By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss too.

As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite long-standing voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the U.S.-Mexico border — all but sealed his party’s surrender of the White House.

“The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.”

Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will affect communities for years to come.

But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden’s priorities.

“Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.”

The president on Wednesday stayed out of sight for the second straight day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races and to Trump. Biden invited Trump for a White House meeting, and the president-elect accepted.

Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address Thursday about the election. He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising Harris for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.”

Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognize earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee.

But polling long beforehand showed that many Americans worried about his age. Some 77% of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

The president bowed out on July 21 after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Biden endorsed Harris and handed over his campaign operation to her.

Yang argued that Democratic Party leaders also deserve blame for taking too long to push out Biden. With few exceptions, most notably Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Democrats shied away talking publicly about Biden’s age.

“Why was this not coming from any Democratic leaders?” Yang said. “It’s a lack of courage and independence and an excess of careerism, if I just keep my mouth shut, we’ll just keep on trucking along.”

The campaign was also saddled by anger among some Arab American and young voters over its approach to Israel’s conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ally of Biden and Harris, said in a statement that Democrats lost the thread on working class Americans’ concerns.

“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” the Vermont independent said. “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison took to social media Thursday to push back on Sanders’ critique, saying that Biden was “the most-pro worker President of my life time.”

Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party’s base. But she struggled to distinguish how her administration would differ from Biden’s.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View” in September, Harris was not able to identify a decision where she would have separated herself from Biden. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a sound bite it replayed through Election Day.

The strategists advising the Harris campaign said the compressed campaign timetable made it even more difficult for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.

Had Biden stepped aside early in the year, they said, it would have given Democrats enough time to hold a primary. Going through the paces of an intraparty contest would have forced Harris or another eventual nominee to more aggressively stake out differences with Biden.

The strategists acknowledged that overcoming broad dissatisfaction among the American electorate about rising costs in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and broad concerns about the U.S. immigration system weighed heavy on the minds of voters in key states.

Still, they said that Biden had left Democrats in an untenable place.

Harris senior adviser David Plouffe in a posting on X called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe did not assign blame and said the Harris campaign “dug out of a deep hole but not enough.” The post was later deleted.

At the vice president’s concession speech on Wednesday, some Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had more time to make her pitch to American voters.

“I think that would have made a huge difference,” said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University student who attended the speech at the center of her campus.

Republicans are poised to control the White House and Senate. Control of the House has yet to be determined.

Matt Bennett, executive vice president at the Democratic-aligned group Third Way, said this moment was the most devastating the party has faced in his lifetime.

“Harris was dealt a really bad hand. Some of it was Biden’s making and some maybe not,” said Bennett, who served as an aide to Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration. “Would Democrats fare better if Biden had stepped back earlier? I don’t know if we can say for certain, but it’s a question we’ll be asking ourselves for some time.”

Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.

One of the nitpicks about the first College Football Playoff rankings was that the committee undervalued Indiana.

The Hoosiers’ No. 8 ranking — they’re in the same spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll — puts them fourth among Big Ten teams behind No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State.

If the season ended today, Indiana would be in the 12-team bracket as the No. 9 seed. The Hoosier faithful would argue they merit a higher seed.

Indiana is unbeaten, and the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions each have a loss. The Hoosiers have won all nine of their games by at least 14 points and they’ve outscored their opponents by a combined 419-123.

The knock against them is their schedule, ranked 103rd strongest by ESPN. They’ve played no teams in the AP Top 25. Six of their nine opponents went into this week with losing records, one is 4-4 and two are 5-4.

First-year coach Curt Cignetti, in comments before the CFP rankings were released, seemed OK biding his time.

The Hoosiers host Michigan, another of those 5-4 teams, on Saturday. Then, after a week off, they go to Ohio State for what would be one of the season’s most anticipated games if they get past the Wolverines.

“Every week presents its own new set of circumstances and so there’s a lot of that going on this week,” Cignetti said of the noise around his program. “I’m aware of it. But to get kind of caught up on that and lose your focus would be the kiss of death.”

The picks, with Associated Press poll rankings and lines from BetMGM Sportsbook:

Maryland at No. 1 Oregon (minus 25 1/2)

No one except Ohio State has come within three touchdowns of the Ducks since the first week of September. Maryland is playing a regular-season game on the West Coast for the first time in 15 years.

Pick: Oregon 48-20.

No. 2 Georgia at No. 16 Mississippi (plus 2 1/2)

QB Jaxson Dart has the hot hand, and disruptive LB Suntarine Perkins leads an Ole Miss pass rush that’s racked up an FBS-best 41 sacks. Since Week 5, no FBS quarterback has thrown more interceptions than the Bulldogs’ Carson Beck (8).

Pick: Mississippi 31-28.

Purdue at No. 3 Ohio State (minus 37 1/2)

Buckeyes have scored 20 and 21 points in their last two games and are due to break out. They’ve outscored Purdue 100-38 in two meetings since they were upset in West Lafayette in 2018.

Pick: Ohio State 49-10.

No. 4 Miami (minus 11 1/2) at Georgia Tech

Hurricanes have lost three of their last five against the Yellow Jackets, but those teams didn’t have Cam Ward. The Georgia Tech offense is coming off its worst two games of the season.

Pick: Miami 33-21.

Florida (plus 21 1/2) at No. 5 Texas

Florida freshman QB DJ Lagway left last week’s game against Georgia with a hamstring injury, leaving his status uncertain for his return to his home state. Texas is coming off an open date.

Pick: Texas 35-17.

Washington at No. 6 Penn State (minus 13 1/2)

The Nittany Lions have some pent-up frustration to release after losing another one to Ohio State. This is Washington’s fourth road game, and third in the Eastern time zone, since Sept. 27.

Pick: Penn State 42-24.

Mississippi State at No. 7 Tennessee (minus 23 1/2)

The Vols’ Nico Iamaleava played his best game in weeks against Kentucky, and the stage is set for him to put up some huge numbers against a defense that’s allowed SEC opponents to complete 78% of their passes for 318 yards per game.

Pick: Tennessee 38-10.

Michigan (plus 14 1/2) at No. 8 Indiana

Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke was sharp in his return from thumb surgery, and the Wolverines just don’t have enough offense. Hoosiers should be 10-0 when they go to Ohio State.

Pick: Indiana 30-20.

No. 9 BYU (minus 4) at Utah

Cougars lost nine in a row in this rivalry before winning 26-17 at home last year. They haven’t won in Salt Lake City since 2006.

Pick: BYU 27-16.

Florida State at No. 10 Notre Dame (minus 25 1/2)

The last time these teams met, in 2021, FSU backup QB McKenzie Milton put a scare into the ninth-ranked Irish, who squandered an 18-point lead before winning 41-38 in overtime. Don’t expect the Seminoles to put up the same fight this time.

Pick: Notre Dame 37-10.

No. 11 Alabama at No. 14 LSU (plus 3)

These are two teams battling for spots on the playoff bracket. Alabama would be in it now; LSU would be close. Both are coming off open dates. Tigers get the edge in a night game in Death Valley.

Pick: LSU 28-27.

Nevada at No. 12 Boise State (minus 24 1/2)

National rushing leader Ashton Jeanty of Boise State averaged 4.3 yards per carry his last two games, about half his season average. This is an opportunity to jump-start his fading Heisman Trophy campaign.

