By Kit Maher, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump hosting a televised competition to choose his successor?

Doesn’t sound like him, joked Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, days after his boss polled a Rose Garden audience on whether Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio should head the 2028 presidential ticket.

Unlike Trump, neither man is talking about their future political ambitions, instead letting their public profiles and actions speak for themselves. And Vance — who compared himself to the kid in “Home Alone,” with both Trump and Rubio in China this week — had the White House campus to himself on Wednesday for an event on fraud.

He announced several new efforts to combat fraud in federal healthcare programs — including one targeting California, whose Democratic governor, himself a 2028 hopeful, is a frequent sparring partner for the administration. But Vance also took reporters’ questions on Iran and cracked a few jokes.

“Well, I just don’t think it sounds like the president of the United States to have a televised competition for who would succeed him as his apprentice,” Vance deadpanned when pressed by CNN on why Trump seems to enjoy pitting him and Rubio against each other.

The president on Monday asked attendees at a Rose Garden dinner to cheer for their preference.

“Who’s it gonna be? Is it gonna be JD? Is it gonna be somebody else? I don’t know,” he said.

And while the audience appeared to clap a little louder for Vance, who attended the event, Trump didn’t cast a vote, instead referring to the pair as the “dream team” and “perfect ticket.”

Vance insisted Wednesday he’s focused on doing his work and that Americans would be put off if he spent energy angling for the top job right now.

“I love Marco. I think he’s a great secretary of state. He’s become a very, very dear friend, but I think both of us are very much focused on accomplishing the American people’s business right now,” he said.

But the 2028 speculation — fanned by Trump’s public comments — is only building as Vance and Rubio, who held his own press briefing at the White House last week, take turns seizing the spotlight.

Vance, who walked out to the podium hours after Trump and Rubio arrived in Beijing, explained why he’s on the home front this week focused on leading the administration’s task force combatting fraud, a job Trump tasked him with earlier this year.

“The president just landed in China a few hours ago,” Vance said, noting how Secret Service protocols require him to stay stateside when Trump is overseas. “On days – today – I sometimes feel like Macaulay Culkin in ‘Home Alone.’ I walk into the White House and it’s very quiet and no one’s there.”

Appearing alongside Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Vance pushed back on criticism that the administration’s anti-fraud efforts are political in nature.

“If you have a crooked governor, they’re not going to work with us, and we’re going to have to use other tools to ensure that they do,” Vance said. “But I think that there are a lot of governors, Democrat and Republican, who recognize that this is a very serious problem.”

The vice president will take his anti-fraud message on the road on Thursday, when he appears in Bangor, Maine — home to one of the most competitive Senate races in November’s midterms. He said he’ll also campaign with former Gov. Paul LePage, who’s running for a US House district that the GOP has high hopes of flipping this year.

Vance has consistently traveled domestically as vice president, visiting states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina to be

CAMARILLO, Calif. (KEYT) – Two men were arrested in connection with a recent spike in mail thefts from the Camarillo Post Office Tuesday.

Investigators noticed a significant rise in mail thefts and check fraud cases involving forged or "washed" checks all from the Camarillo Post Office in April and May of this year stated a press release from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the suspects stuffed the exterior mailboxes at the local post office with cardboard and, after unsuspecting customers placed their outgoing mail into the filled mailboxes, the duo would return and remove the mail before it could be processed by postal workers.

Then, the dollar amounts on the stolen checks were altered or chemically changed, also known as "washing", which resulted in over $100,000 in losses for victims explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives were working closely with the U.S. Postal Service's Camarillo Postmaster and conducting extra patrols in connection shared the local law enforcement agency.

During one of those extra patrols on May 12, detectives noticed a vehicle that had been linked to an earlier mail theft and officers contacted and arrested a 19-year-old from Norwalk and a 21-year-old from Garden Grove at the scene noted the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

A search of the vehicle resulted in the collection of a large amount of stolen mail, including checks that were valued at several thousand dollars and believed to have been taken from the Camarillo Post Office detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Both suspects were booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on charges of mail theft, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy to commit a crime shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The are currently being held on a $75,000 bail added the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Forgery and mail fraud incidents tend to increase during and immediately after tax season as more checks are in circulation explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

If you see that a mailbox appears full, you are advised to take your mail into the post office, especially if you are sending a check or money, or use an alternative collection point.

The post Duo arrested Tuesday in connection with recent spike in mail thefts from Camarillo Post Office appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Camila DeChalus, Aileen Graef, Morgan Rimmer, CNN

(CNN) — New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler told reporters Wednesday that a Senate colleague’s son verbally accosted him the night before, making antisemitic and homophobic remarks.

Lawler gave his account to reporters of how events unfolded, saying that William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, approached him at a Capitol Hill bar and restaurant, introduced himself and told the congressman that if GOP Rep. Thomas Massie loses his upcoming primary race, it’s going to be because “of my people.”

Lawler said he responded by asking if Paul thought he was Jewish, to which Paul, who is 33, said “yes.” Lawler corrected him and said he is Irish-Italian Catholic.

“He goes, ‘Oh, oh, I’m sorry to accuse you of that,’ which is just a remarkable statement in and of itself,” Lawler recounted to reporters.

NOTUS first reported the exchange between William Paul and Lawler.

Lawler said William Paul then launched into a 10-minute diatribe in which he talked about Israel and Jews, which he said featured comments that played into antisemitic tropes.

“And at one point, you know, said that he hates Jews and hates gays and doesn’t care if they die. And I think that’s f**king disgusting,” the congressman said.

