Comprehensive U.S. presidential election reporting from: 2024/06/27 to present day.

• (Aug-13): Part One: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Aug-28): Part Two: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Sep-8): Part Three: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Sep-28): Part Four: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Oct-14): Part Five: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Oct-24): Part Six: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Nov-15): Part Seven: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Nov-24): Part Eight: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Dec-1): Part Nine: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Dec-17): Part Ten: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Dec-23): Part Eleven: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Jan-1): Part Twelve: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Jan-10): Part Thirteen: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• (Jan-24): Part Fourteen: The Ascendents' Unchained (U.S. Presidential Election 2024)
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• More playlists: YouTube or Spotify

• (Nov-5) YouTube/Ascendents Net - playlist: 2024 U.S. Election Live - Ascendents.net News, "election night live streams and immediate reactions." (18 videos)
• (Nov-14) YouTube/Ascendents Net - playlist: 2024 U.S. Presidential Transition - Ascendents.net News, "documentaries about the first U.S. Presidents, America's Founding and the Constitution, Immigration, Foreign Policy, Democracy, WW2, 2024 updates, and more..." (61 videos, updated: Jan-24)

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During July 10th's NATO 75th anniversary, Biden quoted (to the, "Secretary-General, Allies, and friends):" 33rd U.S. President Harry Truman's idea behind the Alliance, "we hope to create a shield against aggression, the fear of aggression, and to permit us to get on with the real business of creating government and society... For 75 years, our nations have grown and prospered behind the NATO shield. Today, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been." In the 1948 election, Truman vs Dewey: Brittanica wrote, "Dewey was widely tipped by pollsters to win the election easily. Indeed, the New York Times considered it over and Life magazine had already declared Dewey the, next president of the United States." Brittanica continued, "in early September 1948 (2 months before the election) Elmo Roper, of Roper Research Associates, reported that Truman trailed Dewey by about 13 percent in the polls... Truman refused to believe he stood no chance." After Truman won by more than 2 million people and getting over 100 more electoral votes, Dewey said, "I was just as surprised as you are." July 18th, as RNC events unfolded, CNBC reported, Biden was in Delaware recovering from Covid-19, "showing mild symptoms with no signs of a fever."

As the election season gained heat, special interest groups against Biden leaned heavily into attacking his age. During the first Presidential debate he had paused to think, so they exaggerated that he was fumbling. They continued to push that narrative, even though he was not really fumbling. Biden (Jul-11) held (video via WFAA), what the officials, according to News Nation (video) called a, "big boy press conference," to demonstrate skills required to be president, and gave an example showing how complicated it is to work the best deal with China that has an effect on Russia's impact in Ukraine. Also: for any election, nonincumbent opponents might sound fast, strong, and confident, but not actually be fully briefed/aware of (classified) reasoning, details, or progress about U.S. positions.

On July 13th, C-SPAN covered (video [watch from 0:10 at 0.25x playback speed]) at a rally in Pennsylvania, Biden's opponent, former U.S. President Donald Trump was shot in the ear, from a rooftop, (approx.) 400-feet away by a sniper. Several gunshots were reported; somehow, the U.S. Secret Service was able to find/eliminate the shooter (almost instantaneously), which (for some) caused questions. The country had been polarized and politically charged.

After going to the hospital, Trump (Jul-13) addressed the public, CBS reported, "I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania... Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

U.S. President Joe Biden also maintained a public communication channel, officially addressing Americans on the 13th and twice on (Sunday) July 14th, when that afternoon, he said: "Vice President Harris and I were just briefed in the Situation Room by my homeland security team, including the director of the FBI, the secretary of Homeland Security, the attorney general, the director of the Secret Service, my homeland security advisor, the national security advisor. And we’re going to continue to be briefed. The FBI is leading this investigation, which is still in its early stages. We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. We know who he is. I urge everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations. Let the FBI do their job, and their partner agencies do their job. I’ve instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift. And the investigators will have every resource they need to get this done..." After reassuring increased security for former president Trump and the following week's Republican National Convention, Biden added, "I’ve directed an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened. And we’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people as well." Later that evening, from the Oval Office, Biden continued, "we don’t know whether he (the shooter) had help or support or if he communicated with anyone else. Law enforcement professionals, as I speak, are investigating those questions... Here in America, we need to get out of our silos, where we only listen to those with whom we agree, where misinformation is rampant, where foreign actors fan the flames of our division to shape the outcomes consistent with their interests, not ours... Let’s remember, here in America, while unity is the most elusive of goals right now, nothing is more important for us now than standing together. We can do this." President Biden then acknowledged that America already is great, but he called, "every American to recommit to make America..." "...special," again. Then, he condemned politically charged violence: "violence has never been the answer, whether it’s with members of Congress in both parties being targeted in the shot, or a violent mob attacking the Capitol on January 6th, or a brutal attack on the spouse of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, or information and intimidation on election officials, or the kidnapping plot against a sitting governor, or an attempted assassination on Donald Trump. There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence ever. Period. No exceptions. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized."

Fmr. President Trump (Jul-14) via Truth Social addressed the public, "UNITE AMERICA!" Former First Lady Melania Trump also (Jul-14) issued a statement on X. Trump via Truth Social (Jul-14) continued, "thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed." Axios (Jul-14) reported Trump also said he was scrapping his "humdinger" RNC speech and rewriting a speech focusing on bringing the country together, "the speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would've been two days ago... This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together."

NBC News (Jul-15) later revealed that Trump's shooter, "Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park (Pennsylvania)," was, "a member of a local gun club and worked as a dietary aide at a nursing facility. He was a registered Republican who once made a $15 donation to a progressive political organization." Fox News (Jul-15) added, "the FBI confirmed Monday afternoon that the laptop of the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, as well as at least one improvised explosive device from his car is being analyzed at the FBI’s forensic lab in Quantico, Virginia. The FBI has also found more than a dozen guns at the family’s home. Law enforcement sources tell Fox news that the rifle Crooks used at Trump’s rally on Saturday was a DPMS AR-15 that uses ammunition with a 5.56 mm diameter."

Considering the excitement of the upcoming election, the shooting instance was quickly politicized and riddled with viral misinformation and alluring conspiracy theories. Fox News (Jul-15) added, "Forbes deleted an article Sunday titled, Will Surviving Gunfire Be Donald Trump’s Next Appeal To Black Voters?" Following his speech to, "lower the temperature in our politics," President Joe Biden and the Democratic party suspended some of their 50-million dollar ad campaign, The Guardian (Jul-15) reported. The New York Times (Jul-15) had stated, "some social media accounts were hawking merchandise promoting the conspiracy theories. T-shirts with images of a bloodied Mr. Trump raising his fist, with the words Not Today Deep State, were on sale on Truth Social. On TikTok, baseball caps with STAGED, using the same image of Mr. Trump, were also on offer for $25." The NY Times also (Jul-15) covered how Biden's previous week's comments to put Trump in the bulls-eye led to a swarm of speculation. Fox News' Louis Casiano (Jul-15) reported, Biden said the wording was a mistake, but then he clarified, "I didn't say crosshairs. I meant bullseye. I meant focus on him. Focus on what he's doing. Focus on one of his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told... How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real?"

"...it is also dangerous to propagate rumors that are so unequivocally false and provocative. And as the President so powerfully said to the entire nation, we have to tamp down the rhetoric in this country. The rhetoric itself creates a threat environment that really is quite dynamic and evolving," Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Mayorkas (Jul-15) delivered remarks at a White House press briefing, "both President Biden and former President Trump are constantly the subject of threats [See also: CNN Exclusive - Secret Service (Jul-16) ramped up security after receiving intel of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump; no known connection to shooting]. We are in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment. The United States Secret Service – we, including the FBI and our other partners across the federal government – take the threats very seriously and adjust security measures as warranted. Maintaining the safety and security of the President, the former President, and their campaign events is one of our most vital priorities. In light of this weekend’s events, the President has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy, Jr... We across the government are focused with urgency to understand how it happened. At President Biden’s direction, an independent review of the incident will be conducted – one that will examine the Secret Service’s and other law enforcement actions before, during, and after the shooting, to identify the immediate and longer-term corrective actions required to ensure that the no-fail mission of protecting national leaders is most effectively met... The men and women of the Secret Service have one of the most solemn and difficult jobs in government. Their work involves tremendous sacrifice, risk, and bravery. We saw those qualities in action on the stage at this past Saturday’s event... ...it's very important for this independent review to have the confidence of the people... ...also a criminal investigation is underway." White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre (Jul-15) said, "we need all hands on deck, in this moment, right now, we are focused on getting all the facts, so we can get to the bottom of this (of what happened); it is important for the American people."

Associated Press (Jul-15) headlined, "Trump picks Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a once-fierce critic turned loyal ally, as his GOP running mate." The article added that Vance was, "the first millennial to join a major-party ticket at a time of deep concern about the advanced age of America’s political leaders." Donald Trump via Truth Social (Jul-15) said the decision was, "after lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others." Before the upcoming Republican National Convention, the U.S. Secret Service (Jul-15) mentioned in a news briefing about security at the event in Milwaukee, that they could stop weapons from reaching the venue's inner-perimeter, however; since Wisconsin had been an open-carry state, they legally wouldn't be able to ban firearms in the outer-perimeter around the event. Officials, including the Chief Executive of Milwaukee Police Department said, "it is also important we understand the concern in our city."

NBC News (Jul-16) headlined, "U.S. learned of Iranian plot to kill Trump weeks before shooting;" Politico (Jul-16) headlined, "US officials have gathered increasing amount of intel about Iran plotting to assassinate Trump," and added, "Iran has for years plotted to get back at Trump for killing top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020..." AP News (Jul-16) headlined, "Iran threat prompted more security at Trump rally as officials warn of potential for copycat attacks... ...but it was unrelated to the assassination attempt."

According to (Jul-17) Cecilia Kang/New York Times, while he did mention technology monopolies, Trump's running-mate, "Senator J.D. Vance, Republican of Ohio, is a strong skeptic of regulating artificial intelligence..." He claimed (The NY Times article added), "those regulations would entrench the tech incumbents that we actually have, and make it actually harder for new entrants to create the innovation that’s going to power the next generation of American growth and jobs... Mr. Trump has not said whom he would ask to lead the administration’s policymaking on A.I if he reclaims the presidency in November. But Mr. Vance could heavily influence the growing industry."

Following President Biden's (Jul-16) remarks (video) during the 115th NAACP National Convention From Las Vegas, where he said, "...to say with one voice, that violence is not the answer. That's what we should rally around as a nation. That's the unity I'm talking about... We must fully and firmly reject not only political violence, but violence of any kind," and BBC (Jul-16) confirmed that Biden pushed to re-outlaw assault weapons, "I did it once and I'll do it again!" On July 17th, a group official at the UnidosUS Annual Conference relayed live via The White House' YouTube (video), U.S. President Joe Biden had tested positive for Covid-19/coronavirus and would not be attending the conference. The Guardian (Jul-17) reported from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, Biden was "vaccinated and boosted," and his, "symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth... The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office..." Axios (Jul-18) reported, (Biden's) "fate as the Democratic nominee more uncertain than at any point in the last three weeks... ...Democrats with the influence to persuade Biden to quit — starting with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)..." expressed concerns. Axios also (Jul-18) mentioned, "...the Democratic National Committee was delaying its plan to nominate Biden in a virtual roll call weeks before the Aug. 19 convention, following backlash from rank-and-file Democrats who want more time to address concerns about the president's age." Fox News (Jul-18) reported, "Biden campaign insists president staying in this race despite reports he’s wavering."

Mainstream media highlighted from night 3 of the RNC. NBC (Jul-17) shared (video), which included unplanned and mixed reactions: like the crowd chanting, "fight," and nervous supporters cringing and wise, reluctantly clapping to Donald Trump Jr. (once again) spreading more inflammatory rhetoric and propaganda, "honestly... Seriously, who's running things? Does anyone really know?" Trump stayed calm during several speakers, including: his granddaughter, Trump Jr., Vance's wife, and Vance. NPR (Jul-18) reported, "stories about J.D. Vance's grandmother Mamaw stole the (third) night at the RNC... Mamaw was in so many ways a woman of contradictions..." The NBC News anchor (Jul-17) foreshadowed the upcoming final night of the convention, when Donald Trump had been scheduled to speak, and asked, "is he a changed man?"

NBC News (Jul-18) covered the RNC's final night's speakers, which included musical performances from known artists, and slogans echoing (after the previous week, getting shot in the ear, Trump's call to "fight"), were ironic introductions from fighting entertainers, such as: the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and an energetic speech from well-known wrestling-entertainer and movie star, "real American," Hulk Hogan. Donald Trump's granddaughter, Kai Trump's voice echoed, "to me he's just a normal grandpa," (a fighter, like playing golf), "he'll try to get inside of my head." Before Donald, when Eric Trump was speaking, he answered his brother, Donald Trump Jr.'s previous day's questions, when he was asking, "seriously, who's running things? Does anyone really know?" From the RNC (Jul-18) Eric Trump replied, crediting, "the grace of God, divine intervention and your guardian angels above," and emphasized the importance of free speech. C-SPAN covered Former President Trump (Jul-19) speaking (video), "followed by … Eric? What was that all about? Boy, that was good. I didn’t want to really come up here." Donald Trump Sr. also admitted (transcript via NY Times), "I am trying to buy your vote."

Trump Sr., once again, thanked God and the Secret Service, for saving his life, and doing everything to prevent the U.S. National security threat. An informed NBC News anchor had clued how it was surprising that through all of the court cases and criminal convictions that Trump received during the previous years, why anyone would rally behind him to be U.S. President (once again), but there they were. Trump promised to put America's interests ahead of his own, and make America great once again; but after the events of January 6th 2021, and everything else Biden had mentioned a few days earlier (scroll up [violence has...] and [Focus on...]), America, including its departments had become well-aware of the U.S. National security threat surrounding Fmr. Pres.Trump. Biden, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and others, all had expressed full confidence in each other, their leadership, and their decision-making. The RNC was calling for common sense and it was time for the states to unite and find that common sense, to not have a gun in every room (like Trump's running-mate's F-word using grandma, "Mamaw"); during the horrific Trump rally where he was shot, if everyone in that crowd had a gun... Trump (Jul-19) said, "we’re going to have a thing called common sense making most of our decisions actually. It’s all common sense."

After saying he would unite the country, The Guardian (Jul-18) reported, "(Fmr. Pres.) Donald Trump promises the largest deportation operation in the history of our country... He noted that his deportations would be even larger than that of president Dwight D Eisenhower from many years ago." CNN (Jul-19) fact-checkers cited, "Trump makes more than 20 false claims in RNC acceptance speech." MSNBC News (Jul-19) reported, "Trump's RNC speech filled with rambling and continued lies about election." Daily Beast (Jul-19) suggested the overall consensus about Trump's RNC speech: "Donald Trump’s speech wasn’t just bad and mad. It was boring."

Political strategist Rina Shah via MSNBC (Jul-19) told former Rep. Donna Edwards and journalist José Díaz-Balart, "after last night, I do not believe that the Trump-Vance ticket is capable (of winning)... He (Trump) should have spoken on day one so everybody could see what a disaster he is in real-time... I wish the republicans could go back..." Edwards said that the fighting, driven by donors, by the media, and from within congress (about Biden's age), should stop, because telling him to step down wasn't helping anything. In response to headlining rumors that, "Biden's family starts discussing his possible exit plan from the 2024 race," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates (Jul-19) told NBC News, "that is not happening, period. The individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team — and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith."

July 19th, via The White House' YouTube, Biden published a 90-second video on Unity. "Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy, it's part of human nature... I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate to pursue Justice to make decisions Guided by the Declaration of Independence and our constitution we stand for an America... From the beginning, our Founders understood the power of passion, so they created a democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to Prevail over Brute Force; that's the America we must be... ...an American democracy where arguments are made in good faith... ...an American democracy where the rule of law is respected; (an) American democracy where decency, dignity, (and) fair play aren't just quaint notions, but living breathing realities. We owe that to those who come before us, to those who gave their lives for this country, we owe that to ourselves, we owe it to our children and our grandchildren... ...let's never lose sights of who we are; let's remember: we are the United States of America; there is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity, when we do it together."

According to the President's physician, (Jul-20) Kevin C. O'Connor, Joe Biden was high on medicine to treat coronavirus symptoms and disobeying his (Jul-20) warning about listening to the naysayers on the mainstream/cable news (don't let them get into your head). As they continued attacking his age and building cancel-culture, the president was hallucinating. One by one, when confronted, the weakest officials elevated the concerns about Biden's age, turned their backs against the President, and projected their own doubts/lack-of-confidence onto him.

With freedom in the balance, Biden remained strong; GBN (Jul-20) reported, he expressed fury and disappointment about the discouragement from his friends, family, and party members. Forced into retirement, along with a written statement, on X, President Biden (Jul-21) announced, "I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this." Politico (Jul-21) reported, that the Biden-Harris campaign was to become the Harris campaign and, "elevate Kamala Harris; she also said they will ensure everyone’s jobs are safe, but noted that there will also be new faces in the mix."

As Americans got smarter than the inflammatory media spin, they got tired of hearing about the election. The Trump ticket was a lost cause as Donald already seemed to be regretting who he selected as his next Vice President. Along with The Atlantic, The New Republic (Jul-22) reported, "Trump selected the inexperienced Vance, charged with all his techno-authoritarian ideas, to boost support among their own base, not extend a hand to swing voters... Vance was a symbol of the Trump team’s assuredness that they would win in 2024. Come Sunday, that assuredness appears to be shrinking."

"You’re full of s--- today! Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said, slamming (Kimberly) Cheatle," NBC News (Jul-22) reported, "committee members from both parties to tell her (Secret Service Director) to resign over her incompetence, her lame excuses and her lack of answers to what they called basic questions."

Since Biden was no longer in the 2024 election race, Trump's age became the new focus. An article from The Atlantic (Jul-22) headlined, "You Know Who Else Is Really Old? Trump Is Still Very Old. Democrats just flipped their biggest disadvantage onto the opposition..." Donald Trump was, "the oldest presidential nominee in American history." Anne Applebaum via The Atlantic (Jul-22) wrote, "Suddenly Trump Looks Older and More Deranged; Now the Republicans are the ones saddled with a candidate who can’t make a clear argument or finish a sentence."

Behind the scenes, the Biden administration itself had been busy dealing with actors attempting to capitalize on America's preoccupation with the upcoming election. BBC (Jul-22) reported that the administration was, "frustrated with the Israeli prime minister for rejecting a post war solution that involves pursuing a Palestinian state." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the US under pressure to end the Gaza war, from both Israelis and the US administration, set to meet with Congress and Biden (if he tested negative for Covid-19). They had expected Netanyahu to insist, "military pressure must continue." BBC added, former Israeli PM Ehud Barak said, "Mr. Biden’s decision to drop out of the race could actually have strengthened his (Netanyahu's) hand... There is a widespread view that Mr. Netanyahu is playing for time, hoping for a Trump win that might ease some of the pressure he’s been facing from the Biden administration." On the other hand, BBC's experts said that for a Kamala Harris presidency, "there's unlikely to be change in US policy towards Israel... but there might be a change in tone."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller (Jul-22) relayed from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "the President made clear that he is focused on all the work that we’re doing, the administration is doing broadly, but of course that we in the national security space are doing, and he wants that work to continue full steam ahead over the next six months. And as the Secretary shared with the senior leadership team here, we still have an eighth of the President’s term remaining, there’s a lot of important work that remains to be done, and he expects our team to continue to focus on getting that work done..." Miller added: "The President was elected to a four-year term, we have a number of work left to do in the remainder of that term, and we’re going to be laser-focused on getting that work done."

"US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has tendered her resignation amid scrutiny of security lapses related to the recent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump," CNN (Jul-23) reported. The Federal Bureau of Investigation took over the solving unanswered questions about the event. In addition to mentioning that the gunman had explosive devices in his car, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, "the gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump may have had a firearm with a collapsible stock, making it easier for him to carry and conceal the weapon..." Wray also said that the gunman (Crooks) researched the JFK assassination, "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?"

BBC News (Jul-22/23) reported a record-breaking 24-hours for Kamala Harris' campaign with 81-million dollars from donors. USA Today (Jul-24) added that her campaign had mapped out a, "path to victory," and in the last in three days, "raised $126 million." A few days earlier, Politico (Jul-24) had reported that after Biden endorsed Harris for the Democratic party nomination, "Future Forward, the flagship super PAC blessed by President Joe Biden received $150 million in new commitments from major Democratic donors;" they called it, "a money bomb." Therefore: in less than 72 hours, more than $276-million was raised for the Harris campaign.

Harris and Trump campaigns took turns calling each other extremists. A memo between Harris Campaign staff suggested that voters who didn't initially support the 2020 Biden-Harris ticket, voted Democrat in 2022, "as Donald Trump's Republican Party grew more and more extreme." MSNBC (Jul-24) reported that Kamala Harris said, "we're not going back" and "we're not playing around!" NY Times (Jul-24) reported, "Trump Attacks Harris as Radical in First Rally Since Her Ascent; The Trump campaign has sought to tie Vice President Kamala Harris to unpopular Biden administration policies and paint her as too liberal."

On July 25th, Biden, then VP Harris met with Israeli PM Netanyahu. USA Today (Jul-25) reported that the previous day, Netanyahu (controversially) addressed a joint session of Congress in which he, "slammed his Democratic critics in Washington and pro-Palestinian protesters across the U.S." CNN (Jul-26) reported that Harris said, "we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent... It is time for this war to end..."

Ohio Senator JD Vance said that experience becoming a mother and having children, "changes your perspective in a pretty profound way," BBC (Jul-26) reported. He also had accused Americans without kids (Democrats) of, "not really having a direct stake." Vance (Jul-26) defended to Megyn Kelly (video), his 2021 comments labeling Kamala Harris and other Democratic politicians as a, "bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives..." BBC (Jul-26) reported that entertainment star, Jennifer Aniston commented, "I truly can’t believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States."