Pick: Boise State 49-21.

No. 17 Iowa State (minus 3) vs. Kansas

The Cyclones have gotten off to slow starts in their past four games, and it caught up to them last week when Texas Tech handed them their first loss. Kansas has won last two meetings. This one’s at Arrowhead Stadium.

Pick: Iowa State 31-24.

No. 18 Army (minus 5 1/2) at North Texas

Army QB Bryson Daily, who missed last week’s win over Air Force because of an undisclosed injury, is trending toward a return. The Mean Green average 41 points per game.

Pick: Army 42-27.

No. 19 Clemson at Virginia Tech (plus 6 1/2)

The Tigers lost control of their destiny in the ACC with last week’s home loss to Louisville. They’ve won six straight against the Hokies since 2007, but Virginia Tech has proved to be a tough out this season.

Pick: Clemson 28-24.

Utah State at No. 20 Washington State (minus 20 1/2)

Cougars have won three straight, and dual-threat John Mateer is the best under-the-radar quarterback in the country. Utah State ranks 133rd out of 134 FBS teams in scoring defense.

Pick: Washington State 45-21.

No. 21 Colorado at Texas Tech (plus 3 1/2)

Buffaloes come out of their open date having won five of six, bowl eligible and in the thick of the Big 12 race. The Red Raiders showed moxie last week, driving for the winning touchdown against Iowa State after losing the lead with just over 2 minutes left.

Pick: Colorado 35-34.

Virginia at No. 23 Pittsburgh (minus 7 1/2)

Pittsburgh got embarrassed at SMU in its first loss and looks to rebound. Virginia is in the meat of its schedule and has lost three in a row.

Pick: Pittsburgh 34-24.

South Carolina (minus 3 1/2) at No. 24 Vanderbilt

Gamecocks are better than their 5-3 record indicates, and they’ve got momentum from a 24-point win over what was a top-10 Texas A&M team. Vanderbilt plays everybody close.

Pick: South Carolina 27-21.

AP predictions scorecard

Last week: Straight-up — 12-3; Against spread — 8-7.

Season: Straight-up — 151-39; Against spread — 98-91.

— By ERIC OLSON, Associated Press

Six teams are road favorites and two more are slight underdogs in Week 10.

The 49ers, Bills, Vikings, Falcons, Eagles and Lions each are favorites on the road. The Jets and Dolphins both are only 1-point underdogs on the road, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

The Broncos-Chiefs matchup is the only one of four division games featuring both teams with a winning record.

An AFC North matchup kicks off the week with the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Baltimore Ravens.

Pro Picks expects a close one.

Cincinnati (4-5) at Baltimore (6-3)

Line: Ravens minus 6 1/2

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are seeking their second straight season sweep of Joe Burrow and the Bengals in an important AFC North matchup on Thursday night. Baltimore beat Cincinnati 41-38 in overtime on Oct. 6. The Bengals are 4-2 against the spread in their past six games overall, but 0-5 ATS in the past five vs. the Ravens and 2-8 ATS in their past 10 games vs. division opponents.

RAVENS: 31-27

Atlanta (6-3) at New Orleans (2-7)

Line: Falcons minus 3 1/2

Kirk Cousins has helped the Falcons reach first place in the NFC South and Atlanta isn’t looking back. Meanwhile, the Saints have collapsed after a promising 2-0 start. New Orleans fired Dennis Allen and promoted special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who makes his coaching debut in this one. The Falcons have lost 13 of the previous 18 games in New Orleans. But these are two teams heading in opposite directions. The Falcons are 4-1 against the spread in their past five games overall while the Saints are 0-5 ATS in that span.

BEST BET: FALCONS: 27-17

Pittsburgh (6-2) at Washington (7-2)

Line: Commanders minus 2 1/2

Russell Wilson has ignited Pittsburgh’s offense and the Steelers are coming off a bye rested and improved following the additions of wide receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Preston Smith at the trade deadline. The surprising NFC East-leading Commanders, led by Jayden Daniels, made the biggest splash, adding four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The Steelers are 9-3 against the spread in their past 12 games overall. Washington is 7-2 ATS this season.

UPSET SPECIAL: STEELERS: 23-20

New York Giants (2-7) vs. Carolina (2-7), in Munich, Germany

Line: Giants minus 6

Fans in Germany are seeing the worst of the NFL. The Giants have difficulty scoring, averaging a league-low 15.4 points per game. Bryce Young led the Panthers to a win last week against the Saints and will get another opportunity for a team that needs to find out if he has a future in Carolina.

GIANTS: 19-17

New England (2-7) at Chicago (4-4)

Line: Bears minus 6

No. 1 pick Caleb Williams lost to No. 2 pick Daniels on a Hail Mary two weeks ago. Now, Williams and the Bears face No. 3 pick Drake Maye and the Patriots. Williams is much better at home than on the road — 105.1 vs. 67.2 passer rating home/away. The Bears have won eight straight games overall at Soldier Field, including three this season. Maye has shown playmaking ability that should give New England fans hope.

BEARS: 24-16

Buffalo (7-2) at Indianapolis (4-5)

Line: Bills minus 4

Josh Allen is playing outstanding, mistake-free ball and the Bills are running away with the AFC East. They’ve beat softer teams on their schedule but have tougher challenges ahead, including this one against Joe Flacco and the Colts on the road. All nine of Indianapolis’ games this season have been decided by one possession. The Colts are 6-1 against the spread in their past seven games overall and 6-0 ATS in their past six games vs. AFC opponents.

BILLS: 26-23

Denver (5-4) at Kansas City (8-0)

Line: Chiefs minus 8 1/2

The unbeaten two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs are starting to hit their stride on offense as Patrick Mahomes and De’Andre Hopkins have made a quick connection. The Chiefs have owned the Broncos, winning 16 of the previous 17 games. But this is a different Denver team. The Broncos are on the rise behind coach Sean Payton and rookie QB Bo Nix. They’re 5-2 against the spread in their past seven games overall and 4-1 ATS in their past five games vs. Kansas City. The Chiefs are 10-3-1 ATS in their past 14 games overall.

CHIEFS: 26-20

San Francisco (4-4) at Tampa Bay (4-5)

Line: 49ers minus 5 1/2

The injury-depleted Bucs have to rebound on a short week after a disappointing finish Monday night when they nearly handed the Chiefs their first loss. Baker Mayfield and the offense keep putting up points even without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. But the defense is allowing 27 points per game. The refreshed 49ers are coming off a bye and could see the return of Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco has used strong second halves to make deep playoff runs each of the past two seasons. With upcoming road games against Green Bay and Buffalo and tough home games against Seattle, Chicago, the Rams, the 49ers can’t afford to slip up in this one.

49ERS: 27-20

Minnesota (6-2) at Jacksonville (2-7)

Line: Vikings minus 4 1/2

The Vikings kick off a stretch of three consecutive road games. They found a way to win last week despite three turnovers by Sam Darnold. The Jaguars had a chance to complete a stunning comeback win after trailing Philadelphia 22-0, but Trevor Lawrence’s interception on a poor throw on first down from the 14 cost Jacksonville. The Jaguars have lost five games by five points or fewer.

