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Donald Trump wins Nevada [Video]
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Donald Trump wins Nevada [Video]

Former President Donald Trump won Nevada on Saturday, returning the state and its six electoral votes to Republicans for the first time since President George W. Bush carried it in 2004.Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris made multiple campaign stops in the state this year. Most of Nevada’s counties are rural and voted heavily for Trump in 2020.Video above: Will the TikTok ban still happen under Donald Trump?But Democrat Joe Biden that year won the two most populous counties of Washoe and Clark, the latter of which includes Las Vegas and three-quarters of the state’s residents.The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 12:15 a.m. EST.The Associated Press declared Trump the winner after concluding there were not enough uncounted ballots in the state’s strongest Democratic areas to overcome the former president’s 46,000-vote lead over the Democratic nominee.Trump clinched a second term early Wednesday when Wisconsin pushed him past the 270 electoral votes needed to win, so Nevada’s six electoral votes only added to the size of his victory: He now has 301 electoral votes and has won six of the seven battleground states. Only Arizona remains to be called.The AP only declares a winner once it can determine that a trailing candidate can’t close the gap and overtake the vote leader.Here’s a look at how the AP called this race:CANDIDATES: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Joel Skousen (Independent American Party) vs. “None of these candidates.”WINNER: Trump.POLL CLOSING TIME: 10 p.m. ETABOUT THE RACE:Nevada has one of the nation’s best overall track records as a presidential bellwether, although voters there supported Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016. The state remains a hotly contested battleground. Both Harris and Trump made frequent visits to Nevada since becoming their parties’ nominees, including Halloween rallies in Clark County, home of Henderson and Las Vegas. Both campaigns concentrated their visit to those two cities, as well as Reno in Washoe County.In statewide elections, Democrats tend to carry only two of Nevada’s 17 counties: Clark and Washoe. Whether they win depends on how big their margins are in those two counties. Clark County has by far the largest population in the state. A large vote margin there is vital to Democratic electoral success. It comprised 69% of the total statewide vote in 2020. Washoe is more competitive, although Democrats have consistently prevailed there in high-profile statewide campaigns, including Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak’s unsuccessful 2022 reelection bid. Republicans tend to win the rest of the state by wide margins.WHY AP CALLED THE RACE:Most of the final ballots to be counted come from Clark and Washoe counties. They both have long-established histories of supporting Democrats for president. Statewide, votes counted after Election Day have also tended to favor Democrats.Trump’s vote lead narrowed as more of these ballots are counted over the course of the week, but Harris was not winning those ballots by a large enough margin to overtake Trump for the lead. At the time AP called the race, AP estimated Harris would need to win 85% of all ballots left to count a margin of victory she never achieved in any update since polls closed.Also in Nevada early Saturday morning, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen won reelection, beating Republican Sam Brown in a tight but unusually quiet race for the battleground state.Rosen, a first-term senator, campaigned on abortion rights and positioned herself as a nonideological politician, a formula that also worked for the states senior senator, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, in her own reelection bid two years ago.Brown, a retired Army captain who moved to Nevada from Texas in 2018 and has never held elected office, unsuccessfully tried to ride Trump’s strong showing in the working-class state. He had Trumps support in the Republican primary and won easily, but he was significantly outspent during the campaign, leaving Rosen to dominate the airwaves for months.Rosen, a former Las Vegas-area synagogue president and computer programmer, ran ads touting herself as an independent who doesnt listen to party leaders.She also spotlighted her work on expanding broadband internet access and helping to connect Las Vegas with Southern California via light rail.And she hammered Brown for his opposition to abortion rights, saying he would support a national abortion ban despite Browns statements that he respects Nevada voters’ choice decades ago to legalize abortions.A ballot measure this year that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution passed. Voters must again approve it in 2026 in order to amend the constitution.The Senate contest drew relatively little national interest for most of the campaign, a striking contrast with the presidential race as both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris targeted the state and its six electoral votes. Conservative money flowed in during the final days as the GOP posted a strong showing in early period, but Brown was unable to fully fight back.Analysts note that Nevada has a history of backing no-nonsense senators who deliver funding from Washington.Brown, who was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan, was grievously wounded by an improvised explosive device there in 2008 and endured 30 surgeries as he recuperated. In campaign ads he repeatedly mentioned that his face remains heavily scarred from the attack.He is also the founder of a medical company that serves veterans.Brown previously made an unsuccessful bid in 2022 for the Republican nomination to face Cortez Masto.All four of Nevada’s U.S. House incumbents three Democrats and one Republican also won reelection this year.

What could a second Trump presidency mean for Massachusetts? [Video]
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What could a second Trump presidency mean for Massachusetts? [Video]