On Friday, July 26 at the Turning Point USA Believers Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla: after speaking for an hour, Donald Trump said (video), "Christians, get out and vote. Just this time... You won’t have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians... I love you, Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, you got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not going to have to vote," The New York Times (Jul-27) reported. The Washington Post (Jul-27) reported backlash from the U.S. House of Representatives: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) commented, "this year democracy is on the ballot, and if we are to save it, we must vote against authoritarianism. Here Trump helpfully reminds us that the alternative is never having the chance to vote again." Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called Trump’s comments, "terrifying." Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said, "the only way you won’t have to vote anymore is if Donald Trump becomes a dictator."

Political tactics got dirtier and darker. The Independent (Jul-29) reported, for Jennifer Aniston's challenging of JD Vance, he called her comments, "disgusting." While acting (video), NY Post (Jul-29) reported (photos) protesters "threw oil" on Aniston; MSN (Jul-30) later reported that the mysterious liquid covering her was, "black paint." The hot topic transitioned to how Vance seemed to wear a lot of eyeliner. Even as a "goth" thing, The Independent (Jul-30) added that some said it was still too much. NPR (Aug-1) reported that the Associated Press removed a Fact Check article regarding a viral rumor where (according to Vox, on pages 179-181) in JD Vance's 2016 memoir, "Hillbilly Eligy," the vice-presidential candidate described his experience having sex with a couch, referencing an, "inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions." NPR continued the deleted AP article was titled, "No, JD Vance did not have sex with a couch."

After a Republican senator called VP Harris, "a bit of a ding dong," MSNBC/Morning Joe (Jul-30) reported that because of the loony remarks, "Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Monday pushed back on air". The news host got upset and bounced that the senator was making fun of the presidential candidate, telling him that he could lose his voters for that zinger. Eventually, they were finished with their snowballs. The senator then thanked Cavuto for the interview and they both wished each other a better day.

President Joe Biden (Jul-29) said via X:
"We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power.
We can and must restore the public’s faith in the Supreme Court.
We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy."

• The Washington Post (Jul-29) Opinion Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law (The writer is president of the United States).
• C-SPAN (Jul-29) reported (video), President Biden Delivers Remarks on Proposed Supreme Court Reforms, (at Austin TX' LBJ Presidential Library, echoing LBJ) "the courts would determine the scale and scope of our laws... ...those who founded our country knew that freedom would be secure only if each generation fought to renew and enlarge its meaning..." They continued, "do this job that Lincoln started (by challenging the court to live up to its constitutional responsibility)."

Politico (Jul-31) reported that Senate Majority Leader Schumer talked about reviewing Biden's various proposals and, "Harris’ team is still hashing out their first-term agenda and how significantly it would depart from Biden’s platform." Politico's correspondents relayed that her team is focused on winning the Democratic nomination. Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Friday said the proposals were, "dead on arrival." "...on the airport tarmac, amid shouted questions Biden responded, that’s what he is (dead on arrival)!" The Washington Post clarified that Biden (Jul-29) clarified, "I think his thinking is dead on arrival," and posted to X an additional (Jul-29) statement.

Trump was falling behind in the polls. The New Republic (Jul-29) reported that former Clinton White House aide Keith Boykin said, "the ketchup is going to hit the wall in Mar-a-Lago after this new Fox News poll... Harris’ approval rating had surpassed Trump’s in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan." July 31, the Associated Press reported, "before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile," Fmr. Pres. Trump suggested that VP Harris (half-Jamaican), "happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black." Newsweek (Jul-31) reported a poll conducted by Susquehanna Polling & Research confirmed that in Pennsylvania, Trump had slipped; he trailed by 4 points.

Forbes (Aug-2) reported, "Trump Media launches Truth+ Streaming TV Platform..." Trump called the platform, "uncancellable," ironically; "Devin Nunes, Trump Media’s chief executive, said in a statement that Truth+ will feature content that is neglected by the big corporations or is at risk of cancellations." The New York Times (Aug-3) reported, "Trump cancels a debate with Harris on ABC News and pitches one with Fox News instead." and a CNN insider (Aug-3) hinted, "ABC News would provide airtime to whichever candidate showed up – even if that ended up being just Harris." "Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage, Ms. Harris said at her rally in Atlanta..." NY Times added.

NBC (Aug-6) reported, "Harris did not know any of the (VP) candidates very well just three weeks ago. But after she whittled down her final list to (Minnesota Gov. Tim) Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and held in-person interviews... Walz was seen as the best." The Associated Press (Aug-6) reported before Walz introduction, "nearly 9 in 10 U.S. adults didn’t know enough about him (Walz), or had no opinion." Those with a view were inconclusively split: 6% favorable and 7% unfavorable.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Aug-6) told the press, "look, if you're asking me if the vice president sought the president's advice, she did. And we have said this before and I've said this many times: They are a strong team together. She is a critical partner to this president; she has been for the past three and a half years... He (Biden) has known Governor Walz for two decades and worked with him when they both served in Congress and then during the Biden-Harris administration in his capacity as governor of Minnesota. President Biden respects Governor Walz as a strong, principled, effective leader who fights for working people; someone who has never forgotten where he came from, growing up on a Midwestern farm. President Biden respects Governor Walz's life of service, serving in the Army National Guard for 24 years and becoming the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to serve in Congress; serving his community as a teacher, as a high school football coach; and serving as governor, where Governor Walz lowered the cost of insulin to 35 bucks, has fought to protect women's fundamental rights, ended junk fees, and cut taxes for middle-class families. The president is grateful that they have been able to work together to get those important priorities done ... for the American people more broadly..."

During an August 6th campaign rally in Philadelphia, Harris introduced Walz (via C-SPAN video) as her running-mate. Walz said he was looking forward to debating Vance and rallied a wisecrack, "...if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up..." As seen in the event's White House transcript, Walz (Aug-6) continued, "...and don’t believe him when he plays dumb. He knows exactly what Project 2025 (PDF) will do to restrict our freedoms — to rig the economy to help the super-rich... These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell. That’s what you see... J.D. Vance literally — literally wrote the foreword for the architect of the Project 2025 agenda." Walz finished the night challenging Trump's, (fist in the air) "God bless America!" campaign propaganda.

While promoting her new book, "The Art of Power," Nancy Pelosi (Aug-4) confessed to CBS that she actually thought Biden hadn't declined and was at the, "top of his game," however; they thought Harris would bring the Democrats, a much-needed, "more aggressive campaign." Pelosi continued to say that Biden had been, "such a consequential president," who should be added to Mt. Rushmore. The former speaker also recommended to ignore inflammatory rhetoric from Trump's Republican politicians. For example: Rolling Stone (Aug-7) reported, "Walz signed into law legislation that provided free access to menstrual products to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12," therefore; New York Times (Aug-7) reported, "Trump Campaign criticizes Walz for state law providing tampons in schools." However, NPR (Aug-7) suggested that the Democrats embraced their calling Walz, "Tampon Tim." The Rolling Stone article (Aug-7) added, (about the law) "some Minnesota Republicans even voted for it... Republicans are struggling to paint Tim Walz as a villain." The Guardian (Aug-7) reported, "JD Vance attacks Tim Walz’s military record... Observers suggested Vance was attempting to swift boat Walz" – swiftboating referred to a political tactic that Republicans in 2004 used to defeat John Kerry, "the decorated US navy Vietnam veteran and Massachusetts senator who ran for president against George W Bush."

CNN (Aug-8) headlined, "Trump stays home, leaving Vance to challenge Harris and Walz for the Midwest." PBS News (Aug-8) reported as Trump (Aug-8) held a news conference (video) from his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach, Florida, estate, "he taunted his new rival, boasted of his crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, and lashed out at questions about the enthusiasm her campaign has been generating." Donald Trump also bet that Kamala Harris' "honeymoon period will end," and gave publicity to the DNC - Democratic National "Convention coming up", scheduled in Chicago the following week (Mon, Aug 19, 2024 – Thu, Aug 22, 2024), Fox News (Aug-9) headlined (video). After Trump said, "she (Harris) is a radical left, person, at a level that nobody's; she picked a radical left, uhh... man, that is—he's got things done that he's—he has positions that are just not—it's not even possible to believe, that they exist. Uhh... He's going for things that nobody ever even heard of—heavy into the transgender world, heavy into lots of different worlds," star from Back to the Future and Howard the Duck, X/Lea Thompson (Aug-8) responded, "I find this man super weird and I did a love scene with a duck." CNN (Aug-8) mentioned that it was Trump's, "first news conference since Democratic ticket was announced." The Democrats' main takeaway from Trump's news conference: Associated Press (Aug-9) said, "Harris told reporters she was glad he has finally committed to debate her on ABC on Sept. 10, the date that had originally been set for a Biden faceoff against Trump and which her campaign has long stuck to."

The next day, KTVH Helena Montana (Aug-9) reported (photos and video), "according to Billings Airport, Trump's plane landed in Billings after a mechanical issue. He took a private plane to the Bozeman area (where he was scheduled to speak). Secret Service had to do a complete sweep of the airport here before that took place."

X/Alex Isenstadt (Aug-10) reported that Politico (Aug-10) received tips from random AOL user, Robert, "what appeared to be internal comms from a senior Trump aide..." After the Trump Campaign announced that it was hacked, the campaign claimed (unverified) that, "Iran was to blame." Raw Story (Aug-10) highlighted that documents from inside Trump’s operation included a dossier on JD Vance. The Independent (Aug-10) reported that Robert had told Politico, "I suggest you don’t be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question, will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them."

Social media got excited about Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and other celebrities recognizing the Harris campaign. Jose Afonso via Facebook (Aug-7) had said, "according to rumors, they are arranging a large concert for Harris and Walz." New York Daily News (Aug-9) said, "Harris campaign limiting celeb involvement at DNC as A-listers clamor for invites."

NBC (Aug-10) reported, "tickets to the Harris Victory Fund event range from $3,300 to $50,000, and according to a campaign official, the event has sold out with nearly 700 RSVPs, raising more than $12 million for the campaign." SF Chronicle (Aug-10) corrected, "Kamala Harris held a San Francisco fundraiser Sunday where attendance cost as much as $500,000... According to an invitation obtained by the Chronicle, donors needed to spend at least $3,300 to enter the fundraiser; tickets costing less than $250,000 were sold out as of Thursday morning."

NY Daily News continued, "while a multitude of Hollywood heavy-hitters have recently voiced their enthusiastic support for Harris’ presidential bid, those working on her campaign are trying to be tactful about who gets an invite to the upcoming DNC, sources told TMZ... The Kamala Harris campaign is taking steps to ensure the Democratic National Convention doesn’t turn into a convention for celebrities."

Along with his social media crowds on Facebook and X, Washington Post (Aug-11) reported, "Trump falsely accuses Harris campaign of fabricated AI crowd photos... ...conspiracy theorists and far-right influencers have promoted a number of falsehoods targeted at the Harris campaign." Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer (Aug-8) had said on X, "more than 15,000 Michiganders showed up..."

On Truth Social, Donald Trump (Aug-11) had said, "has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she A.I.’d it, and showed a massive crowd of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST! She was turned in by a maintenance worker at the airport when he noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there, later confirmed by the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane. She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the crowd looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake crowds at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING - And they’re even worse at the Ballot Box. She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!" Many at the event shared their own videos to prove the Detroit rally actually happened. The New York Times (Aug-9) reported from the Harris Campaign that the next day, 15,000 people also attended their Phoenix, Arizona rally. Fox News via Yahoo News (Aug-11) reported, "JD Vance hits multiple networks in Sunday morning media flurry as Tim Walz lays low." Compared to the previous week, when USA Today's Rex Huppke (Aug-5) believed that, "since Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee July 21, the GOP’s favorite felon and presidential nominee has been crumbling before our eyes... He's flailing, glitching, and running scared..." and suggested "...Vice President Kamala Harris has broken Donald Trump," her campaign continued to gain momentum.

MSNBC/The Beat with Ari Melber's (Aug-9) speculation headlined, "worried about losing to Kamala, Trump mad he can’t live in the past." AlterNet's Carl Gibson (Aug-10) reported, "Former President Donald Trump has suddenly found himself in the middle of a particularly rocky period of the campaign cycle with less than 90 days to go before the election as he contends with Vice President Kamala Harris' sudden and unexpected candidacy." Gibson had stated that, according to New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, "more than a dozen sources close to Mr. Trump," spoke anonymously to the Times. Gibson continued, "the ex-president is in the throes of a disorienting three-week stretch that has persisted since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race... Trump's woes may get worse before they get better, with his campaign's top polling official telling the Times that the vice president's momentum will likely continue to surge through August as she (Harris) continues to draw massive crowds to her rallies and garner favorable media coverage... Trump advisors admit he’s been knocked off his bearings by Harris campaign."

NPR (Aug-9) reported VP Harris stated, "we are building an economy, as President Biden often puts it, from the bottom up and the middle out... And I’ll add, from the outside in." Times of India (Aug-10) reported, "Harris' no tax on tips pledge came in a nod to the local culinary union (Nevada)..." and mentioned, "Las Vegas alone employs more than 300,000 works in hospitality sector, mainly in hotels, casinos, and restaurants." Times of India (Aug-10) added, "eliminating taxes on tipping has been part of Donald Trump's campaign promise and the Republican nominee immediately flew into a rage, accusing Harris of copying his idea for political purposes..." In a CBS interview that aired August 11th, President Biden called Donald Trump, "a genuine danger to American security." CBS' Robert Costa and Biden agreed, "we are living through history."

The previous week, NBC News (Aug-5) reported, "the Harris campaign on Sunday unveiled more than two dozen endorsements from Republicans, including former governors, members of Congress and Trump administration officials." Republicans continued endorsing VP Harris to be the next U.S. President. In addition to crumbling, flailing, glitching and running scared, MSNBC (Aug-8) had added (video), "spiraling, whining, and miserable: still Trump melts down as Harris surges in polls." Three days later, MSNBC (Aug-11) reported again, "Trump is absolutely spiraling," and, "the Trump-Vance campaign is stagnant." The Hill (Aug-12) reported, "most Republicans support the policy proposals in President Biden’s plan to reform the Supreme Court, according to a new USA Today/Ipsos poll." The Associated Press (Aug-13) reported, "at least three news outlets were leaked confidential material from inside the Donald Trump campaign, including its report vetting JD Vance as a vice presidential candidate. So far, each has refused to reveal any details about what they received." Following Trump's (Aug-11) accusations on Truth Social about, "...ELECTION INTERFERENCE...," BBC (Aug-12) reported, "the FBI has opened an investigation into allegations from the Trump campaign that it was targeted by hackers working for the Iranian government."

CNN (Aug-13) reported, "Musk tries to help Trump halt the Harris surge." Elon Musk unsuspended the former president's X account and hosted an interview. CBS/Face The Nation's (Aug-13) Anne-Marie Green noticed, "they, almost, at times, sort-of, seemed to be sort-of not listening to each other and sort-of talking passed each other..." and Ed O'Keefe added, "...Trump tries stoking a conspiracy theory about the size of crowds at Harris' campaign events, some allies are urging him to focus on policy instead." Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy (Aug-13) said (video), "stop questioning the size of her crowds." X/Mario Nawfal (Aug-13) captioned Musk, "citizen journalism from actual domain experts and people actually on the ground is much faster, more accurate and has less bias than the legacy media!" Earlier in 2024, The Guardian had reported that Musk said, "...the point of freedom of speech is allowing those whose views you disagree with to express those views." X/Carl W Klarken (Aug-13) reported (about the Trump-Musk interview), "20 seconds that every person needs to hear, 32:10 - 32:30... Elon brings up the Federal Reserve and our national debt bubble (the literal slave collar) Trump cuts him off and immediately shifts the convo to military, then to gas… No one will save you... You need to be ready..." The Guardian (Aug-13) covered, "the Musk-Trump X interview: a surprisingly dull meeting of two planet-sized egos... After overcoming technical issues, Trump used the two hour interview to rehash the stuff that he trots out at every campaign rally." Fox Business (Aug-13) reported, "UAW (the United Autoworkers Union) files labor charges against Elon Musk and Donald Trump over union comments." Fox News (Aug-16) reported, "Vance says he doesn’t think Trump needs to pivot, praises his unscripted nature."

From Maryland, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (Aug-15) presented a (White House Fact Sheet) that followed an 150 million dollar "Cancer Moonshot" and "touted billions of dollars in initial savings from an ongoing effort to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies over the prices of drugs used by Americans on Medicare." After that, The Washington Post (Aug-15) continued, the former U.S. President appeared at his, "golf club in New Jersey." CNN (Aug-15) reported, "fact check: Trump makes more than 20 false claims at news conference." Trump's meltdown/deflation continued; Deadline (Aug-15) reported, Fmr. Pres. Donald Trump thinks he is "entitled to personal attacks" on his Democratic rival, because the Harris campaign called them, "weird." The Associated Press (Aug-15) added that Trump is, "very angry." The Independent (Aug-17) reported that according to polls, Trump's running-mate, JD Vance, "was named the least popular vice presidential candidate in modern history." Politico (Aug-17) reported that The New York Times/Siena College (Aug-17) researched, "Sun Belt states look more competitive for Harris... A majority of likely voters surveyed recently in Arizona and North Carolina said they would vote for her over Trump, and she’s not far behind in Georgia and Nevada."

NY 1 Spectrum News (Aug-12) reported, "Former N.Y. Republican Rep. Susan Molinari backs Harris for president." CNN reported as Former Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (Aug-13) urged Republicans (video), "vote for Harris." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Aug-16) hinted about Duncan, however they said the Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison was "coy" with Politically Georgia, "about who will take the podium..." "Democrats ascend on Chicago, Illinois, for the 2024 Democratic National Convention which is slated to begin Monday," Fox News (Aug-18) reported.

CBN News (Aug-14) had learned, "a newly formed group, Evangelicals For Harris, would drop their first media spot... in an effort to win over some on-the-fence conservative evangelicals in swing states who are lukewarm when it comes to Donald Trump... Meanwhile, evangelist Franklin Graham (said) the liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris... (blasting the group for using an image and soundbite from his late father the Rev. Billy Graham)." NPR/OPB (Aug-15) reported that Rosario Marin, who served as U.S. treasurer under President George W. Bush said, "it is not easy to vote outside your party... You may lose friends. Your neighbors may disagree with you. Family gatherings may turn uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, I can assure you that you will know in your heart that you did the right thing and that it's a worthwhile and noble cause," and Former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois acknowledged that it, "takes a lot of courage... You have to publicly out yourself."

Harris continued promoting her campaign. Axios (Aug-16) reported, "Harris proposes $6,000 tax credit for new parents." Additionally (echoing Biden), the article continued that Harris, "wants to bring back 2021's expanded child tax credit, which was $3,600 per child under age 5 and $3,000 for those older, under the American Rescue Plan..." It also mentioned Harris', "housing agenda that would encourage the construction of 3 million more units, tax incentives for businesses, and $25,000 in down payment support for homebuyers..." and intent, "...to ban price-gouging on food and groceries — though it's not yet clear how that would work in practice." The Atlantic (Aug-16) argued, "Harris’ plan is economically dumb but politically smart... The vice president’s campaign promises make no sense to people acquainted with supply and demand—but they might win elections." NY Post (Aug-17) reported, billionaire Jeff Bezos' "left-leaning broadsheet," the Washington Post editorial board (Aug-16) ripped, "the Democratic presidential nominee for claiming price gouging is causing inflation and, rather than offer a legit plan to fix it, offering only populist gimmicks." Pushing back against the WP editorial board's, "gimmicks," claim, The Hill (Aug-18) reported that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, "I think it speaks to Kamala Harris’ values that she wants consumers to keep more money in their pockets. She wants hardworking Americans to be able to get ahead. She wants to make sure that there is corporate responsibility... We know we’ve got to have business growth in this country, small business growth, big business growth for good paying jobs. But we also know that you can’t gouge and hurt the American consumer just to pad your bottom line. And I think there’s a balance there."

The New Republic (Aug-19) reported, "Donald Trump is looking for anything to boost his fortunes as his polls continue to drop, so he’s resorted to using A.I. to claim Taylor Swift and her fans endorsed him." CNN (Aug-20) reported, "US (the FBI and other US intelligence agencies) concludes Iran is behind hacking attempts targeting Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns."

