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Biden admin asks Supreme Court to let student loan forgiveness program continue

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — After a significant loss in the courts earlier this week, the Biden administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on its fight to keep its student loan relief program alive.

The program, which aimed to relieve between $10,000 and $20,000 in student loans for borrowers who make below a certain income, was blocked by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals after six conservative states brought a lawsuit against the Department of Education, arguing that the policy is an abuse of power.

In an escalation of the legal fight, the Biden administration has asked the justices to overturn that nationwide injunction and let the program go on, arguing that Education Secretary Michael Cardona is completely within his authority because of a law called the HEROES Act, which gives the power to cancel loans during a national state of emergency like the pandemic.

“On the merits, the plan falls squarely within the plain text of the Secretary’s statutory authority,” Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in the Supreme Court filing.

“Indeed, the entire purpose of the HEROES Act is to authorize the Secretary to grant student-loan-related relief to at-risk borrowers because of a national emergency — precisely what the Secretary did here,” Prelogar wrote.

It is the secretary’s job “to ensure that borrowers affected by a national emergency are not worse off in relation to their student loans,” Prelogar argued, and if the Department of Education didn’t act, there could be a “spike” in loan defaults when the pause on student loan payments lifts in January.

That impending deadline of Jan. 1 — when the nearly two-year long moratorium on payments is expected to end — adds extra pressure on the administration.

Officials rolled the program out in late August with the pledge that anyone who applied before mid-November could have their loans canceled by the time payments resumed.

As legal losses halted that timeline, though, the Education Department began to consider extending the moratorium once again — though officials caution that it’s not an ideal plan.

“…The Department estimates that if it temporarily extends the existing COVID-19 pandemic payment and interest accrual pause for federal student loan holders, it will cost taxpayers several billion dollars a month in unrecovered loan revenue,” the Department of Education Under Secretary James Richard Kvaal said in a recent legal filing.

Still, advocacy groups, including the Student Debt Protection Center and the NAACP, are pushing for the administration to keep the moratorium in place while the courts decide, rather than ask people to begin paying down their loans again with the fate of the program up in the air.

The groups argue that it will undermine the Biden administration’s own argument for the debt relief if it lifts the moratorium without any loan cancellations, since the reason for canceling debt is that the pandemic left people in a position where they would be unable to get back on their feet if the moratorium was lifted without any assistance from the government.

The Supreme Court is expected to respond to the Biden administration’s request in the coming weeks.

The court could also be asked to weigh in on another case, developing in a lower court in Texas, that has also blocked the loan program.

A federal judge in Texas on Thursday ruled the student debt forgiveness policy, goes beyond the authority of the Education Department and the power of the executive branch.

U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman was appointed by former President Donald Trump, and the lawsuit was brought in October by the conservative Job Creators Network Foundation.

The debt cancellation program was already on hold, unable to discharge any loan payments because of a temporary stay in a federal appeals court that is reviewing a separate lawsuit brought by six conservative states.

A final decision is that case is pending.

If the Supreme Court decides not to overturn the appeals court decision putting the program on pause, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to set the case for expedited argument.

ABC News’ Devin Dwyer contributed to this report.

At least two dead amid potentially historic lake-effect snowfall in Western New York

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — At least two people have died in connection with an “extreme” lake-effect snowstorm in western New York that could dump up to 6 feet of snow in the Buffalo region.

Two Erie County residents died from cardiac arrest “related to exertion during shoveling/snow blowing,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Friday.

A state of emergency has been declared for Erie County, which includes Buffalo, as the potentially historic snowstorm hits the region.

A countywide driving ban went into effect Thursday night, with only those authorized for emergency travel allowed to drive. It was temporarily lifted in Buffalo Friday morning, before being reinstated for the city, Poloncarz announced.

South Buffalo in particular has been hit “incredibly hard,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said during a press briefing Friday, prompting officials to reimpose the travel ban.

“We do not want any driving in that area at all,” Brown said.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County. A winter storm watch will be in effect from Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon.

At least 5 feet of snow is possible for parts of the region by Saturday morning, with snowfall rates of at least 3 inches per hour accompanied by lightning and gusty winds as high as 35 mph.

“This will produce near zero visibility, nearly impossible travel, damage to infrastructure, and paralyze the hardest-hit communities,” the National Weather Service warned.

The long-duration event brought intense bands of lake-effect snow across Buffalo and Watertown Thursday night. On Friday, the lake-effect band off of Lake Erie is forecast to shift slightly north and remain over Buffalo and the Southtowns, while the band off of Lake Ontario will remain slightly north and over the Watertown metro area, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Parts of Erie County have already reported 4 feet of snow as of midday Friday. An additional 20 to 40 inches are likely between Dunkirk and Buffalo, for up to 6 feet of snow possible in some areas.

