Biden, Harris to appear together for first time since Election Day at Veterans Day ceremony
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to appear together for the first time since Election Day at a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday. Biden and Harris are to participate in a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 11 a.m. ET, according to the president’s public schedule. First lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are also scheduled to attend. Afterward, Biden is expected to deliver remarks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater. Harris, the first lady and second gentleman will be in attendance as well. As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of Harris’ backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to continue his re-election campaign until the summer — despite long-standing concerns about his age, inflation and border security – all but sealed his party’s surrender of the White House. “The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run, said, according to The Associated Press. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.” PSAKI ADMITS DEMS MADE A MISTAKE BY TRYING TO REACH NEVER-TRUMP VOTERS AND IGNORING DISAFFECTED DEMOCRATS “Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, told the AP. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.” On Thursday, Biden delivered a short address in the White House Rose Garden regarding the election results. SANDERS DOUBLES DOWN ON HIS CRITICISM OF DEMOCRATS, FIRES BACK AT PELOSI’S PUSHBACK “I know it’s a difficult time. You’re hurting. I hear you and I see you. But don’t forget, don’t forget all that we accomplished,” Biden said in the address attended by Cabinet members and top aides but not by Harris. “It’s been a historic presidency. Not because I’m president. Because what we’ve done, what you’ve done. A presidency for all Americans.” Biden said he had congratulated Trump over the phone, and the two are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the presidential transition. The president issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising her for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Democrats got caught up in a wave of anti-incumbency in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that upturned governments in democracies around the globe irrespective of ideology. She did not directly respond to questions about criticism that Biden waited too long to bow out. “He believed he made the right decision,” Jean-Pierre said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
House majority hinges on 18 uncalled races, with Republicans just 4 seats away
There remain 18 races in the House of Representatives that have yet to be called, and the GOP needs to win just four to secure control over the chamber. Here is where each of these tight races sit as of Monday. At-large district Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich. As of Monday morning, Begich holds a 4-point lead at 49.5% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.5%. The vote count sits at 125,222 to 115,089, with roughly 80% of the vote counted. ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES 6th Congressional District The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with the Republican candidate barely leading. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a first-term lawmaker, is barely leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel in a 49.1% to 48.5% race as of Monday morning. The vote count sits at 180,913 to 178,820 with 83% of votes counted. 13th Congressional District Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Monday. Roughly 61% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 51.3% to 48.8%. The pair is separated by just over 3,000 votes, however. 21st Congressional District Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Costa leads his Republican challenger, Michael Maher, in a 50.5% to 49.5% race as of Monday morning. So far, 66% of the vote has been counted, and Costa’s lead is just over 1,000 votes. 22nd Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. David Valado leads Democratic Challenger Rudy Salas in a 53.6% to 46.6% race as of Monday. Valado holds a lead of just under 10,000 votes with 77% of the vote counted. 39th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Rep. Mark Takano holds a 12-point lead over his Republican challenger, David Serpa, as of Monday. Takano holds a 21,000-vote lead with 70% of votes counted. 41st Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert holds a 51.4% to 48.6% lead over Democratic challenger Will Rollins. Roughly 70% of the vote has been counted as of Monday, and Calvert’s lead sits at roughly 8,000 votes. 45th Congressional District Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran with 51.1% of the vote as of Monday. Roughly 80% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead sits at roughly 6,000 votes. 47th Congressional District The race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District is also razor-thin. Republican Scott Baugh, a former state assembly member, and state Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, are vying for the open seat, and Min holds a less than 1% lead. Roughly 80% of the vote has been counted, and Min’s lead sits at just over 3,000 votes. SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE 49th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin holds a 3-point lead over Republican challenger Matt Gunderson as of Monday morning. With 77% of votes counted, Levin’s lead sits at roughly 11,000 votes. 8th Congressional District Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, is trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District by less than 1% with 96% of the vote counted. 1st Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes. 6th Congressional District The 6th District has no incumbent in the race, and Democratic candidate, Cleo Fields, leads his Republican opponent, Elbert Guillory, by 13 points with 99% of the vote reported. Fields’ lead sits at just under 49,000 votes as of Monday. 2nd Congressional District Democratic incumbent Jared Golden holds a razor-thin lead over Republican challenger Austin Theriault as of Monday. With 98% of the votes counted, Golden’s lead sits at less than 800 votes. 9th Congressional District Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Monday. 5th Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is trailing her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum by nearly 3 points with 87% of the votes counted Monday. Bynum’s lead sits at just over 10,000 votes. 4th Congressional District Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse leads his Democratic challenger, Jerrod Sessler, by 5 points with 84% of the votes counted. Newhouse’s lead sits at just over 12,000 votes as of Monday morning.
