International
US Democrats celebrate Senate win over distraught Republicans
| By AFP |
Democrats celebrated Sunday a stunning victory to hold the US Senate, leaving Republicans in disarray and providing a critical base of political and legislative support for the remainder of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Although the fate of the lower House of Representatives is still up in the air, retaining control of the upper chamber in a midterm election many predicted they would lose by a wide margin is, in itself, a major triumph.
“I feel good and I’m looking forward to the next couple years,” said Biden, who was attending a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Cambodia.
The Senate oversees the confirmation of federal judges and cabinet members, and having the 100-seat body in his corner will be a major boon for Biden as he seeks to keep his policy agenda on track.
US midterms traditionally deliver a rejection of the party in power, and with inflation surging and Biden’s popularity ratings cratering, Republicans had been expecting to ride a mighty “red wave” and capture both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s vote.
The deciding moment in the battle for control of the Senate came late Saturday, when US networks called the Nevada race for Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, giving the party the 50 seats it needs for an effective majority.
Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote if the chamber is evenly split 50-50.
One Senate race remains undecided — a runoff in Georgia set for December 6, in which the Democrats could add to their majority.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the result was a “vindication” of Democrats’ achievements, and a clear rejection of the “anti-democratic, authoritarian, nasty and divisive direction” offered by former president Donald Trump and his loyalists.
Trump was the biggest Republican draw on the midterms campaign trail, and the party’s performance — with many candidates he personally endorsed losing their high-profile races — was a damaging blow.
Trump is widely expected to declare his 2024 White House bid on Tuesday — an announcement he had planned as a triumphant follow-on to an expected crushing election victory by the party he still dominates.
Republicans’ ‘tiny trickle’
On Sunday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toasted her Democrats for their strong performance, noting on CNN how the Republican “red wave” that had been predicted by pundits and the GOP collapsed into “a little tiny trickle.”
Republicans, meanwhile, are left to consider what went wrong, given the fair political winds they had at their backs going into the ballot.
After the Senate result was projected, Republican Senator from Missouri Josh Hawley called for the party to “build something new.”
“The old party is dead. Time to bury it,” he tweeted.
Trump’s response has been to double down on unfounded claims of ballot rigging, posting on his Truth Social platform that the results were a “scam” — and pointing a finger of blame at Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
“It’s Mitch McConnell’s fault,” he posted, saying the Kentuckian had badly allocated campaign funds and pursued a flawed legislative agenda.
“He blew the Midterms, and everyone despises him,” said Trump, who has long been at loggerheads with McConnell.
Republicans are slightly favored to eventually take control of the House of Representatives, but with a far smaller majority than they had envisaged going into Tuesday’s election.
It remains to be seen just how strong an impact the poor Republican performance will have on Trump’s standing in the party — and on his aspirations for a return to the White House.
While there are already senior party voices suggesting the time has come to move away from Trump’s conspiracy-fueled, hard-right leadership style, the former president still enjoys major grassroots support, and running against him for the presidential nomination would be a formidable task.
One possible challenger, Maryland’s outgoing Republican Governor Larry Hogan, said the party had to switch direction and move on.
“It’s basically the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race, and it’s like, three strikes and you’re out,” Hogan, a vocal Trump critic, said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union talk show.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
“Donald Trump kept saying, we’re gonna be winning so much, we’ll get tired of winning. Well, I’m tired of losing. I mean, that’s all he’s done,” Hogan said.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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