The media can be the greatest force for peace on Earth. Instead, all too often, it’s wielded as a weapon of war. That's why we have to take the media back. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. With your contribution, we can continue to go to where the silence is, to bring you the voices of the silenced majority – those calling for peace in a time of war, demanding action on the climate catastrophe and advocating for racial and economic justice. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much!
Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman
The media can be the greatest force for peace on Earth. Instead, all too often, it’s wielded as a weapon of war. That's why we have to take the media back. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. With your contribution, we can continue to go to where the silence is, to bring you the voices of the silenced majority – those calling for peace in a time of war, demanding action on the climate catastrophe and advocating for racial and economic justice. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much!
Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman
We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.
Please do your part today.
Kamala Harris has conceded the 2024 presidential race to Donald Trump, promising a peaceful transfer of power. Harris addressed supporters Wednesday afternoon at her alma mater, Howard University, after calling Trump to congratulate him.
Vice President Kamala Harris: “In our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our god. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. … This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”
With millions of ballots still to be counted, Trump is expected to match the 74 million votes he received in 2020. Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has won just 68 million votes so far, lagging far behind Joe Biden’s performance in 2020 when he claimed 81 million votes. The vast majority of the 3,000-plus counties across the U.S., whether urban, suburban or rural, swung right in this year’s election.
Control over the House of Representatives remains up for grabs, with dozens of races yet to be called. So far, Republicans have claimed 206 House seats compared to Democrats’ 191. Whichever party reaches 218 will hold the majority and can determine who becomes House speaker.
Meanwhile, Republicans have increased their control over the Senate after winning a majority of seats for the first time since 2020. In Montana, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester has lost his reelection bid, flipping another Senate seat for Republicans. He was defeated by Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL endorsed by Donald Trump. Sheehy gets an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association and is strongly anti-abortion. Earlier this year, Montana’s Char-Koosta News published audio clips of Sheehy at campaign events making racist and highly offensive comments about Native Americans.
In Nevada, Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen will hold on to her seat after fending off a challenge from Republican Sam Brown. Rosen is a former synagogue president first elected to the Senate in 2018. In Michigan, Democratic Congressmember Elissa Slotkin has narrowly won an open U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican Mike Rogers. Slotkin is a former Middle East analyst for the CIA who served three terms in Iraq under George W. Bush. She also worked as a high-ranking Pentagon official under President Obama.
Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress, Republican Jenniffer González, is set to become the island’s next governor. González is a supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico and a Trump supporter. She’s on track to narrowly beat Juan Dalmau of the Alianza coalition. The center-left third-party group made historic gains in this year’s election with Puerto Rican voters disaffected with the two main parties.
The world’s richest person, Elon Musk, saw his net worth soar by over $16 billion on Wednesday after Donald Trump secured victory. His net worth is now estimated at $290 billion. Musk personally spent about $120 million helping Trump get elected and used his social media site X, formerly Twitter, to promote Trump’s campaign. On Tuesday, Musk wrote, “Men are voting in record numbers. They now realize everything is at stake.” Musk was echoing Republican talking points aimed at countering Kamala Harris’s support among women and voter dissatisfaction with abortion bans. Trump vowed to install Musk as head of a new government efficiency commission. Musk has proposed cuts of “at least” $2 trillion to federal spending.
Meanwhile, CNN and Politico are reporting Trump has tapped Brian Hook, a top State Department official during the first Trump administration, to begin staffing the State Department. Hook served as special envoy for Iran under Trump, leading the “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions, sabotage and assassinations against Tehran.
Special counsel Jack Smith is reportedly preparing to wind down his two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump, in line with Justice Department policy that shields a sitting president from prosecution. Smith charged Trump with election subversion and illegally retaining classified documents. During campaigning, Trump said he would fire Smith “within two seconds” if he was reelected.
Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers are expected to ask New York Judge Juan Merchan to delay sentencing in Trump’s New York hush money and election interference trial. Trump’s sentencing on 34 felony counts was postponed earlier this year to November 26. Georgia’s sweeping election subversion case against Trump is also at risk of being delayed due to his reelection.
Immigrant communities across the U.S. and asylum seekers near the U.S. border are trying to figure out what an incoming Trump administration will mean for their safety and their rights. This is immigrant rights activist José Garcia, who works with asylum seekers in Tijuana.
José Garcia: “For us, the concern here in the north is that the migrant communities will be stuck. However, we will also see many migrants wanting to cross irregularly based on the fact that these aid programs are going to be removed. People will risk more, to want to cross irregularly at various points in our border areas. It is a latent risk where they can be robbed, assaulted, where they can be abandoned to their fate, and in a moment, they can even lose their lives.”
