Upon the completion of the three-year term allocated to the Israeli Ambassador to the US, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested that Ambassador Michael (Mike) Herzog temporarily extend his tenure until 20 January 2025. The Prime Minister will, in the coming days, announce the appointment of a new ambassador who will soon leave for the transition period. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Ambassador Herzog for his work over the last three years, and for his significant and professional contribution, especially during the challenging war period. Ambassador Herzog has honorably represented the State of Israel before administration officials, Congress, civil society organizations, the global media, and the American Jewish community.
The Australian government announced on Thursday what it described as world-leading legislation that would institute an age limit of 16 years for children to start using social media, and hold platforms responsible for ensuring compliance. “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The legislation will be introduced in Parliament during its final two weeks in session this year, which begin on Nov. 18. The age limit would take effect 12 months after the law is passed, Albanese told reporters. The platforms including X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook would need to use that year to work out how to exclude Australian children younger than 16. “I’ve spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online,” Albanese said. The proposal comes as governments around the world are wrestling with how to supervise young people’s use of technologies like smartphones and social media. Social media platforms would be penalized for breaching the age limit, but under-age children and their parents would not. “The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access. The onus won’t be on parents or young people,” Albanese said. Antigone Davis, head of safety at Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the company would respect any age limitations the government wants to introduce. “However, what’s missing is a deeper discussion on how we implement protections, otherwise we risk making ourselves feel better, like we have taken action, but teens and parents will not find themselves in a better place,” Davis said in a statement. She added that stronger tools in app stores and operating systems for parents to control what apps their children can use would be a “simple and effective solution.” X did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. TikTok declined to comment. The Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia, described the age limit as a “20th Century response to 21st Century challenges.” “Rather than blocking access through bans, we need to take a balanced approach to create age-appropriate spaces, build digital literacy and protect young people from online harm,” DIGI managing director Sunita Bose said in a statement. More than 140 Australian and international academics with expertise in fields related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing a social media age limit as “too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively.” Jackie Hallan, a director at the youth mental health service ReachOut, opposed the ban. She said 73% of young people across Australia accessing mental health support did so through social media. “We’re uncomfortable with the ban. We think young people are likely to circumvent a ban and our concern is that it really drives the behavior underground and then if things go wrong, young people are less likely to get support from parents and carers because they’re worried about getting in trouble,” Hallan said. Child psychologist Philip Tam said a minimum age of 12 or 13 would have been more enforceable. “My real fear honestly is that the problem of social media will simply be driven underground,” Tam said. Australian National University lawyer Associate Prof. […]
In a bid to steady his supporters following the victory of President-elect Donald Trump, President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday, urging Americans to embrace resilience in the face of adversity. “Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable,” Biden remarked, speaking publicly for the first time since Trump’s win. Acknowledging the disappointment of his base, Biden encouraged perseverance, invoking a favorite saying of his late father: “We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character is how quickly we get back up.” Biden also underscored the “integrity of the American electoral system,” defending its honesty, fairness, and transparency. “It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent — and it can be trusted, win or lose,” he stated. Trump’s rhetoric leading up to the 2024 election had stirred controversy and mistrust. Following his 2020 loss, Trump launched a wave of legal challenges and made repeated claims of voter fraud. In recent months, he continued to question the integrity of the electoral process, accusing Democrats of attempting to manipulate the results. This rhetoric has led to increased threats against election workers, many of whom performed their duties amid heightened tensions. President Biden expressed gratitude toward those who worked tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election. “We can restore respect for all our election workers who took risks, who busted their necks to ensure a fair election,” Biden said. “Many of them are volunteers who serve out of love for their country.” In a gesture of democratic fidelity, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to a peaceful transition of power. “As they did their duty as citizens, I will do my duty as president,” he pledged, promising to welcome the incoming administration and fulfill his oath to uphold the Constitution. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has extended a temporary policy blocking family visits for inmates held on security charges in Israel, continuing the measure for another month. This decision follows similar restrictions imposed after last year’s October 7 attack by Hamas, with Ben Gvir aiming to further tighten conditions for prisoners linked to terrorism.
