidency will change things for this continent of over 1.4 billion people. In the wake of Trump’s win, Kenya’s William Ruto said his country “stands ready” to deepen its ties with Washington.

In picking Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, President-elect Donald Trump has selected a military veteran and popular conservative media personality with a large following of his own. Read More: Here Are the New Members of Trump’s Administration So Far [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Hegseth, 44, has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him for a post in his first administration.

One week after Election Day, control of the U. S. House rests on just over a dozen races where winners have not yet been determined. Nine states have at least one uncalled House race, some of which are so close they are headed to a recount. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Then there’s California. About half of the yet-to-be-decided House races are in the state, which has only counted about three-quarters of its votes statewide. This isn’t unusual or unexpected, as the nation’s most populous state is consistently among the slowest to report all its election results.

The Denver City Council unanimously — and quietly — approved a $4.4 billion budget for the city next year on Tuesday evening. The finalized 2025 document calls for $1.76 billion in general fund spending, just 0.6% more than the $1.75 billion budgeted to be spent on city services this year. That makes the 2025 budget the city’s most conservative when it comes to spending growth in any year not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic since 2011, according to Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration.

Massachusetts Sen. Liz Warren called out Donald Trump for 'corruption' even though he hasn't been sworn into office yet. Who would have thought Trump would violate a law that Warren wrote before getting the keys to the White House -- besides all of us? Trump has not submitted a legally required ethics agreement stating he will avoid conflicts of interest, which must be signed before the presidential transaction occurs.

Forget that occasionally sane Marco Rubio we've caught glimpses of, he will completely fold to Donald Trump as Secretary of State. Do we at least get closer to a Senate majority with his leaving? No, we do not. Florida Man DeSantis gets to appoint Rubio's temporary Senate replacement. The seat doesn't open until 2028. Whoever's appointed would serve until a 2026 special election to complete the final two years of Rubio's term - so whoever's appointed has to win again in 2028. First off the bat, Puddin' Fingers could appoint his wife, Casey "I'm Really Jackie Kennedy" DeSantis, to hold the seat until his term as governor is up. He could also appoint his lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nunez.