On DNC Day 1, Associated Press (Aug-19) shared (video), April Verrett, the President of SEIU (Service Employees International Union - representing 2 million Americans), boldly announced, "y'all we are going to build a younger darker hipper fresher sneaker wearing labor movement." Multiple Democratic spectators commented, "darker?" Why not fairer? It revealed tension within the Democratic party. Equality and equity were celebrated, however; like many Blacks, many whites would not support a racist party candidate, committed to policies that systematically diminish them either — what were people supporting? Was there an agenda against whites? Were whites at the wrong party? Instead of seeing people by skin color, during a campaign-organized (Aug-15) Q&A, Harris confessed (video) that she liked hip-hop and her husband liked Depeche Mode, however; they both enjoyed Prince. VP candidate Tim Walz communicated that he had, "white guy tacos," and, "that black pepper is the top of the spice level in Minnesota." VP Harris replied, "I'm the first vice president, I believe, who has ever grown chili peppers," then added, "you know, we've got some cantaloupes. You'll be fine." At the DNC (Aug-19) Hillary Clinton and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan insisted, "Kamala Harris cares," however; Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor Austin Davis suggested that Harris would be on their side, "on our side." Maybe some speakers were more racially motivated than others, using the empowerment of Harris to advance their own race-based agendas. Maybe some were trying too hard to make race an issue. Ultimately, however; too many minority voices wouldn't really help Harris, as she already commanded overwhelming support from minorities. In the balance was if Harris could swing more white votes, literally: (video) more cowbell (more cantaloupe). C-SPAN (Aug-20) shared DNC Day 1 (video). Time (Aug-19) reported Fmr. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "it still takes a village to raise a family, heal a country, and win a campaign. And America needs every one of us, our energy, our talents, our dreams. We’re not just electing a President. We are uplifting our nation." Unfortunately, James Taylor's musical performance was skipped. DNC officials (Aug-20) issued a statement echoed from the (Aug-20) Milwaukie Journal Sentinel, "because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program." Biden gave his speech (video), "the Ancient Greeks taught us that character is destiny. Character is destiny. For me and Jill, we know Kamala and Doug are people of character. It has been our honor to serve alongside them. We know that Tim and Gwen Walz are also people of great character. Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made as a nominee. It was the very best decision I made in my career. We have not only gotten to know each other, we have become close friends. She is tough, experienced, and has enormous integrity... Her story represents the best of integrity. Like many of our best presidents, she was also Vice President. She will be a president our children can look up to. She will be a president respected by world leaders because she already is. She will be a president we all can be proud of. And she will be a historic president who puts her stamp on America's future... All of us carry a special obligation, Independents, Republicans, Democrats. We saved democracy in 2020 and now we must save it again in 2024. Determine whether democracy and freedom will prevail. It is that simple, that serious. The power is literally in your hands. History is in your hands. Not hyperbole. America's future is in your hands... America is and always has been a nation of possibilities. Possibilities. We must never lose that. Never. Kamala and Tim understand this nation must continue to be a place of possibilities. Not just for the few of us, but all of us." After Biden spoke, with nothing else planned, the extended chorus of Whitney Houston and Kygo's rendition of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" played in a loop, reminiscent to how a "technical audio malfunction" looped for "Girl you know it's (true)" canceled Milli Vanilli.

On DNC day 2, there was even less cowbell. The racial undertones continued; C-SPAN (Aug-20) shared (video), the torch was passed and over-the-top soulful funky music played, song after song, some songs were on repeat. Not everyone was in the mood for it; some attending the political convention felt bored, alienated, and second guessed their affiliations. Live commenters said, "this isn't a good look," and pointed out impressions for, "anyone over 50 at this convention." The excitement was greater for smaller groups promoting special-interests. DNC planners seemed to forget the white middle class. The Associated Press (Aug-20) referenced, "a symbolic roll call in which delegates from each state pledged their support for the Democratic nominee turned into a party atmosphere. A DJ played a mix of state-specific songs — and Atlanta native Lil Jon ran out during Georgia’s turn to his hit song with DJ Snake, Turn Down for What, to the delight of the thousands inside the cavernous United Center." Multiple speakers drilled, "when we fight we win!" And that, "Biden loves our country more than his job." C-SPAN continued (video) as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said "this November, we can choose a brighter, fairer, freer future, or we can relive the dark night of Trump's American carnage. Only one candidate will move America forward... Elect Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and a Democratic majority in the Senate. And keep the torch of freedom burning bright for generations to come." Bernie Sanders said, "when the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country. And now we need to summon that will again, because too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day to just get by." Fmr. First Lady Michelle Obama (Aug-20) championed (video), "the contagious power of hope." Former President Barack Obama said that Trump has, "actually been getting worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala. There's childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd size..." adding that he had, "he killed a bipartisan immigration deal led in part by one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress that would have helped secure our border, because he thought a plan to actually solve the problem would hurt his campaign! ... Do not boo! Vote!" Obama also pointed out, "Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and then, between the Real Americans, who, of course, support him... and the outsiders who don't. And he wants you to think that you will be richer and safer if you will just give him the power... It's one of the oldest tricks... We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse. America is ready for a new chapter." Instead of, "the easy path," the former U.S. President talked about having a different task: "our job is to convince people that democracy could actually deliver... Mutual respect has to be part of our message. Our politics have been so polarized these days that all of us across the political spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others, unless they agree with us on every single issue... That approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division.... We live in a time of such... confusion and rancor... with a culture that puts a premium on things that don't last. Money, fame, status, likes. We chase the approval of strangers on our phones. We build all matter of walls and fences around ourselves, and then we wonder why we feel so alone. We don't trust each other as much, because we don't take the time to know each other. And in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other."

For DNC day 3, C-SPAN (Aug-21) shared Georgia's Former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (Republicans for Harris) said (video), "you do not have to agree with every policy position of Harris, I do not, but you have to realize her prosecutor mindset that understands right from wrong, good from evil, she is a steady hand that will bring leadership to the White House that Donald Trump could never do. Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home watching. If you vote for Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat, you are a patriot... Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing." Fmr. President Bill Clinton (Aug-21) said (video), "just think: what a burden it has been, on us, to get up, day after day, after day... buried in meaningless hot rhetoric when there's [sic] so many problems to be solved... A presidential election is unique in several ways. First of all, it's the greatest job interview for the greatest job in the world. Secondly, the constitution says we the people get to do the hiring. And the third thing is, that every four years, we get to change the requirements for the job... Here are our problems. Solve them. Here are our opportunities. Seize them. Here are our fears. Ease them. Here are our dreams. Help them come true." Echoing Biden from day 1, before performing "Higher Ground", Stevie Wonder repeatedly told the crowd (video), "I love you!"

Earlier on DNC day 4, C-SPAN (Aug-22) reported that Sen. Pennsylvania Bob Casey said (video), "prices are up because these corporations are scheming to drive them up... ...the food conglomerate who sit behind the supermarkets of the faceless wholesalers. They are the ones who are extorting families at the checkout counter. This is greed inflation. I have been fighting it for a long time. So has Kamala Harris. And finally, we are starting to win." Sen. Warren from Massachusetts said (video), "Kamala Harris can't be bought..." However, she wouldn't trust Trump and JD Vance to move her couch.

MSNBC (Aug-23) reported (video), "JD Vance had a surprisingly awkward time ordering two dozen donuts and chatting with the workers."

Also during DNC day 4, comedian D.L. Hughley pointed out, "Kamala knows the truth about the American Dream" (more than hard work alone, it requires access, information, and opportunity). He added, "imagine attacking Harris' character without a single Google search." The crowd chanted, "no more war!" WFAA shared P!nk and her daughter (Aug-22) singing (video), "What About Us?" Also, PBS covered The Chicks singing (video), "The National Anthem." "I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret. The Democrats are just as patriotic as us, they love this country just as much as we do," Republican Adam Kinzinger told the DNC, "the Republican party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principle that gave it purpose, to a man whose only purpose is himself. Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He is a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He is a perpetrator who cannot stop playing the victim... ...there is no real strength there. As a conservative and veteran, I believe true strength lies in defending the vulnerable. It's in protecting your family, it's in standing up for our constitution and our democracy.... Summon the courage to stand up to one weak man! As a Republican speaking before you, I am putting our country first. Because the fact is, I do belong here. I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution and our democracy. And she is dedicated to upholding all three and service to our country. Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison to the fundamental matters of principle, of decency, and a fidelity to this nation. Listen... To my fellow Republicans: if you still pledge allegiance to the principles, I suspect you belong here too. Because democracy knows no party. It's a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It's the bedrock that separates us from tyranny and when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand together, united to strengthen it. If you think those principles are worth defending, then I urge you: make the right choice. Vote for our bedrock values and vote for Kamala Harris. God bless you."

Closing the DNC convention on day 4, during her 38-minute Presidential Nomination acceptance speech, Kamala Harris (Aug-22) energized the crowd and said (video), "to Joe Biden. When I think about the path that we have traveled together, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary as history will show, and your character is inspiring..." She also echoed her mother and Michelle Obama, "never complain about injustice, but do something about it... She also taught us... Never do anything half-assed..." Harris continued, "in our system of justice, a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us... I will be a president who leads us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens. Who is realistic, practical, and has common sense... ...and always fights for the American people. Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives, it is one of the most important in the life of our nation. In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man," she suggested, "but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. We will create what I call an opportunity economy, an opportunity economy where everyone has the chance to compete and a chance to succeed. Whether you live in a rural area, small town, or big-city. And as President, I will bring together labor and workers, and small business owners, and entrepreneurs, and American Companies... I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives, especially on matters of heart and home... And when congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law..." Before finishing, Harris also mentioned Ukraine and the Middle East, "whether it is that to the war in Gaza, President Biden and I are working around the clock, because now is the time to get a hostage deal and the cease-fire deal done... Let us show each other and the world who are and what we stand for. Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world... And together, let us write the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America." At nearly that same time, MSNBC (Aug-23) shared (video), on-air, over the phone to Fox News, as Trump was ranting, both news anchors teamed up to interrupt him and cut him off.

"At least five members of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) have been placed on administrative leave following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania," Fox News (Aug-23) confirmed.

NBC News (Aug-23) reported that Independent candidate, "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed former President Donald Trump... Kennedy had dropped in the polls in recent weeks. He blamed Democrats for running a relentless campaign against his independent candidacy... ...he implied he's been offered a say in a potential future Trump administration... Members of the Kennedy family called the former independent presidential candidate's endorsement of Trump a betrayal..." "We believe in Harris and Walz," NBC News (Aug-23) relayed an official statement from the Kennedy family, "our brother (Junior) Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story." NJ.com True Jersey (Aug-23) reported, "latest (nationwide) presidential poll (by Fairleigh Dickinson University) indicates small lead is exploding." The Washington Post (Aug-24) reported, "Trump allies try to energize him as he struggles to adapt to Harris..." Alyssa Farah Griffin (a former White House spokeswoman who quit after Trump supporters attacked the Capitol) speculated, "from spending days off the campaign trail golfing to coming up with frankly weak nicknames like Kamabala, it feels like he’s lost his mojo."

CNN (Aug-24) reported, "Democrats, with the backing of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, on Monday sued to block controversial new election rules in Georgia."

The Independent (Aug-26) reported, "Kamala Harris’s campaign is reportedly in a dispute with Donald Trump’s team over whether to keep the candidates’ microphones on throughout the entire presidential debate on September 10 — as the former president suggested on social media Sunday night that he might not debate her at all. The Harris campaign is pushing to keep the microphones on the entire time, a deviation from the Biden campaign’s initial request." Brian Fallon, senior advisor for communications for the Harris campaign (Aug-26) told Politico, "our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own..." Associated Press (Aug-26) reported, "Harris’ campaign announced Sunday that it raised $82 million during the week of the Democratic National Convention and a staggering $540 million since Biden quit the race and endorsed her on July 21."

A CNN investigation in collaboration with the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) (Aug-28) has found, "Nederlof is one of 17 real European women — fashion and beauty influencers from the Netherlands, Denmark and as far away as Russia — whose online photos have been stolen by unknown actors to promote Trump and his pick as running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, on X. To be honest, ‘what the f**k?’ was my reaction. That was my reaction, because I have nothing to do with the United States. With Trump, the political things over there. What the hell do I – from a small place in Germany – care about US politics?"

NPR (Aug-29) reported that after a physical altercation with an Arlington National Cemetery staffer, "Former President Donald Trump shared a TikTok video including footage from Arlington National Cemetery that likely violates a federal law against using military cemeteries for campaigning purposes." The New York Times (Aug-29) reported, "the family of a Green Beret buried there expressed concern about videos and photos taken by his grave. And a cemetery employee declined to press charges after an altercation with the Trump team, fearing retribution."

The Hill (Aug-29) reported, "Margo Martin, Trump’s deputy director of communications, posted a video clip of the 45th president ascending the stairs of an airplane... As he walked up the stairs, the opening riff of The White Stripes’ 2003 hit Seven Nation Army played in the background." Buzzfeed mentioned, "...in 2016, Trump's campaign actually used the same song Seven Nation Army without permission. In response, Jack, along with White Stripes member and ex-wife Meg White, sold T-shirts that read Icky Trump — a reference to their 2007 album and song, Icky Thump." From Instagram, the songwriter (Aug-29) said, "....don't even think about using my music you fascists. Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others.) Have a great day at work today Margo Martin. And as long as I'm here, a double fuck you DonOLD for insulting our nation's veterans at Arlington you scum. You should lose every military family's vote immediately from that if ANYTHING makes sense anymore. -Jack White." Yahoo! Entertainment (Aug-29) added, "...both Foo Fighters and ABBA have demanded that Trump cease playing their music at his presidential campaign rallies. Although Trump’s campaign events are covered by broad ASCAP and BMI licenses that permit the use of music, artists have the ability to opt out of these licenses. Once an artist opts out and notifies a candidate that they are in breach of the license, the candidate could be liable for a $150,000 fine for each unauthorized use. Currently, the estate of Isaac Hayes is suing Trump for $3 million over this very issue."

Like Dolly Parton's song, from her album, For God and Country, named "Go To Hell," CBS (Aug-29) reported that JD Vance said Kamala Harris, "can (go to hell)," Vance later said that his comments were justified, because she tried, "to make a massive political issue, out of the incident at Arlington National Cemetery..." Vance added, "sometimes I get frustrated and pissed off." At the end of "Go To Hell" and before "Ballad of the Green Beret," Dolly Parton said (audio), "the guys in Special Forces are usually the first ones into a war and often the last ones out. Imagine going into a hostile country, lightly armed, and with just a few men. What they do is so secret, they never get the recognition they deserve, and this is one time, I want them to know: they are appreciated!" Snopes had (Aug-28) confirmed, "two different photographs authentically show former U.S. President Donald Trump giving a thumbs-up and smiling while posing next to the graves of fallen Marines in Arlington National Cemetery." X/Kamala Harris (Aug-31) released a statement calling Arlington National Cemetery, "a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation. It is not a place for politics." PBS News Hour (Aug-30) reported Kimberly Atkin Stohr (Boston Globe) recalled (video), "...there was a time that being disrespectful in any way at Arlington National Cemetery, one of the most sacred places in our nation, would have put an end to a political career." A panel on MSNBC's Morning Joe (Aug-30) discussed (video) if the incident was a new low for Trump.

PBS News Hour's Geoff Bennet (Aug-30) reported (video), "it would appear that Donald Trump is having trouble staking out a consistent stance and message on abortion access and reproductive rights." New York Times' David Brooks (Aug-30) replied (video), "when he wants to position himself more favorably, he shifts. But this was the first time when he shifted, saying six weeks was too short, or really trying to push the Republican Party in a pro-choice direction, this was the first time I really saw social conservatives furious and just putting tremendous pressure on him not to do this." CNN (Aug-30) reported, "concerns among Republicans that Trump’s continued waffling on abortion might lose him some deeply religious voters in a tightening race." Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci informed CNN (video), Trump had been, "saying two contradictory things at the exact same time and giving enough food for everybody at the table... Then, a day later... This way, the people that are gaslit by Donald Trump, they can hang onto those sentences and to those words. So, that's what he's doing right now; he's shot gunning out statements and words. The conservatives in his party are telling him you can't do that; many of those pro-life conservatives will not come out to vote for you. You have a low ceiling at 47.5%; you've never been able to punch through that. You need every one of these votes... He’s in trouble, he knows it..." C-Span (Aug-29) covered (video) Fmr. U.S. President Trump's rally speech in La Crosse, WI, "take a look at bacon and some of these products. Some people don't eat bacon anymore. We are going to get energy prices down. This was caused by their horrible energy. Wind. They want wind all over the place. When it doesn't blow, we have a problem..." X/Acyn, Senior Digital Editor for MeidasTouch.com (Aug-29) added, "Fox is carrying Kamala Harris’ speech. They stopped covering Trump’s speech about 20 minutes ago. He’s still speaking at his event." The Washington Post (Sep-2) added, "with little chance of improving Trump’s standing, Trump’s advisers see the only option as damaging hers."

In a CNN interview (Aug-29) with Dana Bash, Harris said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet. She also talked about turning the page on the last decade; the vice president clarified that she was referring to a "warped" era where politics became about putting people down instead of building them up. Walz added, "our politics can be better..." The Hill (Aug-30) reported from James Singer, a Harris campaign spokesperson, "Donald Trump is out of his mind. If a family member posted what Donald Trump is sharing, Americans would rightly be concerned... But this is what Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda offer America: prosecuting political opponents, using dangerous conspiracy theories to justify harmful policies, and dividing Americans against each other."

The Associated Press (Sep-2) reported, VP Kamala Harris said, "U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated, and I will always have the backs of America’s steelworkers."

AlterNet (Aug-30) reported, "Trump biopic that shows him assaulting first wife will be released in US before election... Trump is shown cutting deals with the mafia to build his skyscrapers, taking amphetamines to lose weight and undergoing liposuction and plastic surgery." They reported that a cease-and-desist letter was sent, however; NBC News (Aug-30) said, "the independent distributor Briarcliff Entertainment plans to release the movie on Oct. 11... The Apprentice premiered in May at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it immediately turned into a sociopolitical lightning rod... Briarcliff Entertainment has experience releasing controversial projects." Meanwhile, author of "Foreign Agents" and writer for New York Intelligencer, Casey Michel (Sep-1) detailed, "corruption: Trump is making new, sketchy foreign business deals from Saudi Arabia to Serbia, despots are cozying up, likely in preparation for a second term." The Guardian (Sep-3) reported, "Donald Trump and election denialist allies at Turning Point USA, True the Vote and other Maga stalwarts are spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud in order to lay the groundwork for charging the election was rigged if Trump loses, warn election experts and some veteran Republicans." The Independent (Sep-5) emphasized that David Becker at the Center for Election Innovation and Research had said, "a lot of false claims are masquerading as efforts to change policy to improve election integrity when in actuality they’re just designed to sow distrust in our system if Trump loses... This is all designed to manufacture claims that if Trump loses, the election was stolen and to sow discord, chaos and potential violence." Becker (Sep-7) told CNN, "the fact is, our elections right now — as voters are thinking about whether it’s worthwhile to cast a ballot in this election — our elections right now are as secure, transparent and verifiable as they’ve ever been." The Independent (Sep-3) reported, "some Republican leaders think Trump is bad for the party’s future — and secretly want him to lose... ...are rooting for a Harris presidency with a GOP-controlled Senate in order to save their party." Politico columnist Jonathan Martin (Sep-4) wrote, "the best possible outcome in November for the future of the Republican Party is for Donald Trump to lose and lose soundly."

In an interview, Donald Trump (Sep-3) told Lex Fridman (video), "this country’s going down and I called it with Venezuela, I called it with a lot of different countries. And this country’s going down if we don’t win this election, the election coming up on November 5th is the most important election this country’s ever had because if we don’t win it, I don’t know that there’ll be another election and it’s going to be a communist country or close." Lex replied, "there’s a lot of people listening to this, myself included, that doesn’t think that Kamala is a communist... whenever we use terms like communism for her, and I don’t know if you know this, but some people call you a fascist." Trump responded, "...I believe you have to fight fire with fire. I believe they’re very evil people. These are evil people. We have an enemy from the outside and we have an enemy from within. And in my opinion, the enemy from within are radical left lunatics. And I think you have to fight back." Lex responded, "whenever there’s a lot of fighting fire with fire, it’s too easy to forget that there is a middle of America that’s moderate and sees the good in both sides and just likes one side more than the other in terms of policies. Like I said, there’s a lot of people that like your policies, that like your skill in being able to negotiate and end wars and they don’t see the impending destruction of America... As the leader of the United States, you were the most powerful man in the world... Just on your own personal psychology, what does that power do to you? Is there any threat of it corrupting how you see the world?" Trump's replied, "no, I don't think so..."

Mixed reports blamed different countries: China, Iran, and Russia for trying to interfere with 2024 U.S. elections. From Europe, Modern Diplomacy (Sep-7) reported, "Iranian Interference in U.S. Presidential Election: a threat to democratic integrity — the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency showed that Iran has targeted people directly associated with the presidential campaigns of either the Democrats or the Republicans and using social engineering and other methodologies." CNN (Sep-7) reported, including addition to the FBI searching homes of, "Americans who have worked with Russia’s state television networks... ...the Biden administration launched a broad campaign to combat Russian efforts to interfere with the upcoming presidential election in the United States... That multipronged strategy included charges against two employees of RT (Russian state media) accused of participating in a scheme that funneled nearly $10 million to set up and direct a Tennessee-based front company to produce online content aimed at sowing divisions among Americans." The Record (Sep-3) reported, "Chinese Spamouflage operatives are mimicking disillusioned Americans online. A Chinese influence operation has ramped up its efforts to impact online discourse around the U.S. elections, creating fake personas across social media platforms to spread divisive messages about the state of the country." NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator for President Joe Biden, Admiral John Kirby (Sep-4) said, "fake social media personas and disinformation in cyberspace is incredibly difficult to shut down." The Greyhound (May-2) had published, "Social Media’s Influence on the 2024 Presidential Election" by Samuel Gibbs, where Communications Professor Dr. Amy Becker mentioned filtering content: "only then see news sources and content that agree with our point of view. In addition, there are many who lack the ability to separate truth from misinformation or disinformation..." Gibbs added, "misinformation and disinformation are difficult to decipher in general but doing so over social media can prove even harder... it is the individual’s responsibility to conduct any external research." Bill Gates via CNBC (Sep-5) agreed (video), "this (misinformation/disinformation) is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s young people...The problem isn’t going away, either: It’s already far too easy for false information to spread to the billions of people actively using the internet... And, if you catch it a day later, the harm is done." Gates called identifying misinformation, "a technology arms race — someone creates a solution, someone else figures out how to get around it... it won’t be a perfect success... ...some kinds of rules need to be established," by whom: he was not sure. "We’ve handed this problem to the younger generation... Hearing my daughter talk about how she’d been harassed online, and how her friends experienced that quite a bit, brought that into focus in a way that I hadn’t thought about before." CNBC also reported, "he too shares the human impulse to seek out information that confirms previously held beliefs," and added that he said, "let’s say there’s a politician I don’t like, and there’s some article online criticizing him a little bit. I’m like, Oh, that’s such a good critique [and] I enjoyed reading it, even if it was exaggerated. Ascendents.net News (2020-May-10) had confirmed (People Can't Read) the results of two nationwide studies: "14% of Americans with reading ability proficiently/at high-school level."