The Bank of England cut its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.75% on Thursday after inflation across the U.K. fell significantly, relieving some pressure on borrowers who have faced elevated mortgage and loan costs. The bank said eight of the nine members of its rate-setting panel backed the reduction — the second in three months — while one opted to keep borrowing costs on hold. The latest cut comes afte r inflation in the U.K. fell to an annual rate of 1.7%, its lowest level since April 2021. Though inflation has fallen below the bank’s target of 2%, Governor Andrew Bailey cautioned that interest rates would not be falling too fast over coming months. “We need to make sure inflation stays close to target, so we can’t cut interest rates too quickly or by too much,” he said. “But if the economy evolves as we expect it’s likely that interest rates will continue to fall gradually from here.” Central banks worldwide dramatically increased borrowing costs from near zero during the coronavirus pandemic when prices started to shoot up, first as a result of supply chain issues built up and then because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine which pushed up energy costs. As inflation rates have recently fallen from multi-decade highs, the central banks have started cutting interest rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve is also expected to cut interest rates later Thursday. Economists have warned that worries about the future path of prices following last week’s tax-raising budget from the new Labour government and the economic impact of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may limit the number of cuts next year. The decision comes a week after Treasury chief Rachel Reeves announced around 70 billion pounds ($90 billion) of extra spending, funded through increased business taxes and borrowing. Economists think that the splurge, coupled with the prospect of businesses cushioning the tax hikes by raising prices, could lead to higher inflation next year. Rate-setters said they considered the budget measures during their deliberations and concluded they would likely boost growth by 0.75 percentage point and inflation by 0.5 percentage point over the coming year. The rate decision also comes a day after Trump was declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election. He has indicated that he will cut taxes and introduce tariffs on certain imported goods when he returns to the White House in January. Both policies have the potential to be inflationary both in the U.S. and globally, thereby prompting Bank of England policymakers to keep interest rates higher than initially planned. (AP)
The IDF says that approximately 50 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel in a recent barrage, bringing today’s total to more than 120 rockets fired. The latest attack included around 20 rockets targeting the Western Galilee region and 30 aimed at the Haifa Bay area. The IDF confirmed that some of the incoming rockets were intercepted, but several reached their targets. One rocket struck Kiryat Yam, a Haifa suburb, damaging multiple cars in the area. Emergency teams have been deployed to assess the damage and respond to any potential incidents as rocket fire continues to impact northern Israel.
The IDF announced expanded military actions targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. In a coordinated series of strikes, the IDF reported eliminating around 60 Hezbollah terrorists in multiple attacks near Baalbek and north of the Litani River. Over the past 24 hours, the Israel Air Force (IAF) carried out strikes on more than 110 terror-related targets associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including weapon stockpiles, rocket launchers, and other terrorist infrastructure. In southern Lebanon, the IDF continued its localized ground raids to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure, seizing weapons and disabling a rocket launcher that posed a direct threat to Israeli troops. Meanwhile, in Gaza’s Jabaliya region, approximately 50 Hamas terrorists were reportedly killed as IDF forces dismantled additional terror installations. The IDF also expanded operations to Beit Lahia, where prior intelligence pointed to further terrorist activity. To safeguard civilians, the IDF is organizing designated routes for Palestinians to evacuate combat zones. Additionally, IDF troops in Rafah neutralized several armed terrorists and worked with IAF support to prevent further attacks on Israeli forces.
The IDF has intensified their military activities in Lebanon and Gaza, focusing on dismantling Hezbollah and Hamas infrastructure. Over the past 24 hours, the IAF carried out a series of strikes, targeting more than 110 sites linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. The attacks eliminated approximately 60 Hezbollah operatives near Baalbek and north of the Litani River. Among the destroyed sites were weapons storage facilities, rocket launchers, and other terror-related infrastructure. In southern Lebanon, IDF troops conducted localized ground operations, uncovering weapons caches and disabling rocket launchers identified as threats to Israeli forces. Concurrently, in the Jabaliya region of Gaza, IDF operations resulted in the deaths of around 50 Hamas militants and the dismantling of additional terror installations. The IDF also launched new actions in Beit Lahia, following intelligence that indicated terrorist activities. To protect civilians, designated evacuation routes have been organized for Palestinians in combat areas. Meanwhile, in Rafah, IDF forces eliminated multiple armed militants and coordinated with the IAF to strike advancing threats, further securing Israeli forces in the area.
