NAILBITER IN NEW JERSEY: A special primary election is too close to call in a race that could result in a major upset win by a progressive candidate.
Activist Analilia Mejia leads former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) by fewer than 500 votes, or about 0.8 points, as of the latest vote count. They're running for the Democratic nomination for the House seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.).
Malinowski initially seemed poised for a quick victory Thursday evening. Heading into voting, he had an advantage in both name identification as a former congressman as well as fundraising, and he built up an early lead as votes started to be tallied.
Decision Desk HQ, The Hill's partner, initially called the race for Malinowski but retracted the call just more than an hour later as Mejia stormed back to take a slight lead.
Some outstanding ballots remain to be counted, but if her lead holds, it would be a stunning victory by Mejia.
The political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign, Mejia gathered progressive support behind her candidacy with backing from those on the left such as Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
But Mejia faced a busy 11-person primary with a few big-name opponents, including former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way and Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill. As of the latest vote count, no candidate has received more than 30 percent of the vote.
If Mejia wins, it may cast a spotlight to the role that a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) played in the race. The group, United Democracy Project, hammered Malinowski with multimillion-dollar attacks as the primary winded down.
While the ads came from a pro-Israel group, they didn't mention Malinowski's stance on Israel and instead focused on other issues like his history of stock trading while in office. But the group made clear that it opposed Malinowski's stance on conditioning aid to Israel.
Observers believed the ads were intended to prop up Way as a more pro-Israel candidate. But she appears likely to finish in third, and instead, a candidate who has been much more critical of Israel than Malinowski may come out on top.
Whoever wins the primary will face Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the GOP nominee, in a general election in April.
▪ The Hill: Trump endorses former MLB star Mark Teixeira for House seat.
FUNDS RESCINDED: The Trump administration is rescinding $1.5 billion in health and transportation funds from four Democratic-led states — Colorado, Illinois, California and Minnesota.
The transportation funds are mostly for electric vehicle chargers, while the health funds would have gone toward state and local grants.
A White House Office of Management and Budget spokesperson accused the states of being "fraught with waste and mismanagement."
TRUMP PHARMACY LAUNCHES: The president launched his administration's direct-to-consumer, low-cost drug platform Thursday evening as part of his efforts to tackle affordability and health care concerns.
Officials had initially announced the platform, called TrumpRx, in September with the goal of cutting out intermediaries and offering prescription drugs at "most favored nation" (MFN) prices.
A senior administration official previously clarified that the government isn't getting involved in distributing drugs itself but is providing a forum where consumers can know they're getting the lowest prices available.
The platform will offer medications produced by companies that have entered MFN pricing agreements with the administration, ensuring they are provided at the same prices offered in certain other countries. Officials have said the platform won't accept insurance, looking to bypass insurance companies entirely.
Some of the most prominent companies that have signed on include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
▪ CNN: Effectiveness of TrumpRx plan unclear.
▪ Financial Times: Drug companies warn of sales hit.
GUTHRIE RANSOM NOTES: Authorities confirmed they're aware of a ransom letter that local news outlets have received related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie.
Federal and local officials said at a press conference Thursday that the letter didn't include any "proof of life," but they believe Nancy Guthrie is "still out there." The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to finding her.
The disappearance has sparked a large search across Arizona to find Guthrie, whom officials believe may have been abducted from her house. Blood found on the porch at the crime scene was confirmed to belong to her.
The latest comments from officials come after Savannah Guthrie and other members of her family posted a tearful video Wednesday night that mentioned the ransom note and asked for proof the 84-year-old is alive.
FBI agent Heith Janke said whether and when to pay a ransom is up to the family.
▪ The Hill: Five takeaways on the search.
▪ The New York Times: Doorbell camera disconnected before kidnapping.
NEW RULE FINALIZED: The Trump administration has finalized a rule giving it the power to more easily lay off 50,000 federal workers focused on policy.
The change rolls back many civil service safeguards and whistleblower protections for the workers, converting their status to one similar to political appointees, who can be fired at will.
The administration has argued they want to more easily get rid of workers who are hindering the president's agenda and that its efforts aren't about people's personal views. But federal workers unions are slamming the move as leading to political patronage.
Lawsuits were already introduced when officials first unveiled the proposal and are expected to continue to challenge the rule, The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch reports.
The change is one of several moves the administration has undertaken to cut down on the federal workforce, including nonpartisan civil service workers who have generally been protected from political turnover under the country's longstanding merit-based hiring system.
UBER LIABILITY: Uber has been found liable in a case in which a women sued one of its drivers over her allegations that he raped her.
A jury in Phoenix ordered the ride-hailing company to pay $8.5 million to Jaylynn Dean, who alleged her driver assaulted her in 2023. Uber has maintained it is not liable for its drivers' conduct because they are contractors rather than employees.
But the jury rejected that argument and opened the door to more than 3,000 pending lawsuits accusing the company of systematic safety failures, The New York Times reported.
SLOTKIN REJECTS INTERVIEW: Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D) declined to be interviewed by federal prosecutors as part of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) look into the video she and other Democrats participated in telling active service members they can ignore unlawful orders.
Slotkin accused the Trump administration of "physical and legal intimidation." The senator revealed last month that she's under federal investigation for participating in the video.
"I'm not going to legitimize their actions. The video we made was public. I've done a ton of public talking about it since then, including now, and our Constitution is crystal clear on the issue of freedom of speech, something worth fighting for," Slotkin said in a video shared on the social platform X on Thursday.
The request to interview her came as a judge appeared skeptical of the Pentagon's efforts to demote Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired Naval officer, for his participation in the video.
▪ The Arizona Republic: Kelly sets fundraising record after controversy.
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