Region prepares for ‘dangerous’ conditions

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency in 11 counties due to the storm, with hazardous travel conditions and lower power outages likely.

“This is considered an extreme event,” Hochul said during a press briefing Thursday morning. “That means it’s dangerous. That also means it’s life-threatening.”

Hochul said that conditions in Buffalo and other parts of western New York will be “very similar to 2014,” when the region saw upwards of 5 feet of snow during a deadly storm.

More than 350 plows, 5,700 utility crews and the National Guard have been deployed and are standing by, she said. Parts of the New York State Thruway also closed to commercial traffic starting at 4 p.m. Thursday.

“This can go on for a number of days,” Hochul said. “The cleanup is going to take some time.”

Schools in the region are preparing for closures on Friday due to the storm, including in Buffalo.

Erie County’s executive advised private businesses to close on Friday if the forecast holds.

“We are gonna have a doozy,” Poloncarz said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

The city of Buffalo has brought in private contractors to handle the snow in addition to state support, according to Mayor Brown.

“This is not the normal snow event that we get, so the public has to be patient,” Brown told reporters. “This is a major snowstorm.”

More than 100 plows were working at one point earlier Friday and more resources and private contractors will be brought in Saturday, city officials said.

Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns has been moved to Detroit due to the weather forecast, the NFL announced Thursday. The game was initially scheduled to be played at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Lake-effect snow hitting several states

Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.

In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service. There were 13 fatalities due to the storm. A second lake-effect event days later dropped another 1 to 4 feet of snow in the same area, bringing the total from the two storms to nearly 7 feet.

Beyond New York, lake-effect snow is forecast for several states, including Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Buchanan, Michigan, has reported at least 13 inches of snow, while Gile, Wisconsin, was hit with over 22 inches of lake-effect snow.

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke, Max Golembo, Victoria Arancio, Matt Foster and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.

Idaho college murders: Police release new timeline, map of victims’ final hours

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MOSCOW, Idaho) — Police in Moscow, Idaho, on Friday released a map and timeline of the whereabouts of four University of Idaho students in the hours before they were stabbed to death.

The victims, who were killed in a house near campus early Sunday morning and found hours later, were identified as Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Police said they have no suspects.

Goncalves and Mogen — lifelong best friends — were in downtown Moscow Saturday night while Chapin and Kernodle — who were dating — were at the Sigma Chi house, police said.

It’s believed they were killed between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday, Moscow Mayor Art Bettge told ABC News.

Chapin didn’t live in the house where the four were killed, but was sleeping over with his girlfriend, according to his mother, Stacy Chapin.

Police are searching for leads and urge anyone who saw “suspicious behavior, has video surveillance, or can provide relevant information” to call the tip line at 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.

Two other female roommates were home at the time of the stabbings, and they were not hurt, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said on Wednesday. It was not a hostage situation, he added.

The roommates were home when police responded to a call for an unconscious individual at the home at about noon, Fry said. The roommates were not the 911 callers, according to Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell.

The surviving roommates have not been ruled “in or out at suspects,” Snell said Thursday, adding that they’re “working and talking with detectives, and they have been cooperative — very cooperative.”

“Potentially they are witnesses, potentially they are victims,” Snell said, adding that the roommates could be “the key to this whole thing.”

Fry said the four students were killed in “an isolated, targeted attack”.

Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told ABC News that it appears all four were killed with a large knife and each student was stabbed more than once. There is no indication of any sexual assault, she said.

Latah County prosecuting attorney Bill Thompson told ABC News that authorities have “more information on the nature and location of the wounds” than they are releasing publicly.

He said police are not releasing certain details of the crime because there’s some information that only the suspect would know.

The murder weapon was not left at the scene, officials said.

Snell did not reveal what type of knife was used in the killings but said authorities are going to local businesses to see if anyone recently purchased a fixed-blade knife.

Snell described it as “a very complex and in-depth investigation.”

As for having no suspects nearly a week later, Snell said, “It’s very frustrating … we would have loved to have solved this [immediately].”

Thompson said it’s unusual to not have a suspect or motive at this point, and noted that this case has brought in more resources and manpower to Moscow than he’s ever seen in his 30 years as prosecutor.

“I wish we had the answers,” he said.

Goncalves and Mogen had been best friends since childhood and “did everything together,” Goncalves’ sister, Alivia Goncalves, told ABC News. She said she finds some solace that the friends were together in their final moments.

