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President-elect Donald Trump has begun to select members of his staff; but, not always how much power the party will have in Congress. Republicans won the Senate and will choose their leader this week. There is one chair that needs to be called. A party can also have a narrow majority in the House. Currently, the GOP holds 213 seats in the House, while Democrats have 203. To secure a majority, the party needs 218 seats.
Exterior view of the US Capitol on September 9, in Washington, DC
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
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Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
- 🎧 There are still 19 House seats to be called, but it could be days until the race is decidedNPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells us Go up first. Half of the House district in California, where it took some time to count the votes, because the certification process was the same day and mail-in ballots in the big state. In the meantime, Trump posted on Truth Social last night that he will appoint Tom Homan as “border czar”, who will be responsible for mass deportations. Over the weekend, he also said he would not invite Mike Pompeo or Nikki Haley to join his cabinet.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoava Gallant, told family members of Israeli hostages in Gaza that there was nothing else. for the Israeli military to reach Gaza. He also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was responsible for brokering a ceasefire deal in July that could have ended the war and brought the remaining hostages home. Netanyahu fired Gallant last week, saying that trust between them had been “broken” and that “significant differences” had emerged between them on how to proceed with the war. Gallant discussed his views on Israel’s military in a closed-door meeting on his last day in office.
- 🎧 Gil Dickman, who attended the meeting and has a cousin who was taken hostage and killed by Hamas in Gaza, told NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf that he felt that Gallant could speak more freely than at similar meetings in the past. Since July, thousands of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, bringing the death toll to more than 43,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. There are 101 Israeli hostages remaining, some of whom have been confirmed dead. Many Israelis see Gallant’s shooting as an example of Netanyahu trying to get rid of anyone who disagrees with him, Lonsdorf said. Some say they feel democracy is at stake.
An NPR investigation revealed that the VA home loan program is meant to help veterans ended up forcing thousands into high cost mortgages. Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that at least 1,300 veterans face monthly payment increases of more than 50%. While the rescue plan launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs is currently underway, it does not include many who need help.
Special Series
Jake Lang, center, and other Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people attempt to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images
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Brent Stirton/Getty Images
Each day this week, Morning Edition will dive into one of the promises that President-elect Donald Trump has made for the first day of his administration.
Trump has promised to pardon those convicted in connection with the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Is that a promise you can keep? In March, he wrote in Truth Social that one of his first acts if elected president would be to release the man he called January 6 “hostage”, who he claimed was wrongfully imprisoned. Kim Wehle, who wrote the book Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works – and Whyspoke with NPR’s Leila Fadel about the limits on presidential pardons, whether pardons can be challenged, and the checks and balances for these presidential powers.
From our host
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Santander Arena on November 4, in Reading, Penn.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
This essay was written by Steve Inskeep, Morning edition and Up First host
Demography is not destiny.
In the twenty-first century has not come out as many Democrats expected. A decade ago, some Democrats felt that a more diverse population would ensure a governing majority. It’s going to be like California: a big, rich, super-diverse state dominated by Democrats for decades, with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor.
Nationwide, the percentage of the population identifying as white is declining; the percentage identified as nonwhite continues to climb, mainly due to immigration. This led to an overwhelming white coalition of the Republican Party. Demography is destiny, some analysts think.
However, the Democratic coalition is fractured. according to exit polls (unbelievable, but what we have), the percentage of white voters in this election is up. Republicans expand the coalition to include many colo peopler – without leaving any rhetoric that seemed in the past to drive nonwhite voters away – and certainly without releasing Donald Trump.
We can have a long discussion about just why this happened. What is clear is that demographic changes do not determine elections, at least not in the simple way that some assume. It remains for the Democrats to absorb this reality – and the Republicans to take power this time.
3 things to know before you go
The campus of Tuskegee University is depicted in 2023. A shooting on campus leaves one person dead and more than a dozen injured.
2C2K Photography/Flickr Creative Commons
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2C2K Photography/Flickr Creative Commons
- Jaquez Myrick, 25, has been arrested in connection to yesterday’s early shooting which left one person dead and 16 injured at Tuskegee University in Alabama, according to law enforcement.
- In 1971, 18-year-old Betsy Cornwell found herself stranded at night. when the key broke off in the ignition of his car. A car thief becomes the unsung hero he trusts when he goes out of his way to make sure he gets home safely.
- H5 bird flu has reportedly been detected in humans in Canada for the first time, according to health officials. The test was sent to another laboratory for confirmation.
This newsletter is edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
