First on CNN: Key Democratic group pours $186 million in battle for House and preps for ‘trench warfare’ with GOP
CNN
House Democrats are aiming for just four more seats to win back the majority this fall – and their big-spending outside group is prepared to spend more than it ever has to pick them up.
House Democrats are aiming for just four more seats to win back the majority this fall – and their big-spending outside group is prepared to spend more than it ever has to pick them up. House Majority PAC, the super PAC linked to Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, is reserving $146 million in an initial round of TV ads and $40 million in digital advertising in nearly 60 media markets across the country as Democrats prepare for a furious battle with Republicans over the limited number of House races that will determine the next majority. The details of their ad strategy, first shared with CNN, provide the clearest roadmap yet on how Democrats view their path to the majority. The group’s leaders said most of their money would be focused on pickup opportunities – including in 16 districts that Joe Biden carried in 2020 now occupied by Republicans – but also the seats that Democrats have to defend, including five in districts that Donald Trump won. But the group, whose 2024 investment surpasses the $102 million initially reserved in ads in the 2022 cycle and the $41 million in the 2020 cycle, said it was making its largest investment ever to flood key districts with an aggressive ad campaign, including attacks against Republicans on abortion and the collapse of a bipartisan border security deal. The group’s leader said the campaign would also target key voting blocs – such as Hispanic, Asian American and Black voters – as well as swing voters put off by Trump and the chaos in the House. “We need four seats to win back the majority. That’s it,” Mike Smith, president of House Majority PAC, told CNN. “It’s a very tough four seats. Every single one of those is going to be trench warfare. We’re going have to invest a lot of money, hence the $186 million, but there’s a clear path to doing it.”
Following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro during a US military operation in Venezuela, the command of the South American country has fallen into the hands of a woman: Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
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Embattled Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of obstruction last month for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, has sent her resignation letter to the governor.
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A federal judge in Kentucky has dismissed Louisville’s proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over police reforms after the department withdrew its support of the plan earlier this year.
In the days since the Trump administration announced it would freeze federal child care payments to Minnesota amid an alleged fraud investigation, fear and confusion have spread almost as fast as the viral video that launched the scandal.
President Donald Trump wants to tamp down on public debates about his health.
A US appeals court ruled on Friday that California’s ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional.
A CNN team witnessed several explosions on Saturday night in Caracas, and reported that some areas of the city were without electricity. Follow for live updates.
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The US Coast Guard announced Friday night it has suspended its search for people in the water after US strikes on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean earlier this week.