Top Democrat made stunning admission about Republican party's reputation among the working class By ALEX HAMMER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 15:01 GMT, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 15:07 GMT, 24 November 2024 e-mail View comments The vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has declared that Republicans are now seen as the party that best represents the working-class. The not-so-proud proclamation came from Vice Chair Ken Martin Friday, during what amounted to an undressing of his own party on The Lead with Jake Tapper. There, the 51-year-old chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party pointed to complacency within the progressive party, while citing research that showed the shifting tide. He told Tapper: 'For the first time, the majority of Americans believe that the Republican Party best represents the interests of the working class and the poor,' '[A]nd the Democratic Party represents the interests of the wealthy and the elite.' 'That is a damning indictment on our party brand,' he continued. 'And that's something we have to figure out as we move forward. 'How we actually reconnect our very popular policy ideas which are passing in ballot initiatives throughout this country back to our party and candidates,' he pondered, before ultimately concluding, 'Because that's not happening. 'We gave to do a better job there.' Scroll down for video: DNC Vice Chair Ken Martin, also The chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, has said Republicans are now seen as the party that best represents the working-class He said so Friday The Lead with Jake Tapper. during what amounted to an undressing of his own party The admission was a major one, as it openly conceded the president-elect's campaign was the one that ended up resonating with the working class. The demographic has long been associated with the Democratic Party , which, for the better part of the past century, has platformed on liberal reforms and the interest of blue-collar workers. However, as Martin indicated, the party's labor union element has become smaller since the 70s - which itself was only a few years after the core bases of the parties experiences a shift that saw Northeastern states become more reliably blue. Decades later, during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the party would become more associated with a progressive economic agenda that contains elements of socialism, and more progressive views on cultural and social issues. This political climate came together in a big way this month, though likely not in the manner most in Martin's party had expected. Months after installing Kamala Harris as a last-minute replacement, voters showed up overwhelming for Trump - many from places and demographics that voted Biden just four years before. Four years of inflation and a yet-to-be-solved crisis surrounding the border were pegged as driving factors, as political pundits on both sides of the aisle seemingly realized in real-time how bipartisan politics were, in part, to blame for the result. 'I'm going to speak some hard truths to my friends in the Democratic Party,' CNN contributor Julie Roginsky said on the air two days after Trump obtained enough electoral votes to be named the next president. The admission was a major one, as it openly conceded the president-elect's campaign was the one that ended up resonating with the working class University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Álvaro J. Corral added of the result: 'I think this is really a story of the headwinds that were obviously too much to overcome for Democrats structurally [and] with the economy' Emphatically beating Kamala Harris, the president-elect found himself backed by 46 percent of all Latino voters - the most by any Republican in modern history 'This is not Joe Biden's fault. 'It's not Kamala Harris fault,' she continued. 'It's not Barack Obama's fault. It is the fault of the Democratic Party in not knowing how to communicate effectively to voters. 'We are not the party of common sense,' she went on to declare. '[This] is the message that voters sent to us.' University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Álvaro J. Corral added of the result: 'I think this is really a story of the headwinds that were obviously too much to overcome for Democrats structurally [and] with the economy'. Other instances of on-air reflection have been seen - though, more often than not, personalities like Joy Reid have instead chose to use their platform to engage in on-air finger-pointing - often at members of their own party's expense. A week after the election, Reid embarked on a tirade that appeared to chide Latinos who had voted for Trump. Days before, the Republican had garnered 46 percent of the entire demographic - the most by any Republican in modern history. 'While 91 percent of black women voted for [Harris], 53 percent of white women overall voted for Trump,' an unrepentant Reid began, as both MSNBC and CNN have struggled with subpar ratings in recent weeks. '[This is] despite the open disrespect and demonization hurled by JD Vance and the Supreme Court stripping women’s bodily autonomy, courtesy of Donald Trump. 