BBC (Sep-2) reported, "multiple cars travelling in the motorcade carrying Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice-president, crashed in Milwaukee. Mr Walz was not hurt...The cars involved were at the rear of the motorcade and were carrying members of the press who travel with Mr Walz."

Senator Elizabeth Warren (Aug-26) joined MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki (video), "for a wide-ranging discussion on the upcoming Sept. 10 debate (hosted by ABC) between Trump and Harris." Warren said, "I think Trump is really afraid of Kamala Harris... I think his whole team is scared... And that's why they are trying to find ways to muzzle him — to make this debate not happen (if possible), because; Kamala Harris, she will wipe the floor with Donald Trump." Fox News (Sep-2) reported (video), neither candidate received boosts from their conventions, "panelists preview[ed] the highly anticipated debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump..." Trump Campaign advisor Jason Miller told Fox (video), "with regard to the debate, I think the Harris Campaign is looking for an escape... ...looking for a way to get out of this debate... ...they realized they're in real trouble with Kamala Harris." Fox News (Sep-3) shared (video), "Kamala Harris accused of (new tactic) wearing earbuds to avoid reporters."

Kamala Harris (Sep-2) spoke at a rally in Detroit: "Everywhere I go, I tell people: Look, you may not be a union member. You better thank a union member — for the five-day workweek. You better thank a union member for sick leave. You better thank a union member for paid leave. You better thank a union member for vacation time. Because what we know is when union wages go up, everybody’s wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, every workplace is safer. When unions are strong, America is strong. We know what we’re talking about. The labor movement has always understood the power of the collective and the power of unity. And while we are fighting so much nonsense that is about trying to divide our country, trying to pull us apart, look to what the history and the present of labor tells us about the power of the collective and unity — the spirit of that work, as much as the product of that work. It’s very telling and gives us really good lessons about what creates strength."

To a warm audience followed by applause, at the Economic Club of New York, in a response to a question about, "committing to prioritizing legislation to make childcare more affordable," X/MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes (Sep-6) shared Donald Trump's response (video), "well I would do that and we're sitting down, you know and I was... Somebody... We had Senator Marco Rubio and my daughter, Ivanka was so... impactful on that issue. It's a very important issue, but I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I'm talking about, that — because, look: childcare is childcare... It's... couldn't... it's something... You have to have it. In this country, you have to have it. But when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I'm talking about... ...those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we're talking about, including childcare, that it's going to take care. We're gonna have, I look forward to having no deficits within a fairly short period of time... I have to stay with childcare. I want to stay with childcare, but those numbers are small, relative to the kind of economic numbers that I'm talking about, including growth, but growth also headed up by... what the plan is that I just, that I just told you about. We're going to be taking in trillions of dollars and as much as childcare is talked about as being expensive, it's, relatively speaking, not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we'll be taking in. We are going to make this into an incredible country that can afford..."

BBC News (Sep-7) reported September 10th's Harris vs Trump presidential debate by ABC News would be, "the first time the two candidates have ever met in person. The high-stakes event in Philadelphia on Tuesday night is expected to draw in tens of millions of viewers." BBC also mentioned that Fmr. VP Dick Cheney endorsed current VP Kamala Harris for President and said, "there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump." After CNN (Sep-4) released new poll results (PDF), NewsMax (Sep-4) reported, "15 Percent of Swing-State Voters Undecided." On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert (Sep-4) relayed, "CNN polls across six battlegrounds find Georgia and Pennsylvania are key toss-ups... ...an average of 15% of likely voters say they have not yet firmly decided their choice..." He questioned, "how is that possible?

"There is nothing scientific about these polls..." Jimmy Kimmel (Sep-9) suggested (video) the only people who took polls were, "lunatics who answer unknown calls on their telephone," and, "Trump wants to lock up late night hosts."

"Springfield police say no reports of pets stolen, eaten, after viral social media post," the Springfield News-Sun (Sep-9) reported. X/JD Vance (Sep-9) amplified the rumor (video), "reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar?" NBC News (Sep-13) later reported, "it just exploded: Springfield woman claims she never meant to spark false rumors about Haitians." JD Vance's, "...purpose, it appears, was a trollish attempt to mislead the public and prey on people’s hatreds and fears," David Dewitt, Editor and Chief of Ohio Capital Journal (Sep-9) had said. The Hill (Sep-9) reported, "ten retired U.S. military generals and admirals are backing Vice President Harris and warning against picking former President Trump in the upcoming election." CNBC (Sep-10) reported that National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, "what’s deeply concerning to us is you’ve got now elected officials in the Republican Party pushing, you know, yet another conspiracy theory that’s just seeking to divide people based on lies, and, let’s be honest, based on an element of racism...This kind of language, this kind of disinformation, is, is dangerous, because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is, and they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt... So it needs to stop." NBC News (Sep-11) headlined: "bomb threat in Springfield spurs fear and closures after false anti-migrant claims... ...at least 6 buildings, including an elementary school (and Springfield City Hall), were closed and investigated as a result of the threat." The viral rumors had spread, "Arizona’s Republican Party erected about a dozen billboards in the Phoenix area that say EAT LESS KITTENS," The Washington Post (Sep-11) reported.

Fox Business (Sep-10) Barron's Roundtable panelists, Jack Hough: "...interest is close to defense spending..." Elon Musk said (America was), "going bankrupt extremely quickly..."

CBS News (Sep-11) reported Karen Graves, the strategic engagement manager for Springfield said, "in response to recent (baseless) rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community." "No, Haitian migrants aren’t decapitating ducks in Springfield, Ohio | Fact Check," USA Today (Sep-12) reported. Democratic politician and United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (Sep-12) told CNN's Kaitlan Collins (video), "this is a strategy. And there's even more to it than demonizing immigrants, although that's obviously part of what he's doing. This is a strategy to get us talking about the latest crazy thing that he did, whatever urban legend he amplifies... The last thing he wants us to do is to talk about his record or his agenda. So, what he wants us talking about is whatever crazy nonsense he can thrust, into the center of the internet and the media conversation." When Kaitlan asked, "so, you think it's just a distraction technique?" Pete replied, "yes, I mean, but it's one that isn't harmless, right? It's affecting this community, and it contributes to this bigger picture of demonizing immigrants. But again, this is strategic... ...the purpose is to do something so outrageous that we have to talk about it, that journalists have to go in, if for no other reason than to run it down and debunk it when it's false, and to try to suck up all the oxygen into that, so that we're not talking about his profoundly unpopular policy agenda."

From Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, The ABC (Sep-10) Presidential Debate Simulcast (video) revealed that it's more about being smarter than acting smarter. C-SPAN (Sep-10) aired the debate (video) with a transcript. The Guardian (Sep-11) reported, "an estimated 67.1 million people watched the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, a 31% increase from the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden." During the debate, Vice President Harris said, "what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess..." and, "(he) basically sold us out." The former president, Donald Trump used the Ohio rumor/disinformation as an argument and pointed out that because he saw something on TV, it somehow suggested to him that whatever he thought was true, "people on television say my dog was taken." Trump also repeatedly argued that Harris would ban fracking; Kamala interrupted and insisted: for Donald Trump to stop lying, clarifying that she would not ban fracking. After the debate, CNN (Sep-11) shared (video), Trump declared himself winner, "this was my best debate." The two candidates shook hands: first before the debate and for a second time, the following day, "at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in the Manhattan borough of New York City," CBS News (Sep-11) shared (photos). NPR (Sep-11) reported, "during Tuesday's debate, Harris was in command; Trump was incoherent." The Atlantic (Sep-11) reported, "Kamala Harris Broke Donald Trump... In their first face-to-face meeting, the Democratic nominee humiliated the former president." "Ex-FBI profiler Joe Navarro [analyzed] the body language of Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris during the ABC News presidential debate," CNN's Tom Foreman (Sep-11) reported (video). "That was fun. let's do it again," Harris advisor Brian Fallon (Sep-10) had said via X. Fox News (Sep-10) offered to host another debate. Donald Trump via Truth Social (Sep-12) released a statement, "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!"

"WNBA Indiana Fever guard, Caitlin Clark made a recommendation for Americans on Wednesday after she liked Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Harris for president after her debate on Tuesday," Fox News (Sep-11) reported. NBC News (Sep-11) added, "more than 337,000 people visited Taylor Swift's link to register to vote."

Also following the debate, disinformation escalated from both Trump and Vance. News outlets handled it differently. The NBC News (Sep-13) headline avoided mentioning rumor specifics, "bomb threats force second consecutive day of school closures in Springfield, Ohio...Several local leaders have also been targeted in the wake of baseless claims aimed at Haitian immigrants that have been repeated by former President Donald Trump." The New York Times (Sep-13) headline punned, "President Biden angrily denounced former President Donald J. Trump on Friday for continuing to traffic in false rumors about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs, unfounded tales [sic] that have roiled a community in Ohio and inflamed the presidential campaign." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Sep-13) said, "it's not funny... Political leaders should not be attacking vulnerable communities. That’s not who we should be. And if they’re going to fall for conspiracy theories online, maybe they shouldn’t be our leaders... When we hear that type of hateful rhetoric, we should come together and have each other’s backs and call it out, because it’s not okay. It is dangerous... It puts people’s lives at risk. It's not funny." "Trump is drowning in the misinformation swamp he helped create," CNN (Sep-12) reported. MSNBC (Sep-15) reported (video), "JD Vance doubles down on false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield."

"Hell no (I don't want your autograph)," CNN (Sep-12) reported that President Joe Biden (video), "interacted and bantered with a crowd of mainly Trump supporters."

"Trump [doubled] down on misinformation, false claims after (the) debate..." a CNN (Sep-15) State of The Union panel reacted (video) to a JD Vance/Dana Bash interview where he continued, "leaning into spreading misinformation..." CNN Political Commentator Ashley Allison (Sep-14) acknowledged (video) the broader immigration problem and suggested, "they are not winning on this issue right now, because they are not talking about it like responsible adults. And I hope the American people realize that we do need some solutions, but Donald Trump isn't trying to lead toward solutions. He's just doing what he always does, which is: adding fuel to the fire. And his running-mate is joining along with it, rather than... and killing bills... rather than trying to find solutions. And they are using language that is rather dangerous..." Newsweek (Sep-14) reported, "Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, a Republican, condemned the rhetoric, telling WSYX in an interview, All these federal politicians that have negatively spun our city, they need to know they're hurting our city, and it was their words that did it." ABC News (Sep-15) reported that Ohio's Republican Governor, Mike DeWine said, "what companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They're very happy to have them there, and frankly, that's helped the economy. Now, are there problems connected? Well, sure. When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you're going to have some challenges and some problems. And we're addressing those."

Trump and his campaign had been in a downward spiral, overwhelmed by the backfiring of their own divisive, poorly-planned, and badly-executed idea to spread false-information about residents of Ohio. Suddenly, the subject changed, because Trump's campaign said that at his golf club in Florida, the former president was taken to safety after someone's "long gun" barrel was spotted, and shot at by the Secret Service. The long gun, later reported (Sep-16) by CNN as, "an AK-47-style rifle with a scope," was found in the bushes and the long gunman was arrested. Broadcast TV programming played through uninterrupted, however; source after source made it their news headline. NBC News (Sep-15) reported Trump's campaign co-managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a memo to staff members it was, "for the second time in two months, an evil monster attempted to take the life of President Trump." New York Post (Sep-15) relayed it was, "the second time a madman armed with an assault rifle has tried to kill the 45th president in two months." CNN (Sep-16) reported, "FBI is investigating what it said is an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his Florida golf club Sunday, the second time in two months there’s been an apparent attempt on the former president’s life.."

Feeling like a rockstar, Harris campaign was pushing her limits with swing voters, promoting political gimmicks such as, "by donating, you and a guest could win: a chance to meet Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz! (includes a photo with the candidates, along with free flights and hotel stay for the event)." Watch this Facebook Ad (video).

Donald Trump (Sep-16) posted to X, "The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust. Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!"

The Telegraph's Live Poll Tracker (Sep-18) reported, "Kamala Harris' narrow lead over Donald Trump in the race for the White House has flatlined, according to a poll of polls..."

Lead attorney representing the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Subodh Chandra (Sep-24) told NBC4 Columbus, "...if anyone other than Trump and Vance had relentlessly disseminated false information, resulting in 33 bomb threats, school closures, city hall closures, college closures, and threats to the mayor and his family, they would have been arrested by now."

CBS (Sep-20) reported following the announcement, that, "Former President Donald Trump, the biggest shareholder in Trump Media & Technology Group, and other insiders at the Truth Social owner can finally sell their stakes in the business... DJT shares tumbling 92 cents, or 5.9%, to $14.70, representing a new low for the stock." DJT had already been in a steady decline. Fearing the stock could fall even lower, investors were feeling nervous... Trump recently said he wasn't planning to cash out, (Sep-13) vowing, "absolutely no intention of selling," CBS (Sep-20) added. ABC (Sep-19) reported that following the "lockout," Trump's available stake was, "valued at approximately $1.7 billion," and it, "could crater the stock for the company..." CNN (Sep-19) interjected, "four months ago, it was worth $6.2 billion," and indicated that greed was driving the market. CNN added that Trump told reporters, "no, I’m not selling. No, I love it," and it boosted Trump Media’s share price (for a few hours at least). ABC (Sep-19) summarized, "...holding onto the investment would be a financial leap of faith for Trump, whose shares... ...have lost billions of dollars in value over the last six months." MSNBC (Sep-21) reported, "...just fifty days before the election, guess what Donald Trump was doing? He launched a new cryptocurrency startup with his sons!"

• Politico (Sep-17) reported, "Michigan (swing state)... Some see the hand of God in action. Many Trump supporters are attributing his survival to the divine."
• The Guardian (Sep-19) reported, "former Trump advisers and operatives have quietly helped build a pro-Russian website that frequently spreads debunked conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine, election fraud and vaccines."
• Fox News (Sep-19) reported (video), "Gutfeld! draws largest audience in program history with Trump appearance."
• Bloomberg (Sep-19) reported, "the Secret Service is looking into Elon Musk's post on X that suggested it was strange no one attempted to assassinate President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris."
• NBC (Sep-18) reported, "Teamsters union declines to endorse in presidential election, breaking decades of precedent."
• MLive.com (Sep-19) shared (video), "Kamala Harris [talked] abortion rights, gun rights, Jan. 6... ...[joined] Oprah Winfrey... ...during Oprah's Unite for America Live Streaming event in Farmington Hills, Michigan."
• CNN (Sep-20) reported, "Kamala Harris went to Georgia to speak about reproductive rights (at a campaign event in Atlanta)."

Trump lied about plans to meet with India's PM Modi during his visit to the U.S., India Today (Sep-19) reported.

Without much to report, Walz and Vance went off debating each other. The simulcast debate was hosted (Oct-1) by CBS (video); C-SPAN (Oct-1) provided (video) a transcript. The debaters, Walz and Vance, both agreed that they were looking forward to shaking hands and working together. At one point, Walz interrupted Vance when they were arguing about how the law works. CNN (Oct-2) highlighted, the fighting was so intense that both speakers' mics were cut, "when Vance pushed back and tried to argue the legal process is flawed... Walz pointed out the law has been on the books since 1990..." MSNBC's Rachel Maddow (Oct-1) analyzed the Vance-Walz debate (video), "one was smooth, the other won." Walz ultimately won the debate when Vance was unable to promise that Trump wouldn't try to steal the election again. The vast majority concluded that the debate would not change their vote. At a press briefing, President Joe Biden (Oct-4) acknowledged (video) that the former president and his vice-presidential candidate JD Vance still would not even accept the results about Trump losing the previous election (when Trump was President), however; for this election, since Biden would still be President, when asked if he reconsidered dropping out of the race, he answered, "I'm back in!" Biden (Oct-4) also told the press (video), "the election will be free and fair, but I don't know whether it will be peaceful," NBC News (Oct-4) reported (video).

Denver's Channel 9 KUSA News (Sep-22) had reported that previously before he dropped out, Trump was getting Biden hammered and his "erratic" behavior was simply getting "old." CNN (Sep-23) reported, Nebraska (swing-state) Republican, "Rep. Don Bacon [warned] Trump that his campaign style could cost him (the) key electoral vote."

Fmr. Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (Sep-23) told CNN, "that a controversial rule passed recently by the state’s election board that requires that ballots be hand-counted will create chaos... ...a state of 11 million people, about 4½ million votes, if not more. That’s chaos in the system. And it’s intentional... It’s designed to undermine confidence, to create chaos, and to put election workers in a position where they cannot, in good conscience, get to the result, which is to tell the people of Georgia what we decided." Fox News (Sep-24) participated in another form of election interference — by throwing into the U.S. mix, political opinions of those in a foreign country, "Morning Glory: What if Israelis could vote in US elections?" X/Kaitlan Collins from CNN (Sep-24) reported, "the Trump campaign says he (Trump) was briefed today by US intelligence officials about real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States. The election circus had gotten so repetitive and boring that the media's coverage for the presidential race began to slip. Most voters had already decided who they were voting for. The daily campaign rallies had nothing new for field-journalists. The media was trying to keep the election electrified and the nation's attention focused, however; in actuality, journalists were waiting for a story. MSNBC's Chris Jansing (Oct-2) reported (video), "Trump goes on tangents about Rambo, water-free bathrooms during campaign stop."

"Special Counsel Jack Smith... the judge overseeing the January 6th case in Washington, unsealed a 165 page Court filing that specifically details a mountain of evidence and testimony against Donald Trump; all the stuff we know happened, we now have in writing, from dozens of members of Trump's Inner Circle..." Jimmy Kimmel (Oct-2) shared (video), "he deliberately spread lies, even though he privately admitted they were crazy lies; he was directly involved in the fake elector scheme." "The 165 page filing by Special Counsel Jack Smith details the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and cites evidence, including conversations with Trump’s family members..." Stephen Colbert (Oct-3) shared (video), (the report) "...details Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election... ...and how they are not covered by that ridiculous immunity ruling... ...we knew some of this stuff in this report already, but it's still so gratifying to read the novelization of the horror movie we all live through..."

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci (Republican) said Trump's campaign rhetoric was, "being offered at a discount..." MSNBC (Oct-7) reported (video).

Kamala Harris (Oct-7) participated (video) in a 60 Minutes interview. Trump, "pulled out," of his 60 Minutes interview. Instead, 60 Minutes (Oct-7) aired (video), a report about, "Arizona Republican election officials working to restore confidence in results." Kamala Harris also appeared on (Oct-9) The Howard Stern Show (video), (Oct-8) The View, and (Oct-9) The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Harris told Colbert about foreign leaders, "Donald Trump gets played by these guys." Critics called them, "softball interviews."

Politico (Oct-10) echoed (Aug-22) Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (video), "Harris will have to govern from the center, because that’s where the public is.

X/VP Kamala Harris (Oct-2) went live (video) from Augusta, Georgia, to help bring attention to: 1) the destruction caused by hurricane Helene and 2) the progress of everyone's efforts to shelter everyone and locate missing people, along with 3) assisting others who needed help. The White House (Oct-2) released an update fact sheet, "Biden-?Harris Continues Life-Saving Response Efforts in Response to Hurricane Helene." "US officials struggle to quash Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories," Reuters (Oct-6) reported. CBS (Oct-8) reported, "Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, sent a letter to his constituents debunking the misinformation and conspiracy theories that have spread in the aftermath." "The conspiracy theories come at a pivotal time for rescue and recovery efforts following the storm, one of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes this century. And the presidential election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is just over a month away," Reuters added.

"Fact check: Meteorologists cannot control the weather," KOIN Portland (Oct-9) reported (video).

Politico (Oct-8) reported that, "the swirl of false conspiracy theories around Hurricane Helene is dissuading survivors from seeking help and hurting morale among responders..." FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell (Oct-8) said (video) that it's unprecedented: "it is absolutely the worst I have ever seen... It’s creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government, and we have so many first responders that have been working to go out and help these communities." President Joe Biden (Oct-8) believed (video) as Hurricane Milton was approaching, that the Trump campaign fueling disinformation and distrust was un-American, and that all of it was putting people's lives at risk. "I’ll use an old phrase: It’s un-American. It really is. People are scared to death. People know their lives are at stake -- all that they’ve worked for, all that they own, all that they value." FEMA's Criswell (Oct-9) added (video), "as it relates to my staff: I mean, it's just demoralizing. I think that if they take it personally, they have left their families and their homes, to come here and support people in need... But they're focused. They continue to stay focused on why they're here. They know their purpose and that is to help people. And we'll continue to do that."

To help protect consumers, The White House (Oct-9) issued (video) a warning to discourage price-gougers. MSNBC (Oct-9) reported (video) that Republican politicians were "suddenly" experiencing, "conflict between the welfare of constituents in the toxic effects of their party's propaganda..." NY Post (Oct-9) echoed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended the warning to looters or anyone else taking advantage of the situation, "don’t even think about it. We’re going to come down hard on you, and you’ll regret that you did that." Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (Oct-10) confirmed (video), "individuals involved in the recovery effort... (were) being threatened online..." Adding that, "we most certainly are seeing horrific hate speech of all types propagated on online platforms... That deplorable speech has an impact on people's lives and it is also a motivating force for people to do harm. And it has got to stop. And it is our work in the Department of Homeland Security to combat hate in all its forms we will continue that work."

News4JAX Jacksonville (Oct-7) reported, "...the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's new analysis [suggested] national debt could increase under Harris (~$3.5T, over 10 years), but it would surge under Trump (between $7.5T and $15.2T, over 10 years)."

The remaining days of 2024's election were going to test the country. It had already been too much for many everyday Americans. CNN (Oct-9) said, "Democrats grow anxious as Election Day nears." Since Donald Trump had (Sep-12) declined CNN's (Sep-21) debate invitation for October 23rd, instead, "Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in a town hall with CNN on Oct. 23," Politico (Oct-10) reported.

The Detroit News (Oct-10) reported, Donald Trump threatened Michiganders, in Detroit, Michigan, at the Detroit Economic Club, "your car industry is going out of business. It's going out of business... Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president... You’re going to have a mess on your hands."