Iran’s Axis of Resistance explained | Start Here
The Axis of Resistance is a network of groups that have been a key part of Iran’s defence strategy for years. But we’ve now seen Israel and Iran attack each other directly, while Israel has invaded Lebanon to go after the biggest group in the axis, Hezbollah. So what does this mean for the balance of power in the region, and where does the Axis of Resistance fit into it now? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains. This episode features: Barbara Slavin | Distinguished fellow, Stimson Center Dina Esfandiary | Senior adviser, MENA Program, International Crisis Group Mohammad Marandi | Professor of English Literature and Orientalism, University of Tehran Randa Slim | Senior fellow, Middle East Institute Ali Vaez | Iran project director, International Crisis Group Abas Aslani | Senior research fellow, Center for Middle East Strategic Studies Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Palestinian woman creates clothes from blankets in Gaza
NewsFeed University professor Nidaa Aitta creates affordable winter clothing for displaced Palestinians by recycling blankets in Gaza, where Israel’s restrictions have stopped ready-made clothes coming in and have sent prices soaring. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli attack in Gaza siege zone kills 36 members of same family
NewsFeed “Noor, the love of Dad and Mum.” A Palestinian girl who wrote a message on her arm so she could be identified was one of 36 members of the same family killed in an Israeli air attack in north Gaza. Published On 11 Nov 202411 Nov 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
State Department provides promotional advantages based on gender, report finds
FIRST ON FOX: Data shows that the State Department discriminates against men when it comes to offering promotions in the foreign service, according to a new report from the Heritage Foundation. In all five foreign service officer career tracks, which include consular affairs, economic affairs, political affairs, public diplomacy and management, open sourced State Department data shows women were promoted at a higher rate than men in 2023, up to 13% in some cases, even though men outnumber women in the foreign service officer corps. The challenge for men in foreign service is nothing new, however. Heritage also found that men were being promoted at a significantly smaller rate across the board in all five foreign service officer career tracks between 2020 and 2022. Furthermore, a 2020 Government Accountability report found that between 2003 and 2018 “women in the Foreign Service generally spent fewer years in each rank relative to men.” BIDEN-HARRIS DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICIAL CALLS FOR ‘QUEERING NUCLEAR WEAPONS’ AS PART OF RADICAL DEI AGENDA Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and the author of the organization’s report highlighting the discriminatory concerns facing men in the State Department, told Fox News Digital that the agency’s current path “opens the department to legal action by employees,” noting that such discrimination lawsuits have been filed in the past. SPACE FORCE COMMANDER WHO SAYS HE LOST PENSION FOR CRITICIZING DEI IN MILITARY OPENS UP ON BEING ‘BETRAYED’ “This report exposes the administration’s pattern — under the guise of ‘equity’ — of promoting women at higher rates than men, with no logical explanation other than preference based on sex alone,” Hankinson said. “Today’s findings urge corrective action to restore merit-based promotion.” Upon taking office in 2021, President Biden mandated each federal agency to submit a detailed report on how they have and will continue to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in order to deliver “equitable outcomes.” Several months later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed the agency’s first-ever chief diversity and inclusion officer. Under the Biden administration, the State Department also pledged to hire 30% more women for its Diplomatic Security Service by 2030, recommended “periodic assessments of the practice of [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility] in [public diplomacy],” and engaged in other efforts to promote “diversity” aimed at females and people of color at the agency. Furthermore, these efforts by the Biden administration were matched by efforts in Congress as well. In 2021, a cohort of House Democrats introduced a bill to increase diversity in the foreign service’s promotion practices to “improve retention and fairness” for women and minorities. “It’s imperative in my judgment that we continue to build a department that fully reflects our diversity – it is our strength around the world – and we’ve been working to do that,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress earlier this year. NEW STATE DEPARTMENT DIVERSITY CHIEF BELIEVES US IS A ‘FAILED HISTORIC MODEL’ WITH A ‘COLONIZING PAST’ Spokespeople for President-elect Donald Trump indicated during his campaign that when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion under the Biden administration “all staff, offices, and initiatives … will be immediately terminated” once he takes office. During Trump’s first tenure in the Oval Office, he passed an executive order meant to “combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating” in employment practices. Amid the speculation about Trump’s incoming administration, diversity, equity and inclusion proponents have been sounding the alarm. “We as DEI leaders across sectors will need to step up now more than ever into advocacy and educator roles to provide the tangible corporate benefit—from business development to bottom-line profits—and ensure that these roles and initiatives are not washed away,” Nicole Ridley, head of operations at the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity, told Fortune. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Manipur: 11 suspected militants killed in gunfight with security forces in Jiribam
This incident followed an earlier attack, where armed militants set multiple shops ablaze in the Borobekra subdivision of Jiribam district earlier in the day.
Sustainability Takes Center Stage in US Manufacturing with Leader Viralsinh Solanki at the Forefront
Viralsinh, a visionary software developer and manufacturing expert, has introduced state-of-the-art technologies such as the manufacturing execution system (MES).