VIKINGS: 26-23

Tennessee (2-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)

Line: Chargers minus 7 1/2

The Chargers have won consecutive games by at least 17 points and start a stretch of three straight home games. The passing game has opened up behind Justin Herbert and J.K. Dobbins is third in the AFC in yards rushing with 620. Maybe Will Levis can return and spark the Titans, who are already looking ahead to next year.

CHARGERS: 24-13

Philadelphia (6-2) at Dallas (3-5)

Line: Eagles minus 7 1/2

No Dak Prescott means no chance for Dallas. The Cowboys were already in trouble before Prescott sustained a hamstring injury that will force him to miss multiple games. Jalen Hurts is back to playing like the 2022 MVP runner-up and the Eagles are rolling with four straight wins. Saquon Barkley has been a major addition for Philadelphia, which has the No. 3 defense in the league.

EAGLES: 30-16

New York Jets (3-6) at Arizona (5-4)

Line: Cardinals minus 1

Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson showed what they can do together last week. Now, the Jets have to stack wins to have any chance of climbing into the playoff race. The Cardinals are surprise leaders in the NFC West and have already surpassed their win total in each of the past two seasons.

JETS: 23-20

Detroit (7-1) at Houston (6-3)

Line: Lions minus 3 1/2

Jared Goff is playing at an MVP level and the high-powered Lions have won six in a row. They added three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to bolster the defense and are primed to push for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Texans need to protect C.J. Stroud better or they won’t go anywhere in January. Relying on Joe Mixon running the ball will help.

LIONS: 24-22

Miami (2-6) at Los Angeles Rams (4-4)

Line: Rams minus 1

After an impressive road win, the Rams find themselves slight favorites at home vs. a two-win team. It’s a strange line. Clearly, oddsmakers are giving the Dolphins a ton of respect. Tua Tagovailoa is 0-2 since returning from a concussion but has played superb. He has completed 80.3% of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions. With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back from injuries, Matthew Stafford and L.A.’s offense is on track. The Rams have won three in a row.

DOLPHINS: 27-26

Last week: Straight up: 11-4. Against spread: 7-8.

Overall: Straight up: 94-44. Against spread: 72-64-2.

Prime-time: Straight up: 21-10. Against spread: 14-16-1.

Best Bet: Straight up: 7-2. Against spread: 6-3.

Upset Special: Straight up: 6-3. Against spread: 6-3.

——————

— By ROB MAADDI, Associated Press

 

DETROIT (AP) Michigan Democrats will lose their historic trifecta after Republicans gained a majority in the state House of Representatives.

Democrats still hold the majority in the Senate, which was not up for reelection this year, meaning that House Republicans will at most stall Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s agenda in the final two years of her term.

After Democrats obtained control in both chambers and the governors office in 2022, they passed sweeping progressive legislation from gun control to union rights.

Republicans campaigned largely on the economy and cost of living this cycle, convincing voters that Democratic control in Lansing was bad for their pocketbooks and for public safety.

The GOP only needed to gain two seats in order to obtain a majority. A handful of races remained too early to call Wednesday afternoon, but the Associated Press had called more than half of the state House districts for Republican candidates.

House Republican Leader Matt Hall said the victory reaffirms that Michigan residents want leaders who put them first, uphold the rule of law, and advocate for accountability at every level of government.

With a Republican majority, Michigan will have a stronger voice fighting for the values of hardworking families and addressing the issues that matter most safe schools and neighborhoods, an affordable economy, and a government that provides value for dollars," Hall said in a statement.

Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate said in a statement that the results are an opportunity to regroup.

Come January, we will look for every opportunity to work with our Republican colleagues in a bipartisan manner to put the people of Michigan first," he said in a statement.

Related election information Check if you're registered to vote in Michigan Find your polling location How to get an absentee ballot  View your sample ballot  More information about early voting

The post Democrat Elissa Slotkin wins Michigan’s open Senate seat, defeating the GOP’s Mike Rogers appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

WASHINGTON (AP) —

DETROIT (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, giving Democrats a bittersweet victory in a swing state that also backed Republican President-elect Donald Trump in his successful bid to return to the White House.

Slotkin, a third-term representative, defeated former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. Democrats have held both Senate seats in Michigan for decades, but were left without retiring incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow this year.
Michigan’s was among a handful of Senate races Democrats struggled to defend. They lost their U.S. Senate majority despite Slotkin’s narrow win.

The race was incredibly close. Just minutes before it was called for Slotkin, she addressed supporters in Detroit, acknowledging that many voters may have cast their ballots for her while also supporting Trump, who won the state’s electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.

“It’s my responsibility to get things done for Michiganders. No matter who’s in office, just as I did in President Trump’s first term,” said Slotkin. “I’m a problem solver and I will work with anyone who is actually here to work.”

Slotkin’s win provides some solace for Democrats in the state, many of whom entered Election Day with high confidence following sweeping victories in the 2022 midterms. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still controls the executive branch and Democrats held onto the Senate, but Republicans won a majority of state House seats this election.

And Republicans also captured a mid-Michigan seat vacated by Slotkin, considered one of the most competitive races in the country.

The presidential race at the top of the ticket was expected to heavily influence the outcome, but Slotkin became the second Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in a battleground state that also backed Trump for president, following Wisconsin incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin earlier Wednesday.

Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes, marking the first time a Republican presidential candidate had secured the state in nearly three decades. This time, he expanded that margin to about 80,000 votes.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, launched her Senate campaign shortly after Stabenow announced her retirement in early 2023. With a largely uncontested primary, Slotkin built a significant fundraising advantage and poured it into advertising. Her high-profile supporters included former President Barack Obama and Stabenow, who helped her on the campaign trail.

On the Republican side, Rogers faced multiple challengers for the party’s nomination, including former Reps. Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, the latter of whom withdrew before the Aug. 6 primary. Rogers served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee.

Rogers called Slotkin to concede soon after The Associated Press called the race, both campaigns confirmed.

“Congratulations to Congresswoman Slotkin on her victory, I wish her the best as she serves the people of Michigan in the Senate,” Rogers said in a statement.

Slotkin’s victory extends the Republicans’ losing streak in Michigan U.S. Senate races, where no GOP candidate has won since 1994. Michigan’s other Democratic senator, Gary Peters, is serving a term that ends in 2027.

Slotkin and other Michigan Democrats focused much of their campaigns on reproductive rights, arguing that Republican opponents would back a national abortion ban, although Rogers said he wouldn’t. How effectively the issue motivated voting in a state where reproductive rights were enshrined in the constitution by Michigan voters in 2022 remained to be seen.

About 4 in 10 Michigan voters said the economy and jobs is the top issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 110,000 voters nationally, including about 3,700 voters in Michigan. About 2 in 10 Michigan voters said immigration is the most pressing issue, and roughly 1 in 10 named abortion.

Slotkin used her funding advantage to establish her narrative early, aiming to connect both with her base and disillusioned Republicans.

“We all know that it’s been a tough election season,” Slotkin said Wednesday in Detroit. “I believe in my bones that America is at its best when we have two healthy parties that push and pull and debate on issues of policy and substance and make our laws better.”

She added, “That’s what our founding fathers intended, and it’s what makes our country great.”

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions didn’t acquire Za’Darius Smith to win just any game.