"Give him every, every single thing he needs... ...as long as he doesn't ask for F-15s," CBS News (Oct-11) relayed President Biden's response, regarding the former president's request for, "military assets to enhance his security in the final weeks of the campaign."

CNN's Michael Smerconish (Oct-10) asked (video), "who are we? Are we still the nation of boundless optimism and opportunity? Are we the exceptional and indispensable beacon for the world? Or, are we and our fellow Americans... Angry? Depressed? Pessimistic? Fearful? ...these two visions of America: one bright, one dark... are increasingly the two proxies for the two candidates... You might think voters would gravitate to the glass half-full. After-all, it worked for Ronald Reagan in 1984, the uplifting Morning in America commercial is still a benchmark... Donald Trump has other ideas. Searching for select voters, he keeps getting... darker." Smerconish cited that USA Today National Political correspondent David Jackson (Oct-10) said, "in Trump's comments, political opponents have gone from incompetent to, mentally impaired... migrants are murderers with bad genes and World War III is right around the corner."

American politics had a history of getting dark. In 1984, when campaigning for reelection, Fmr. President Ronald Reagan echoed (video), "...I could talk about how there's a resurgence of pride in our country... ...a reemergence of the knowledge that we live in a good and decent place... ...and we represent good and decent things in the world... ...and once again, our young people know that and respond to it, and are proud of it. But no, I — I wouldn't say that..."

Donald Trump brought the music festivities to an Oaks, Pennsylvania town hall rally, C-SPAN (Oct-14) shared a transcript along with a description (video): "the event was stopped multiple times after numerous medical emergencies from members of the audience. Music was the centerpiece for this event... The event was later closed with the former president and South Dakota governor standing on stage listening to a playlist of music, which included opera remixes and popular songs." After answering a few questions, Trump suggested, "Would anybody else like to faint? ...you know what we could do, though, if my guys can do it. How about we will do a little bit of music. Let's make this a musical fest! Oh look, look. That is great. That is great... Why don't we, and I mean this, if my guys can hear me, two things. Put up the chart, my favorite chart. My all-time favorite chart. And let's listen to Pavarotti sing Ave Maria, can you hear that?"

When people from the crowd overheated and fainted, Fmr. President Donald Trump told the production crew to play two versions of, "Ave Maria." During the second attempt, with Pavarotti singing (video), Trump vocalized for the soundperson to raise the volume. Donald Trump continued, "they gave me the Ave Maria with no voice. There it is. And it is my favorite piece of paper in the world. I sleep with it every night. I kiss it. I kiss it. And you see those numbers — by the way, for those we talk about, you know, the border, when you were talking about the border, look at the numbers. That was the lowest it ever was, right there. That is the last day I was in office. And we are going to get it lower than that, but we are going to let people come in. We are going to let people come in, come up, so very important, but this is one of my most favorite. If I had (not) turned to the right, I would not be here with you right now. So, sort of a cruel world, but I was very proud of that, before the fact. Now, even if we had lousy numbers, I would love that piece of paper, a lot. So, put on Pavarotti singing Ave Maria, nice and loud. Turn it up louder! We want a little action here! Turn it up louder! ... A™ [sic] ... Let's not do any more questions, let's just listen to music. Who the hell wants to hear questions? Isn't that beautiful? We played that in Butler, Pennsylvania. We had a moment of silence, then we had the bells of Notre Dame go off. Then, we had a great opera singer, Christopher, who is so incredible. A great opera singer. that's part of Raleigh -- that's Pavarotti. I asked Christopher, I said, your voice is incredible. How does it compare? He said no, he was the greatest of them all. This man's voice, you... ...probably heard it. He was phenomenal. He said no, no, Pavarotti was the greatest... How about this, we will play YMCA and we will go home...?" Throughout the speech, people on stage groaned, but they tried to act like they were happy. For over 40 minutes, for the entire audience, along with the event host, Donald Trump, "danced," however; many would not call it dancing.

"There used to be like 20 buses when we were being brought here, but now there are only three buses, it’s chaos, absolute chaos. All of us are stranded here." Trump rallygoer Wesley Johnson shared via social media, KTLA News (Oct-15) shared (video), after Trump’s rally in Southern California's Coachella Valley. Politico (Oct-13) reported that he referred to the Golden State as a, "Paradise Lost."

As voting began, the NAACP (Oct-16) hosted an event, "Addressing Voter Intimidation in 2024... ...to keep voting safe and fair... ...spot and report voter intimidation, de-escalate tense situations, and help vulnerable communities... Collaborate with election officials and community leaders... Don’t let intimidation silence voters..." Their (2024-Oct) LDF Toolkit for Preventing Voter Intimidation (7 pages, PDF) was published along with a Voter Incident Report Form, "the NAACP knows every vote counts and every voice deserves to be heard. If you encounter any issues while trying to vote, let us know. Our Voter Protection team is here to help resolve the problem. Together, we can overcome obstacles and ensure everyone can participate in the democratic process." Confirming that, "foreign adversaries might be looking to stoke violence in the next 13 days ahead of the (election)," NSC Spokesperson for Strategic Communications, John Kirby (Oct-23) told the press (video), "I saw the (Oct-22) DNI assessment... we're working hard across the inter agency, as you might expect we would, to share information, not only inside, at the federal level, but work very hard to make sure we've got good handshakes, and information sharing at state and local levels as well. That's the last thing we want (of course), just to see any violence or protest activity that leads to intimidation..."

"Fact check: Trump makes at least 19 false claims in one-hour Fox town hall with women," including an assertion about being, "the father of IVF," Yahoo! News (Oct-24) said.

Rolling Stone (Oct-20) reported, "Pennsylvania governor (Josh Shapiro) suggested that law enforcement take a look at the billionaire's (Elon Musk's) million dollar giveaway to registered voters who sign his PAC's petition." Forbes (Oct-22) reported, "The Justice Department has warned billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC that it may be violating federal law by offering... ...$1 million each day to voters in swing states who sign a petition pledging [their] support for the First and Second Amendments, after previously pledging $47 for every voter someone refers to sign the petition... Since Musk’s giveaway is only open to registered voters in swing states, experts believe it would violate the law by providing a financial incentive for Americans to register to vote."

BBC News (Oct-13) had reported blatant U.S. Election interference, "Harris or Trump? What Chinese people want from US election." The following week, "US officials informed the Trump campaign... ...that Trump and Vance were among a group of people whose phones were targeted by the Chinese (government-linked) hackers... ...as part of a much broader cyber-espionage effort aimed at high-level US targets... ...people affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign (and) Senior Biden administration officials were also targeted," CNN (Oct-25) reported.

The Independent (Oct-22) reported, "McDonald’s workers roast Trump over insulting cosplay stunt at restaurant that failed health inspection Trump sported neither gloves not a hair net as he worked at a branch of the fast food chain in Pennsylvania." Also, "Former President Donald Trump delivered (for more than 10 minutes) unusual and vulgar remarks... ...about the late golf legend Arnold Palmer while campaigning in Latrobe, Pennsylvania," CBS News (Oct-22) reported. C-SPAN provided a transcript/captions (video) from the event. CBS News (Oct-22) added, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, "this shouldn't be about personalities, it should be about policies." The Hill (Oct-13) had reported Johnson previously said, "that the U.S. is in the most dangerous situation since World War II."

"Twenty-three Nobel Prize-winning economists signed..." a letter via CNN/DocumentCloud (original PDF): "While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we believe that, overall, Harris’ economic agenda will improve our nation’s health, investment, sustainability, resilience, employment opportunities, and fairness and be vastly superior to the counterproductive economic agenda of Donald Trump," Yahoo! News (Oct-24) reported.

Yahoo! News and NBC Universal (Oct-23) reported, "Kamala Harris called Donald Trump a fascist for the first time ever, echoing a warning from his former Chief of Staff John Kelly." Yahoo! News (Oct-23) cited examples, "...he wanted his military leaders to be like Hitler's generals..." and, "echoed former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley telling Bob Woodward, Trump is the most dangerous person to this country and a fascist to the core." They also (Oct-23) mentioned, "Retired Gen. James Mattis, Trump's defense secretary, emailed Woodward to agree with Milley." The San Francisco Chronicle (Oct-23) echoed that vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz also repeated Gen. Milley's quote. Donald Trump (Oct-23) responded via Truth Social, "a total degenerate named John Kelly... made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred! ...a LOWLIFE, and a bad General..." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Oct-23) said (video), "I can't believe I even have to say this, but our nation's veterans are heroes... ...and to be praising Adolf Hitler, it's dangerous and it's also disgusting..." The Independent (Oct-13) had said Trump was repeating campaign rhetoric about an, "enemy (from) within." Trump said, "we’re like a garbage can," The Guardian (Oct-24) reported. USA Today (Oct-24) said, "President Joe Biden turned the tables on Donald Trump... ...suggesting the time has come to lock him up – at least politically..."

"A judge [ordered] Virginia to restore registered voters purged too close to Election Day," NPR/OPB (Oct-25) reported, "...the National Voter Registration Act... Passed in 1993, the federal law bans Virginia and most other states from systematically removing registered voters within the 90 days before a federal election."

"In a report on the 2020 election, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission found that 98.8% of mail-in ballots were counted and 0.8% were rejected," Yahoo! News (Oct-24) reported.

Wall Street Journal (Oct-25) reported, "Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a linchpin of U.S. space efforts, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. The discussions, confirmed by several current and former U.S., European and Russian officials, touch on personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions."

The Los Angeles Times (Oct-25) reported that it did not make an endorsement in the race between Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Times owner (Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong) said that his, "decision not to offer readers a recommendation would be less divisive in a tumultuous election year... Editorials Editor Mariel Garza resigned Wednesday as a result of the decision. Editorial board members (Pulitzer Prize winner) Robert Greene and Karin Klein tendered their resignations from The Times the following day.... ...fearing that picking one candidate would only exacerbate the already deep divisions in the country." Soon-Shiong added, "I have no regrets whatsoever. In fact, I think it was exactly the right decision... The process was [to decide]: how do we actually best inform our readers? And there could be nobody better than us who try to sift the facts from fiction." Following "billionaire owner" Bezos' decision, The Washington Post also (Oct-25) officially refused to endorse a candidate for President, "Publisher William Lewis explained the decision as a return to the newspaper’s roots." Slate (Oct-26) added it was, "for the first time in almost 50 years."

"Many of Donald Trump’s supporters left a Michigan rally before he arrived after the former president kept them waiting for three hours to tape a popular (Joe Rogan) podcast interview," PBS (Oct-26) reported. NorthJersey.com (Oct-27) reported, "a study by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation estimates Trump’s rally crowds have averaged about 5,600 people this year."

USA Today (Oct-27) reported that Trump supporters, "camped out overnight, packed the subways, turned the skyscraper-enclosed streets into a river of red MAGA hats and paraded cars and trucks laden with Donald Trump flags through the heart of the Big Apple." The Independent (Oct-27) added, "a man impersonating North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un walked along barricades where hundreds of Trump supporters cheered and screamed hoping to get a photo." The Hollywood Reporter (Oct-26) had shared, "Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, Dana White, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Rudy Giuliani," would also be some of the speakers. During Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, Trump supporting comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a, "floating island of garbage," and sparked public outrage against Republicans. The Associated Press (Oct-30) reported President Biden said, "the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters." Trump insisted on his "garbage" strategy. The AP (Oct-30) added that the trashy statements and stunts continued to wreak havoc as he, "climbed into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck that also carried his name...How do you like my garbage truck? ... This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden, Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his white dress shirt and red tie."

Following a statement from Trump that the Former Vice President's daughter Liz Cheney should have, "guns trained on her face," Former White House Communications Director Nicolle Wallace with MSNBC (Nov-1) delivered a passionate plea (video) to viewers and shared quotes from Former President George W Bush, Ret. Gen. John F. Kelly, and Vice President Kamala Harris.

• "Every milestone of liberty was considered impossible before it was achieved. In our time: we must decide our own belief, either freedom is the privilege of an elite few or it is the right and capacity of all humanity. There is a line in our time and in every time before those who believe that all men are created equal and those who believe that some men and women and children are expendable in the pursuit of power. There is a line our time before the defenders of humanity liberty and those who seek to master the minds and souls of others. Our generation has now heard history's call and we will answer it... Our country is blessed to have people who are willing to sacrifice for something greater than themselves."
  — Former President George W. Bush
  

• "He (Donald Trump) never could wrap his arms around why people would serve the country in uniform. What was in it for them? I think he could never wrap his arms around why people would do things selflessly. What's in it for them? I think there's a much more powerful - that's just me."
  — Ret. Gen. John F. Kelly
  

• "This must be disqualifying. Anyone who wants to be President of the United States who uses that kind of violent rhetoric is clearly disqualified and unqualified to be president. Representative Cheney is a true patriot who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country above party. I also thought about a lot about what this means in terms of our standing in the world... As Vice President, I have represented the United States of America around the world, and what I know is: that when we walk in those rooms representing the United States of America, we have the earned and self-appointed authority to then talk about the importance of democracy, the importance of rule of law, and as a result, people around the world who are fighting for freedom and opportunity hold us up as a model. America deserves better than what Donald Trump is offering."
  — Vice President Kamala Harris
  

CBS (Nov-1) reported (video), with 19 electoral votes, "Pennsylvania is the top prize among battleground states" and that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called Bucks Country, PA, "the swingiest of all swing counties in the swingiest of all swing states." The Associated Press (Oct-29) had said a "Blue Wall" — Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin went for red for Donald Trump in 2016, however; in 2020, all three states went blue for Joe Biden. They continued that Pennsylvania might not be officially decided on Election Day; "how long does vote-counting take? ... By midnight ET (in 2020): about 54% of total votes cast were reported."

As Election Day got closer, hysteria began to appear. Chaos reached the local media outlets; in Portland (Oregon) and across the river in Vancouver (Washington), some were preparing for civil unrest and a few others were setting fire to ballot boxes. X/KATU photographer Evan Bell (Oct-28) shared (video), "the Clark County Elections ballot drop box at the Fisher's Landing Transit Center was lit on fire this morning. Clark Co. Auditor Greg Kimsey says hundreds of ballots were inside at the time, the last pickup being 11AM Saturday." Portland's KATU2/ABC (Oct-28) reported (video) that the FBI was investigating the ballot box burnings and that (some) Portland businesses were preparing, "for any post-election fallout... Chase Bank in downtown Portland [had] already boarded up ahead of Tuesday's election." KGW8/NBC (Nov-2) reported, "nearly a hundred Oregon leaders — including Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden... ...in an open letter... ...called on Oregonians to "uphold our tradition of respectful civic participation during this election season. KGW added that Portland Metro Chamber President Andrew Hoan said, "Portland’s ongoing recovery is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together constructively. But this progress is still fragile. The damage from past episodes of vandalism and violence didn’t just affect individual businesses — it impacted our entire city’s reputation and recovery."

As Election Eve transitioned to Election Day, the atmosphere was tense. Forbes (Nov-4) reported, "Trump-Harris race deadlocked on Election Eve—as Pennsylvania still tied... Seven swing states: Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona." C-SPAN (Nov-5) covered (video) along with the Associated Press (multi-cam video) for Election Night 2024. Several sources, including: 270 To Win, Bloomberg, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX, and the Associated Press (Nov-5) provided real-time election results.

Before polls closed, via Truth Social/Donald Trump (Nov-5) rumored, "a lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia. Law Enforcement coming!!!" Georgia's Fulton County election officials (Nov-5) announced (video), some polling locations stayed open late, "32 (fake) bomb threats."

"Donald Trump elected US president in stunning comeback," Reuters (Nov-6) reported, "Republicans won a U.S. Senate majority after flipping Democratic seats in West Virginia and Ohio. Neither party appeared to have an edge in the fight for control of the House of Representatives where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority." Politico (Nov-6) added, "Donald Trump claimed he had earned an unprecedented and powerful mandate."

CNN (Nov-6) reported (video), "Jack Smith in active talks with DOJ leaders about winding down Trump prosecutions." Political commentator Kate Bedingfield on CNN (Nov-6) said (video), "...the political precedent that's being set here, by the firing, the dismissal of this special prosecutor: we're essentially saying... ...that elected officials are above the law... And the message that sends, the political precedent that that creates, I think, is a really dangerous thing."

The Guardian (Nov-6) reported from various celebrities. Political philosopher and actor John Cusack (Nov-6) wrote, "the fact that the country would choose to destroy itself by voting in a convicted felon rapist and Nazi is a sign of deep nihilism. To put it mildly.” Author of, It, The Stand, and The Shining, X/Stephen King (Nov-6) shared, "there’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy."

By evening of November 6th, questions about the election's integrity started to surface. In 2024, the popular democratic vote was 10-20 million people less than it was in 2020, however; Republicans claimed Trump's victory was because of a wave of new Republican voter signups.

Another source reported technical issues by Pennsylvania's Centre County election officials, "data are successfully being exported from the mail-in ballot scanners, but that data is not being recognized when uploaded to the elections software." The screenshot source could not be identified; it appeared that the document was removed from the Centre County website. WPSU Public Media for Central Pennsylvania and Centre Daily Times (Nov-6) updated. Citizens demanded recounts. Record high voter turnout was expected. In, Ten Things to Know About the 2024 Presidential Election, the Bipartisan Policy Center (2024-Mar-6) had projected (PDF), "roughly 244 million Americans will be eligible to vote in 2024. The 2020 election saw record turnout of 66.6% of eligible voters. If we see turnout that high again, more than 162 million ballots will be cast by November." Historical data was tabulated (Oct-15) by The American Presidency Project.

Throughout the country, more voter irregularities were recognized. Comparing 2024 Associated Press (Nov-6) results with 2020 CNN (Nov-6) results revealed that several states were missing hundreds of thousands of votes. Illinois was missing nearly 700,000 votes. New York looked about 700,000 votes too low. The battleground state of Ohio was short about 200,000 votes (or more). Florida's numbers also seemed off. It all raised questions and doubts about the vote counts for every state.

Few speculated that declining populations in big cities was the explanation, however; The Circle at Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life (2023-Oct-23) reported, "40.8 million members of Gen Z (ages 18-27 in 2024) will be eligible to vote, including 8.3 million newly eligible youth (ages 18-19 in 2024) who will have aged into the electorate since the 2022 midterm election."

President-elect Trump demanded top loyalty from whoever would be part of his cabinet. Truth and skill did not matter without loyalty. At all levels, supporters in his party competed to be his favorite and most-loyal — risking their careers, their social lives, and their entire futures — for him. Emboldened arrogance gloated from Donald Trump's supporters dreaming that he could avoid legal charges, including for 2024 election interference. Elected to protect the people, the current administration already had determined that a second Trump presidential term would destroy the country and wreck the voting system. Was President Joe Biden ready to stand up and defend America? Biden's legacy and saving the country went together. Vice President Harris' (Oct-29) Ellipse "Closing Argument" (video) included the statement, "...as Americans, we rise and fall together..."

To protect national security, the current administration needed to ensure a responsible and peaceful transfer of power, confident that the keys would not be given to corrupt foreign/domestic terrorists or criminal gangsters. The Biden Administration determined that felon Donald Trump's conduct and cronyism were threatening national security; he was disqualified from becoming President again, several weeks before Vice President Harris (Nov-1) announced (video) the former president's disqualification. It was false to assume that illegal means would be overlooked and/or that there would be no real consequences for Trump, as long as he won the election. Washington would not allow that. Until the ongoing investigations completed, the Biden Administration did not talk about the election results/numbers or about the laws Trump broke during his 2024 presidential campaign. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Nov-7) said (video), "election experts will look at the data, we'll leave that to them. ...the president always believes it is important to be honest. He sees it as an obligation, to be honest to the American people..." U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller (Nov-7) said several statements (video), "we are committed to a peaceful, successful transition. That is a commitment that we take seriously; it’s part of our oath of – it’s part of how we interpret our oath of office; it’s part of how we interpret our duty to the American people... ...we reject a terrorist organization controlling any government anywhere in the world – the bottom-line policy of the United States, something that we reject, something that we do not support... We can make clear to them the policies that we will pursue over the time that we have remaining in office, and we can make clear to them what we believe is in the best interests of the United States..."

Trump was approaching his great glorious American destiny. Following (Jul-13) political violence in Butler, PA, and Trump's (Jul-19) statements at the Republican National Convention, Biden (Jul-21) dropped out of the election race, separating his administration from the election, assisting the investigation and documentation regarding 2024's unfolding case of election interference. With the 25th Amendment, a U.S. President could promote their vice president whenever they felt like it. Unable to talk about the ongoing investigation, Biden (Nov-6) said (video), "let's make every day count," and reaffirmed Kamala Harris' qualifications to be President, "she has a backbone like a ramrod. She has great character, true character." During Harris' (Oct-29) Ellipse speech (video), she echoed a Biden slogan, "I'll be honest with you... I will always tell you the truth even if it is difficult to hear." Jean-Pierre (Nov-7) added, "in the next 74 days, the president wants to lead by example. That’s why we keep talking about a peaceful transfer of power. That’s why we keep talking about the importance of the election system and the results, because he believes it’s important to, again, lead by example... ...he’s going to respect the will of the people."

Examples disqualifying Trump:

• (Jul-19) RNC - "I'm trying to buy your vote."
• (Jul-26) - "Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore..."
• (Aug-12) - Documents sent by "Robert," (from Iran?) but the documents were not released to the public. An FBI investigation had been underway.
• (Sep-1) - NY Intelligencer, "corruption: Trump is making new, sketchy foreign business deals from Saudi Arabia to Serbia..."
• (Sep-19) - connection to, "pro-Russian website that frequently spreads debunked conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine, election fraud and vaccines."
• (Oct-20) PA State and (Oct-22) DOJ - connection to Musk's, "1 million dollar/day giveaway"
• (Nov-1) - "...guns trained on her face..."

