Debt-ridden Harris campaign spent millions on private flights for staff last month, docs show
Vice President Harris’ debt-ridden presidential campaign spent $2.6 million on private flights in the last few weeks of the election season, documents show.
The release of the findings comes as the debt-saddled campaign, which spent $1 billion on the trail, is being scrutinized for the financial decisions it made before losing the Nov. 5 election to President-elect Trump. The campaign is believed to be $20 million in debt.
The eyebrow-raising expenses were listed in a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing obtained by Fox News Digital. According to the FEC filing, in the month of October alone, the Harris campaign spent $2,626,110 on private flights.
The costs ranged from $3,500 to $940,000 per disbursement, with $2.2 million going to a company named Private Jet Services Group, while $430,000 went to Advanced Aviation Team, a charter flight broker.
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In September, campaign staff spent $3.1 million on private flights, which brings the flight-related expense total to more than $10 million since July.
The expenditures are just a few of several financial decisions for which the campaign has been intensely scrutinized. For example, Harris’ team paid Oprah Winfrey’s production company $1 million after the TV star spoke at a rally Oct. 15.
Harris staffers also gave $4 million to Village Marketing Agency, a company that connects clients with social media influencers. Additionally, FEC records show the campaign spent at least $15 million on “event production.”
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The campaign’s use of private jets has been criticized in recent weeks for both financial and environmental reasons. Private jets emit more greenhouse gases per passenger than commercial flights do, and Harris previously said climate change was an “existential threat.”
“There’s no question we have to be practical. But being practical also recognizes that climate change is an existential threat to us as human beings,” Harris told CNN in 2019. “Being practical recognizes that greenhouse gas emissions are threatening our air and threatening the planet and that it is well within our capacity as human beings to change our behaviors in a way that we can reduce its effects.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
Biden relegated to back row for picture of global confab as China’s Xi takes center stage
President Biden awkwardly stood in the back corner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) family photo on Saturday, as other prominent world leaders were spotted front and center.
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping was placed in the front-center of the photo, next to Peruvian president Dina Boluarte. Boluarte hosted the world leaders in Lima for this year’s APEC summit.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen in the front row on Xi’s right, along with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Pictures show Biden smiling and laughing with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand while the family photo was being taken. This weekend, Biden had closed-door meetings with a variety of leaders, including Boluarte and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
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The photograph’s placement of Biden, who is leaving office in January, departs from where American leaders typically stand. Last year, Biden was center in the 2023 APEC family photo, which was hosted in San Francisco. Trudeau and Xi were on Biden’s right.
In 2017, former President Trump stood towards the front-center of that year’s APEC family photo, along with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
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The conference came nearly two weeks after the 2024 presidential election, where Vice President Harris lost to Trump in a huge upset victory. Biden met with the Republican leader this week to discuss the transition process.
“I look forward… to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” the Democratic president said to Trump during the meeting.
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“I appreciate very much the transition that’s so smooth,” Trump replied. “It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that.”
Incoming Los Angeles DA has message for supporters of murderous Menendez brothers
New Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has a message for fans of Erik and Lyle Menendez: don’t rush to judgment as their Dec. 11 resentencing hearing approaches.
Hochman, 60, told The Daily Beast he thinks many fans of the Menendez brothers’ true-crime series don’t fully understand the case.
The Menendez brothers, now 53 and 56, are serving life without parole at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, after they were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, with a shotgun in 1989.
Hochman says the sudden interest in the Menendez brothers is likely because of a Netflix series and documentary about their crimes. To stay focused, the incoming DA said he hasn’t watched either.
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“I didn’t want to see them,” he said. “What’s the point? I’d rather read the book.”
Hochman admitted he only remembers bits and pieces of the case from 30 years ago, but that’s why he plans to carefully dig into the facts. The Menendez case is a “high priority,” Hochman told The Daily Beast.
Hochman added, “Any time a particular case gets this level of attention, it’s even that more important to get it right.”