They got him to win a Super Bowl.

That’s why, in an unusual move, they welcomed their new defensive end to town by sending him home. Smith won’t report to the Lions until Friday and coach Dan Campbell isn’t sure if he will play on Sunday night against the Houston Texans.

“He’s been in the league for a while and (the Browns) were actually going on their bye this week,” Campbell said Wednesday. “He got the call from us, everything got done, and now we will let him do what he needs to do, get refreshed and get back here on Friday.”

Of course, it helps that Smith knows what he’s going to be doing for the Lions defense — rushing the passer. That’s the reason the Lions gave up a fifth-round pick in 2025 and swapped a 2026 sixth-round choice for one in the seventh.

“It is hard, especially during the season, to get someone who can rush the passer,” Campbell said. “Teams don’t want to give those guys up, which is smart.”

The obvious reason for going after Smith was losing star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a broken left leg in mid-October. Hutchinson is still tied for fifth place in the league with 7 1/2 sacks and tied for second with 17 quarterback hits, even though he has played four fewer games.

If that were the only injury, though, the Lions would have tried to replace his production with the players they already have. The issue is that their other starting defensive end, Marcus Davenport, is out for the season with an arm injury and linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive end John Cominsky are on injured reserve with knee injuries. Defensive end Josh Paschal, who dealt with cancer during his college career, has missed the past two games after having a benign growth removed.

“We got hit in one position — we really lost our starters and our depth,” Campbell said. “That’s why we wanted to try to add someone, but it is tough at that position. It isn’t like getting a receiver or a running back.”

Paschal is expected to return against the Texans, and Campbell thinks there is a good chance Smith will get some snaps.

“We’ll see how many packages and how much of the playbook we can give to him, but we will certainly have a place to use him,” he said. “We’ll just see how it looks when he gets here on Friday.”

The Lions will also get wide receiver Jameson Williams back after his two-game suspension.

“I’ve learned to be smarter and move smarter in certain situations,” he said. “It’s big to know how much faith Coach has in me.”

— By DAVE HOGG, Associated Press

By ALI SWENSON

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican allies had spent months seeding doubt in the integrity of American voting systems and priming supporters to expect a 2024 election riddled with massive and inevitable fraud.

The former president continued laying that groundwork even during a mostly smooth day of voting Tuesday, making unsubstantiated claims related to Philadelphia and Detroit and highlighting concerns about election operations in Milwaukee. Shortly before polls began closing, he took to his social media platform to announce, without providing details, “A lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia.” The declaration produced immediate denials from city leaders who said there was zero evidence of any wrongdoing.

Yet Trump’s grim warnings abruptly ended in the later hours of the evening as early returns began tipping in his favor. During his election night speech, the president-elect touted a “magnificent victory” as he claimed ownership for the favorable results and expressed love for the same states he’d questioned hours earlier.

The messaging pivot was part of a Trump playbook that many in his party have adopted: To preemptively defy a loss with claims of widespread cheating but be ready to quickly disregard them in the event of a win.

In 2020, when he lost to Joe Biden, Trump carried out the other side of that strategy — spending the following four years doubling down on the false notion that the election was stolen, straining to convince supporters he was the rightful winner. The campaign was successful in changing minds: Polls show that more than half of Republicans still believe Biden was not legitimately elected in 2020.

In the weeks and months leading up to Tuesday’s election, many Trump supporters propped up supposed evidence of fraud that they abandoned when it became clear Trump was in the lead.

Several Republicans in Congress had also fought to require proof of citizenship for voter registration and argued there was no way the election could be fair without that extra layer of security. Yet the biggest proponents of the legislation congratulated Trump overnight without repeating those concerns.

It’s become a common trope to see candidates only focus on claims of potential fraud if they’ve lost or believe they will lose, said David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department lawyer who serves as executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.

“I think it’s somewhat telling that we’ve seen fewer fraud claims in the aftermath of an election in which former President and future President Trump won,” Becker said Wednesday.

The strategy sets a problematic precedent that “if your preferred candidate doesn’t win, it must mean that the entire system is illegitimate,” said Leah Wright Rigueur, a history professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

As Republicans have often pointed out, it’s not only their party that has refused to accept races they’ve lost. They often highlight the example of Democratic activist and former Georgia state Rep. Stacey Abrams, who ended her 2018 campaign for governor without explicitly conceding defeat to her Republican opponent, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

Still, Trump is the only American president who has taken steps to try to overturn the results of an election he squarely lost. The part he played in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, after he urged his supporters to “fight like hell,” has been condemned by democracy advocates in both political parties.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory. Some widely shared left-leaning posts on the social platform X had encouraged her not to concede or called for a 2024 recount, raising unsubstantiated suspicion in the results.

And for some right-leaning election skeptics, even their candidate’s decisive win didn’t prove that the election was aboveboard.

“They rigged 2020. We weren’t ready. They tried to rig 2024. We were ready,” David Clements, a former public prosecutor and conservative public speaker, wrote in a social media post.

It remains to be seen exactly how the next Trump administration might seek to reform U.S. elections. MyPillow founder and election denier Mike Lindell sent an email to supporters Wednesday saying he had discussed with Trump plans to discard machines and go “back to paper ballots, hand-counted.”

Nearly every ballot cast in American elections already has a paper record, and election officials warn that hand-counting all ballots would be costlier, more prone to error and far more time-intensive than machine counting.

Becker said even though the absence of fraud allegations in Trump’s victory speech showed his hand, it was a positive development.

“If we can get to the point now where President Trump and his supporters believe in the integrity of our elections … I will take it,” Becker said. “We wake up this morning with less likelihood that election officials around the country are going to be targeted – by name in many cases – for potential violence, and that’s a good thing.”

Associated Press writer Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By MARYCLAIRE DALE and JOCELYN NOVECK, Associated Press

Voters had the chance this election to break the highest glass ceiling in American politics by electing Kamala Harris the nation’s first female president. Instead, they returned Donald Trump to the White House, a comeback that relied on significant — even somewhat improved – support among women.

Some female voters on Wednesday mourned the missed opportunity to send a woman to the Oval Office and wondered when, if ever, it might happen.

“I am just aghast,” said Precious Brady-Davis, a Black transgender woman who’d just won a two-year term on a Chicago-area water management board — but her joy in that was tempered. “I am disappointed in my fellow Americans that, once again, we did not elect a qualified woman to the presidency.”

Those who supported Trump — like Katherine Mickelson, a 20-year-old college student from Sioux Falls, South Dakota — said the race came down to values and to issues like the economy, not gender. Even Harris herself sought her place in history without dwelling on her gender.

“While I think a lot of women would like to see a female president, myself included,” Mickelson said, “we aren’t just going to blindly vote for a woman.”

Despite the history-making potential of Harris’ campaign, she wasn’t able to expand on President Joe Biden’s 2020 support among women to cement a win, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. Fifty-three percent of women supported Harris, compared with 46% for Trump — slightly narrower than Biden’s advantage among them in 2020.

The prospect of electing the first female president didn’t rank high as a motivator for voters. Only about 1 in 10 voters said the fact that Harris would be the first woman was the single most important factor for their vote, while about one-quarter said it was an important driver, but not the most important.

