Good morning and Happy Veterans Day. Thanks for reading Morning Brief. |
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Three Reasons: Voters who chose President-elect Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris were most likely to cite inflation as the reason for their decision, a national poll found. The other reasons: the border crisis and Harris’s focus on issues like transgenderism.
- One Condition: Trump set one condition for the next leader of the Senate Republicans: He or she must clear the way for recess appointments.
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Two Months: With just over two months left in office, President Joe Biden will continue to push for military aid in Ukraine and work toward ending the war in the Middle East, a top advisor said.
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Three Calls: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has spoken with Trump at least three times since Trump’s election victory.
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Veterans Day: Our columnist’s father fought in World War II, making Monday’s story a special one. Read it in the culture section below.
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Ivan Pentchoukov, National Editor |
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Caption: Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak on stage as she concedes the election, at Howard University on Nov. 6, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) |
Voters who chose former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris were most likely to cite inflation as one of the reasons for their decision, according to a national poll conducted two days after the election. |
- The poll asked 3,262 voters nationwide to rate the importance of potential reasons for their decision to vote for Trump instead of Harris.
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After inflation, the biggest reasons respondents offered was the Biden–Harris administration allowing too many illegal immigrants into the country, and that Harris focused too much on cultural topics like transgender issues rather than the middle class.
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“In the end, Harris couldn’t outrun her past or her party—perhaps it was a lack of time, but it was certainly a vice grip that proved impossible to escape,” the polling report’s authors wrote. The poll’s findings were published as top Democrats reel from Tuesday’s election results, point fingers, and assign blame for who’s responsible for Trump’s sweep of the seven battleground states. “In this election, Americans have made their voice clear: Democrats need to focus more on issues Americans care about, like wages and benefits, and less on being politically correct,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) wrote in a Nov. 7 post on X. |
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Trump on Nov. 10 named one condition for the next leader of the Senate Republicans: He or she must clear the way for recess appointments for Trump administration officials. Recess appointments are provided for by the Constitution and empower the president to appoint cabinet officials when the Senate is in recess.
- Former 2024 Republican presidential hopeful and Trump surrogate Vivek Ramaswamy said that the incoming Trump administration is focused on “uniting the country” as a top priority.
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Democratic National Committee (DNC) official Lindy Li said on Nov. 9 that party donors feel “misled” about Vice President Kamala Harris’s chance at winning the 2024 presidential election after it raised a record amount of funds in slightly more than 100 days of campaigning.
- “The truth is this is just an epic disaster—this is a $1 billion disaster,” Li, a member of the DNC National Finance Committee, said during an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
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With the holiday shopping season around the corner, small businesses across the United States could face challenges, with more than 50 percent of Americans planning to spend less at smaller establishments, according to a recent study. Experts say personalized service could be the key to survival in this crucial sales period. |
- Many small businesses are struggling during what continues to be an exceptionally tough economic year, according to marketing company Constant Contact.
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One of the most significant issues for small businesses is that bigger competitors are drawing customers away, especially during the holidays. The percentage of U.S. consumers planning to decrease their spending at small businesses has doubled since 2022, from 27 percent to 52 percent.
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To get those shoppers back, small businesses need to focus on individualized service to stand out this holiday season, said Dave Charest, Constant Contact's director of small business success.
“There’s more to thriving than just competing on price. Take a local retail shop, for example—it may not match the low prices of big-box stores, but it can offer a personalized shopping experience that big chains just can’t match,” he told The Epoch Times.
READ: Small Businesses Focus on Value, Customization to Succeed in Challenging Holiday Sales Season
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“In the last four years, there has been an unprecedented surge in Chinese illegal immigration…There is a large underground economy tied to this network,” says Philip Lenczycki, a senior investigative reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation. —Jan |
By Alexander Liao and Sean Tseng The Russia–Ukraine war has reached another milestone: North Korea’s elite troops recently clashed with Ukrainian forces for the first time. |
- Between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean soldiers, known as the infamous “Storm Corps,” are stationed near the Russia–Ukraine border, engaging in combat support against Ukraine. This development not only intensifies the conflict but also brings it closer to becoming a multinational war.
