Thursday morning news: November 7, 2024

Harris concedes, Dems soul searching » VicePresident Kamala Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump on Wednesday, first with a phone call … and later in a speech on the campus of Howard University in Washington.

HARRIS:  Folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. But we must accept the results of this election.

Harris urged supporters to keep working to elect Democratic candidates and advance the party’s causes.

But Democratic strategist Nathan Daschle says it’s time for the party to do some soul searching.

DASCHLE:  It really wasn't just a loss for Democrats. It was a beat down. If this were a boxing match, it wouldn't have been decided on points. It would have been a knockout.

Daschle said Republicans did well in unexpected places and in urban areas with black and Latino voters … and that Democrats need to figure out why.

He added that, in his view, the election pivoted primarily on two issues: the economy and immigration.

DASCHLE:  And I'll be honest with you as a Democrat, I don't know what our message was on immigration or on the economy. We spend a lot of time talking about democracy, but I think we were only talking to ourselves.

Voter response, messaging » Most voters seem to agree with Daschle’s assessment, including this resident of a Texas border county, who voted for Trump:

TX VOTER:  I mean, especially with immigration and everything like that that's going on. I feel that Donald Trump has a better opportunity to fix those issues.

And another in Philadelphia:

PA VOTER: I think he ran our country more of like a business, so I'm excited to see what he does this time around.

Trump so far has secured 295 electoral votes … more than enough to win the White House.

Some votes still have not been counted in Arizona and Nevada. Trump is likely to carry those states as well.

Senate races » Two big Senate races will be decided in those states.

Republicans have claimed the majority, with 52 seats of the 100 total.

Ballot counting is almost complete in Michigan … where Democrat Elissa Slotkin leads Republican Mike Rogers by just 0.3 percent with 99 percent of the votes counted.

SLOTKIN: There are still ballots being processed, but as things stand right now, we are very confident that when the votes are counted, we will be the Senator elect for the state of Michigan.

Meantime in Pennsylvania, Republican Bob McCormik leads incumbent Sen. Bob Casey by 0.4 percent … with 98 percent of the votes counted there.

However, Republican Eric Hovde lost a tight race in Wisconsin to incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

GOP may have upper hand in the House » Control of the House might not be decided until next week. But Republicans seem to have the upper-hand in the still very tight battle … to project their slim majority.

So far, the GOP has a net gain of one seat … but dozens of races remain undecided.

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, though, says she’s confident:

STEFANIK: If you look at President Trump’s performance in carrying Senate candidates over the line, there is no modern-day candidate of either party who turns out voters more effectively than Donald Trump.

But House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also said in a statement that “the House remains very much in play.”

Iran currency plummets on news of Trump win » Iran’s currency fell to an all-time low Wednesday … after Donald Trump clinched the U.S. presidency again. The rial traded on Wednesday at 703,000 rials to the dollar.

Iran’s economy has struggled for years under crippling international sanctions over its nuclear program. Trump ramped up those sanctions during his presidency.

Israel latest » Meanwhile Israel continues to take heat over its decision to cut ties with the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.

Philippe Lazzarini heads the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees:

LAZZARINI: For the past year, UNRWA has been a lifeline for the people of Gaza. It is the only pillar of their lives left standing.

But Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon says UNRWA has become a front for Hamas, infiltrated by terrorist agents.

DANON:  Without UNRWA, aid workers could be trusted. Without UNRWA, Gaza's children might learn peace, not hate. It is time to move on and build a new path.

Israel also charges that some UNRWA workers actually participated in the October 7 terror attacks against Israel last year.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the Congressional balance of power is about to change after Tuesday’s election, but by how much?

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