A CBS panelist (Nov-6) said (video), "the U.S. military is one of the pillars of democracy who has tried to stay out of the political fray, but we have seen even that was starting to get crossed. There was a lot of worry among some of the retired military leaders." Following tensions from President-elect Trump saying he would use the military domestically, on Nov. 7, 2024, Inside Defense (Nov-7) reported Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released (video) a letter/memo to U.S. troops, "committing the Pentagon to a calm, orderly and professional transition to the incoming Trump administration." PBS (Nov-7) added (video), "Austin reminded all members of the military that they swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution — and that is precisely what you will continue to do... As it always has, the U.S. military will stand ready to carry out the policy choices of its next Commander in Chief, and to obey all lawful orders from its civilian chain of command... The U.S. military will also continue to stand apart from the political arena; to stand guard over our republic with principle and professionalism; and to stand together with the valued allies and partners who deepen our security." The Department of Defense was pressed about why the memo even needed to be sent and if information was not being disclosed. During a meeting, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh (Nov-7) said (video), "what I would tell you is: intelligence isn't always black and white. We do our best to distill it and we do our best to disseminate it, when we can, and share what we know. We do it based on our assessments and what we feel comfortable with..."

BBC (Nov-8) reported, "the Department of Justice on Friday unsealed an indictment against Farhad Shakeri, 51, alleging he was tasked with providing a plan to kill Trump." AFP via Times of Israel (Nov-8) reported, "Iran foreign ministry says Trump assassination plot claim totally unfounded." Former CIA counterterrorist Tracy Walder on NewsNation (Nov-8) said (video), "they are having to rely on the CIA for that international piece of information. And these threats are very real."

Reuters (Nov-8) announced, "U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington approved a request from Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting the criminal case, to set aside the deadlines, according to a court order, while they weigh its future... Prosecutors wrote the delay was necessary to afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy." From the consent motion (PDF), EmptyWheel.net (Nov-8) said, "by December 2, 2024, the Government will file a status report or otherwise inform the Court of the result of its deliberations. The Government has consulted with defense counsel, who do not object to this request." Scripps (Nov-8) added (video), "Smith's request was almost immediately granted after Trump's attorneys did not object to the motion."

On Veteran's day, Biden (Nov-11) remembered (video) his son Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III, "he stood ramrod straight."

"Putin has no specific plan to speak to president-elect (Trump)." Trump had reportedly contacted Putin regarding Ukraine, The Guardian (Nov-11) said. "It is completely untrue. It is pure fiction; it is simply false information... There was no conversation... This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications," the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov said. The New Republic (Nov-12) reported from Russian medias that Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev claimed Russia was responsible for Trump's victory and that, "while the U.S. election may be over, Trump [was] still beholden to certain forces." TNR added ongoing research from veteran journalist Bob Woodward that CIA Director Bill Burns, "...reportedly emphasized that Putin manipulates and is professionally trained... Burns believed that Putin has got a plan to repeat what he did during the forty-fifth presidential administration by playing Trump." Woodward also relayed that Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said, "it's so close, it seems like it might be blackmail." TNR continued, "in 2019, former FBI director and Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller noted that Russia had blackmail material on Trump during the 2016 presidential election."

Missouri Independent (Nov-12) wrote president-elect Trump had still, "not yet signed the necessary paperwork to unlock resources for a smooth transfer of power from one presidential administration to another." They also referenced an (Oct-23) letter (PDF) from the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Accountability's Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, sent to Donald Trump and JD Vance, along with their campaign staff: "Your actions depart from well-established norms of the federal government and demonstrate a spectacular disregard for the successful continuation of the essential institutions of American democratic government. Without these MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) in place, federal agencies are unlikely to be able to securely and effectively communicate with your staff, which will endanger the orderly transfer of the executive power and threaten our national security. I strongly urge you to expeditiously sign both MOUs and submit your ethics plan." Donald Trump was, "already breaking the law," X/Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (Nov-11) had wrote, "incoming presidents are required to prevent conflicts of interest and sign an ethics agreement."

"A lot was said on the campaign trail, like Trump is a dangerous threat to our country and our democracy," a reporter pressed about Biden's seriousness. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Nov-13) said (video), "I’ve answered this a couple of times about a threat to democracy in the past week. The president is going to always feel obligated to be honest with the American people. What he says still stands. And it’s not just him. You heard this from former staffers. You’ve heard that from the former chief of staff, John Kelly, and others. You’ve heard it directly from the president — president-elect, the former president about enemy of the people very, very clear — very clear... What we want to be also very clear about is the importance of listening to the will of the American people. There was an election. It is important to respect our institution. It is important to respect the free and fair elections. And that’s what this president is doing: leading by example and putting — putting that aside and putting the American people first... But what he said still stands. And it’s not just him. I don’t — we should not just put this at the president. His own people said this. So, I want to be really, really clear about that and not forget the facts. There are facts here that we should certainly also lift up as you’re asking me these questions." Jean-Pierre added, "...what we are showing the American people is how you do this..."

Computer security experts (Nov-13) wrote (PDF) for Vice President Harris to demand hand audits of paper ballots in (at least) Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. "The facts around the voting system breaches are not disputed; it is well documented that there were severe, multiple voting security breaches before the 2024 election. To ensure that voters can have confidence that the breaches in security did not taint the results of the 2024 election, we recommend pursuing hand recounts in, at minimum, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania... Public records requests revealed that the (2022) breaches in Georgia were part of a larger effort to take copies of voting system software from systems in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Arizona... According to testimony and declarations by some of the technicians who have obtained copies of the software, they have had access for more than three years to the software for the central servers, tabulators, and highly restricted election databases of both Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and Dominion Voting Systems, the two largest voting system vendors, constituting the most severe election security breach publicly known... Combined, their equipment counts nearly 70% of all votes nationwide..."

Government Executive (Nov-14) reported the U.S. Senate confirmed, "President Biden’s nominee (David Huitema, currently a State Department ethics official) to serve as head of the Office of Government Ethics in a 50-46 vote, giving him a (five-year) term that will last through President-elect Trump’s tenure."

Following Wall Street Journal's (Oct-25) intelligence that Elon Musk was in contact with Putin, Reuters and CBS (Nov-15) reported, "Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a top member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, wrote a letter (PDF) to Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch and Attorney General Merrick Garland Friday, urging them to determine whether Musk's reported contacts with the Russians should force a review of the federal government's contracts with his company, SpaceX..."

As days turned into weeks, the silenced public largely had seemed to accept the election results. From one shocking cabinet nomination to another, a disruptive political tornado continually filled the country with chaos. Uprising occurred. Anger fueled anger. Hate gained more voice and power. Demonstrations took place, NBC News (Nov-20) reported (video). The fastest and loudest loudmouths ran the circus in circles around critical thinkers (e.g. leaders, experts, and the silenced majority), that they would try to amuse, confuse, isolate, and/or taunt.

TRANSITION HQ (Nov-22) >>

GSA - U.S. General Services Administration Presidential Transition Directory - Timeline Ethics and accountability: Office of Government Ethics 2020 Presidential Transition Guide (PDF) Memoranda, Reports, and Key Documents 2024 Ethics Plan (Harris) [PDF - 90 KB] 2024 MOU between GSA and Eligible Candidate (Harris) [PDF - 3 MB]

"The Trump transition team said its staff was required to sign its own ethics code (PDF) and conflict of interest statement (PDF). It provided copies of those documents to The (New York) Times... The Trump ethics code [appeared] more lenient than the White House version." (2024-Oct-9)

Center for Presidential Transition Partnership for Public Service w/ Boston Consulting Group Presidential Transition Guide (PDF) (2023) Agency Transition Guide (PDF) (2023)

Congressional Research Service CRS Reports - Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Presidential Transition Act: Provisions and Funding (PDF) (2024-May)

"Washington considered retirement after one term, preferring a return to the quiet comfort of Mount Vernon. He was bothered and disheartened by the emerging political divisions. However, Washington also feared that the country would irreparably pull and split apart, and was implored by his close associates to serve an additional four years," George Washington's Mount Vernon website had said. University of Virginia's Miller Center's Lindsay M. Chervinsk added, "...Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, convinced him that the country still needed his leadership to survive. Reluctantly, he agreed to stand for election one more time...💬 Washington suspected that every choice he made as president would establish precedent for his successors. Because the Confederation 💬 had failed, the new federal government was the nation’s second chance, and Washington knew most nations did not get a second chance. He genuinely believed one mistake might cause the country to crumble. Washington’s primary goal was to establish the presidency on firm footing, cultivate respect from citizens and observers abroad, and execute the laws with firmness. Mostly, he wanted the nation to survive."

President-elect Donald Trump continued commanding media attention by selecting controversial people for his cabinet and to lead departments. Many suspected that he was trying to choose extreme loyalists to test his limits and maximize power, SNL (Nov-19) suggested (video). Unlikely to get Senate confirmation, the most problematic withdrew from consideration, NBC News (Nov-21) reported.

From Pennsylvanian senators and an Iowan congressional district to Carolinian judges and senators, along with Californian and Arizonian council members, some races officially needed recounts. WPSU Radio (Nov-19) reported, "counties must use a different method or equipment to recount the votes. Centre County (Pennsylvania) Administrator John Franek, Jr. said his county will rent different electronic ballot counters for the recount..." "Does it change a result?" CBS News (Nov-19) reported KDKA-TV's Jon Delano asked Allegheny County Elections Manager David Voye, who replied, "very minimal... We had a recount a few years ago in a local race where the ballots did not change at all. These machines are very efficient."

Along with accidental user-errors and technical difficulties with election machines, election workers (including volunteers) had countless opportunities to add their influence and hide their trails. How the counties and districts battled it out to arrive at their "consensus" was more about the will of the people than whatever the ballots actually said. If alarm was raised about the honesty of their counting, then the public may reject the lack of oversight and lose faith in the numbers, along with the honor/spirit/symbolism behind the voting system and the electoral process. It could allow extremists to see how easy it was to "win" elections with disruption, intimidation, and division — at every facility. It might tell the world that American Democracy (as people knew it) always was an illusion. A simple vote would not replace a voice or active participation. However, the elected officials swore an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution. Ensuring a smooth transition was the Presidential Capstone. The responsible handover/transfer to an arriving president was a critical responsibility for any departing president.

81-year-old Benjamin Franklin closed the (1987-Sep-17) convention, "I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise... I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such... I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected? It therefore astonishes me, Sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does; and I think it will astonish..." The National Archives (2010) reported.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Nov-23) issued a press release following Donald Trump’s selection of Russell Vought (Russ Vought) to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): "After vehemently denying his links to Project 2025 through the campaign, the President-elect just tapped its lead architect, Russell Vought, to run his coming all-of-government purge as Director of the Office of Management and Budget..." NBC News (Nov-22) reported, "Trump's transition team [turned] to Project 2025 (PDF)... President-elect Donald Trump and his allies disavowed the conservative Project 2025 during the election..." ProPublica (Aug-1) had reported, "the personnel database was a cornerstone of Project 2025. Under Paul Dans (video), a former Trump administration official who led Project 2025, the group built a database of more than 10,000 candidates vetted for their MAGA credentials..." The Associated Press (Nov-23) reported, "...Trump [was] stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned."

Mother Jones (Nov-24) reported Senator Elizabeth Warren (Nov-21) wrote (PDF) a letter asking GSA's Robin Carnahan, "to respond by December 5 to questions about how the agency is engaging with the Trump transition and the impacts of the Trump team’s lack of compliance with federal law."

"Trump Guitars hit with cease and desist from Gibson over use of Les Paul body shape," Yahoo! News (Nov-25) announced.

PBS (Nov-25) shared (PDF), "read the full motion to dismiss election interference case against Trump... Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss the case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, citing longstanding Justice Department policy shielding presidents from prosecution while in office." The prosecution said, "that prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind." Philadelphia's 6ABC Action News (Nov-25) reported, "For the reasons set forth in the accompanying Opinion, ECF No. 282, the Government's Motion to Dismiss, ECF No. 281, is hereby GRANTED, and the Superseding Indictment, ECF No. 226, is hereby DISMISSED without prejudice," Judge Tanya Chutkan (Nov-25) wrote (PDF) in an one-page order. CNN (Nov-25) added, "Smith said he was seeking to drop the charges against the president-elect without prejudice, which would keep the door open for charges to be brought again in the future, calling the presidential immunity Trump will have as temporary."

Elon Musk publicized the names of government employees he wants to cut. It’s terrifying federal workers," Yahoo! News (Nov-25) reported.

Responding to rumors that, "Trump’s administration [was] getting messages from Israeli officials about — saying that most of the hostages [were] dead, maybe trying to convince them not to try to push to a deal," NSC Spokesperson John Kirby (Nov-25) said, "I don’t know anything about those conversations. And as I said earlier to a question about Congressman Waltz’s meeting with Jake, we continue to urge the incoming team to take the steps necessary so that we can help effect an orderly, efficient, complete, and comprehensive transition to them, which includes being able to provide them the kinds of briefings, and the context, and the material that we believe will be important to help inform their decisions as they come into office. So that’s where we are... ...I hope you understand why. I’m not trying to obfuscate, certainly not trying to be an obstacle or make things difficult for you. What I was trying to do is characterize sort of where we think we are but not do anything or say anything that might torpedo our chances... And again, last thing any spokesman wants to do is be in the way of that. And so, I just want you to understand where I was coming from. And hopefully after the holiday is over, we can get back on to a more normal schedule. But anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you... Thanks."

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) (Nov-26) introduced (PDF) the "Returning Education to Our States Act which would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and redistribute all critical federal programs under other departments."

<< TRANSITION HQ (Nov-27)

GSA - U.S. General Services Administration Presidential Transition Directory - Timeline Memoranda, Reports, and Key Documents 2024 Ethics Plan (Trump) [PDF - 274 KB] no MOU* *Government Executive (Nov-26) reported, "Trump is notably still refusing to sign an MOU with GSA, meaning his transition team will not have government office space in which it will be based and will not have access to IT services such as official .gov email addresses." Trump's Chief of Staff designate Susie Wiles (Nov-26) announced: "After completing the selection process of his incoming cabinet, President-elect Trump is entering the next phase of his administration’s transition by executing a memorandum of understanding with President Joe Biden’s White House." Government Executive continued, "the president-elect’s team will utilize existing security and information protections, which it said would eliminate the need for additional government and bureaucratic oversight... That has caused panic that individuals with conflicts of interest are preparing for government work while shielding those ethical concerns from public scrutiny... Transition teams typically sign an additional MOU with the Justice Department so the FBI can conduct background checks on potential nominees. Trump has so far sidestepped that process as well. Wyn Hornbuckle, a DOJ spokesperson, said discussions are ongoing regarding that agreement." Fox News (Nov-26) elaborated, "that process is designed to uncover personal problems, criminal histories and other potential red flags that would raise questions about a nominee’s suitability for key jobs." Without a green light from the GSA, Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the department, "cannot legally have any interaction... You're talking about a transfer of power between administrations... We are committed to an orderly and smooth transition, but we need to have those MOU signed to make that happen. And until those are put into place, we just can't start that process." Spokane, Washington's Spokesman Review (Nov-24) had claimed, "by dodging the agreement, Trump can raise unlimited amounts of money from unknown donors... ...in preparing to take over the government. Trump is the first president-elect to sidestep the restrictions, provoking alarm among ethics experts... Trump is running his transition team on secret money."

Axios (Nov-26) reported, "in a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump said that a tariff of 25% on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico would take effect on Jan. 20," and, "imports from China would face a 10% tariff above any additional Tariffs." Prices for everything from fuel to food and building materials were expected to jump. How much more oil could the US drill? CNN (2024-Jun-11) had reported, "the US produced an average of 12.9 million barrels per day in 2023, more crude oil than any nation in the world at any time." The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported, the U.S. already drills nearly 50% more than it imports (8.51 mb/d) — "top sources and amounts of U.S. petroleum imports... (millions of barrels per day) Canada: 4.42 (52%)... Mexico: 0.91 (11%)." MSNBC (Nov-26) reported (video), "crazy economics."

Any and every way to attack/dismantle the government became a public conversation topic on the entire platform of X (formerly Twitter). People of all ages, even kids and young teens, added their extreme ideas into the social media fire. Hundreds and thousands commented their research with procedures for the regime. Millions of X users left the platform for its competitor, Bluesky. Along with (Nov-27) Futurism, Times of India's Economic Times (Nov-27) confirmed, "this mass exit has been fueled by dissatisfaction with the platform's environment, which many users describe as increasingly hostile due to rising hate speech, misinformation and politically charged content." Business Insider (Nov-28) reported, "Rep. Ro Khanna, a leading progressive lawmaker representing the heart of Silicon Valley, said liberals shouldn't flee Elon Musk's X, instead urging his fellow Democrats to engage with those who share opposing beliefs." The Associated Press (Nov-28) reported, Australia (country of 26.6 million people, Bloomberg (Nov-29)) overwhelmingly passed a law preventing anyone under the age of 16 from using social media. The Associated Press (Nov-28) added that social media companies were, "liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts." Futurism, The Byte added, "even Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg [was] anxiously paying attention, with many former Twitter power users choosing Bluesky instead of Threads in the wake of the election."

The regular news/media also got more compromised and slanted as stories and interviews were blatantly promoting Trump's and his team's companies, products, and agendas, Investor's Business Daily (Nov-25) had reported. The media campaigns were immersive, similar to when billionaires (2023-Nov) ran the news to spread disinformation, to protect special interests, to change the narrative/rewrite history, and to downplay the humanitarian disaster that was still unfolding in the Gaza Strip. The regime would twist the story and shine positive/negative light to help their movement. From incentivized producers to reporters, the real news was spun to support their party/agenda. Sky News Australia (Nov-29) reported (video), real news (the actual story) and fake news (party politics) would get blended by applying opinions and connotations to suggest how the facts should be interpreted. For example: <label> someone's name... (Crooked) Joe... (Comrade) Kamala, etc. They discredited critical news anchors. Facts were not allowed to speak for themselves; the party/regime repeatedly told everyone how to perceive people, and how to hate them. Sky News Australia (Nov-29) interviewed (video), a Trump team contributor peddled hate and pointed fingers at himself, "...MSNBC, we call it BSNBC for all the BS that they peddle... You've got Morning Joke (Joe)... You have Joyless Reid (Joy)... And you have Lawrence O'Democrat (O'Donnell)... These are people that are not exactly good. They are not journalists. They are hate peddlers. They are leftists, you know..." Facing fears about Trump's threats of tariffs and/or being driven out of the competition, leaders including: AP (Nov-27) reported Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Fox News (Nov-29) reported Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to meet/dine with the President-elect at his Florida Mar-a-Lago club.

Washington Times (Nov-28) said, "Mr. Biden has been remarkably quiet since the election, with Mr. Trump absorbing most of the political oxygen." President Joe Biden (Nov-29) responded to the press, "...the direction of the country? Thirty-five percent — only thirty-five percent or so thought it was moving in the right direction. I think there’s an explanation for that. If you think about it... ...you turn on the television and you don’t see a lot of good news. Even the stuff that is good news doesn’t seem to sell very well. And so, you turn on the TV, everything looks bad. Everything looks bad... ...an exceedingly small number of people watching mainstream television and reading the newspapers. I forget the number... ...they’re way down. So, where — where do you get your news? ...how do you know what you’re getting is not just what you’re looking for as opposed to what’s happening? Not because of you. Not — I’m not being critical of the press..." Addressing incoming President-elect Trump's threats regarding tariffs against top U.S. trading partners, Biden (Nov-29) continued, "China has — is — we’ve set up a hotline between President Xi and myself, as well as through our military — a direct line. The one thing I’m confident about Xi is he doesn’t want to make a mistake. And I mean that sincerely. And I’m not saying that he is our best buddy, but he — he understands what’s at stake... ...and two allies: Mexico and Canada. ...the last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. I think we’ve got them in a good place." Washington Times (Nov-28) added, "the White House [said] he’s about to make his pitch for his legacy."

The White House (Dec-1) released a written statement from President Joe Biden on his decision to pardon his son Hunter.

The London Economic Times (Dec-2) reported that (representing over 295,000 journalists in 44 countries), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) announced that it was suspending its X account in joint statements from its general secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez and president Maja Sever, "...when Donald J. Trump takes office as president on January 20, 2025... ...after the US elections, EFJ pointed out the threat to democracy and freedom of expression posed by the cooperation between the (incoming) president of the most powerful country in the world, Donald J. Trump, and the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, who is also the owner of social network X... We cannot continue to participate in the social network feed of a man who proclaims the death of the media and therefore of journalists... The social media site X has become the preferred vector for conspiracy theories, racism, far-right ideas and misogynistic rhetoric. X is a platform that no longer serves the public interest at all, but the special ideological and financial interests of its owner and his political allies... The editorial evolution of X, since its acquisition by Elon Musk, is simply contrary to our humanist values, our commitment to press freedom and media pluralism, and our fight against all forms of hatred and discrimination. The decision to suspend our @EFJEUROPE account seemed clear to us and we invite all our members and all organizations defending freedom of expression to migrate to other platforms." Hiding behind fake names, Trump-supporting fire-starters appeared on Bluesky with hateful rhetoric.

The world was in turmoil, beyond the Russia-Ukraine War and conflicts in the Middle East. Recently collapsed governments faced new authoritarian threats in South Korea, Germany, France, Georgia, and Romania. Corruption spread as U.S. trade partners faced political pressure from emerging forces. The Guam Daily Post (Dec-2) reported, "Paraguay’s antidrug agency has decided to halt cooperation with the United States, delivering a significant blow to U.S. efforts to curb organized crime in a country where cocaine trafficking has surged. The decision was communicated to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration this week... It was a political decision made by the central government..."

AP News (Dec-4) announced from a top White House official, "at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign." "FBI and CISA officials said it was impossible to predict when the telecommunications companies would be fully safe from interlopers," NBC News (Dec-3) reported.