Denise Martin in Georgia had a grim view: “I really feel like the majority of Americans still aren’t ready for a woman. They are so short-sighted.” That included, she said, some fellow female voters.

Women were more likely than men to say electing the first female president was at least a factor in their vote, VoteCast showed, though few said it was the main driver and about 4 in 10 women said it wasn’t a factor.

Black women were especially motivated by the potential for the first female president — about a third said it was the most important factor.

Maya Davis theorized that Harris’ identity as a Black and South Asian woman “absolutely” played a role in her defeat. As a Black woman herself, the 27-year-old North Carolina attorney said she’s constantly forced to prove herself.

“I don’t think there’s anything she could have done differently unfortunately,” she said of Harris. “Maybe not be a woman.”

Female supporters of Trump, 78 — who adopted a hypermasculine campaign style, used sexist tropes and vowed to protect women “whether they like it or not” — said they found his rhetoric perhaps unfortunate or hyperbolic, but less troubling than concerns about the economy, immigration and abortion.

Krissy Bunner of Greenville, South Carolina, called Trump a “promoter of women” and said the future is “so much brighter” for them because Trump was elected.

“He does so much, you know, for us,” the 56-year-old said. She described women who favored Harris as misled by the media, and said Trump’s stringent border policies and stance on barring transgender athletes from women’s sports would benefit all women.

Virginia King, 19, of Dallas, spoke about Trump’s unscripted nature. “He’s just kind of outspoken about what he thinks and what he does, whereas other people hide it,” she said. “It’s probably not ideal, but it doesn’t make me not support him.”

Other women found the former president’s bombast ominous and feared a second Trump term would further threaten their rights two years after his Supreme Court appointees helped overturn the right to abortion.

“All of women’s protections are going to go away if you don’t protect the basic fundamental issue of democracy to begin with,” said retired teacher Mary Ellen Brown, 66, of Newtown, Pennsylvania. Brown said she dressed in black Wednesday and feared her family was losing faith in their country.

After Harris stepped into the race in July, Trump doubled down on banter that many found paternalistic – and worse — as he tried to close the gender gap. He also offended many by calling Harris “stupid” or “lazy.” His running mate, JD Vance, called the vice president “trash.”

The discourse didn’t bother Nina Christina, a North Carolina nurse more worried about feeding her children. Christina, 35, voted for Trump and said she just hopes to avoid being “underwater.”

“It shouldn’t be this difficult to survive in everyday life,” said Christina, adding that Harris already had a chance to fix the economy.

Harris, 60, bypassed the suffragist white worn by Hillary Clinton in 2016 and rarely spoke about the glass ceiling during a frenzy of energetic campaign stops since becoming the Democratic nominee in July.

Her supporters welcomed the upbeat mood after what they saw as a series of setbacks for women’s progress in recent years: a workload surge during the pandemic, when children were sent home from school in 2020; the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022; and the steady drumbeat of #MeToo cases, some lodged against Trump.

In Minneapolis, 90-year-old Audrey Wesley — who’s voted in more presidential elections than she can count off the top of her head — said she’d been hoping a Harris victory would usher in a bipartisan resurgence.

“I can’t believe a man that has done this much against the law can even be running for president,” Wesley said, referring to the litany of legal battles, including sexual assault allegations, Trump brings to the office. “Our system is broken.”

Relatively few voters said Trump’s legal cases were a major factor in their decision-making this election, according to AP VoteCast. Only about a quarter of Trump voters said the legal cases involving Trump were at least an important factor, but about 8 in 10 Harris voters did.

Some women voters experienced the gender gap within their own homes or families — women like Dee Bertino, 55, of Moorestown, New Jersey, who spent her first date with her husband arguing about trickle-down economics. Twenty-five years and two sons later, she mailed in a ballot for Harris while her husband voted for Trump.

Bertino said her top concern was women’s rights, but she also bemoaned the lack of civility she felt Trump had unleashed. Her husband, Bob, 58, with whom she runs a sexual health company, also supported abortion rights, she said, but felt the economy, immigration and other issues were more important.

Having a woman president is “not that big” for me, Bertino said. “But I truly believe that our democracy is facing its largest threat in history, and Trump must be stopped.”

Bertino and her husband hotly debate politics and the election. That’s not true for Martin, in Peachtree City, Georgia,

Martin, 61, is a flight attendant. Her partner is a pilot. He voted for Trump, for the third time. She voted for Harris. Speaking about politics is fraught and painful, and they know to avoid it.

When Clinton lost in 2016, Martin said, she was beside herself and couldn’t talk to her partner for days. This year, Martin had hoped to privately celebrate the ascension of the first female president, a woman she supported not because she was a woman, but because she was the right candidate: “so thoughtful, so smart, so well-spoken.”

But the news did not seem good, so she went to bed. She awoke to see the race called for Trump, and grew tearful. Among her chief concerns: the future of democracy; health care, especially reproductive care for young women; respect for science; climate policy; and the United States’ standing in the world.

As Clinton herself has said, Harris didn’t need to emphasize the gender issue, because the public has grown more accustomed to seeing female candidates. Seven women, representing three political parties, ran for president in 2020.

”We now don’t just have one image of a person who happens to be a woman who ran for president – namely me,” she told the AP in September. “Now we have a much better opportunity for women candidates, starting with Kamala, to be viewed in a way that just takes for granted the fact that, yes, guess what? She’s a woman.”

Trump voter Elizabeth Herbert, a retired homeschool teacher from Wake Forest, North Carolina, saw Trump as a strong leader and family man. She would still like to see a woman president. She just didn’t embrace Harris.

“I think a woman could do a great job as president,” she said. “I don’t think she is the right woman.”

Some women who’d voted for Harris told AP they were too stunned to speak about the news. “I’m devastated,” texted one; “I’ll need a little time,” another wrote. Others said they were forcing themselves to move forward.

“We’ll get through today and then get some rest,” Martin said, looking forward to playing trivia with her friends later.

“The world is going to change, but we have to find our way in it. We can’t let this ruin us.”

Associated Press reporters Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia; and Michael Goldberg in Minneapolis contributed.

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith is evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases against Donald Trump before the president-elect takes office in light of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Smith charged Trump last year with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But Trump’s election defeat of Kamala Harris means that the Justice Department believes he can no longer face prosecution in accordance with department legal opinions meant to shield presidents from criminal charges while in office.

The person familiar with Smith’s plans was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

By moving to wind down the cases before the inauguration in January, Smith and the Justice Department would be averting a potential showdown with Trump, who said as recently as last month that he would fire Smith “within two seconds” of taking office. It would also mean Trump would enter the White House without the legal cloud of federal criminal prosecutions that once carried the potential for felony convictions and prison sentences.

NBC News first reported Smith’s plans.

Smith’s two cases charge Trump in a conspiracy to undo the election results in the run-up to the Capitol riot, and with retaining top secret records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and obstructing FBI efforts to recover them. He was appointed to the position in November 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The classified documents case has been stalled since July when a Trump-appointed judge, Aileen Cannon, dismissed it on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed. Smith has appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the request to revive the case is pending. Even as Smith looks to withdraw the documents case against Trump, he would seem likely to continue to challenge Cannon’s ruling on the legality of his appointment given the precedent such a ruling would create.