Lawler told reporters that he believes William Paul was intoxicated but said it’s no excuse for his behavior.

“That’s not an excuse for that type of hatred and vitriol. It’s my fourth year in Washington, that was arguably the most shocking thing I’ve witnessed,” he told reporters Wednesday.

Since the incident, an X account with the name William H. Paul posted, “Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem.”

CNN has attempted to reach out to William Paul for further comment.

Lawler said he has not spoken to Rand Paul or Massie since the incident. He also stated that they have not reached out to him.

“I’ll leave it to Senator Paul, how he wants to respond to it. I just think it’s extremely unfortunate,” Lawler said.

Rand Paul refused to answer reporters’ questions about the incident Wednesday, saying “I don’t have anything for you” when asked for his reaction.

Lawler has previously introduced measures to combat antisemitism on college campuses.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Trinity Kinslow contributed to this report.

The post GOP Rep. Mike Lawler blasts ‘disgusting’ antisemitic and homophobic comments from Sen. Rand Paul’s son appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Lauren Fox, CNN

(CNN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointed a bipartisan task force that will work to reform the way sexual harassment claims are handled in Congress.

The effort will be lead by Republican Rep. Kat Cammack and Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez. Each of the women is their party’s respective women’s caucus chair.

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny over how Congress handles allegations of sexual misconduct and growing frustration even among the institution’s own members about the arduous and complicated reporting process for victims. It also comes after two House members — Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a Republican — resigned after both men faced threats of expulsion from Congress.

Congress has long struggled to police itself even after there was a major overhaul to the way it dealt with sexual harassment and other workplace issues in the wake of the #MeToo movement in 2018.

Since that time, the House Ethics Committee, the only entity with the power to make recommendations to punish members of the House, has also come under the microscope as members have criticized the panel for taking sometimes years to offer recommendations.

“Together, we will push for bipartisan changes to make the reporting process faster and more accessible and increase education and training resources, prioritizing staff and survivors at every step. This effort builds on the work of members of the DWC, who have pushed for better support and protections for survivors for years. We bring that expertise and dedication to this partnership,” Leger Fernández said in a statement.

“This effort has the support of Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries because this issue transcends politics. It’s about dignity, accountability, and ensuring that every person who comes to work in the People’s House is treated with respect and protected from abuse,” Cammack said in a statement. “The reality is that coming forward is extraordinarily difficult. Fear of retaliation, damage to careers, public scrutiny, and institutional pressure often silence victims long before justice has a chance to speak. We cannot claim to support women while ignoring the very real barriers that prevent them from reporting misconduct in the first place.”

The effort comes as both Johnson and Jeffries have had to navigate the political implications of losing members of their caucuses to resignations following allegations of sexual misconduct.

“To state the obvious, all women should feel comfortable and safe working in the halls of Congress. As a father who has two daughters working on Capitol Hill — this is as personal to me as it is to anyone,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am happy that Reps. Cammack and Leger Fernández, the respective chairs of the Republican and Democratic Women’s Caucuses, will lead this bipartisan partnership to find ways we can continue to make Capitol Hill safer for women and all staff.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Johnson and Jeffries appoint bipartisan task force to reform sexual harassment reporting process on Capitol Hill appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Annie Grayer, CNN

(CNN) — Taxpayers paid over half a million dollars in confidential congressional sexual harassment settlements dating back decades – a total higher than previously made public, newly released documents reviewed by CNN show.

Documents initially shared with Congress revealed that taxpayers had paid more than $300,000 on behalf of six former members of the US House of Representatives or their offices.

But the total amount was far higher.

In its initial production to Congress, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights had missed a $220,0000 payment on behalf of former Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in 2021. The payment marks the single biggest congressional sexual harassment settlement known to date and nearly doubles the tax-payer funded total for such cases disclosed last week. Hastings previously called the allegations “ludicrous.”

The office explained in a letter to House Oversight Chair James Comer that the payment did not meet the office’s initial search criteria, which was just targeting settlements made on behalf of the office of a lawmaker, according to the letter reviewed by CNN. In Hastings’ case, the settlement involved the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which Hastings chaired at the time.

An employee who had worked for the commission, whose name is redacted in the files reviewed by CNN, initially filed a complaint in 2010, but did not receive the payment until 2014.

Throughout the case, the employee alleged multiple instances of sexual harassment by Hastings and claimed that she was faced retaliation for bringing her claims forward.

In a 2013 letter, the employee described feeling the system was designed to benefit the employer throughout the process.

“The mediator’s attempt to define for me ‘what is in my best interest’ before I have had the opportunity to meet with the court-appointed attorney completely oversteps the boundaries of her responsibilities and demonstrates a clear disregard of my rights to counsel,” the employee wrote. “Her conduct further underlines my belief throughout this case that the Office of Compliance is primarily designed to serve as a tool for members of congress who violate the Congressional Accountability Act and undermine the rights of the victims.”

The confidential settlement reviewed by CNN imposed restrictions and penalties, barring the employee from ever speaking out about the case, but did not put those same limitations on the employer.

Roll Call reported on the existence of the $220,000 settlement in 2017. The report stated that Hastings said that he never sexually harassed the employee and called the allegations “ludicrous.” In a statement at the time, Hastings said that he did not know until after the fact that a settlement had been made.

At the time, Roll Call named the accuser as Winsome Packer. CNN spoke with Packer, who confirmed that she is the employee whose name is redacted in the documents. Packer told CNN that her life has been severely impacted since coming forward and that she has not been able to find work or career opportunities since. She also said that after taxes, her settlement was much lower than $220,000.

“People don’t talk about what happens after you file a claim. I ha