"On December 3, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, announced that the Trump transition team had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Justice that allowed the names of nominated presidential appointees to be submitted for FBI background checks. Prior to this announcement, the Trump transition team had faced widespread criticism of its apparent desire to bypass the traditional FBI screening process," CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Dec-5) reported.

"Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) criticized President-elect Trump’s choices to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying it’s two billionaires who are cosplaying as government officials," The Hill (Dec-6) reported. Fortune (Dec-6) added, "Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy—two billionaire entrepreneurs and new Trump administration advisors—are making bold promises... ...the duo told Congress that through their advisory board, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), they’ll reduce government waste by $2 trillion."

"Instead of Biden using the time to assert his party against the incoming administration, it is Trump's post-election moves that are dominating headlines. It has left some Democrats frustrated by what they describe as a communications and policy vacuum while Trump already appears to be dictating trade and immigration policy and sharing his vision of the new shape of U.S. government," Daily Mail (Dec-9) reported.

Key Headlines

• President Joe Biden (Dec-12) issued a statement and list, a presidential record, "commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes," AP News (Dec-13) reported.

• The Biden-Harris Administration (Dec-12) released the, "first-ever U.S. National strategy to counter Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate."

• The Biden-Harris Administration (Dec-12) released a, "memorandum on the establishment of the Countering Economic Coercion Task Force."

• The Biden-Harris Administration (Dec-12) released a, "memorandum on the establishment of the China Censorship Monitor and Action Group."

• Alexander Smirnov (a former FBI informant), "agreed to plead guilty to four federal charges after being accused of falsifying statements that in part spurred a GOP congressional investigation into the Biden family, according to newly filed court documents (PDF)," The Hill (Dec-12) reported.

Republican senators deflected intense pressure to say, "yes," and confirm Trump's cabinet and department leadership choices, MSNBC (Dec-12) reported (video). Senator Chris Murphy (Dec-12) told MSNBC's Alex Wagner (video), "we talk a lot about the coming dictatorship, but I think what is really coming is what you would call an oligarchy. ...a handful of really rich people run the government and steal from ordinary people, using their access to government in order to make themselves and their families even richer. That is likely what we are heading for in the United States of America. I don't think it is a coincidence that Trump's cabinet is filled with billionaires. There is more wealth on that cabinet than 169 different nations. And you sort of see all of these folks that could decide to stand up for our democracy instead, as you mentioned, bending the knee and deciding that they're going to put their profits ahead of their loyalty to country... Donald Trump just put one of their hand-picked guys in charge of the agency that oversees mergers in this country. ...you will get regulatory breaks in this country, but only if you are a billionaire. But if you are a mom and pop factory that wants to add on a new wing to hire more local workers, you don't get that deal from Trump. If you are a local housing developer and you want to build some warehouses to lower the cost of mortgages in your community, you don't get that special deal. What he says with that social media postings billionaires get one set of rules, all the rest of us get a different set of rules... This is an oligarchy... There is no doubt that this administration's policy toward the Middle East is going to be compromised by the fact that they are making money off the very people they are sitting across the table from, and supposedly having a conversation about the interests of the United States. It is just extraordinary that we have allowed for the normalization of Trump's financial empire to be woven into the state craft of this country." The Wall Street Journal (Dec-12) reported, "the Trump transition team has started to explore pathways to dramatically shrink, consolidate or even eliminate the top bank watchdogs in Washington... Advisers asked potential nominees whether Trump could abolish the FDIC."

Newsweek (Dec-15) announced, "...ABC News agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump's presidential library and issue a public apology in order to settle a defamation lawsuit over inaccurate statements made by anchor George Stephanopoulos during a broadcast earlier this year. NBC News (Dec-13) reported, "while the jury found that Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll during a mid-1990s encounter in a department store, and held him liable for battery, they did not find that she had proved he raped her." Stephanopoulos had claimed, "Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen," Fox News (Dec-14) added, "Trump is also suing CBS News for $10 billion in damages, stating the network practiced deceptive conduct for the purpose of election interference in its interview in October with Vice President Kamala Harris."

Axios (Dec-15) reported Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), "...in online statements urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send special drone-detection tech to New York and New Jersey to tackle the unidentified flying objects problem that saw N.Y. Stewart International Airport shut down... ...he's working to pass a bill to give local law enforcement more tools for drone detection following a spate of mysterious sightings in Northeastern U.S. states," and, "give us the power to directly deal with the drones," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) (Dec-15) added. Axios added that Schumer, "also requested that President Biden direct more resources to investigate the origins of the mystery of the drones."

Following a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, President Biden (Dec-16) posted a statement, "it’s shocking and unconscionable. We need Congress to act. Now." Vice President Kamala Harris (Dec-16) also made a statement, "congress and state legislatures must make background checks universal, pass red flag and safe storage laws, and ban assault weapons. These commonsense solutions will save lives and make our children and communities safer."

NBC News (Dec-16) reported, "Judge Juan Merchan has rejected Donald Trump's motion arguing that his guilty verdicts in his New York hush money case should be overturned on presidential immunity grounds. But it’s still unclear when sentencing will happen."

"Unlikely to succeed in court" — Donald Trump escalated, "his legal campaign against media outlets by suing renowned pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register newspaper and its parent company Gannett. Media experts warned the lawsuit could have a further chilling effect not just on news reporting, but also on political polling," CNN (Dec-17) reported.

"We don’t want to see any party take advantage of the current unstable situation to advance their own narrow interests at the expense of the broader... ...national interest," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller (Dec-17) referenced (video) other world events. Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel (Dec-19) added (video), "like all governments, it needs to preserve critical state institutions and deliver essential services." Patel (Dec-18) had said (video), "...our primary concern is the safety and well-being of vulnerable populations and individuals. Nobody should be targeted, threatened, harmed, or marginalized on who they are... ...we’re talking a great deal about – with the transition team about the various policies and endeavors. But again, let’s not forget that there is one Secretary of State at the time, there’s one President at the time, and after 12 o’clock on January 20th the next administration can speak to its viewpoints... There’s still quite a bit of runway left in this administration. And what this is about ultimately is the fact that we stand in solidarity..."

CBS News (Dec-18) headlined, "Trump joins Elon Musk in opposing House GOP’s government funding bill... President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday came out against a Republican-backed government funding bill, siding with Elon Musk’s crusade against the package and raising the odds of a government shutdown."

Massachusetts congressman, X/Rep. Jim McGovern (Dec-18) said, "...apparently, out of touch billionaire Elon Musk now calls the shots." Others members of Congress, including RawStory/CNN (Dec-18) Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R) (video) and Rupar/MSNBC (Dec-18) Daniel S. Goldman (D-NY) stated, "...it's very clearly President Elon Musk..." along with, "Vice President Donald Trump," or, "Donald Trump, Chief of Staff to Elon Musk." X/Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell (Dec-18) said, "Elon Musk snaps his fingers and we shut down the government? It’s unacceptable. We’re in office to serve the people we represent, not unelected billionaires." X/Virginia Rep. Don Beyer (Dec-18) said, "the richest man in the world says he wants to shut down the government, forcing millions of American workers - including our troops - to go without pay through the holidays. Republicans are following his orders. This is insane." X/Senator Bernie Sanders (Dec-18) said, "Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work." Also, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (Dec-18) shared (video), about, "...House Republican chaos, dysfunction and extremism." Karoline Leavitt, Trump's incoming White House press secretary, denied the claims to the media, "President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop," Newsweek (Dec-20) reported.

NewsBreak (Dec-18) said, "already, there are some troubling signs, with Trump admitting he doesn't have the power to secure reduced grocery prices, and big business scrambling to try to call him off his plans for drastic new tariffs... Trump could be headed for disaster if he doesn't realize how much distrust there is among his own voters, and overplays his hand." "Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year," AP News (Dec-21) reported.

"...speculation [erupted] as Biden and Harris both abruptly [cancelled] their (Holiday) plans and [rushed] back to White House," MSN and The Western Journal (Dec-20) reported.

"We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels as if Elon Musk is our prime minister," Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas told Face The Nation's Margaret Brennan; CBS (Dec-22) summarized (video) that Gonzales, "compared Elon Musk to an unelected prime minister." "Whether Elon Musk [was] the real president, merely the prime minister or just Donald Trump’s multibillionaire enforcer, he’s carving out an unprecedented role that could raise conflicts of interest for the new administration," CNN (Dec-23) reported.

The Guardian (Dec-22) reported that Oregon officials condemned, "an anonymous letter encouraging residents to track down and report brown people...The letter, titled brown round-up part 1, told recipients to write down the license plate numbers of cars driven by people of color... (for the Department of Homeland Security after Donald Trump’s inauguration)," The New York Times (Dec-22) headlined the story. "One of the things we tell each person when they join our team is to do the right thing. We are encouraging our community members to do the right thing and use compassion as we encounter these types of messages. We strongly advise against engaging in activities such as those outlined in this letter, including collecting or sharing information about individuals based on their demographic or perceived immigration status," Sheriff Curtis Landers of FB/Lincoln County Sheriff's Office - Oregon (Dec-19) had posted. ABC News (Dec-24) said that the anonymous letter obtained by ABC was, "riddled with typos," and added from Landers' statement, "We want to be unequivocal in our stance: this type of behavior is harmful, divisive, and inconsistent with the values we uphold as public servants and community members... Targeting individuals in this manner erodes trust and undermines the sense of safety and inclusion that we strive to maintain in Lincoln County." The Seattle Times (Dec-25) investigated.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, Mr. Trump wrote on social media, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. ...the government of Greenland immediately rejected Mr. Trump’s demands, as it did in 2019, when he first floated the idea. Greenland is ours, Prime Minister Mute B. Egede said in a statement. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," New York Times (Dec-23) reported. Trump also, "repeated suggestions in recent weeks that Canada should become America’s 51st state," and, "accused Panama of price-gouging American ships traversing the canal, and suggested that unless that changed, he would abandon the Jimmy Carter-era treaty that returned all control of the canal zone to Panama." "After Trump threat, Mexican president [said] Panama Canal belongs to Panamanians," Reuters (Dec-23) relayed. Deutsche Welle (Dec-25) reported, "(Panama's) President Jose Raul Mulino has said the canal's status is non-negotiable.... Protesters say enemy Trump must leave canal alone," Mulino (Dec-22) had released a statement. Donald Trump was apparently looking for opportunities to bully and be a conqueror, seemingly hungry for the power that Musk was gaining. The New Republic (Dec-23) said, "the last time the U.S. tried to make a play for Canada, the British burned down the U.S. Capitol. It’s difficult to consider Trump’s latest imperialist dreams as anything other than a distraction from his sinister plans stateside—which include violently rounding up undocumented immigrants into camps and deporting them en masse."

President Biden (Dec-23) commuted, "the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row. Those individuals will have their sentences reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole... He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder." President-elect Trump (Dec-25) via Truth Social said, "...to those lucky souls... ...GO TO HELL!"

"Biden signs 50 bills, including 1 backed by Paris Hilton, on Christmas Eve... ...approving everything from the country’s official bird (S. 4610/AP) to protections for children in youth care facilities (S. 1351)," The Hill (Dec-24) reported.

Fabio Ochoa, formerly, "one of Colombia's legendary drug lords and a key operator of the Medellin cartel has been deported back to the South American country, after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence in the United States... The nightmare is over, said Ochoa," NPR (Dec-24) reported.

As Elon Musk gained more power, a rift within President-elect Trump's MAGA movement widened. Due to disagreement about H1-B visas forced Trump's traditional nationalist movement to get leveraged by Elon Musk's more-liberal and competitive stance for hiring foreign talent above being limited only to America's best, Axios (Dec-28) and The Guardian (Dec-28) reported. According to The Independent (Dec-30), Mr. Musk suggested, "Americans were too r*tarded to fill Silicon Valley’s need for qualified engineers... The blowback only got worse when he referred to his detractors as hateful unrepentant racists who needed to be removed from the GOP. ...he paraphrased the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder by telling critics to take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face, vowing that he would go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot comprehend." The New Republic (Dec-30) reported the opposition, "Steve Bannon thinks that Americans deserve reparations for having to coexist with immigrants on H-1B visas, We haven’t fought these battles over years and years and years to allow American citizens of every race, ethnicity, religion, be gutted by the sociopathic overlords in Silicon Valley... We want reparations for the tech workers that you stole their lives." After Musk appeared to agree that the program needed reform, The Independent (Dec-30) added that Bannon claimed, "there’s no MAGA civil war because Elon Musk is not tough enough... They folded – I mean, it was embarrassing." Salon (Dec-26) reported, "if you force the world’s best talent to play for the other side, America will LOSE. End of story," Elon stormed off. Then, alleging that Microsoft Founder Bill Gates wanted to start the New Year at Donald Trump's party, it seemed on Truth Social that Trump (Dec-27) had threateningly taunted Musk to return, "Where are you? When are you coming to the Center of the Universe, Mar-a-Lago. Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year's Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT." Stories continued about the MAGA power struggle widening, according to (Dec-31) The Independent, "Honeymoon over? Trump is reportedly annoyed by best buddy Elon Musk’s antics... ...a public rift deepens between Musk and Trump’s MAGA allies..."

Destiny (2024-Jul-16) shared (video), "Destiny debates Adrian Dittmann who is not Elon Musk." Bluesky and X accounts named Adrian Dittman surfaced. Sprinter (Dec-30) reported, "a man who sounded just like Elon Musk, was immensely passionate about defending Elon Musk’s moderation policies, and in the past, has used the first person (audio) when talking about Elon Musk’s companies multiple times!" Elon Musk changed his X name to, "Kekius Maximus," after dismissing the rumors, "Kekius Maximus will soon reach level 80 in hardcore PoE," Musk (Dec-30) announced to X.

The Midnight Manuscripts (Dec-25) had been uncovering, "the untold story behind Musk’s drastic transformation. While mind-altering pharmaceutical substances like ketamine (Special K) may offer therapeutic benefits and moments of profound insight, they are not without significant risks. When someone as influential as Elon Musk begins exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior, the consequences can be far-reaching. His alarming alignment with genocidal dictators and peddling of propaganda doesn’t exist in a vacuum—his decisions influence industries, shape global narratives, and inspire millions of followers. If his actions continue on this troubling trajectory, the chaos could ripple outward, affecting countless others in unforeseen ways. This is what I fear is happening, and if I’m right, the downward spiral will only accelerate." Knight/Manuscripts continued, "in a recent interview with Don Lemon, Elon Musk revealed that he uses ketamine to combat depression. Ketamine, however, has also become a popular recreational drug in the tech world, with leaders often turning to mind-altering substances in an effort to boost productivity and creativity... They speak of piercing the veil of existence and gaining a deeper understanding of life from a God’s-eye-view. For some, this profound sense of connection and revelation seems to foster an inflated sense of self-importance—what could be described as a developing God complex... ...Steve Jobs famously credited LSD with expanding his creative thinking." Elon Musk (Dec-29) told his X followers: "Please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform."

The White House (Dec-27) confirmed, "...a ninth US telecommunications company was breached as part of an extensive Chinese hacking campaign targeting critical infrastructure in the US and other nations," Anadolu Ajansi (Dec-27) reported, "the cyber-espionage group referred to as Salt Typhoon... US Sen. Ron Wyden announced plans for a bill to secure American networks, while Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel pledged to act urgently to mandate enhanced infrastructure protections for US carriers." "The reality is that China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States," White House Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger (Dec-27) said, "those are private sector companies — and we still see companies not doing the basics."

"US presidents [released] statements, [offering] condolences after Jimmy Carter's death," WBAL-TV (Dec-29) shared. President Joe Biden said he was a remarkable leader, "to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are (a) great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong. ...it was not only his policies but his character his decency the honor he communicated to everyone... ...what Jimmy Carter is an example of is just simple decency — simple decency and I think that's what the rest of (the) world looks to America for... ...you'd all do well to try be a little more like Jimmy Carter..." President-elect Donald Trump (Dec-29) posted to Truth Social, "he worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect." Medium/Former President Barack Obama (Dec-29) stated, "he believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image. Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it." Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Dec-29) added, "he understood that the fates of Americans were bound up with those of people in other countries, so he was early to recognize that protecting our shared planet and promoting global public health were vital national security interests. President Carter also showed us what can be achieved through tireless and principled diplomacy, mediating a landmark deal with Israel and Egypt that helped forge peace between two nations that had spent decades at war."

"Major incident: China-backed hackers breached US Treasury workstations," CNN (Dec-30) headlined. "...the third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, said hackers gained access to a key used by the vendor to secure a cloud-based service that Treasury uses for technical support."

The White House (Dec-30 & 31) proclaimed January 2025 as National Stalking Awareness Month, National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and National Mentoring Month.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. (Dec-31) issued (PDF) his 2024 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary. "According to United States Marshals Service statistics, the volume of hostile threats and communications directed at judges has more than tripled over the past decade... ...elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings... ...violence, intimidation, and defiance directed at judges because of their work undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable."

U.S. Department of State (Dec-31) announced (ref: Executive Order 13848), "Sanctions in response to attempted Iranian and Russian interference in U.S. general election."

"A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel early Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025... Matthew Livelsberger, the Green Beret who died in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion, left behind... two letters on his iPhone Notes app ahead of the explosion describe his personal and political grievances... Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves... We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse... This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?," The Independent (Jan-4) reported Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren.

WDSU6 (Jan-10) reported that the FBI would continue to investigate, "A total of 14 people are dead and 35 people were injured after a man drove a truck into a crowd at Bourbon and Canal streets in New Orleans on New Year's Day in a terrorist attack, according to the FBI... He wore the Meta glasses during the attack, but the FBI [said] they were not activated... The FBI also confirmed that there is no link between Jabbar's attack and the Tesla that exploded in Las Vegas... According to the FBI, a total of 1,000 tips were called in."

"President Biden [signed] Social Security Fairness Act," C-SPAN (Jan-4) transcribed President Biden (video), "Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity..."

Biden said to, "...keep it personal... The rest of the world looks to us... And I think with your help and a lot of people — the help of the leadership here, we’ve done a pretty damn good job so far of putting things back on track. So, please don’t listen to those who say, 'Don’t talk.' You’re smarter than most of these people are. You know what you want to do... Well, I’m serious. Think about it... How many people get here just purely based on prejudice, just purely based on the kinds of things that are just lies? But people change... ...think about it... You’re smart as hell. You’re incredibly, incredibly qualified. So, please reach out. I don’t want you to compromise on any principle you fully disagree with, but just understand the other person’s perspective. It’s a way to get to 'go.' Because if we don’t do that, look at — anyway, I’m confident you’re going to be able to change this, turn this around, in a way that we continue down the road we’re on."

Rumors surfaced (Jan-5) on X about a Jan 19th Trump rally to "re-enact" January 6th, 2021. Donald Trump Sr. watched the mayhem, an anonymous Canadian Trump detester on X (Oct-6-2021) shared (video), "...Donald Trump Jr. made this video just before the worst attack on democracy in American history."

AP News (Jan-6) reported, "Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 election in proceedings Monday that unfolded without challenge, in stark contrast to the Jan. 6, 2021, violence as his mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol."

NPR (Jan-6) reported that Biden used, "a decades-old law to block drilling for oil in more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean — the largest region a president has ever protected using this authority. It's a move designed to help cement his climate legacy, and one the incoming Trump administration is expected to challenge."

"Trump’s tariff policy claims its first victim with (Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau resignation... ...before the former president has even returned to office." MarketWatch (Jan-6) reported.

"...Canada and the United States, that would really be something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like," Trump (Jan-7) spoke (video) and waved his hands. He also stated plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, "which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory the Gulf of America what a beautiful name." He claimed, "we need Greenland for national security purposes. I've been told that for a long time long before I even ran I mean people have been talking about it for a long time..." The President-elect unloaded, "We're going to make it great again. We're going to make the FBI great again. We're going to make the Department of Justice Fair, fair and strong, but fair again, because all they did was attack me, because I'm their political opponent, and that includes with local judges like... ...ask him why do I have a gag order where I'm not allowed to speak. Think of it, I'm the president of the United States and I'm not allowed to speak. Why? Because if I did speak people would understand the scam. It's a scam and we have very dishonest judges. And New York judges, very bad. We had one that valued this house at $18 million, because it was good for their case. He actually valued that, that chandelier is worth more than $18 million, he valued this house at $18 million. And we have another one who was so nasty, so horrible, such a brute. Most vicious, vile person, these are New York judges, but we've won most of the cases, so we're very happy about that," Trump threatened, "if those hostages aren't back, I don't want to hurt your negotiation, if they're not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the middle east, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out." Trump's January 7th speech: attack, attack, attack. Rather than trying to bridge the gap, instead of uniting people by building on the successes of the current administration and past administrations, Donald Trump trashed their work and attacked their character.

"...an avalanche of lies..." MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell (Jan-7) suggested (video) that Trump's claims for Canada, Greenland, and Panama were distraction events to bait reporting headlines and distract from other lies and exaggerations, "Donald Trump makes sure that he's the only person in the room with a microphone... Reporters could not in any way keep up with Donald Trump lies." O'Donnell highlighted when Trump misled the audience about the war in Russia and Ukraine. After Trump seemed to had mistakenly say, "(Judge) Cannon was thrown off the case," O'Donnell clarified, "since no one was thrown off the cases involving Donald Trump, it's impossible to know who he meant, and i'm not going to guess. That's a mistake. Guessing what Donald Trump means when he says something incoherent is a mistake. That is an attempt to impose logic on what is coming out of Donald Trump's incoherent mind... Every time Joe Biden got a name wrong, it was a huge deal. It was a news story and if that's their new standard for the presidency, they had better apply it now to Donald Trump every day. But Donald Trump knows they won't because of the massive avalanche of lies. And nonsense about Canada and Greenland and the Panama Canal — that will distract the reporters who will write stories about that. It will distract them from targeting, what they did every day, against the Biden White House." The New Republic (Jan-10) reported, "Donald Trump gloated that the Americans don’t need anything from Canada..."

