Lucy McBath, mother of slain teen Jordan Davis wins U.S. House seat

Lucy McBath, the mother of a slain teen Jordan Davis running on a gun-control platform has won a long held Republican House seat that Georgia Republicans held onto just last year in what was then the nation's most expensive congressional race.

"We've sent a strong message to the entire country," Lucy McBath tweeted on Thursday after Rep. Karen Handel conceded.

"Absolutely nothing – no politician & no special interest – is more powerful than a mother on a mission," she said.

McBath became a spokeswoman for the Everytown for Gun Safety group after her son was slain in a Florida shooting. McBath made gun control a key issue. Her 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a white man, Michael Dunn who was angry over the loud music the black teenager and his friends had been playing in their car.

A jury rejected Dunn's self-defense claim and convicted him of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2014.

McBath, a former flight attendant, told Elle Magazine she decided to run for office to make a difference on her son's behalf. She said she wanted to work to strengthen gun control especially after the February mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

McBath's margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded.

[SOURCE: CBS NEWS]

Michelle Obama: 'I'd never forgive' Trump for 'birther' conspiracy

Former first lady Michelle Obama reportedly rips President Trump's spreading of the "birther" conspiracy theory against her husband in her upcoming book.

In excerpts from her memoir “Becoming" obtained by The Washington Post, Obama says she will "never forgive" Trump for the "xenophobic" claims that her husband, former President Obama, was not actually born in America.

"The whole thing was crazy and mean-spirited, of course, its underlying bigotry and xenophobia hardly concealed," the former first lady writes. "But it was also dangerous, deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks."

“What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this I’d never forgive him," she continues.

The book is set to be released Tuesday.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Andrew Gillum campaign issues statement on possibility of a recount

Officials with the Andrew Gillum for Governor campaign have released a statement regarding the results of the Florida governor's race and his decision to concede to opponent Ron DeSantis.

Gillum for Governor communications director Johanna Cervone made the following statement:

"On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported. Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount. Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people, and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted."

Lauren Underwood wins U.S. Congressional seat

Democrat Lauren Underwood has unseated four-term Republican Rep. Randy Hultgren, becoming the first minority and first woman to represent a Chicago-area district once held by GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

The Naperville nurse, who's African-American, flipped the seat representing rural and suburban areas west and north of Chicago. It was among four GOP-held Illinois congressional seats Democrats were targeting in their effort to win House control.

Underwood highlighted the historical nature of her win in her acceptance speech, recalling that Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman in Congress, was elected 50 years and one day prior.

"When Congresswoman Chisholm ran for president in the 1970s, she preclaimed that she was 'unbought and unbossed,' and I've adopted that declaration as my own unofficial model," Underwood said. "I aspire to be a bold representative for this community. Someone who is wholly responsive and accountable to her constituents: unbought and unbossed."

Underwood said she decided to take on Hultgren after he supported health care legislation that would have made coverage of pre-existing conditions more expensive. She criticized him for not holding town halls and for casting the health care vote after pledging to protect pre-existing conditions.

[SOURCE: ABC CHICAGO]

Elijah Cummings promises Trump subpoenas

When the Democrats take over the House in January, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md) will likely take over the chairmanship of the House Oversight Committee.

Cummings already has a list of 64 subpoenas he's likely to issue to the Trump Administration.

Cummings, 67, leans on a walker after a knee infection, but neither threats nor injury are likely to keep him from investigating the things he says the President has done to "violate the mandates of the founding fathers."

"We have a duty under the Constitution of the United States, and we are sworn to act as a check on the Executive Branch. And that's all we're doing. If someone wants to tell me don't do my job, which the Constitution says I must do, than I've been violating my oath to myself," he said.

Cummings said Democrats will decide within weeks where they'll start. But he's been passionate on child separations at the border.

He has also pushed to investigate foreign payments to the Trump Hotel, security clearances for members of the Trump family, and Russian meddling.

"We will look at how the Russians or anyone else are interfering in our democracy."

[SOURCE: WUSA9]