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FBI offers to assist Mexican authorities after 9 Americans killed in drug-cartel attack
The FBI has offered assistance to the Mexican government as authorities investigate the brazen killing of nine American citizens by drug cartel gunmen in northern Mexico on Monday, officials told Fox News. It was unclear of Mexican authorities have taken up the offer. It came hours after Mexico rejected President Trump's overture to "wage war" on the country's drug cartels in response to the brutal slayings.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador thanked Trump but declined the help, saying, "The worst thing you can have is war." Monday's brutal attack was just the latest massacre that questions López Obrador's "hugs, not bullets" approach to escalating deadly violence in Mexico.
Officials said at least six children, including 8-month-old twins, and three women living in a faith-based community called La Mora in the Mexican state of Sonora were among the victims. One woman was killed as she exited a vehicle to wave her hands and demonstrate she wasn't a threat, prosecutors said. All nine victims had dual American-Mexican citizenship. They were on their way to visit relatives in Mexico and one was headed to an airport in Phoenix to meet her husband. Click here for more on our top story.
Kentucky governor’s race too close to call, GOP incumbent refuses to concede
Republican incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin refused to concede late Tuesday in Kentucky's gubernatorial race, citing "irregularities" -- potentially kickstarting weeks of uncertainty as the closely watched contest with national implications remained too close to call. On Monday, Trump had called on an "angry majority" of voters to boost the relatively unpopular Bevin in Kentucky, in a nod to Richard Nixon's "silent majority" and Ronald Reagan's "moral majority." But with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Bevin was behind Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear, 49.2 percent (711,955 votes) to 48.9 percent (707,297 votes). Libertarian candidate John Hicks received 28,475 votes, or 2 percent.
The Associated Press said it could not declare a winner, owing to the tight margin. The Democratic National Committee and Beshear's campaign, however, claimed victory. Although Bevin has not outlined his next steps, Kentucky law provides several possible avenues. There is no mandatory recount law in Kentucky. Bevin may request counties recanvas their results, which is not a recount, but rather a check of the vote count to ensure the results were added correctly. Bevin would need to seek and win a court's approval for a recount.
Republican Gov.-elect Tate Reeves addresses his supporters at a state GOP election night event, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, in Jackson, Miss. Reeves defeated Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Tuesday's history-making evening also saw Republicans decisively hold onto the governorship in Mississippi despite a fierce Democratic challenge. Second-term Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves defeated fourth-term Attorney General Jim Hood in the hardest-fought Mississippi governor's race since 2003. Click here for more.
Democratic supporters cheer their candidates at a Democratic Party event in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. All seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate are up for election. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Virginia Legislature goes all blue despite governor’s blackface scandal
Democrats in Virginia on Tuesday flipped both the state Senate and the House of Delegates, giving them control of both the governor’s office and the legislature for the first time in more than two decades, the Associated Press projected. Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Republicans had a slim majority in both the state House and Senate, but Virginia has been trending blue for years as liberal-leaning suburbs and cities gain population while rural, conservative areas contract.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks to supporters at a Democratic election party in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. All seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate are up for election. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, was not up for reelection Tuesday but actively campaigned for Democrats in his state, after surviving the blackface scandal earlier this year. Democrats have promised that, with control of the state legislature, they could pass an agenda that Republicans have blocked for years, including stricter gun laws and a higher minimum wage.
Claims against Trump not true regarding Ukraine phone call, former US envoy says, according to newly released transcripts
In transcripts of closed-door interviews released by impeachment investigators Tuesday, Kurt Volker, former U.S. envoy to Ukraine, pushed back on the claim that President Trump sought to withhold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky until Kiev committed to investigating allegations concerning the 2016 election -- while also denying that Trump was seeking “dirt” on former Vice President Joe Biden.
The deposition transcripts, though, also reflect officials' concerns about the involvement of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani in seeking politically related investigations out of Ukraine. Further, they offer varying accounts of whether a quid pro quo of some kind -- involving either a meeting or the release of U.S. military aid -- may have been presented.
One of the most significant revelations from Tuesday's transcripts release is that E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland revised his prior testimony. In a three-page addendum to his transcript, Sondland said he told a top Ukrainian official that U.S. aid would likely not resume until the country issues a corruption statement. This revelation was quickly hailed by Democrats of proof of the quid pro quo they have been alleging took place.
Clinton ties of ABC News' George Stephanopoulos facing new scrutiny after network’s spiking of Epstein story
The bombshell claim that ABC News "quashed" a story on allegations against Jeffrey Epstein has drawn new scrutiny on the controversy's ties to its own star anchor, George Stephanopoulos. Project Veritas, whose controversial founder, James O'Keefe, has described himself as a "guerrilla journalist," published the footage that featured ABC News anchor Amy Robach claiming the Disney-owned network refused to air an interview she conducted with one of Epstein’s accusers and even suggesting she'd uncovered new information about Epstein's ties to former President Bill Clinton as his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was running for president.
Stephanopoulos, ABC News' chief anchor on "Good Morning America" and the Sunday program "This Week," who's overseen the network's political coverage, has had deep ties to the Clintons. Before he became the face of ABC News, he was a senior adviser to Bill Clinton during his presidency. Ahead of the 2016 election, he pulled out of moderating debates after his $75,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation drew criticism. However, what's really raising eyebrows is a 2010 report of a party hosted by Epstein that Stephanopoulos attended. Click here for more.
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SOME PARTING WORDS
Tucker Carlson says the cartel slayings of nine Americans show how much of a failed state Mexico has become.
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