Centrist Dems turn on far left after the election: ‘Identity politics’ is ‘absolutely killing us’
Centrist Democrats are slamming their far-left colleagues following Election Day, arguing that their emphasis on “identity politics” and other issues handed huge victories to the GOP. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., argued that President-elect Trump has “no greater friend than the far left.” Like-minded Democrats say racial politics, anti-police rhetoric and gender hysteria are alienating millions of voters. “There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world,” Torres wrote on X. “The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.” Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville put it more bluntly in a Sunday interview with the New York Times, calling “defund the police” the “three stupidest words in the English language.” “We could never wash off the stench of it,” he said. INSIDE SAN JOSE STATE’S POLICE BATTLE TO PROTECT WOMEN’S ATHLETES THREATENED BY A TRANSGENDER CULTURE WAR Torres is one of several Democratic lawmakers in both the House and the Senate who have called out his party’s “nonsense.” One centrist House Democrat complained to Axios on Monday that the “identity politics stuff is absolutely killing us.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., argued on Sunday that Democrats are “out of touch with the crisis of meaning/purpose fueling MAGA.” “We don’t listen enough; we tell people what’s good for them. And when progressives like Bernie aggressively go after the elites that hold people down, they are shunned as dangerous populists. Why? Maybe because true economic populism is bad for our high-income base,” Murphy wrote. Not all Democrats are ready to make a change, however. When Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., broke with his party to condemn biological males playing in women’s sports last week, he faced an avalanche of hate. “Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Moulton said in a New York Times report. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.” The statement resulted in calls for Moulton to resign, and at least one of his staffers quit in protest. Massachusetts state Rep. Manny Cruz suggested Moulton’s stance was “a betrayal” in a post on X. “Congressman Moulton, your commitment then was protecting the LGBTQ community, standing up for their rights, and compassion. Now, on a political whim, our Congressman has betrayed the words he signed onto just last year by scapegoating transgender youth in sports for the failures of the national Democratic Party and leaders to win the presidential election. You said you ‘would stand with Nagly and with all our community … against all forms of bigotry, discrimination, bullying, and harassment,’” Cruz wrote. Salem city Councilor Kyle Davis, another Democrat, called for Moulton to resign. “I’m not looking for an apology from [Moulton], I’m looking for a resignation,” Davis wrote in a post on X. Moulton refused to apologize and instead doubled down in a statement late last week. “I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them. Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test,” he said. “We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop. Let’s have these debates now, determine a new strategy for our party since our existing one failed, and then unite to oppose the Trump agenda wherever it imperils American values.” Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
DC councilmember facing federal bribery charges wins landslide re-election, but colleagues may oust him
A Washington, D.C. councilmember accused by federal authorities of accepting $156,000 in bribes is expected to appear in court this week just days after he won re-election in a landslide. The legal saga surrounding D.C. Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White Sr. is unfolding as the D.C. Council is considering expelling him from his position. Last week, the Democrat secured re-election by capturing nearly 76% of the vote, defeating Republican challenger Nate Derenge by a tally of 20,181 to 3,940. “I feel confident that the people of Ward 8 have spoken. I feel like I’m going to win by a landslide but I’m still humbled and prayerful. I hope [it] sends a loud message to the DC Council about keeping the decisions in the hands of the people.” White told WJLA on Election Day. “I’m under a lot of scrutiny right now on this season in my life but I am forever prayerful and grateful for all God has done in my life and the people that have been supporting me along the way,” he added. DC COUNCILMAN STUFFED POCKETS WITH ENVELOPES OF CASH IN ALLEGED BRIBERY SCHEME, FEDS ALLEGE The Justice Department, citing a criminal complaint charging White with bribery, alleges that “beginning in June 2024, White corruptly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a D.C. Councilmember to pressure government employees at [the] Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and [the] D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to extend several D.C. contracts.” “The contracts at issue were valued at $5.2 million and were for two companies to provide Violence Intervention services in D.C.,” the Justice Department added. “According to the complaint, White’s agreement with a confidential human source (the owner of the companies) – including the source’s payments to White of $35,000 in cash on four separate occasions (June 26, July 17, July 25, and August 9, 2024) and the source showing White a document reflecting how White’s three-percent cut was calculated based on those contracts – was captured on video,” the DOJ also said. White reportedly faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted. FBI ARRESTS DC COUNCILMAN WHO IN 2018 ACCUSED JEWISH FINANCIERS OF ‘CLIMATE MANIPULATION’ In September, White – who once chaired the Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs – was removed from that committee position by the D.C. Council, according to Fox5 DC. The local station reported that the Council has brought in an outside legal firm to help it conduct an investigation into White’s alleged actions, with a report on that expected by Dec. 16. If the Council decides to expel White, that would not happen until early next year, Fox5 DC reported. White is expected to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for his federal case. He previously rejected a plea deal and prosecutors are now asking for jury selection to begin in July 2025, according to WTOP. Fox News’ Pilar Arias, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.