Hezbollah’s assaults on northern Israel persist. On Thursday afternoon, air raid sirens sounded across Haifa Bay, Nahariya, and the Galilee region. In Kiryat Yam, a rocket hit two parked cars near a home, causing them to burst into flames. Firefighters arrived quickly to contain and extinguish the blaze. B’Chasdei Hashem, no injuries were reported. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian downplayed the significance of Donald Trump’s election, saying it would have no impact on the Islamic Republic, state media reports. “It makes no difference to us who won the US election,” he says, according to the official IRNA news agency, adding Iran has prioritized “developing relations with Islamic and neighboring countries.” (AP)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied wrongdoing on Thursday in a burgeoning influence-peddling scandal involving him and his wife that is severely hurting his approval ratings and providing political munition to his rivals. The political firestorm coincides with South Korea facing a slew of critical foreign policy issues, such as Donald Trump’s election win to become the next president of the United States and North Korea’s reported entry into the Russia-Ukraine war. The scandal centers around allegations that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee exerted inappropriate influence on the conservative ruling People Power Party to pick a certain candidate to run for a parliamentary by-election in 2022 at the request of Myung Tae-kyun, an election broker and founder of a polling agency who conducted free opinion surveys for Yoon before he became president. For weeks, the scandal has been making headlines in South Korea as Myung’s leaked phone conversations show he boasted of his influence over the presidential couple and other top ruling party officials. Asked about his ties with Myung during a news conference Thursday, Yoon said, “I didn’t do anything inappropriate and have nothing to hide regarding Myung Tae-kyun.” Yoon said he has never meddled in any candidate nomination process at the PPP, and had never asked Myung to carry out surveys for him, though he acknowledged that Myung gave him some sort of help during his presidential primary campaign in 2021. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party said Yoon’s response only showed his “arrogance” and “self-righteousness.” The party earlier demanded Yoon apologize, reshuffle top officials and accept an independent investigation into his wife. The Democratic Party recently shared what it said was an audio file of phone calls between Yoon and Myung on May 9, 2022 — a day before Yoon took office for a single five-year term. The opposition party alleges that the conversation proves Yoon provided Myung with political favors in return for free surveys. In the audio file, Yoon can be heard telling Myung that he asked a PPP committee to pick senior party member Kim Young-sun to run for one of the parliamentary by-elections the following month. Kim Young-sun eventually obtained the party’s nomination and won the election. In the file, Myung is heard saying, “I really won’t forget this favor for my entire life. Thank you!” South Korea’s election law bars public servants, including the president, from interfering in elections, but applies no such restrictions to a president-elect, so it’s unclear whether Yoon violated the law. Recent surveys showed Yoon’s approval rating has fallen below 20% for the first time since his inauguration. Kim Keon Hee has been grappling with other scandals, such as spy camera footage purportedly showing her accepting a luxury bag as a gift from a pastor. Yoon apologized for causing public concerns about him and his wife, but stressed that many of the allegations raised were not consistent with the facts. Some ruling party lawmakers have accused the Democratic Party of deliberately ramping up political attacks on Yoon and his wife in an effort to rescue its embattled leader, Lee Jae-myung, from legal troubles. Lee, a firebrand lawmaker who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, is undergoing four separate trials over corruption and various other allegations. The first two district court rulings on […]
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Likud MK Sasson Guetta harshly attacked members of the opposition and coalition who opposed the daycare law in a speech from the Knesset plenum on Wednesday. UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler’s daycare bill, which bases daycare subsidies solely on the employment status of the mother, was removed from the Knesset agenda this week after it became clear that there wasn’t a majority to pass it due to the opposition of both members of the opposition and the coalition, including members of the Likud. Guetta said: “What’s with you?! Have you lost all sense of shame?! For a like on Twitter and cheers from the leftist media, you’re willing to trample entire families?!” “Do you know what is most infuriating? You don’t even understand what you’re talking about. Do you think that amid a war, the Chareidim aren’t contributing? Look around! See what is happening on the home front – who is volunteering in rescue organizations, in chessed organizations, in chevrot kadisha, in ZAKA – who is helping the families of the victims! But no, for you, that is not good enough. You want to force, to impose, to cause conflict! “And I especially appeal to my friends in the coalition – how dare you?! You’re trampling your values for a photo in Haaretz? You’re willing to destroy the future of our children for support from the left?? “What exactly did we ask for? To consider the beliefs of others! Is that so terrible?! You who talk so grandly about democracy and rights – where is your tolerance?! Where is your understanding?! “And yes, I say this loud and clear – anyone who opposes this law, anyone who links it to recruitment, simply does not understand or does not want to understand. The concern of the Charedim is not about the army – it is about losing their identity! But that doesn’t interest you, right? The main thing is to score more political points at the expense of the Chareidi public! “Do you want to talk about employment integration? About equality? Great! Here’s a real opportunity – a law that will allow Chareidi women to go to work! But no, you prefer to fight ideological wars on the backs of toddlers! “And I warn you,” he added, “this populist opposition will cost us dearly. You are destroying any chance of real integration of the Chareidi society with your own hands! I call from here to my friends – wake up! Stop this wild incitement! Return to sanity! Because if not – the blood of the destruction of Israeli society is on your hands! “And I will conclude with simple words – anyone who votes against this law should know that they are voting against the future of our children, against the integration of the Chareidim in the workplace, and above all – against truth and justice!” The Likud MKs who publicly announced that they would not support the daycare law were sanctioned on Wednesday for violating party discipline. Chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Yuli Edelstein was banned from submitting any bills in the Knesset for a month and from speaking on behalf of the party. MK Dan Illouz was removed from his positions on the Foreign Affairs and Defense and Economic Affairs committees and was banned from submitting […]