Although Fry described the attack as “targeted,” he said Wednesday, “We cannot say there is no threat to the community.”

Former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett thinks the surviving roommates are the “key” in the investigation, but he doesn’t think they are suspects.

“It’s a small town. The likelihood that they know who that person was in the house, I think, is reasonable,” Garrett said Thursday morning.

In terms of the investigation, Garrett said, “police appear to be stymied based on their own comments.”

For police, Garrett said the next steps are: “You really are going to have to do a complete detail of the party that was prior to whatever was going on between 3 and 4 o’clock at the victim’s house. … Who followed them home? Who has been taking whom? Who have had issues with people? This killer didn’t all of a sudden show up at this house — he knew this house.”

ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth, Nick Cirone and Timmy Truong contributed to this report.

Sheriff’s office releases investigation into fatal ‘Rust’ shooting by Alec Baldwin

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has released its 550-page report into the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust.”

The report follows a yearlong investigation into the shooting on the New Mexico set of the Western, which killed the film’s cinematographer and wounded its director.

The release comes three weeks after the sheriff’s office turned over its report to the local district attorney, who will decide whether to press criminal charges against anyone involved in the shooting.

The district attorney’s office said at the time that it will conduct a “thorough review of the information and evidence to make a thoughtful, timely decision about whether to bring charges.”

Charges have yet to be announced.

The film’s cinematographer, 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins, was killed by Baldwin, who was pointing a Colt .45 revolver at her when it fired. Director Joel Souza was also injured.

In the weeks and months following the October 2021 shooting, questions have persisted as to how live ammunition made it onto the New Mexico set and into the prop gun and whether proper safety precautions were taken by crew members.

Several lawsuits have been filed in connection with the incident, most recently by Baldwin. In a lawsuit filed last week, the actor alleged negligence of several of the film’s crew members while seeking to “clear his name.”

Baldwin’s cross-complaint followed a lawsuit filed last year by the film’s script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell. The civil suit accused Baldwin of “playing Russian roulette” with the revolver.

Last month, the family of Hutchins reached a settlement in its wrongful death lawsuit against the producers of the film, including Baldwin. In a statement about the agreement, it was announced Hutchins’ husband will take over as executive producer and the film will restart production next year with Baldwin and Souza still attached.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Attorney General Garland names special counsel in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Attorney General Merrick Garland has named a special counsel to oversee the entirety of the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the unlawful retention of national defense information at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, as well as key aspects of its probe into the events of Jan 6.

Story developing…

Three women found stabbed to death at home in Queens, New York

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) –Three women were found stabbed to death at a home in Queens, New York, on Friday, in what police are investigating as a triple homicide, authorities said.

The victims — ages 26, 46 and 57 — were found by a home health aide at 10:40 a.m., according to police.

It appears to be a domestic crime and police are searching for a family member who left the house around 5 a.m., according to authorities.

LA County recommends indoor masking after increase in COVID cases

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles County is advising residents to wear masks indoors amid an increase in COVID-19 transmission.

On Thursday, the largest county in the United States said it is “strongly recommending” people wear face coverings in indoor public settings but stopped short of requiring them.

Under an updated response plan released this week, the county said it would issue the recommendations if the COVID-19 case rate hit 100 per 100,000 residents, which it did Thursday, up from 86 per 100,000 one week ago.

“Now, it is strongly recommended that all individuals wear a high-quality mask that fits well in the following settings: in public indoor spaces; when using public transit, including buses, ride-shares, taxis and medical transport; correctional and detention facilities; and homeless and emergency shelters,” county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said during a media briefing.

Masks are still required for those who work in health care facilities, who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 10 days and anywhere mandates are in place.

Data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows an average of 1,500 cases per day have been reported in the last week, an increase from the 1,300 per day reported last week. Test positivity has also increased from 5.8% to 6.8%

Davis told reporters during the briefing this is likely an undercount due to people testing positive with at-home rapid tests and not reporting their results to the health department as well as people who are not testing at all.

Additionally, the number of hospitalized patients has risen from 464 as of Nov. 10 to 601 as of Thursday, data shows.

Daily deaths from COVID-19 remain low with an average of about eight reported per day, but Davis said he expects this number will climb because death tolls generally tend to lag cases and hospitalizations, and both metrics are rising.

He urged residents to get vaccinated and boosted ahead of the holiday season as well as to follow guidelines, including frequent handwashing and staying away from those who are sick.

“We are grateful this year to have the tools that allow us to gather with a lot of safety,” Davis said. “It will mean, however, that all of us likely will need to take some commonsense precautions to avoid future disruptions and the spread of illness.”