'Latino men, who - despite the utter disrespect shown by Trump and his promise to deport some of your mixed-class, mixed-status families - most of them voted in a 55 percent majority to make the deportations happen,' she added. Factors like Harris and Joe Biden's policies surrounding the border are believed to be the blame for Trump's win, which saw states that previously went to Democrats go red Martin, on Friday, said that Democrats should take the next few months to rebuild the party, prioritizing 'race[s] in every zip code' He appeared to suggest that Democrats have become out of touch over the years, after once being the party centered around the working class Speaking to Latino men who voted Trump directly, the ReidOut start said: 'So you [better] own everything that happens to your mixed-status families and to your wives, sisters and abuelas from here on in.' The warning was almost immediately criticized by progressive politicians, who chided Reid for seemingly causing more in-fighting in an already divided party. 'Stop scapegoating, shaming, and scolding working-class Latinos,' Rep. Ritchie Torres, the rep for New York's 15th congressional district, sniped. 'A patronizing paternalistic progressivism will not attract working-class Latino men back to the Democratic Party,' he continued, pointing to the demeanor that's seemingly become commonplace on MSNBC and CNN in the wake of the result. 'It will repel them.' Martin, on Friday, said Democrats should take the next few months to rebuild the party - by prioritizing 'race[s] in every zip code', and not just the presidential one. Aside from taking the Presidency, Republicans recently obtained a majority in the House after flipping the US Senate. The US Supreme Court, whose justices serve for life, is also predominantly Republican. Obama CNN Kamala Harris Republicans Joe Biden Share or comment on this article: Top Democrat made stunning admission about Republican party's reputation among the working class e-mail Add commentBOISE — Idaho’s legislative Diversity Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, work group focused on definitions, university policies and potential legislation in its second meeting. Lawmakers met Monday for a lengthy meeting that also included an overview of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down race-based affirmative action and higher education accreditation standards. The committee is likely to propose legislation aimed at limiting "DEI" activities and ideology. DEI policies, activities and programs, especially in higher education, have been the target of several Republican-led states, including Idaho, in recent years. Those who advance these policies argue they promote diverse thought and support underserved populations. Opponents say these policies are "woke," and disadvantage those who are not in historically underrepresented groups. Toward the end of the meeting, committee member Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d'Alene, commented that the task force ultimately wanted to prohibit actions that were “punishing diversity of thought that is outside this ideology.” As an example, he said as a student he took a Christian doctrine class that was cross-listed as a Women’s Studies class. “I came in with my own experience, my own personal beliefs, and through the process of expressing beliefs, I had the professor from the class say that I’m stuck in the ‘50s, accusing me of bigotry, and these are exactly the concerns that we’re trying to deal with.” One of the targets of debate Monday, both in discussions over a draft resolution from the State Board of Education and around a bill in Utah prohibiting DEI, were centers at universities meant to support certain students — such as women’s centers. “It’s really saying that our centers are going to focus on support for students,” Idaho State Board of Education Executive Director Joshua Whitworth told the work group regarding some of the draft, anti-DEI resolutions the board is considering. Joshua Whitworth The lone Democrat on the legislative committee, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, Boise, worked in higher education and served as director of Boise State University's Women’s Center. Wintrow questioned this proposed policy, asking if these centers were currently denying students who aren't the target for services — such as men seeking help at the women's center. Wintrow said in her tenure as director, there were male students who came to the center to report and seek services for rape, and she provided those services. She also said that there were situations where the center’s name could be beneficial to those who seeking services. Wintrow told the story of a woman in an abusive marriage who drove her husband to class every day and saw the sign of the old Women’s Center. The woman eventually decided to go in and seek help. “Thankfully, she did escape, and she’s doing well today,” Wintrow said. “But if it hadn’t been for that sign, Women’s Center, that she drove by repeatedly, to get the courage to come in and find help, I don’t know where she’d be today.” BSU later changed the name to Gender Equity Center, but the webpage for the Gender Equity Center no longer appears on the university’s website, a search Monday found. These types of student support centers also came up in a discussion overviewing Utah’s anti-DEI bill that its legislature passed this year. Toews provided a short overview of the 35-page bill that included a section requiring universities and colleges’ student success and support centers to serve all students. The law also prohibits higher education institutions from using public funds for training or activities that prioritize certain racial, ethnic or gender groups, Toews said. The senator, who later said he had drafted legislation that would accomplish similar goals to other anti-DEI bills, said he thought Utah’s