Federal Reserve officials are poised Thursday to reduce their key interest rate for a second straight time, responding to a steady slowdown of the inflation pressures that exasperated many Americans and contributed to Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. Yet the Fed’s future moves are now more uncertain in the aftermath of the election, given that Trump’s economic proposals have been widely flagged as potentially inflationary. His election has also raised the specter of meddling by the White House in the Fed’s policy decisions, with Trump having proclaimed that as president he should have a voice in the central bank’s interest rate decisions. The Fed has long guarded its status as an independent institution able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet during his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Chair Jerome Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again. The economy is also clouding the picture by flashing conflicting signals, with growth solid but hiring weakening. Even so, consumer spending has been healthy, fueling concerns that there is no need for the Fed to reduce borrowing costs and that doing so might overstimulate the economy and even re-accelerate inflation. Financial markets are throwing yet another curve at the Fed: Investors have sharply pushed up Treasury yields since the central bank cut rates in September. The result has been higher borrowing costs throughout the economy, thereby diminishing the benefit to consumers of the Fed’s half-point cut in its benchmark rate, which it announced after its September meeting. The average U.S. 30-year mortgage rate, for example, fell over the summer as the Fed signaled that it would cut rates, only to rise again once the central bank actually cut its benchmark rate. Broader interest rates have risen because investors are anticipating higher inflation, larger federal budget deficits, and faster economic growth under a President-elect Trump. In what Wall Street has called the “Trump trade,” stock prices also soared Wednesday and the value of bitcoin and the dollar surged. Trump had talked up cryptocurrencies during his campaign, and the dollar would likely benefit from higher rates and from the across-the-board increase in tariffs that Trump has proposed. Trump’s plan to impose at least a 10% tariff on all imports, as well as significantly higher taxes on Chinese goods, and to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would almost certainly boost inflation. This would make it less likely that the Fed would continue cutting its key rate. Annual inflation as measured by the central bank’s preferred gauge fell to 2.1% in September. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that Trump’s proposed 10% tariff, as well as his proposed taxes on Chinese imports and autos from Mexico, could send inflation back up to about 2.75% to 3% by mid-2026. Such an increase would likely upend the future rate cuts the Fed had signaled in September. At that meeting, when the policymakers cut their key rate by an outsize half-point to about 4.9%, the officials said they envisioned two quarter-point rate reductions later in the year — one on Thursday and one in December — and then four additional rate cuts in 2025. But investors now foresee rate cuts next year as increasingly unlikely. The perceived probability of a rate […]
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A Lubavitch man in his mid-50’s was violently attacked by two teenagers in Crown Heights on Wednesday evening in what authorities are describing as an attempted robbery. The incident took place around 7:20 PM near the corner of President Street and Utica Avenue as the victim was on his way home, according to COLlive. Witnesses reported that two masked teens, estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, approached the man and asked about his phone. One wore an orange bandana, while the other had a black one. The victim tried to avoid confrontation, but the teens escalated, grabbing a wooden cane and demanding his phone. Before he could respond, they began hitting him with the cane, striking him so violently that it broke. During the assault, the man managed to break free momentarily, but the attackers chased him, with one on a scooter. The NYPD and Hatzalah responded to the scene, with the victim being brought to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, and where he is now in “excruciating pain,” according to Yaacov Behrman, Director of the Jewish Future Alliance. The NYPD is currently investigating, though no arrests have been made as of Thursday morning. This attack follows a series of incidents in Crown Heights last week, where three other Jewish individuals were assaulted, including one in a slashing attack. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Democrats spent billions of dollars warning American voters that Donald Trump posed an imminent threat to democracy, that his economic policies would benefit only his wealthy friends, that he was literally a fascist. In the end, voters didn’t care — or if they did, it didn’t matter. And now, after Kamala Harris’ decisive loss, Democrats enter a second Trump presidency with no clear leader, no clear plan and no agreement on what caused them to be so wrong about the 2024 election. “I think there needs to be a cleaning of the house, there needs to be a new generation of leaders that emerge,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., among the few Democrats with presidential ambitions to address the party’s future on Wednesday. “There needs to be new thinking, new ideas and a new direction. And, you know, the establishment produced a disaster.” With votes still being counted, Trump was on track to become the first Republican in two decades to win the popular vote, although the scope of his Electoral College victory was likely to fall short of President Barack Obama’s 2008 performance in which he won 365 electoral votes. Trump picked up a small but significant share of younger voters, Black voters and Hispanic voters, many of whom were feeling down about the economy, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. The Republican president-elect also made progress among voters without a college degree. Most of the elected Democrats who are most often mentioned as 2028 presidential prospects — including the governors of California, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania — declined to weigh in when asked. Others canceled scheduled interviews. The few progressives willing to speak publicly offered different explanations. Relatively few were blaming President Joe Biden for backtracking on his promise not to run for reelection, which blocked the party from picking a replacement in a traditional primary. