Bret Baier appears on “Chicago Tonight.” (WTTW News)

Brett Baier co-authored the new book “To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment.” Baier will discuss the book this weekend as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival.

Colored coordinated Presidential Primary Election ballots are organized by political parties for voters on June 7, 2016, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Porterville, Calif. (Chieko Hara / The Porterville Recorder via AP, File)

While the politics are murky, the fresh frenzy of outsider candidates threatens to weaken both major parties as Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump tighten their grip on their parties’ presidential nominations.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., confer during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio on Friday, it’s not at all certain that any of the GOP candidates will be able to round up enough votes. 

Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump breach the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo / John Minchillo, File)

Shane Woods, of Auburn, Illinois, took a running start and tackled the Reuters cameraman “like an NFL linebacker hunting a quarterback after an interception,” federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh on Oct. 2, 2023. (WTTW News)

Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh, a Republican, says the battle over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is an example of where the national Republican Party is right now.    

Former President Donald Trump, right, sits in the courtroom at New York Supreme Court, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in New York. Trump is making a rare, voluntary trip to court in New York for the start of a civil trial in a lawsuit that already has resulted in a judge ruling that he committed fraud in his business dealings. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)
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The civil case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the business-mogul-turned-politician and his company of deceiving banks, insurers and others by habitually misstating his wealth in financial statements.

Former President Donald Trump pauses before ending his remarks at a rally in Summerville, S.C., Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo / Artie Walker Jr., File)

A judge’s ruling that Donald Trump committed fraud as he built his real-estate empire could strip him of his authority to make major decisions about the future of his marquee properties in his home state.

Hampton University students listen as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the university on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Hampton, Va. (AP Photo / John C. Clark)

Biden won 61% of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 in 2020, making young voters a critical part of his coalition. However, his approval ratings within that age group now stand at 29% compared to 40% overall, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

FILE - Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro speaks to the media as he departs federal court, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, in Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein / AP Photo, File)
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The verdict came after a short trial for Peter Navarro, who served as a White House trade adviser under President Donald Trump and later promoted the Republican’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election he lost.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci, File)
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If the current date holds, it would represent a setback to Trump’s efforts to push the case back until well after the 2024 presidential election, a contest in which he’s the early front-runner for the Republican nomination.

This booking photo provided by Fulton County Sheriff's Office, shows former President Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, after he surrendered and was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. (Fulton County Sheriff's Office via AP)
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He was released on $200,000 bond and headed back to the airport for his return flight home to New Jersey, flashing a thumbs-up through the window of his sport utility vehicle as his motorcade left.

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo / Morry Gash)

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the Republican presidential nomination fight for much of the year. Neither dominated the debate stage Wednesday night.

(WTTW News)

Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, was charged earlier this month in the Southern District of Florida with a count of transmitting a threat to kill or injure another person, according to a federal complaint.

A supporter of Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels points to the incoming state-wide data of the Wisconsin governor'’s race during an election night campaign event for Michels at the Italian Community Center, Nov. 8, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo / Kenny Yoo, File)

Republicans chose Milwaukee for the first debate and for the national convention in just 11 months largely because of Wisconsin’s well-earned status as a swing state. Four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point. 

Former President Donald Trump is pictured here at the Trump National Golf Club on Aug. 13, 2023, in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Mike Stobe / Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday reacted for the first time on camera to the Georgia indictment that accuses him of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” to overturn the 2020 election, dismissing the criminal charges as a “witch hunt” and a “horrible thing for the country.”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo / John Bazemore)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis used Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law to charge Trump and 18 associates for allegedly participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.