legislation included a useful definition for Idaho when considering a future bill. The law includes a long description of a “prohibited discriminatory practice,” which would include a policy, procedure, program, office, initiative or training that “asserts that one personal identity characteristic is inherently superior or inferior to another personal identity characteristic” and “asserts that an individual, by virtue of the individuals’ personal identity characteristics, is inherently privileged, oppressed, racist, sexist, oppressive, or a victim, whether consciously or unconsciously.” Sen. Melissa Wintrow answers questions from members of the media during a press event in the Lincoln Auditorium on March 7, 2024. The definition also includes that the prohibited practice, “asserts that an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or other psychological distress solely because of the individual's personal identity characteristics,” that “meritocracy is inherently sexist or racist,” that “socio-political structures are inherently a series of power relationships and struggles among racial groups,” and that considers race or gender for financial aid and scholarships. Toews noted that the survey and reporting requirements under Utah’s bill won’t return results until 2027 in regards to how it impacted students and faculty. “I think that’s a weakness in following suit with Utah,” he said. “My belief is that we should be looking at best practices developed by other states that have these laws in effect for a longer period of time, such as Iowa, who enacted those in 2021, and Texas, who enacted theirs in 2023. The definition portion of Utah is the best I’ve seen so I’m suggesting incorporating that into any bills we recommend in Idaho, and even improving on it if possible.” A staff report, presented by Legislative Services Office Research Analyst Casey Hartwig, found few definitions of “DEI as a concept,” but more commonly saw the terms diversity, equity and inclusion defined individually. The lawmakers also heard and questioned leaders at the regional higher education accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which accredits all of Idaho’s public colleges and universities as well as some of the state’s private institutions. NWCCU President Sonny Ramaswamy and Executive Vice President Selena Grace spoke to how the organization applies its standards to accredit schools. Colleges and universities may seek accreditation voluntarily but are required to do so to be eligible for federal funds. The short answer to questions about whether its standards and requirements would prompt DEI concerns was “no.” Grace and Ramaswamy stressed that each school is evaluated based on its own goals and those goals are not imposed upon schools by the accreditor. Sonny Ramaswamy “There isn’t anything, a requirement for us or by us, related to DEI,” Grace said. There are more recent requirements for schools to collect and provide data on achievement gaps within their student populations. Nationwide, these gaps are significant between first-generation college students and their peers with parents who hold degrees, as well as between students who qualify for low-income Pell Grants and those who don’t, Ramaswamy said. Another achievement gap is between men and women in colleges, with more women entering higher education and women graduating at a much higher rate, he said. Toews questioned Ramaswamy on the fact that “diversity, equity and inclusion” is included in the accreditor’s core values on its website, which states, ”We believe there is strength in our differences and that opportunities to succeed are afforded every individual.” Ramaswamy said the core values relate to how NWCCU operates as an organization, not to how it evaluates schools. “Those are core values for us, the commission staff, how we operate, that we got to respect those missions,” he said. Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, asked Ramaswamy if he personally believed institutions would benefit from diversity, equity and inclusion. “I use data and evidence,” Ramaswamy responded, after the question was asked a couple of times. “I don’t use beliefs.” The group is likely to meet again the first week of the legislative session, which begins Jan. 6.
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Elon Musk has corrected himself after falsely accusing fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos of pre-election day conduct that Bezos himself took to X (formerly Twitter) to deny. Posting from the Trump -owned Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida , Musk stated that he had learned that Bezos predicted Vice President Kamala Harris would emerge victorious on election day, and that Bezos had further discouraged peers from investing in businesses owned by Musk. "Just learned tonight at Mar-a-Lago that Jeff Bezos was telling everyone that @realDonaldTrump would lose for sure, so they should sell all their Tesla and SpaceX stock," wrote Musk on Wednesday night. Update: The ETH (~$10 M) has been returned and we expect that the USDC will be returned later today. We thank the white hats for their vigilance and integrity. The Bug Bounty Program will reward the white hats with a 500 K bounty. The bridge will undergo an audit before it is... Bezos responded to the post. "Nope. 100% not true," wrote the chairman of Amazon. A community note was also added to Musk's initial post, indicating that it contained an allegation Bezos denied. Musk then responded, admitting his mistake. "Well, then, I stand corrected," he