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and former Democratic primary candidate, had warned Harris before Election Day that she was focusing too much on flipping Republican votes and not enough on pocketbook issues. He issued a statement excoriating party leadership. “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” he said. “First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.” Others weren’t so eager to make wholesale changes. “Our challenge is not to overreact to this election,” said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who easily won reelection Tuesday night. “We had a candidate with a relatively low profile — no one knew much about Kamala Harris … who took on one of the best-known people in the history of mankind.” Just eight years ago, Democrats were stunned by Trump’s shocking victory over Hillary Clinton. But at that time, many were united in blaming the loss on dysfunction within the Democratic National Committee. Others blamed Russian influence efforts supporting Trump or FBI Director James Comey’s statement excoriating Clinton’s handling of classified information in her emails while serving as secretary of state. There are no excuses this time. The results show Democrats’ current problems […]
A military judge has ruled that plea agreements struck by alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants are valid, voiding an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to throw out the deals, a government official said Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the order by the judge, Air Force Col. Matthew McCall, has not yet been posted publicly or officially announced. Unless government prosecutors or others attempt to challenge the plea deals again, McCall’s ruling means that the three 9/11 defendants before long could enter guilty pleas in the U.S. military courtroom at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, taking a dramatic step toward wrapping up the long-running and legally troubled government prosecution in one of the deadliest attacks on the United States. The plea agreements would spare Mohammed and two co-defendants, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, the risk of the death penalty in exchange for the guilty pleas. Government prosecutors had negotiated the deals with defense attorneys under government auspices, and the top official for the military commission at the Guantanamo Bay naval base had approved the agreements. The plea deals in the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people spurred immediate political blowback by Republican lawmakers and others after they were made public this summer. Within days, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a brief order saying he was nullifying them. Plea bargains in possible death penalty cases tied to one of the gravest crimes ever carried out on U.S. soil were a momentous step that should only be decided by the defense secretary, Austin said at the time. The agreements, and Austin’s attempt to reverse them, have made for one of the most fraught episodes in a U.S. prosecution marked by delays and legal difficulties. That includes years of ongoing pretrial hearings to determine the admissibility of statements by the defendants given their years of torture in CIA custody. The Pentagon is reviewing the judge’s decision and had no immediate further comment, said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The New York Times first reported the ruling. Military officials have yet to post the judge’s decision on the Guantanamo military commission’s online site. However, a legal blog that long has covered the prosecutions from the Guantanamo courtroom said McCall’s 29-page ruling concludes that Austin lacked the legal authority to toss out the plea deals. The ruling also calls the timing of Austin’s move “fatal,” coming after Guantanamo’s top official already had approved the deals, according to the blog, called Lawdragon. Abiding by Austin’s order would give defense secretaries “absolute veto power” over any act they disagree with, which would be contrary to the independence of the presiding official over the Guantanamo trials, the law blog quotes McCall as saying in the ruling. While families of some of the victims and others are adamant that the 9/11 prosecutions continue until trial and possible death sentences, legal experts say it’s not clear that could ever happen. If the 9/11 cases ever clear the hurdles of trial, verdicts and sentencings, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit would likely hear many of the issues in the course of any death penalty appeals. The issues include the CIA destruction of videos of interrogations, whether Austin’s plea deal reversal constituted unlawful […]
Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss too. As Democrats pick up the pieces following President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite longstanding voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the U.S.-Mexico border — all but sealed his party’s loss of the White House. “The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.” Biden will leave office after leading the U.S. out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will impact communities for years to come. But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has vowed to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden’s priorities. “Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “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.” The president on Wednesday stayed out of sight for the second straight day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races as well as one to Trump, who he invited for a White House meeting that the president-elect accepted. Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address Thursday about the election. He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech on Wednesday, praising Harris for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.” Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognize earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee. But polling long beforehand showed that many Americans worried about his age. Some 77% of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs. The president bowed out on July 21 after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He endorsed Harris and handed over his campaign operation to her. Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party’s base. But she struggled […]