Hochman, Republican, decisively won the seat earlier this month, earning 61.46% of the vote, while Democrat incumbent George Gascón had 38.54%, according to data released from the Los Angeles County registrar’s office. He says he won’t be swayed by celebrity endorsements, including from personality Kim Kardashian and actor Cooper Koch, who played Erik Menendez in the Netflix series.
Before leaving office, Gascón asked a judge to reduce the brothers’ charges to manslaughter, which some say was a move to help his reelection campaign.
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Some superfans also hoped that the brothers could be released as soon as Thanksgiving after filing a habeas corpus petition in May of last year with a hearing scheduled for Nov. 26, but their resentencing hearing is set for December 11. Hochman is expected to request an extension from the judge.
The Menendez family has called for the brothers’ immediate release, asking to skip the parole process. But even if a judge agrees to resentencing, parole could still take a year. On top of that, Gov. Gavin Newsom could block their release.
Another possibility is clemency from Newsom. On the case, he said, “What matters are the facts. What matters is justice and fairness. Not treating them any worse because they’re celebrities, not treating them any better.”
The brothers admitted to killing their parents, but claimed it was self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father. Prosecutors argued that wasn’t true, saying the brothers killed for money.
Prosecutors at the time pointed to a $700,000 spending spree in the weeks after the murders, including Porsche vehicles and Rolex watches. The jury agreed, sentencing them to life without parole. Though originally in separate prisons, the brothers were reunited in San Diego in 2018.
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Hochman will officially assume the position of Los Angeles County DA on Dec. 2.
He did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Schumer quickly changes tune before GOP takes control of Congress and White House
With Republicans sweeping to a red trifecta in last week’s elections, stunningly capturing the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting a different tone, compared to his pre-election hype where he posited a Democrat win in the Senate and then potentially getting rid of the filibuster, among other radical proposals.
Ending the filibuster rule – which requires 60 votes to pass bills – would have made it easier for Democrats to supercharge their agenda and essentially railroad any Republican opposition.
Schumer and the Democrats tried to kill the filibuster in 2022 when they had 50 votes – the vice president could have broken the tie – but Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic party line. They eventually became Independents.
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With Manchin and Sinema leaving the Senate, Schumer was confident of having at least 50 Senate seats after this year’s election with a then-potential Vice President Walz breaking the tie on a filibuster vote.
“We got it up to 48, but, of course, Sinema and Manchin voted no; that’s why we couldn’t change the rules. Well, they’re both gone,” Schumer told reporters on the Tuesday during the week of the Democratic convention, according to NBC News.
“Ruben Gallego is for it, and we have 51. So, even losing Manchin, we still have 50.”
The result would have essentially meant one-party rule in the Senate, with Schumer also toying with expanding voting rights nationwide by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
He also discussed a potential rule change to codify abortion rights in federal law, a party priority after was overturned, which would have faced staunch Republican opposition and lacking a path to 60 Senate votes.
Schumer also posited reforming the Supreme Court by slapping 18-year term limits on justices and touted reversing the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which determined that presidents are immune from prosecution for some “official acts.”
He has previously announced his intention to move legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members.
But this week, he went to the floor of the Senate to tell Republicans to essentially go easy on their legislative colleagues on the other side of the aisle, since Republicans will have a 53-to-47 majority.
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“To my Republican colleagues, I offer a word of caution in good faith,” Schumer said.
“Take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for bipartisanship. After winning an election, the temptation may be to go to the extreme. We’ve seen that happen over the decades, and it has consistently backfired on the party in power.”
“So, instead of going to the extremes, I remind my colleagues that this body is most effective when it’s bipartisan. If we want the next four years in the Senate to be as productive as the last four, the only way that will happen is through bipartisan cooperation.”
Schumer’s about face wasn’t lost on Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a Fox News contributor.
“The short version of that is: Please don’t do to us what we were going to do to you,” York writes in the Washington Examiner.
“Schumer is obviously concerned that Republicans might embrace a scheme to eliminate the filibuster and pass all sorts of consequential legislation with no Democratic input at all. That wouldn’t be bipartisan!”