In the 2020 election interference case, Trump was scheduled to stand trial in March in Washington, where more than 1,000 of his supporters have been convicted of charges for their roles in the Capitol riot. But the case was halted as Trump pursued his sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution that ultimately landed before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump could be emboldened by the Supreme Court’s ruling in July, which granted former presidents expansive immunity from prosecution for acts taken in the White House and explicitly put off-limits any alleged conduct involving Trump’s discussions with the Justice Department. That included his efforts to use the Justice Department to conduct sham election fraud investigations as part of his bid to stay in power.

The conservative-majority Supreme Court sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which of the other allegations in the indictment, if any, could move forward to trial.

In response, Smith’s team last month filed a 165-page brief laying out new evidence to persuade the judge that the actions alleged in the indictment were taken in Trump’s private capacity as a candidate — not as commander-in-chief — and therefore can remain part of the case. Trump’s lawyers are scheduled to file their response later this month.

In New York, meanwhile, Trump is fighting to overturn his felony conviction and stave off a potential prison sentence for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. It is the only one of his criminal cases to go to trial.

A judge is expected to rule next week on whether to uphold or toss the verdict in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July ruling that presidents have broad protections from prosecution.

Judge Juan M. Merchan has said he will issue a ruling on Trump’s dismissal request on Nov. 12, one week after Election Day. The judge has penciled in Nov. 26 for sentencing, “if necessary.” Punishments range from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison.

Though Trump technically has no authority as president to shut down a state-level prosecution like the one in New York, his victory nonetheless calls into question that case as well as a separate pending case in Fulton County, Georgia charging him with plotting to subvert that state’s election in 2020.

Donald Trump’s election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman to be president.

He’s the oldest to be elected

At 78, Trump is the oldest person elected to the U.S. presidency. When sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025, he will be a few months older than Joe Biden was at his inauguration in 2020. Trump’s running mate, 40-year-old JD Vance, will be the third-youngest vice president.

It’s the second time someone has won two non-consecutive terms

Several U.S. presidents have served more than one term, and Trump joins the group. He was the 45th president and now will be the 47th. But only one other president did it the way Trump will — with a gap between terms. That was Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd president after the 1884 election, and as the 24th president after the campaign of 1892.

He’s been convicted of felony crimes

Trump is in line to become the first U.S. president with a felony conviction. In May, New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

He’s been impeached (twice)

Trump already is the only president in U.S. history to face impeachment proceedings twice while in office. In each case, he was acquitted by the Senate on all counts.

By COLLEEN LONG

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s presidential win is going to be certified in Congress in January by the candidate he beat, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Under the Constitution, the vice president is the head of the Senate, and it’s the role of the Senate president to declare the result of a White House election.

That happens Jan. 6.

Under normal circumstances, the vote-tallying procedure performed by the vice president is a mere formality and it’s the final step in the complicated technical process of electing a new administration.

For example, in 2000, after the grueling 36-day Florida recount battle, Democrat Al Gore conceded the presidency on Dec. 13 to Republican George W. Bush.

Gore, too, was the vice president, and he certified Bush’s win.

“The whole number of the electors appointed to vote for president of the United States is 538,” Gore said from the rostrum, going on to read off his own loss to Congress. “George W. Bush of the state of Texas has received for president of the United States 271 votes. Al Gore of the state of Tennessee has received 266 votes.”

But this nearly didn’t happen four years ago.

Trump refused to accept defeat and sparked a violent insurrection at the Capitol, when then-Vice President Mike Pence was to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s win. Trump’s supporters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” as they ransacked Capitol offices.

Trump had wanted Pence to “do the right thing” and declare Trump the winner. Trump and his allies spent days in a futile bid trying to convince Pence that the vice president had the power to reject electors from battleground states that voted for Biden, even though the Constitution makes clear the vice president’s role in the joint session is largely ceremonial, much like a master of ceremonies.

Pence acknowledged that reality in a lengthy statement to Congress. He laid out his conclusion that a vice president cannot claim “unilateral authority” to reject states’ electoral votes. He gaveled in the joint session of Congress on Jan. 7, 2021, to certify for Biden.

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump ‘s impending return to the White House means he’ll want to stand up an entirely new administration from the one that served under President Joe Biden. His team is also pledging that the second won’t look much like the first one Trump established after his 2016 victory.

The president-elect now has a 75-day transition period to build out his team before Inauguration Day arrives on Jan. 20. One top item on the to-do list: filling around 4,000 government positions with political appointees, people who are specifically tapped for their jobs by Trump’s team.

That includes everyone from the secretary of state and other heads of Cabinet departments to those selected to serve part time on boards and commissions. Around 1,200 of those presidential appointments require Senate confirmation, which should be easier with the Senate now shifting to Republican control.

Here’s what to expect:

What will the transition look like?

Though the turnover in the new administration will be total, Trump will be familiar with what he needs to accomplish. He built an entirely new administration for his first term and has definite ideas on what to do differently this time.

He’s already floated some names.

Trump said at his victory party early Wednesday that former presidential hopeful and anti-vaccination activist Robert Kennedy Jr. will be tapped to “help make America healthy again,” adding that “we’re going to let him go to it.” Ahead of the election, Trump didn’t reject Kennedy’s calls to end fluoridated water. Trump has also pledged to make South African-born Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of the Trump campaign, a secretary of federal “cost-cutting,” and the Tesla CEO has suggested he can find trillions of dollars in government spending to wipe out.

The transition is not just about filling jobs. Most presidents-elect also receive daily or near-daily intelligence briefings during the transition.

In 2008, outgoing President George W. Bush personally briefed President-elect Barack Obama on U.S. covert operations. When Trump was preparing to take office in 2016, Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, briefed Michael Flynn, her designated successor in the new administration. In 2020, Trump’s legal challenges of the election’s results delayed the start of the transition process for weeks, though, and presidential briefings with Biden didn’t begin until Nov. 30.

Who is helping Trump through the process?

Trump’s transition is being led primarily by friends and family, including Kennedy Jr. and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, as well as the president-elect’s adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his running mate, JD Vance. Transition co-chairs are Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.

Lutnick said this year’s operation is “about as different as possible” from the 2016 effort, which was first led by Chris Christie. After he won eight years ago, Trump fired Christie, tossed out plans the former New Jersey governor had made and gave the job of running the transition to then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

At the start of his first term, Trump assembled an original Cabinet that featured some more mainstream Republicans and business leaders who ultimately disappointed, or broke publicly with him, or both. This time, Trump has promised to value loyalty as much as possible — a philosophy that may ensure he makes picks that are more closely aligned to his ideological beliefs and bombastic professional style.

Unlike the campaign of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s team didn’t sign any pre-Election Day transition agreements with the General Services Administration, which essentially acts as the federal government’s landlord. He has therefore already missed deadlines to agree with GSA on logistical matters like office space and tech support and with the White House on access to agencies, including documents, employees and facilities.

New transition rules

In 2020, Trump argued that widespread voter fraud — which hadn’t actually occurred — cost him the election, delaying the start of the transition from his outgoing administration to Biden’s incoming one for weeks.

Four years ago, the Trump-appointed head of the GSA, Emily Murphy, determined that she had no legal standing to determine a winner in the presidential race because Trump was still challenging the results in court. That held up funding and cooperation for the transition.