- For Russia, bringing in North Korean troops offers timely support amid shortages of frontline soldiers.
- North Korea’s struggling economy needs the millions of dollars, oil, and food promised in return for sending troops. With a standing army of 1.2 million soldiers out of a population of roughly 26 million, sustaining the military is a huge burden.
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But this alliance raises the stakes considerably: other countries, such as Iran, Syria, and even Poland, might be drawn in. Consequently, the current regional war could escalate into a much larger global conflict.
Is history somewhat repeating itself? (Full Column)
Looking for a different columnist? Browse the Opinion Section ➞
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With just 71 days to go before leaving office, President Joe Biden will continue to push for more military aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia while also pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza, according to one of his top advisers.
“Our approach remains the same as it has been for the last two and a half years, which is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” |
- During the 2024 campaign, former President Donald Trump often pledged to cut aid to Ukraine and said he would move to quickly end the Russia–Ukraine war.
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Since February 2022, the Biden administration has provided tens of billions of dollars to the Kyiv government, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has made a number of impassioned pleas to both Biden and Congress to continue to provide funding and material support.
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Trump and Biden are scheduled to meet on Nov. 13 to speak about the transition process, as well as about “what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East,” Sullivan said. (More) More world news: |
- The Qatari government has paused its involvement in mediating talks to reach a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, after ending the latest round of discussions without an agreement.
- Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is urging European leaders to support Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
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Ukraine attacked Moscow with 34 drones on Nov. 10, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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A group of man-made substances known as forever chemicals are found in everything from soil and food to common household items and water. An overabundance of these compounds has been detected in U.S. drinking water and that of other industrialized nations, sparking discussion on control and mitigation among experts. |
- Exposure to forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, has been linked to serious chronic health issues such as increased risk of certain cancers, fertility problems, and immune system challenges.
- Unlike some industrial chemicals, PFAS don’t break down and are difficult to destroy, thus earning the moniker “forever chemicals.”
- cookware
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This year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it has observed forever chemicals in America’s groundwater at alarming levels, prompting the first-ever national, enforceable standard for drinking water, meant to protect people from dangerous amounts of PFAS exposure…
READ: Forever Chemicals in US Drinking Water: A Growing Problem
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Author Jeff Minick’s father (R) was a World War II veteran who fought with the 88th Division, the “Blue Devils,” against the Germans in Northern Italy. (Biba Kayewich)
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In a tribute to the men and women who have served or are currently serving the United States, author Jeff Minick reminds us to treasure and love our country. Minick honors the war veterans he has met growing up who told him stories about their World War II escapades, including those of his own father, who fought against the Germans in Northern Italy.
Minick himself attended the U.S. Military Academy from 1969 to 1971. He and his fellow recruits spent the summer of 1970 training at nearby Camp Buckner, where their instructors were veterans of the ongoing fighting in Vietnam. |
- “During that summer, I was also fortunate enough to meet Capt. Paul Bucha two months after he was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in an engagement near Phuoc Vinh,” Minick writes.
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“When one of my classmates asked him what he had done to win the medal, Captain Bucha just shook his head, smiled, and said, ‘I’m a lover, not a fighter.’ Right there, I thought to myself, was the brand of modesty I wanted to make my own.”
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Minick reminds us to stand up to defend our nation in the event of an enemy attack.
“When that happens, we the people must be mentally and spiritually prepared to defend and protect the country that President Abraham Lincoln once called ‘the last best hope of earth,’ Minick writes. Read his full article here.
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Trump and Biden are scheduled to meet on Nov. 13 to speak about the transition process, as well as about “what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East,” Sullivan said. (More) |
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Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful day.
—Ivan Pentchoukov, Madalina Hubert, and Kenzi Li. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here.
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