We’ll have more on immigration later in the broadcast with author Ana Raquel Minian.
The Israeli military says Palestinians from northern Gaza will not be allowed to return to their homes, effectively admitting to ethnically cleansing the region. A military official said any future aid to Gaza would only be allowed to enter through the south, but not the north, where there are “no more civilians left.”
UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge posted a harrowing video from northern Gaza showing its utter decimation. Wateridge wrote, “No matter from what direction you enter, homes, hospitals, schools, health clinics, mosques, apartments, restaurants — all completely flattened. An entire society now a graveyard.”
This comes as the head of UNRWA warned once again the agency will collapse “without intervention by member states.” Reuters reports the U.N. suggested in a letter to Israel that replacing the aid provided by UNRWA would become Israel’s responsibility after it recently cut ties with the U.N. body.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization resumed large-scale medical evacuations Wednesday, moving over 100 critical patients out of Gaza. Fewer than 300 patients had been able to leave Gaza since Israel blocked the Rafah crossing in May. The WHO estimates up to 14,000 Palestinians are in need of urgent medical evacuation from Gaza.
Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 27 Palestinians since the day started, including at least three children in Rafah.
In Lebanon, residents of Beirut woke up to smoke-filled skies this morning after a night of Israeli bombardment targeting the capital’s southern neighborhoods. This followed deadly Israeli strikes on the eastern Beqaa Valley and the city of Baalbek which killed at least 40 people and wounded 50 on Wednesday. Hezbollah said it launched a series of attack drones at the Bilu military base south of Tel Aviv in response to the latest attacks. Lebanese residents of Beirut continue to condemn Israel’s escalating assault on their country.
Ali Al-Ali: “This is a savage, predatory enemy that destroys homes, kills people and kills civilization. It cannot defeat the Hezbollah party. It cannot defeat them with destroying civilizations, with destroying homes, with anything. It cannot defeat them. And I say to Hezbollah: Do not stop. Do not stop resisting this enemy. I mean, what was taken away by force must return by force, too.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon has filed a complaint at the U.N.'s International Labour Organization over Israel's September terror attack, in which 4,000 people were killed or wounded when pagers suddenly exploded across Lebanon.
Russia ratified a mutual defense pact with North Korea Wednesday, solidifying the military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a “new chapter of instability” after revealing his troops fought North Korean soldiers on the battlefield for the first time. The combat reportedly took place earlier this week in Russia’s Kursk region, though South Korea downplayed the encounter, labeling it an “incident” involving a small number of fighters. Ukraine says some 11,000 North Korean soldiers are now stationed in Kursk, where Ukraine launched a surprise counterinvasion in August.
Germany’s governing coalition collapsed Wednesday after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister following failed talks between the three ruling parties. Scholz said he will remain in office but called for a confidence vote on January 15, which could lead to fresh elections by the end of March.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “I will now very quickly seek a conversation with the opposition leader, Friedrich Merz. I would like to offer him to work constructively together on two issues, or more, which are important for our country: the quick strengthening of our economy and our defense. Our economy can’t wait until a snap election takes place.”
The Pakistani province of Punjab is asking people to stay home as much as possible, halting in-person schooling and setting up a so-called smog war room in an effort to tackle record levels of air pollution that have choked the region. Hospitals report a spike in patients with respiratory and other smog-related conditions. The air quality index in Lahore recently soared as high as 120 times over recommended levels.
Muhammad Ishtiaq: “I’m struggling with shortness of breath and watery eyes, likely from poor air quality. I’ll stay home until it’s safe to venture out.”
Government officials say they are investigating ways to mitigate the pollution, including inducing artificial rainfall. The suffocating smog is brought about by a combination of crop burning, vehicular and industrial emissions and colder air.
In Southern California, 14,000 people in Ventura County have been told to evacuate as firefighters battle the fast-moving Mountain Fire. Nearby, another wildfire, the Broad Fire in Malibu, also erupted Wednesday amid the dry conditions and strong winds. Forecasters say the rest of the week could bring “extremely critical” wildfire danger to the region.
Cuba’s power grid collapsed again Wednesday as Hurricane Rafael lashed the island nation with torrential rains and sustained winds of 115 mph. The decadeslong U.S.-led embargo on Cuba has left Cuba unable to update its ailing energy infrastructure or import enough fuel and food for its residents.
Media Options