It wasn’t until Trump’s efforts to subvert election results had collapsed across key states that Murphy agreed to formally “ ascertain a president-elect ” and begin the transition process. Trump eventually posted on social media that his administration would cooperate.

To prevent that kind of holdup in future transitions, the Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 mandates that the transition process begin five days after the election — even if the winner is still in dispute. That is designed to avoid long delays and means that “an ‘affirmative ascertainment’ by the GSA is no longer a prerequisite for gaining transition support services,” according to agency guidelines on the new rules.

The uncertainty stretched even longer after the 2000 election, when five weeks elapsed before the Supreme Court settled the contested election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. That left Bush with about half the usual amount of time to manage transitioning the government from the outgoing Clinton administration. That ultimately led to questions about national security gaps that may have contributed to the U.S. being underprepared for the Sept. 11 attacks the following year.

By TIA GOLDENBERG

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Donald Trump will return to the U.S. presidency at a time of unprecedented conflict and uncertainty in the Middle East. He has vowed to fix it.

But Trump’s history of strong support for Israel coupled with his insistence during the campaign that the war in Gaza should end quickly, the isolationist forces in the Republican party and his penchant for unpredictability raise a mountain of questions over how his second presidency will affect the region at this pivotal moment.

Barring the achievement of elusive cease-fires before the inauguration, Trump will ascend to the highest office in the country as a brutal war in Gaza still rages and Israel presses its offensive against the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group. A conflagration between Iran and Israel shows no signs of abating — nor do Israel’s conflicts with Iranian proxies in Iraq and Yemen — and Iran’s nuclear program remains a top concern for Israel.

Trump says he wants peace, but how?

Throughout his campaign, Trump has vowed to bring peace to the region.

“Get it over with and let’s get back to peace and stop killing people,” Trump said of the conflict in Gaza in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in April.

Israel launched the war in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, when terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250, with dozens still in Gaza. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 43,000 people, according to Gaza health officials, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, though they say more than half of the dead are women and children. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

The war has ignited a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, driven Israel into increasing international isolation, with two world courts examining charges of war crimes, and has sparked a wave of protests on American campuses that have fueled debate over the U.S. role as Israel’s key military and diplomatic supporter.

International mediators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have tried unsuccessfully to bring about a lasting cease-fire.

Yet Trump has repeatedly urged to Israel “finish the job” and destroy Hamas — but hasn’t said how.

“Does finish the job mean you have a free hand to act in dealing with the remnants of Hamas? Or does finish the job mean the war has to come to an end now?” asked David Makovsky, director of the program on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “That’s part of the enigmas here.”

Netanyahu is pinning his hopes on a pro-Israel Trump administration

Uncertainty also shrouds how Trump will engage with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During his first term, Trump offered broad support for the Israeli leader’s hard-line policies, including unilaterally withdrawing from a deal meant to rein in Iran’s nuclear program that Netanyahu long opposed.

Trump also recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, bolstering its claim over the disputed city, and Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. He presented a peace plan with the Palestinians widely seen as favoring Israel. Settlement-building in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, seen as an obstacle to Palestinian statehood, surged under his presidency.

Trump also helped secure agreements between Israel and four Arab countries to normalize ties that were not contingent on progress toward Palestinian statehood — a major victory for Netanyahu. The Israeli leader hopes to replicate those successes with a deal with Saudi Arabia.

The leaders had a falling out after Netanyahu congratulated President Joe Biden following the 2020 elections — a move Trump viewed as a slight from his loyal ally, though Netanyahu visited Trump in Florida this year.

Under Biden, the U.S. has been critical at times and slowed some weapons deliveries in response to Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Netanyahu is likely hoping that Trump’s return will loosen any restraints on Israel to pursue its war goals. The American leader could also work to challenge a potential international war crimes arrest warrant for Netanyahu. And a smoother relationship with Washington could help improve the Israeli leader’s own popular support.

“He has the most pro-Israel record of any president,” said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. “The hope is here that there’ll be more of the same.”

Neither Netanyahu nor Trump has a clear vision for postwar Gaza

Netanyahu leads a far-right government whose key members have vowed to topple his rule if the war in Gaza ends with anything short of Hamas’ destruction. They support resettling Gaza and are enthusiastic about a Trump presidency — and their influence will only grow now that Netanyahu has fired his defense minister over his more pragmatic approach to the conflict.

Their grip on the government and over Netanyahu’s political future helps explain why Netanyahu has not spelled out a clear vision for a postwar Gaza.

The Biden administration has favored having the war-ravaged territory governed by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank. Netanyahu has rejected that idea and insists on the right for the Israeli military to operate there.

Trump has not outlined a clear vision, although he has said developers could make Gaza “better than Monaco” because it has “the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything.”

Diana Buttu, a former adviser to Palestinian leaders, said a lack of a firm U.S. vision for Gaza, coupled with a politically powerful Israeli far right, made the future for people in Gaza and for Palestinians in general grim.

“I don’t see this as a president who is going to care about Palestinians,” she said.

Will Trump help defend Israel against Iran or choose America first?

In Lebanon, Israel is battling the Iranian-backed Hezbollah with both a ground invasion and strikes on Hezbollah targets. The militant group has fired thousands of rockets and drones at Israeli communities, killing dozens and displacing 60,000. Israel’s offensive, meanwhile, has displaced over 1 million people in Lebanon and killed more than 3,000.

U.S. mediation efforts there too have been fruitless. Trump, who has a Lebanese-American son-in-law, recently posted on the social platform X that as president he would “stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon.”

But a key question is how much Trump will be swayed by his America First instincts.

The U.S. has played a central role in diplomatic efforts throughout the war, and an even more robust role in helping Israel defend itself against Iran and its allies.

The U.S. has sent military assets to the region, helped Israel thwart two missile attacks by Iran and even has U.S. soldiers in Israel to operate a sophisticated air defense system. But any effective Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a target it avoided in its strike last month, will likely need greater U.S. military involvement.

Accusations that Iran has hacked campaign associates and concerns about the potential for Tehran to carry out violence against Trump or members of his administration could deepen his antipathy toward the country.

While Trump has indicated he will focus on domestic affairs, the Mideast could be an outlier.

He enjoys a wide base of support from evangelical Christians, who are staunchly pro-Israel, and his son-in-law and former adviser Jared Kushner was a prominent voice in support of the country in his first administration.

“As Trump is likely to navigate between those forces mostly based on his intuition,” said Udi Sommer, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Tel Aviv University, “uncertainty will likely define his approach.”

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By Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) — No pain, no gain, as the old exercise adage goes. But just how much pain do you have to endure to benefit from weight training? That depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, fitness experts say.

For years, some trainers have instructed gym-goers that to get the best results, they need to train “until failure,” meaning until you cannot physically do one more repetition or exercise. Some recent studies, however, suggest this extreme regimen, when applied to weight training, may only benefit certain people.

“If somebody wants to increase muscle mass as much as they possibly can, then training to failure is something to consider,” said Michael Zourdos, chair of exercise science and health promotion at Florida Atlantic University, who co-authored a review of 55 research papers on the subject in the journal, Sports Medicine.