Massachusetts’ all-Democratic state leadership and all-Democratic congressional delegation could put the Bay State at odds with President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.Many local political leaders say they are gearing up for a return to a contentious relationship with the White House. They’re also already acknowledging the role that economic concerns played in Vice President Kamala Harris’ electoral defeat. “We’ll make sure that we are doing everything within our power as an administration to take steps necessary to bring about the very best for residents (and) for our economy here,” Gov. Maura Healey said. Adversarial history with TrumpEight years ago, after Trump’s first election, then-Attorney General Healey quickly emerged as an adversary of the Republican’s policies. Within a week of Trump’s first win, Healey announced the creation of a hotline for the victims of discriminatory harassment after the election. A few weeks later, Healey also announced that she was prepared to take the Trump administration to court if he followed through on certain campaign promises. While she was the state’s attorney general, Healey led approximately 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration on subjects including immigration, contraception rules, firearms decisions, the Endangered Species Act, defending the Consumer Financial Protection Board, supporting greenhouse gas emissions standards and more. In fact, the Associated Press described Healey in 2017 as one of the leaders in the effort to litigate against the Trump administration.Healey became governor in 2023 and enjoyed a close relationship with the Biden-Harris administration. She spoke at the Democratic National Convention and campaigned on behalf of Kamala Harris in the closing days of the campaign. Massachusetts received more than $8 billion in federal funding for infrastructure, housing and climate under the Biden administration. No one seems to expect that degree of investment will continue over the next four years.Video below: Healey discussed lawsuits against Trump administration in 2018Looking ahead to the next 4 yearsWhen Healey spoke about the results of the election, she appeared to strike a more pragmatic tone for the state and her party. “As governor, I will continue to do everything in my power to advocate for, fight for, take care of and nurture residents and businesses in Massachusetts,” Healey said. After Trump’s latest election victory became clear, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a statement urging citizens to respect the transition while also saying she would be prepared to take up the mantle of legal challenges against the next administration.”We have been working to identify prospective threats under a Trump administration as well as strategies to best address those threats, should they arise,” Campbell said. NewsCenter 5 asked Healey how she would work with the newly elected administration, given their litigious history.”I think I’ve spoken quite a bit about Donald Trump and my feelings about him,” Healey said. “We have to see whether he makes good on what he promised and ran on in terms of Project 2025 or other things.”Karen Spilka, president of the Massachusetts State Senate, said that state leadership will use lessons learned during the first Trump term. “We have faced an anti-democratic presidency before, and we responded by doubling down on defending reproductive freedom, protecting the health care of all our residents regardless of gender or gender identity, strengthening voter protections, and creating comprehensive climate policy to protect our stateand our nationfrom the devastating effects of climate change,” she said. “The Massachusetts State Senate stands ready to fight for the fundamental values our Commonwealth holds dear once again.”Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who was reelected this week, remained optimistic that Democrats could take control of the U.S. House after the party lost its majority in the Senate. With races for several seats still undecided, however, that Democratic victory is not guaranteed. “With a Democratic majority in the House, we would be able to check his worst impulses on taxes, on tariffs, on spending, on gutting social security, on medicare,” Auchincloss said. Rep. Seth Moulton, who was also reelected, took a darker view of the years ahead. “I think it’ll be much worse because he’s now more empowered. He knows better how to work the levers of power, and he’s not going to be constrained by good people,” Moulton said. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who served in the U.S. House during the first Trump administration, said the results of this election should cause the Democratic party to make some changes.”The result of that has to be kind of a deep breath and back to basics and some introspection and, get back to the fundamentals of what I think politics is all about about: Just listening to people and knocking on doors and taking what they’re telling you and building a coalition around that,” Kennedy said. While Trump did not win in Massachusetts, he did improve on his 2020 performance in the state. Kennedy said that should also give pause to local Democrats despite their local dominance.”There was also a very clear message that was sent across Massachusettsand former President Trump in a number of places across our Commonwealthwhere people saying, ‘Hey, they want our political perspective here to pivot,'” he said.

Dual enrollment courses facing financial threat in Louisiana [Video]
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Dual enrollment courses facing financial threat in Louisiana [Video]

In Louisiana, 41,000 students could no longer be enrolled in their current dual enrollment program. This comes as the proposed state budget is facing a shortfall impacting higher education.Jewel M. Sumner High School junior Meredith Childers is one of 27 Tangipahoa Parish students participating in an education dual enrollment program with Southeastern University. The program allows juniors and seniors to earn college credit, putting them on a faster path to becoming teachers.Childers says she enrolled in the class understanding the dire need for teachers. “It’s important to know that one day I will be able to be that person for somebody, and I can teach to those people and let them know that we do need more educators in our lives,” she said.During the first year of the partnership, six students in the program went on to major in education. It’s a grow-your-own approach to tackling the teacher shortage taught by Kati Spalane. Spalane herself chose a career in education after participating in dual enrollment. “Every teacher I know works way more overtime than they should to make sure those gaps are being filled. I mean, there’s even a sub shortage,” said Spalane.A possible $250 million higher education budget cut is threatening the program. The state’s commissioner of higher education, Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, says without state funding, universities could cut back on dual enrollment. Reed explains the shortfall would have an impact on campuses across the board.You would see layoffs for faculty and staff, satellite campus closures, less access for student courses, less talent development; I mean, its a significant number,” said Reed.Reed says dual enrollment programs give minority students a shot at higher education and keep Louisiana citizens from taking jobs elsewhere. In a state that has poverty and equity gaps, education gaps, we need more programs that are erasing gaps, programs that expand opportunity, and dual enrollment is certainly one of those programs,” said Reed. According to Louisiana budget committee members, higher education has seen more revenue over the last few years and that is why budget cuts are hitting the agency. The November special session on taxes is expected to address the shortfall. “If we correctly fund our state, then we are not coming back here having these conversations about budget reductions in higher ed or any other agency,” said Rep. Jack McFarland. The higher education budget will be finalized sometime in the summer.In the meantime, students and teachers at the Tangipahoa advance college and career center hope dual enrollment stays put. “Without education, we don’t have anything. Education is one of the most important parts of learning,” said Scott Herrington, senior at Jewel M. Sumner High School.Spalane says the program is helping make a career in education more desirable. “It is important that we are doing things like this that promote, and it should be encouraging, and teachers should be applauded because you know it is hard,” she said.