Pelosi says attack on husband made her consider staying on as Democratic leader

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spoken candidly with print reporters about her husband’s assault, what she called “survivor’s guilt” and her decision to step down from Democratic leadership.

“If anything it made me think about staying,” Pelosi told reporters about the violent, attack against Paul Pelosi in their California home last month that authorities say appeared to be politically motivated.

“No, it had the opposite effect,” she continued. “I couldn’t give them that satisfaction.”

Pelosi did ultimately decide to end her time as speaker, announcing it in a dramatic floor speech to her colleagues on Thursday. She will remain in Congress representing her San Francisco district as a member of the caucus.

“I quite frankly, personally, have been ready to leave for a while,” she told reporters from the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other print outlets. “Because there are things I want to do. I like to dance; I like to sing. There’s a life out there, right?”

Pelosi, 82, made history as the first and only woman to be elected speaker. She’s worked with four presidents as a leader of the Democratic Party, and is revered for her legislative prowess and fundraising abilities.

Walking onto the House floor Thursday to give her farewell speech, clad in a suffragist-white pantsuit, she received a standing ovation from her colleagues.

“I feel balanced about it all,” she told the print reporters. “I don’t feel sad about not having a leadership position,” she said.

As for who will succeed her, Pelosi said at the time she wouldn’t endorse anyone. New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries officially announced his bid for Democratic leader on Friday. After his announcement, Pelosi released a statement saluting Jeffries, as well as Reps. Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, for stepping up to take on top leadership roles within the party.

On the future of the Democratic Party, Pelosi told reporters, “That’s up to them, I want it to be whatever they want it to be.”

“They will have their vision, they will have their plan,” she said.

Addressing her husband’s recovery after the attack required him to undergo surgery to repair a skull fracture, Pelosi said he’s “doing okay.”

“But the traumatic effect on him, this happened in our house,” she said, adding their San Francisco residence has turned into a “crime scene” after the attacker broke into it early in the morning on Oct. 28.

The alleged attacker was looking for Nancy Pelosi, according to a federal complaint.

“If he had fallen, slipped on the ice, or was in an accident and hurt his head, it would be horrible, but to have it be an assault on him because they were looking for me is really — they call it ‘survivor’s guilt’ or something,” she said.

Flu cases, hospitalizations, deaths continue to surge across US

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The number of flu cases, hospitalizations and deaths this season are rapidly increasing, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far this season, there have been at least 4.4 million illnesses, 38,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths from influenza.

The numbers are about 1.5 times higher than the 2.8 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths reported the prior week.

Additionally, the cumulative hospitalization rate currently sits at 8.1 per 100,000 — up from 5 per 100,000 the previous week — which is the highest at this point in the season since statistics began being recorded in the 2010-11 season.

The data also shows that 8,707 new patients were admitted to hospital this past week with flu complications, according to the CDC, compared to 6,465 the previous week.

Two pediatric deaths from the flu were recorded last week bringing the total this season to seven, the CDC said.

Trump’s very early 2024 announcement likely won’t stop a GOP primary fight: Strategists

November 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump launched his third White House campaign Tuesday evening, getting a very early head start in the next election cycle that could see challenges from, by some predictions, nearly a dozen other Republicans looking to oust him as the head of the GOP.

According to preliminary assessments by aides and observers in the party, the 2024 dynamic is likelier to seem more like 2016’s months-long primary fight — with its quarreling campaigns and competing headlines — than 2020’s glide to re-coronation.

While Trump enters the race as the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, Republican operatives said they expect he won’t have the primary field to himself for long, given his mixed track record at the ballot box and his personal and legal baggage.

One GOP strategist allied with a potential primary challenger said Trump’s Tuesday announcement speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort — in which he promised “America’s comeback starts right now” — was “not anything that would discourage people from thinking about running against him.”

“He was subdued, he was on topic, he stayed on teleprompter. As far as what I would consider a dynamic announcement, I didn’t see much there,” said the person, who, like others, agreed to be interviewed for this story on the condition of anonymity so as to not direct ire to their professional relationships.

In roughly hour-long remarks, Trump portrayed his one term in office as a “golden age” and periodically alluded to a message of teamwork while contending that successor Joe Biden, whom Trump had sought to prevent from taking office, had brought “pain, hardship, anxiety and despair.”

Trump also occasionally veered into conspiracy theories, including about China, while returning to some frequent topics like what he called the scourge of drug dealers, widespread immigration and “rotting” cities turned into “cesspools of blood.” He touted his own style of international relations and his handling of the economy compared to Biden.