replied. White hack? Are you sure guys? He took too long to return the funds. Anyway the criticality in your Smart Contract was detected by @TheArkhivist Team one hour before it happened. https://t.co/t3myBRrWhs Musk and Bezos have frequently been embroiled in public back-and-forths over the past couple of years. In 2022, Bezos took to X to comment on Musk's takeover of the app, then Twitter. "Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square?" he wrote in a post. Musk was one of Donald Trump's biggest supporters throughout his campaign for the presidency leading up to the 2024 election, with his PAC giving the President-elect at least $200 million in total. Bezos himself caused uproar when he ended the Washington Post tradition of endorsing a presidential candidate, reportedly thwarting the efforts of the newspaper he owns to support the Democratic Party. Originally published by Latin TimesBlackstone Secured Lending Fund: Continuing To Deliver A Well Covered Strong Yield
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ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Al Green scored 19 points and Sean Newman Jr. added seven in the overtime as Louisiana Tech knocked off Southern Illinois 85-79 in a first-round contest at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Monday night. Green had three steals for the Bulldogs (5-0). Kaden Cooper scored 18 points and added 12 rebounds and four steals. Amaree Abram went 8 of 13 from the field to finish with 18 points, while adding six steals. Kennard Davis led the way for the Salukis (2-4) with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Southern Illinois also got 15 points and eight rebounds from Jarrett Hensley. Ali Abdou Dibba also had 12 points and two steals. Cooper scored 12 points in the first half and Louisiana Tech went into the break trailing 31-27. Abram's 16-point second half helped Louisiana Tech close out the six-point victory. NEXT UP These two teams both play Tuesday in the six-team, round-robin tournament. Louisiana Tech squares off against Richmond and Southern Illinois faces Eastern Kentucky. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The largest intergenerational wealth transfer in US history is about to take place — though the vast majority of Americans are unlikely to inherit much money at all. About $US105 trillion ($164 trillion) is projected to be passed down from older generations over the next quarter century, according to research firm Cerulli Associates, an amount roughly equal to global gross domestic product in 2023. Rising stock markets and home prices, as well as inflation, have fattened the estates that members of the baby boom generation are expected to leave their heirs. Credit: Glenn Hunt Rising stock markets and home prices, as well as inflation, have fattened the estates that members of the baby boom generation, born between 1946 and 1964, are expected to leave their heirs. The latest inheritance projection by Cerulli is 45 per cent higher than the 25-year forecast the firm made only three years ago. US gifts and inheritances are expected to total $US2.5 trillion next year alone. “About 80 per cent of the wealth held today is going to be in motion,” Chayce Horton, the lead author of the Cerulli report, said in an interview. “The ratio of wealth expected to be changing hands in the next 25 years is significant, and much greater than what we even saw a decade ago.” Yet even as the assets of millions of ageing Americans are passed on, the share of the US population that will benefit from inherited money has remained static, a sign of how accumulating family wealth has become more concentrated among the most affluent households. At the same time, money passed down from one generation to another accounts for a growing share of the overall wealth of heirs, rising relative to income from work or investments. Inherited money represented about a quarter of the net worth of households that received it, a Bloomberg analysis of the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances found, up from roughly 10 per cent in the late 1990s. “We’re becoming less of an economy that promotes entrepreneurship and production and more of an economy focused on inheritance and dynasty,” said Chuck Collins, Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies. Collins, whose great-grandfather founded the hot dog and lunchmeat maker Oscar Mayer, gave up his inheritance when he was in his twenties. He is now a member of the Patriotic Millionaires, a nonprofit group of affluent Americans that pushes for the wealthy to pay higher tax rates. Receiving any funds from a deceased family member remains the exception in the US, not the rule. Just one in five American households have received a substantial gift, trust or inheritance in recent decades, according to Bloomberg’s analysis. Inherited wealth is expected to become increasingly concentrated among the most affluent, according to Cerulli. The firm estimates that more than half of the wealth transferred between generations through 2048 will come from households with at least $US5 million in investible assets. Only about 2 per cent of US households meet that threshold. The share of the US population that will benefit from inherited money has remained static, a sign of how accumulating family wealth has become more concentrated among the most affluent households. Credit: Bloomberg The figures lend support to an idea that has long had currency among economists but that has been difficult to confirm — that the share of overall wealth derived