Zourdos and colleagues found that lifting weights “until failure” may build bigger muscles, but isn’t needed to increase strength. He said people who work out hard, but don’t push themselves to exhaustion, will still likely improve their health and fitness. “There is a difference between training for health and training for elite performance benefits,” he said.

For the average person simply looking to increase their fitness levels, Zourdos said it’s much easier to get results. He said people who work out regularly would benefit from an intense session that comes within five to 10 repetitions of failure, rather than training to complete exhaustion.

He also said “failure training” often comes at a cost, since people working to that standard might be so tired and sore that they skip their next gym session or two.

In extremely rare instances, overdoing it can be harmful, leading to a potentially fatal condition called rhabdomyolysis, where damaged muscles begin to break down, possibly causing kidney damage.

James Fisher, a sport science expert and consultant in Southampton, England, said the idea of working until complete exhaustion can be a turn off for many people.

“What we’re really talking about is how hard you should work when you go to the gym,” he said, adding that the concept should be interpreted to mean that people can spend less time in the gym — if they work hard.

“If you’re short on time, then you can push yourself harder, and then you don’t need to work out as long,” he said.

Fisher explained that to boost strength, it’s critical to push your muscles to a certain threshold.

“If you lift a weight you can easily lift 10 times or more, you never really work hard enough,” he said. “Now, if we increase the weight so that on the ninth and 10th rep, it feels properly hard, that will benefit your muscle fibers.”

Still, Fisher said that the best workout is ultimately “one that people will actually do,” regardless of how hard they push themselves. He said that for improving overall health, strength training is probably the best single thing people can do for their health, quality of life and longevity.

Whatever your fitness goal, Fisher said the concept of failure training can be incorporated into your workout. People should then rest the muscle group they’ve trained for about two days, he said.

For people who have more experience, experts recommend saving the failure training for occasional workouts, or on the last set of exercises in your session.

“It’s not meant to be for every person, every time they work out,” Fisher said. “This is a tough way to exercise.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Between redistricting and incumbents forgoing reelection, four congressional seats in Michigan were key targets as the parties vied for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Republicans sought to flip two open congressional seats in central Michigan as the GOP tries to broaden its majority and managed to take one. Both were redrawn in 2021, yielding Democratic victories in the midterm elections. This year's races have been true tossups, some of the most competitive in the country, with millions of dollars poured into the campaigns.

Incumbents easily won Michigans other congressional races. They include Republicans Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar, Bill Huizenga, Tim Walberg and Lisa McClain; and Democrats Debbie Dingell, Haley Stevens, Rashida Tlaib and Shri Thanedar.

8th Congressional District

Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet won her bid for Michigans 8th congressional district, securing a victory for Democrats as they attempt to defend control of two open seats in central Michigan.

The freshman state senator prevailed against Republican Paul Junge in a competitive race for the seat in central and east Michigan, including the Flint area. Shell succeed U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, a longtime Democrat who decided against seeking another term.

McDonald Rivet credited her victory to a broad and energized coalition.

I am humbled by the trust voters have put in me, and honored to represent mid-Michigan in the U.S. House, she said in a statement Wednesday.

Junge served in the Trump administration as an immigration official. Republicans had hoped to flip the seat in their effort to retain control of the U.S. House and saw an opening with Kildees retirement. Kildee succeeded his uncle Dale Kildee who represented Michigan in Congress for 36 years.

The tossup race was expected to be one of the closest in the country. Both campaigned on the economy and criticized the others career.

7th Congressional District

Republican Tom Barrett won his bid for Michigans 7th congressional district, flipping the open seat in central Michigan away from Democrats. Barrett prevailed against Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. in a competitive race for the seat that includes the state capital, Lansing.

Barrett is a former state representative and senator. He ran for the same seat in the 2022 midterms but lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who vacated it to run for U.S. Senate.

Hertel is a former state senator who more recently served as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmers legislative director.

Their race was expected to be one of the closest in the country. The candidates criticized each other over national issues such as reproductive rights and national security. Barrett tried to appeal to crossover voters with messaging on inflation, the economy and security at the southern border.

Hertel conceded to Barrett in a statement at 3 a.m. by wishing the Republican well and thanking his own supporters.

To every single volunteer, supporter, and member of Team Hertel who helped our campaign from building yard signs, to donating a few bucks, to knocking doors and making calls I will forever be grateful, and I am sorry this election did not turn out differently," the statement said.

3rd Congressional District

Democratic freshman U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten has secured her second term representing Michigan in Congress.

In 2022, Scholten became the first Democrat to represent the city of Grand Rapids in the U.S. House since the 1970s after the district was redrawn.

I set out to build a new political home in West Michigan, and with this decisive victory, weve proven that what we made is built to last, Scholten said in a statement posted to X.

However, the district in western Michigan is still seen as a Republican stronghold, especially in the populous Kent County. The Republicans targeted the county with multiple visits as former President Donald Trump campaigned to return to the White House.

The county went for Trump in 2016 and President Joe Biden in 2020.

10th Congressional District

Voters in Michigan's 10th congressional district which includes the all-important suburbs of Macomb County north of Detroit will decide a rematch between Republican incumbent Rep. John James and Democrat Carl Marlinga.

Marlinga lost by just 1,600 votes in 2022, and the district is now seen as competitive, drawing money and attention from Democratic national groups.

The race is too early to call.

Editor's Note: ABC News and Decision Desk HQ have projected James to win the race.

After months of campaigning, the Republican president and vice president candidates cast their votes Tuesday morning.

Former President Donald Trump has cast his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida and says his latest presidential campaign was the best yet.

“I ran a great campaign. I think it was maybe the best of the three. We did great in the first one. We did much better in the second one but something happened. I would say this is the best campaign we’ve run,” he said, standing next to his wife, Melania Trump.

“It seems that the conservatives are voting very powerfully,” Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida.

“It looks like Republicans have shown up in force,” he said.

Trump is suggesting he won’t challenge the results of the election — as long as it’s fair.

“If it’s a fair election, I’d be the first one to acknowledge,” the results, Trump said, though what meets that definition wasn’t clear.

Speaking to reporters after voting in Florida, Trump said that he had no plans to tell his supporters to refrain from violence should he lose.

“I don’t have to tell them,” because they “are not violent people,” he said.

While talking with reporters, Trump refuses to say how he voted on Florida’s abortion ballot measure.

Asked about the measure, which would keep the state’s six-week restriction in place, he avoided answering by simply saying he’d done “a great job bringing it back to the states.”

The second time, he snapped at a reporter, saying: “You should stop talking about it.”

Trump had previously indicated he would back the measure, but then changed his mind, saying he would vote against it.

The abortion measure would prevent lawmakers from passing any law that penalizes, prohibits, delays or restricts abortion until fetal viability, which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks. If it’s rejected, the state’s current abortion law would stand.

Asked if he had any regrets about his campaign, Trump responded, “I can’t think of any.”

Trump planned to visit a nearby campaign office to thank those working on his behalf.

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance voted in Cincinnati this morning.

“Look, I feel good. You never know until you know, but I feel good about this race,” Vance said after he and his wife cast their ballots.

Vance said he would depart for Palm Beach, Florida, later Tuesday to be with Trump as results come in.

Their rivals, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, voted by mail and early in-person, respectively.

Check out live results for the swing state that is vital to control of the White House. Both parties ended their campaigns in the state and visited often.