“If you were a pro-Trump person, you loved it. And if you were an undecided, it didn’t move you,” the strategist said. “And if you were somebody that didn’t like him, that didn’t change your mind.”

The setting, at a ballroom at his club, marked a departure from Trump’s typically boisterous campaign rallies that often toggle between prepared remarks on policy and stream-of-consciousness comments on the controversy du jour.

He also stayed away from cultural third rails like abortion after three Supreme Court justices he appointed helped scrap constitutional protections, fulfilling a promise Trump made to Republican voters during his previous two runs. And he made only a passing reference to the 2020 presidential race after election deniers in top midterm races fell short and exit polls indicated that midterm voters punished the party for its support of such views.

“He needed to show voters that he properly understands the stakes in 2024, and I think his speech accomplished that,” said another GOP strategist, who added that Trump has “got to show that he has the ability to look forward.”

Some allies of the former president swiftly announced their endorsement of his new bid, with House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York voicing her support before he even made his speech.

“Yeah, 100%,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said Wednesday when asked if he backed Trump’s 2024 campaign. “I look at winning and losing. He won while he was here. He helped the American people. And I like his policies. I like how tough he is. We need a president that’s gonna stand up, be tough, not just domestically but internationally. And he does that.”

Still, the speech’s tone didn’t please everyone in the party, with one Trump ally saying they were “bored,” while others cast doubt on whether Trump, famous for his reputation for riling up the grassroots, would maintain a restrained pitch.

“For all the people who claim they are turned off by his bombastic style, it’s ironic they are now complaining he’s too focused and toned down,” said one former administration official, who still conceded it was “doubtful” that Trump would remain as subdued moving forward.

And while Trump enters the race with a high floor of support with the Republican primary electorate, plenty of money and nearly universal name recognition, strategists expected he’ll still have to fight for the GOP nomination.

Among those thought to be considering presidential bids of their own are Govs. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., Larry Hogan, R-Md., Kristi Noem, R-S.D., and Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Tim Scott, R-S.C.

Some may yet be dissuaded from running against Trump given his sway, though there have been indications the former president’s hold on the party is not as ironclad as it once was, particularly after the disappointing midterm cycle for Republicans in which some of his chosen candidates in marquee races lost — helping Democrats defy historical patterns and hold the Senate.

The Club for Growth, the anti-tax group that used to be close with the former president, released polls the day before Trump’s launch showing him trailing DeSantis in key states. And The New York Post, a conservative tabloid that lavished Trump with praise for years, buried news of his launch on page 26 on Wednesday with the headline “FLORIDA MAN MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT.”

Other potential contenders have also indicated their plans aren’t being adjusted in light of Trump’s launch.

Pence in recent days has insisted in media interviews that there are “better options,” while Pompeo tweeted on Wednesday that “we need more seriousness, less noise, and leaders who are looking forward, not staring in the rearview mirror claiming victimhood” after Trump called himself a “victim” over various investigations.

“I do think that over the coming weeks, multiple candidates are going to announce,” said John Thomas, the head of a pro-DeSantis super PAC. “I think the next five to 10 days are going to be telling to see if cracks begin to emerge, and those cracks may turn into canyons and end up causing the former president to lose a primary.”

Still, strategists warned against underestimating Trump, who emerged as the 2016 Republican nominee after a chaotic primary and went on to win the White House despite late-breaking scandals like the Access Hollywood tape.

And should the GOP field get crowded for 2024, strategists said that could simply help Trump repeat his 2016 success in which he won the nomination with a plurality of the vote while the rest of the party’s delegates were divided among a crowd so large that it required two debate stages.

“It will be incredibly hard if everybody gets in line with the president for anybody to challenge him,” Thomas said.

More immediately, Trump’s announcement has thrown the end of the current midterm cycle into uncertainty, with his candidacy possibly firing up both parties’ bases ahead of next month’s Georgia Senate runoff.

Republicans are eager for Herschel Walker to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock to keep the Senate at 50-50, creating some procedural obstacles for the majority party, while Democrats are hopeful that Warnock could win, bumping up their caucus to 51-49.

It’s still unclear if Trump intends to campaign for Walker — which the Republicans who spoke for this story said they don’t want after his involvement in last year’s two Georgia Senate runoffs preceded losses in both races.

“I just think it reminds people that he’s out there and with the Senate not being in the balance, it’s going to be even harder to get voters out to vote,” said Georgia conservative radio host Martha Zoller. “And I think that’s true for Democrats and Republicans.”

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