“Fortunately for Schumer, Republicans have been more principled than Democrats when it comes to the legislative filibuster, and to the filibuster in general. Republicans realize that even though they will have the majority for the next two years, they might be back in the minority at any time after that. So Schumer will not get it good and hard the way he planned to give it to Republicans.”
York writes that Schumer’s “brand of hypocrisy is particularly egregious” since he was advocating changing Senate rules on a partisan basis to eliminate the minority party’s ability to demand a higher standard of approval for controversial legislation, as opposed to advocating to get a particular bill across the line.
“He was. And then, when Schumer’s party loses, he instantly turns around and becomes Mr. Bipartisanship. For that, there should be a word that goes beyond mere hypocrisy.”
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., will replace Schumer as Majority Leader and is planning to make ushering in President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds. He has not indicated that he intended to vote on the filibuster rule.
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He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them.
The trifecta will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming justices to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.
But Thune said he would protect the filibuster rule, even if it stands in the way of the Trump agenda it hopes to advance.
Former MLB star refuses to stay quiet after comments on anthem, politics spark backlash
Former MLB All-Star Jonathan Lucroy, who has been posting opinions about politics and other issues, has revealed he is receiving hate mail.
Lucroy implored Americans to vote, explaining why he believed it was so important to do so.
Among his lengthy X posts was him saying he refused to kneel for the national anthem despite one of the teams he was playing for instructing him to do so.
“I gave them the finger,” Lucroy said on X.
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The 12-year MLB catcher said he has gotten hate mail for “stating my opinion.”
“God forbid a pro athlete stand up for what they believe,” he wrote. “That’s part of the problem. Some people are too sensitive, emotional, and weak to hear the opinion of people that reached the athletic pinnacle of the craft, or any other top level. See [Elon Musk] and how much hate from the other side he’s getting.”
Lucroy added his belief that most MLB players have conservative views, which the league wants them to keep to themselves.
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“I am not politically correct,” he said. “When I say that 90+% of American-born MLB players are conservative, you can take that to the bank. We just don’t speak up as much because we are told to be neutral. I will not remain neutral anymore.
“I’m stubborn and hardheaded. I also know what it took for me to play 10 years in MLB, as well as witnessing the character attributes of greatness as defined by the best players I ever worked with. I don’t care what you think or say. I care about my children, family, God, and country. Deal with it.”
Lucroy made an appearance on “OutKick the Morning” recently, where he described to Charly Arnolt what happened after his post on X about refusing to kneel gained so much traction.
“I don’t want to get specific and call out teams or anything like that, that’s not what I’m doing,” Lucroy said before talking about the 2020 COVID-shortened season, when racial tensions were sparked by the murder of George Floyd.
“But you know, in general, you know these teams they come down, and they don’t want you to be politically, they don’t want you to be politically polarizing. They don’t want you to lean a certain way. They just want you to stay neutral and kind of keep your mouth shut.
“But the problem is I was with a team that told me to kneel for the anthem, and I gave them the finger, and I’m like, ‘No, I will never do that. Never, ever, ever. You’re not going to make me. There is nothing you’re … I’m not doing that.
“We were told by a team to get the vaccine. And if we didn’t get the vaccine, we couldn’t see our family for three months. Now that came down from the CDC to MLB, which was then passed along to the teams, so that wasn’t the teams’ fault. But the kneeling for the anthem part was a big issue for me. That was several years ago, and that really turned me on to the culture war that we fight.”
Lucroy spent time with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies during the 2020 season.
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The catcher spent time with nine different teams over his MLB career, mostly with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was drafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette in the third round in 2007, hitting .274 with 108 homers.
Lucroy was named an MLB All-Star in 2014 and 2016.
President-elect Trump nominates CEO to lead Department of Energy
President-elect Trump announced that Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, will lead the Department of Energy in his new administration.
“I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in a statement released Saturday.
The newly-elected president wrote that Wright “has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy.”
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“He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” Trump’s statement said. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.”
Wright later took to X and posted his gratitude for being chosen.