"President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment in his historic hush money case, a judgment that lets him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine... The judge said that he had to respect Trump's upcoming legal protections as president, while also giving due consideration to the jury's decision," Santa Maria Times/AP (Jan-10) reported.

"Donald Trump is mulling over the idea to declare a national economic emergency to impose widespread tariffs... as the president-elect escalates threats to seize the Panama Canal, acquire Greenland and force Canada into becoming a US state," The Guardian (Jan-8) and CNN (Jan-8) reported. Newsweek (Jan-8) announced, "Canadian leaders have indicated they would prefer President-elect Donald Trump ease up with his repeated suggestion that Canada should become the United States' 51st state. ...Canada's Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said that the joke is over. ...Stop 51st State Talk..."

"A super scooper aircraft (A.K.A. Canadair CL-415 'water bomber' — scoops seawater to extinguish fires) was struck and damaged by a drone during a firefight," X/Hannibal FM (Jan-10) reported. Firefighters from neighboring states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington) and Mexico also joined in fighting the fires, CBS News (Jan-11) reported.

Fires in California quickly became a national emergency, Ascendents.net News (Jan-8) started reporting. President Biden's response on X was reposted by California Governor Newsom's Office, "I'm announcing that the federal government will cover 100% of the cost of measures to protect lives and property in Southern California for six months... I’ve told the Governor and officials to spare no expense and do whatever they need to contain the fires and protect families..." "I'm surging every federal resource possible to Southern California, including hundreds of federal firefighters, 30 firefighting helicopters and planes, 8 DoD C-130s, and 500 military ground-clearing personnel. We’re working with @DeptofDefense to identify what more we can surge," he added. Damages were estimated to be approaching a hundred-billion dollars.

"Does anyone here think we should accommodate Donald Trump when he violates political norms?" WFMZ-TV 69News (Jan-10) reported that MSNBC's Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski experienced (video), "backlash over their controversial meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in November, this time directly from one of their own regular guests... ...former chairman of the Republic National Committee, Michael Steele, challenged the hosts on their argument that people should be civil to Trump as he prepares to return to the White House later this month... ...you like to say 78 million people voted for Donald Trump, well 82 million people voted for Joe Biden, and he didn’t get that civility that you’re talking about from Donald Trump... So now the expectation is, because he has won again and he’s got 78 million people, we all have to be civil to Donald Trump... My main point is, everybody is looking at this from a one-way perspective; how we need to approach Donald Trump. How is he approaching us? The man wants to lock up citizens, the man wants to turn the government against them, how are we supposed to respond to that? Are we supposed to be civil? ...the politics and the sort-of funny moments that occur: those are great, but; next week, we start a new regime. We start a new direction. And everybody wants us to behave a certain way in this new era... ...if it's civility, if it's accommodation to Donald Trump as we see corporate America doing, if it's bending the knee, whatever..."

TS/Donald Trump (Jan-9) had blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom and referred to him as "Newscum", "One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" X/Newsom (Jan-11) replied, "A lot of misinformation out there. Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires. The TRUTH:

• CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet.
• CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office.
• California will NOT allow for looting.

Get the facts: californiafirefacts.com... There is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump’s claims that he would open some imaginary spigot." The governor also called for Elon Musk to quit spreading misinformation: "Stop encouraging looting by lying and telling people it’s decriminalized. It’s not. It’s illegal -- as it always has been. Bad actors will be arrested and prosecuted." On January 10th, Newsom had called (letter), "for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir. We need answers to ensure this does not happen again." Governor Newsom also invited (letter) President-elect Trump to California, "The hundreds of thousands of Americans – displaced from their homes and fearful for the future – deserve to see us all working together in their best interests, not politicizing a human tragedy and spreading disinformation from the sidelines."

Officials controversially set up disaster relief fundraising via the ACTBlue (Democratic Party) website. X/Newsom had (Jan-10) reiterated (video) trying to get Trump to travel to Califronia (like Biden did the day after the fire started), Austin American-Statesman (Jan-8) reported (video). (Newsom/Jan-10) "This is an emergency. This isn't about politics — it's about making sure people are alive. I want the President-elect to visit LA County to understand the magnitude of the devastation we're experiencing right now and how we can be partners in recovery."

"Buy America has been the law of the land since the '30s," from the White House, Biden (Jan-10) spoke (video) about the economy during his presidency: "My Investing in America agenda — which includes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act — together mark the most significant investment in America since the New Deal (1932-1936 [FDR]), TreasuryDirect KIDS). The Inflation Reduction Act alone is the most significant investment in climate and clean energy, ever — anywhere in the world..." Biden added that his final decisions as President depended, "on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcasts in the last couple days here as to what he's going to do... The idea that he would punish people for not adhering to what he thinks should be policies related to his well-being is outrageous..."

"No American wants to pay 25% more for electricity or oil and gas coming in from Canada. That’s something I think people need to pay a little more attention to... He got elected to try and make life easier for all Americans, to support American workers," Canadian outgoing Prime Minister Trudeau said of Trump. "These (tariffs) are things that are going to hurt them," AP News (Jan-12) reported.

To the State Department, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken (Jan-13) thanked (video) the President and his colleagues, "on day one of this Administration... we long discussed... that American engagement — American leadership is essential — if we're not engaged if we're not leading you said someone else is likely to be doing it and probably not in a way that advances our interest or values, or maybe no one's doing it and then we're likely to have a vacuum filled with bad things before it's filled with good things... You instructed all of us to get out there to rebuild, to rejuvenate, even to reimagine our alliances and Partnerships. And I remember what you told me, then, you said: we don't know when this is going to make a difference, when we're going to need these friendships, these Partnerships, but someday, some way, somewhere, they're going to be critical for advancing the national interest, and that's exactly what the men and women of this department have done... You said, when you came here four years ago, that the leadership of diplomats, of every stripe doing the daily work of government, is essential. And they proved it; that daily work has become nightly work 24-7, 7 days a week — hammering out agreements, jumping into action (in crisis), creating opportunities for our citizens around the world, producing expert advice for you, and your team at the White House...

Everyone here knows this work can be tough. It's often not very glamorous, but it makes us stronger. It makes the world a better place and we simply couldn't do it without the extraordinary men and women that you have before us, as well as our remarkable Partners in government, starting with the Great White House team led by Jake Sullivan, my friends and colleagues from across the administration, Secretary of Defense, Samantha Power at USAID, the Secretary of the Treasury, Commerce, and so on... All of these Partnerships that we built and built with their teams have made a difference. So, to all of my colleagues, thank you. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your partnership. There's one other reason that we've been able to re-engage and rejuvenate our diplomacy, Mr. President, that's you. You have never wavered in the conviction that when America leads when America engages, there is little we cannot accomplish. And that this country remains a Force for good, a force for Progress around the world — your unshakable belief in the promise of America has inspired me for more than 20 years. It's inspired so many people in this department and around the world. Simply put, it's been the privilege of my lifetime to work for you, to work with you, to work with this extraordinary team that you've assembled. And it's the honor of a lifetime to be able to introduce, one more time, the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden..."

President Biden (Jan-13) spoke (video), "we've reinvigorated people's faith in the United States as a true partner... It's clear, my Administration is leaving the next Administration with a very strong hand to play. And we're leaving them an America with more friends and stronger alliances... I have learned, in many years of public service, to never, never, never, ever give up... I urge the next Administration to carry forward two issues that have been central to my presidency and would shape the future. In my view, on artificial intelligence, we are in the lead, and we must stay in the lead... ...there must be the United States and our closest allies that lead the way to ensure people's rights are respected, their safety is protected, and their data is secure. And likewise clean energy transition will race ahead years to come... We will shape the global economy and the planet for decades to come. Let me close with this... ...as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee as a senator, vice president for eight years, and now president of the United States, I put together one of the most competent foreign policy teams, I would argue, in American history, sitting in this room before my eyes. Throughout my career, the world has undergone tremendous change, but certain things have always held true — at our best, America leads: not only by the example of our power, but the power of our example! The past four years we've used that power, not to go alone, but instead to bring countries together, to increase shared security, and prosperity — to stand up to aggression, to solve problems through diplomacy wherever possible, and to relentlessly defend democracy, civil rights, and human rights, because that's who we are! That's who we are!!! It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. Today, I'm optimistic about our future, as optimistic as I've ever been, we just have remember who in the hell. You heard me say it many times — we are the United States of America, for God's sake. There is nothing! Nothing! Nothing beyond our capacity, if we do it together, and commit to it. Nothing. So, thank you all for all you've done. I hope many of you are going to be staying in the next Administration to keep this moving. May God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Biden (Jan-13) also stated, "I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush... The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W. Bush (CVN 83) will begin construction in the years ahead. When complete, they will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea."

NPR (Jan-14) reported that The Department of Justice had released (PDF), "its long-awaited election interference report against President-elect Donald Trump, after a protracted legal fight... Smith, in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland prefacing the report (pages 1-4), defended his work and his team, as well as his impartiality in pursuing the federal cases against Trump... The 137-page report lays out prosecutors' evidence of Trump's efforts to influence the election and propagate election claims he knew were false..." Donald Trump (Jan-14, "after the report's release") posted to Truth Social, "Jack is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election..."

The White House (Jan-14) shared (video), "President Biden [convened] Senior White House and Administration officials for a briefing on the full federal response he has directed to the wildfires across Los Angeles; Vice President Harris [attended]."

• The Biden-Harris Administration (Jan-14) announced (website), "that it completed the work required under the Executive Order President Biden signed in September 2024, directing federal agencies to: 1) help schools improve school-based active shooter drills; and 2) combat the emerging threats of machinegun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D printed firearms."
• The White House (Jan-14) notified Congress (certification), "President Biden determined Cuba should no longer be designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism." "...in a deal the country’s communist government said would involve the gradual release of 553 (unjustly detained) political prisoners," The Guardian (Jan-14) added.
• The White House (Jan-14) issued (report), "The Biden-?Harris Administration Roadmap for Pandemic Preparedness and Response."
• The White House (Jan-14) posted an, "executive order on advancing United States leadership in artificial intelligence infrastructure... These imperatives require building AI infrastructure in the United States on the time frame needed to ensure United States leadership over competitors who, already, are racing to take the lead in AI development and adoption." Harris and Biden added statements, "As AI’s capabilities grow, so do its implications for Americans’ safety and security..."
• The White House (Jan-14) shared (video), "President Biden [delivered] remarks celebrating the Administration’s historic conservation legacy and signs proclamations to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in California."

Recent update (2025/01/24)

"Prominent Bay Area lawyer skewers Mark Zuckerberg, [fired] Meta as a client, SFGate (Jan-14) wrote, "the Stanford professor said he refuses to be associated with Zuckerberg and Meta, given the company's new content and workplace policies."

President Biden (Jan-17) declared the, "...Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution the law of the land, a surprising declaration that does not have any formal force of effect, but that was celebrated by its backers in a rally in front of the National Archives. The amendment would need to be formally published or certified to come into effect... ...and when or if that [would] happen [was] unclear."

It made me realize that there's so damn many bullies around. And I now extrapolate that all the way to democracy. The reason for all the safeguards out there. is, in a very [trite/straight] way to say, keep the bullies... ...from taking advantage of everybody else. Basic guard rails. And I think that this concentration of enormous wealth and power, in a circumstance where everything's changing, and the biggest thing is changing is how we communicate with one another..." Affecting culture, Biden pressed the press, "Who's out there saying, No, you can't print that? You can't say it's not true! Worried about whether or not they're gonna be held accountable for telling the truth!"

I guess what i'm worried about is, that the thing that keeps it on track... ...are the guard rails. There's a supreme court that's independent, but... accountable. There's a congress, that you speak your mind, but you're held accountable to basic standards. There's a presidency, that says you have really limited powers. I mean, you're the top dog, but you can't dictate everything. I don't know, they... ...just seem to be chipping away at all those elements.

If the decisions made... (means) that the multibillionaires, the super, super wealthy, the wealthiest people in the world begin to control all the apparatuses from the media to the economy, who do I get to fight back for me?" He continued, ""(They) find the cheapest labor anywhere in the world... Find the cheapest way to spend it... ...to engage it... ...and make the most money you can (they can)... Well, guess what? ...it really damages America's, any country's ability to compete!

When he (Trump) came in here, I spent 2 hours with him to try to change the nature of the transfer of power so it was done peacefully... The idea that we're going to be in a situation where we could continue to have the chaos in the Middle East without the running the risk of starting a regional war... ...it's really, really not possible. And the idea that Israel is going to be able to sustain itself for the long term without accommodating the Palestinian question and their safety, their — meaning the safety of American Jews, not possible. It's not gonna happen... Why isn't their interest to see this change, this dynamic change? ...it makes more sense if we work this thing out a little bit. Think about it. ...if we don't lead the world, who leads the world? What happens? I don't mean dominate, I mean, lead the world on basic fundamental principles, like the UN charter... Who steps up? Who has the capacity to do that? ...we have the size, we have the scope, we have the ability, we have the technology. (We) accommodated a foreign policy, that allowed us to change the dynamic... ...and invest more in the things that make us who we are. ...it's attracting money into the economy... It seems to me, I don't know how we can be the leader in terms of our national security. If we're not also one of the wealthiest countries in the world, that funds it all, and convinces other people we're willing to play with them. We're willing to work with them. We're not trying to cut them out, we're gonna cut them in."

Biden reflected on his presidency, "ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy and not enough time on the politics." His advice, "...know... what you want to change and... as long as you understand what's motivating the other guy, the other woman — (and if) that is based on something that they genuinely believe is an interest of the state, (then) you can work something out. You can sit down and say, ok, look... ...but if you know it's just done for power or for a special interest, then you don't have to pay attention to it."

"All the staff is here from all across all the agencies and friends, supporters, Jill and I are forever grateful to you. I mean that, we're generally grateful. As you heard me say before, no president gets to choose the moment they enter history, but they get to choose the team... ...and we chose the best damn team in the world. Look... ...these years. I hope you look back on them, the same pride I have of all you've done, you know I'm proud, what I'm proud of is that you did it upholding the core values of honesty, decency, and integrity. I mean, no scandal. I mean, it's incredible what you did. And you represent the best of who we are as Americans. That's not a joke. That's real. I've already relied on your ideas resolve on council. We also, also relied on your families to all your families, thank you, thank you, thank you for the sacrifices you made. I mean it. For being part of this journey. Every day I'm deeply moved by all we all did for this country. I really mean it. His history's gonna mark down just what you did, you know...

We've always done our best as Americans. We never, never, never give up, never. We're leaving office, but we're not leaving the fight. You're smart, you're skilled, you're passionate. The country needs you again, so all of you can stay engaged in all the ways you can, whether it's in public service, the private sector, philanthropy, academia, running for office yourself, or anything else you choose to do. I give you my word, we believe in you. We, Jill and I, our family believe in you just as I've said of the laws we enacted our seasons are gonna grow and bloom for decades to come. I say that to you as well. I have no doubt, no doubt you'll make this experience and take the friendships you made, you made to continue to do amazing things in decades to come. That's why I see a future... ...all, all of the leading the way by you all. You know, so take some time to decompress, reconnect with your friends, spend more time with your family, but most of all, take care of yourselves and each other. I mean it. Let me close where I began with my sincere gratitude, and I really mean in the bottom of my heart. I've been doing this for 50 years, with the best group of people! Hard to say. It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president! And I tell you what greater honor is being able to serve with all of you. You're incredible. You really are. You really are. Mark my words. History is going to judge what you've done as one of the most significant contributions that's been made by all of America. Look folks, you know, let me close that poem you heard me quote before. Seamus Heaney wrote (PDF):

You made it rhyme louder than it's rhymed in a long time. I really mean it. We're on the cusp of real change, so let's make hope and history rhyme! I love you all. I keep you too long, but thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

Thank you for reading Ascendents.net News, the #1 source. Enjoy top coverage of the story...

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More links:

• Government Publishing Office - Ben's Guide, Learning Adventures: Oath of Office
• U.S. Government - The Biden White House - Archived (2021-2025)
• U.S. Government - Biden's State Department - Archived (2021-2025)
• U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Accountability - Raskin & Stansbury’s statement on Russell Vought’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (2024-Nov-23)
• U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Accountability - Raskin: Mr. Donald J. Trump and Senator JD Vance (PDF) (2024-Oct-23)
• Computer scientists to VP Harris (PDF) — "We write to alert you to serious election security breaches that have threatened the security and integrity of the 2024 elections..." (Nov-13)
• Senators to DOJ (PDF) — "We write with serious concern regarding open source reporting detailing conversations between Russian officials and the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk..." (Nov-15)
• Senator Warren to GSA (PDF) — "President-elect Donald Trump is undermining his own ability to effectively manage national security emergencies, urgent public health and safety threats, and corruption risks..." (Nov-21)
• U.S. General Services Administration - Memoranda, Reports, and Key Documents: 2024 MOU between GSA and Eligible Candidate (Harris) [PDF - 3 MB]
• U.S. General Services Administration - Memoranda, Reports, and Key Documents: 2024 Ethics Plan (Harris) [PDF - 90 KB]
• U.S. General Services Administration - Memoranda, Reports, and Key Documents: 2024 Ethics Plan (Trump) [PDF - 274 KB]
• U.S. General Services Administration - 2024 Presidential Transition Directory: Timeline (2024)
• U.S. General Services Administration - FY2025 CJ (Congressional Justification) Presidential Transition Narrative (PDF) (2024)
• U.S. General Services Administration - Ethics and accountability, Office of Government Ethics: Presidential Transition Guide (PDF) (2020)
• The New York Times - Trump presidential transition: Ethics code (PDF) (Oct-9)
• The New York Times - Trump presidential transition: Conflict of Interest statement (PDF) (Oct-9)
• Center for Presidential Transition - Presidential Transition Guide (PDF) (2023)
• Center for Presidential Transition - Agency Transition Guide (PDF) (2023)
• Congressional Research Service - CRS Reports, Presidential Transition Act: Provisions and Funding (PDF) (2024-May)
• 270 To Win - 2024 Interactive U.S. Map
• The Telegraph - 2024 Election: Live Poll Tracker
• Portland Metro Chamber - Portland Coalition Urges Civility, Rejects Political Violence Around Upcoming Election (PDF) - (Over a hundred signatories) "A call to uphold our tradition of respectful civic participation..." (2024-Oct)
• NAACP / Legal Defense Fund - Toolkit for Preventing Voter Intimidation (PDF), "...community-based strategies..." (2024-Oct)
• NAACP / Voter Incident Report Form, "...every vote counts and every voice deserves to be heard. If you encounter any issues while trying to vote..."
• CISA.gov (Cyber Defense) - 10 regions led by directors, and election security advisors (ESAs)
• CISA.gov (Public Service Announcement w/ PDF) - "Just So You Know: Foreign Threat Actors Likely to Use a Variety of Tactics to Develop and Spread Disinformation During 2024 U.S. General Election Cycle" (2024-Oct-18)
• Office of the Director of National Intelligence - The Foreign Malign Influence Center: Election Security Update as of Late October 2024 (PDF), "Foreign actors—particularly Russia, Iran, and China—remain intent on fanning divisive narratives to divide Americans and undermine Americans’ confidence in the U.S. democratic system..." (2024-Oct-22)
• National Intelligence Council - Memorandum: Foreign Threats to US Elections after voting ends in 2024 (PDF), "We expect these actors to at least conduct information operations denigrating US democracy through Inauguration Day..." (2024-Oct-8, declassified 2024-Oct-16)
• Department of Defense Releases Report (and Memorandum) on Countering Extremist Activities and Outlines Next Steps - "We owe the men and women of the Department of Defense an environment free of extremist activities, and we owe our country a military that reflects the founding values of our democracy." (2021-Dec-20)
• U.S. Library of Congress - Hypnotism As It Is (PDF) - 158 pages (1897)
• U.S. Library of Congress - A letter to the public, upon political parties, caucuses and conventions, and the next presidential election (PDF) - 18 pages, C.P. Van Ness, Whig Party, (Feb 10, 1848)
• Final Report on Special Counsel (Jack Smith)’s Investigations and Prosecutions (USA v. Donald Trump, 2020 election) - 174 pages (Jan 7, 2025, released Jan 13)
• Special Counsel Jack Smith’s unsealed court filing (USA v. Donald Trump, 2020 election) - 165 pages (Oct 2, 2024)
• Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 2023 indictment (USA v. Donald Trump, 2020 election) - 45 pages (Aug 1, 2023)
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission - Election administration and voting survey 2020 comprehensive report (PDF) - 252 pages (2023)
• U.S. Department of State - Election Security: U.S. Government’s Efforts to Protect the 2024 U.S. Election from Foreign Malign Influence (Sep 6, 2024)
• U.S. Department of State - Global Music Diplomacy Initiative (Updated: June 25, 2024) Launched September 27, 2023
• U.S. Department of State's National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) - Discover Diplomacy: Cultural, Educational, and Sports Diplomacy: "The real crucial link..." (2024-Nov)
• U.S. Department of State's National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) - Discover Diplomacy: "Diplomacy at its best is about service, wisdom, consensus, and compromise... Most people may not ever think about how diplomacy impacts their daily lives, but that does not mean its influence is not there." (2024-Nov)
• U.S. Department of State's National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) - Diplomacy Simulations: "...skill-building role-play simulations based on real-world scenarios developed by diplomats and historians... ...practice collaborating with people who have diverse values, interests, and perspectives to reach a mutually beneficial outcome." (2024-Nov)

From Ascendents.net News:

• A cracked nation in cyber space (Dec 27, 2020)
• Intellectual Property Theft (Nov 11, 2020)
• People Can't Read (May 10, 2020)
• Modern Techniques to Drive Elections (Dec 25, 2019)
• Summer 2019 Update: Factual Reporting in Jeopardy (Jul 10, 2019)
• Stop the Faking of Elections (Oct 18, 2018)
• Factual Reporting in Jeopardy: The Reality (Sep 11, 2018)
• Information on Freedom of Press (Sep 8, 2018)