“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity from @realDonaldTrump to serve our country as U.S. Secretary of Energy. My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure,” he wrote. “Energy is the lifeblood that makes everything in life possible. Energy matters. I am looking forward to getting to work.”
According to Liberty Energy’s website, Wright graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering. He also completed graduate work in electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and MIT.
“[Wright] is a self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur and a dedicated humanitarian on a mission to better human lives by expanding access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy,” the company’s website says.
The key Cabinet position announcement comes after Trump made energy independence and bolstering oil and gas production a cornerstone of his campaign. While on the campaign trail, Trump pledged to expand fracking and lift a pause on liquefied natural gas exports, a sharp contrast from his predecessor.
“They annihilated your steel mills, decimated your coal jobs, assaulted your oil and gas jobs and sold off your manufacturing jobs to China and other foreign nations all over the world,” Trump said of the Biden administration during a campaign event in Pennsylvania last month.
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The president-elect has also vowed to use his second White House term to exit the Paris climate accord again, undo strict emissions standards for vehicles and power plants and bolster production of U.S. oil and gas, including through fracking.
Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting “America first.”
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“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy rollout of Cabinet picks.
During his first administration, Trump tapped former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the energy role before Dan Brouillette took the position over in 2019. Trump did not announce his choice of Perry until Dec. 14, 2016, putting him ahead of his first term’s nomination process.
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Trump also reportedly plans to install an “energy czar” to scale back energy and climate regulations enacted during the Biden administration and has already named former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Democrat gov doubles down on sex change surgeries even after decisive Republican victories
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged Saturday to keep his state open to transgender treatment after the issue, particularly regarding minors, became a bone of partisan contention during the presidential election.
The billionaire governor, whose family is deeply involved in the transgender movement, posted the tweet to mark Transgender Awareness Week.
“This Transgender Awareness Week, I want you to know that I see you and have your back as governor,” wrote Pritzker. “Illinois has enshrined protections for gender-affirming care to meet this moment — and because of that, you will have a home here always.”
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His state is one of several, including Minnesota and California, critics say foster a climate that encourages some children to seek so-called “gender-affirming care.”
Pritzker’s cousin, Jennifer, was born a male but now identifies as a female and is an outspoken proponent of transgender treatment. Jennifer (née James) Pritzker was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army National Guard and is a father of three.
Jennifer Pritzker also leads the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation, which awards grants to organizations that support “gender and human sexuality,” according to its website. The Pritzker family fortune was made in Hyatt Hotels.
“Continuing my family’s tradition of putting personal philanthropy into service for the public good, the Tawani Foundation strives to make grants that empower the organizations we support to realize and build on their missions,” Jennifer wrote on the foundation’s website.
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Illinois is one of the most progressive states in the nation when it comes to minors who identify as the opposite sex.
Gov. Pritzker enacted guidance through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHR) in December 2021 about non-discrimination protections for “transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students” under the Illinois Human Rights Act of 1979.
“Ensuring every Illinois student has access to a safe, validating learning environment where they can be their true self is a top priority for my administration,” Pritzker said in a release. “This guidance from the Illinois Department of Human Rights will provide students, caregivers, and educators another tool to ensure classrooms are welcoming, affirming, and inclusive for all students.”
In Illinois, biological males can compete with females under Pritzker’s guidance in school or club sports.
Additionally, “use of restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms may not be restricted based upon a student’s physical anatomy or chromosomal sex. A student must be permitted to access restrooms or bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms that align with their gender-related identity and without having to provide documentation or other proof of gender,” according to the IDHR.
Pritzker’s policy clarifies that “discomfort or privacy concerns of other students, teachers, or parents” are “not valid reasons to deny or limit the full and equal use of facilities based on a student’s gender-related identity.”
The 2024 presidential election’s nationwide GOP mandate is giving Democrats who publicly supported “gender-affirming” policies for minors pause.
In a February 2023 video, President-elect Trump said, “I will then ask Congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures and pass a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states.”
In Illinois, Medicaid can cover gender transition surgeries and drugs for those who are 21 years or older under Gov. Pritzker.
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Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.