from inheritance is far higher than it appears. A 2017 paper argued that inherited money had accounted for more than half of total wealth in the US and Europe since the 1990s, and that “self-reported inheritance flows are implausibly low.” “Inheritance is still the most important factor in terms of wealth concentration,” said Kaushik Basu, professor of economics at Cornell University and former chief economist at the World Bank. The trillions of dollars set to be passed on in coming years could create more social mobility for younger generations, even though its greater concentration among the wealthiest Americans is likely to create more obstacles for lower-income households and exacerbate inequality. “Markets may still flourish, and overall economic growth may continue, but the polarisation between the born-poor and born-rich will become more acute,” Basu said. He added that many of the economic advantages of family wealth are conferred indirectly, through access to education and other opportunities. As more members of the massive baby boom generation die, the annual rate at which wealth is being passed on is expected to increase until the end of the decade. Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, are expected to inherit more than $US45 trillion by 2048, including some $US3.9 trillion that year alone. Generation X, sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials, will see their annual inheritance levels peak in 2038 at just shy of $US2 trillion, according to Cerulli. ‘Markets may still flourish, and overall economic growth may continue, but the polarisation between the born-poor and born-rich will become more acute.’ Wealth isn’t only cascading down to younger generations, it also is moving sideways. Before reaching younger heirs, inheritances are often transferred to surviving spouses and partners. Since women tend to outlive men, they are expected to receive a large share of the fortunes being passed on. “A significant amount of the wealth that is held today is believed to be controlled by men,” said Cerulli’s Horton. As those men die, “we expect that wealth to be much more equitably distributed on a gender basis.” Cerulli estimates that women will inherit nearly half of the total projected value of inheritances over the next 25 years. US tax policy has made it easier for wealthy heirs to hang on to more of the money they inherit. President-elect Donald Trump wants to extend part of his 2017 tax-cut package that doubled the estate-tax exemption from $US5.49 million to $US11.18 million. For many older Americans, money handed down from previous generations has shaped their own planning. Alan Jewett, a 75-year-old retiree in Delaware, and his wife received an inheritance of nearly $US3 million from her childless aunts in 2014, after the couple had already put both their children through college and bought a home. “Having money changes the way you look at things in the sense that it gives you and your family a feeling of security,” Jewett said. He and his wife gave part of the inheritance to their kids and set up an irrevocable trust for their three young grandchildren. Some heirs say they have used inherited money to prepare for their own health and elder-care expenses. Lee Robin Gebhardt, a 63-year-old wine seller living in Putnam County, New York, said she invested a $US150,000 retirement account that she received from her father, who died in 2020, in her long-term care. Gebhardt, who plans to work for at least another two years, has enough money put away to last her until she’s 110. “That will take some pressure off my children,” she said. Other relatively wealthy baby boomers have decided to pass on some of their wealth while they’re still able to see its effects for themselves. “I’ve seen an increasing focus on ‘giving while living,’ where people provide for their family’s needs during their lifetime,” said Jared Jones, senior advisor at Omega Wealth Management. “There’s definitely a big focus on not waiting until one passes away to help and witness the benefits of the wealth from the family.” Bloomberg The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning .
Evansville Aces vs. Campbell Fighting Camels: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start timeFamily of Lyle and Erik Menendez told a judge Monday they want the men freed from the life sentences they are serving for the shotgun murders of their parents, as their court case suffered a delay. The pair have been in prison since a blockbuster trial in the 1990s that became almost compulsory viewing for millions of Americans. Television audiences were riveted by the gruesome details of the slayings of Jose and Kitty Menendez at the family's luxury Beverly Hills mansion. The two men, who have spent more than three decades behind bars, had been due to appear by videolink at a hearing in Los Angeles, their first court appearance in 28 years as a campaign to set them free gathers pace. But technical difficulties scuppered the appearance and the hearing was pushed back to the end of January. Nevertheless, Judge Michael Jesic called the two men's elderly aunts to the stand to hear them plead for the brothers to be freed. "I would like to be able to hug them and see them," Jose Menendez's older sister Terry Baralt, 85, said. "I would like them to come home." Kitty's sister, Joan Vander Molen, echoed that. "No child should go through what Erik and Lyle went through," she said. "They never knew if tonight will be the night when they would be raped." Prosecutors painted the crime as a cold-hearted bid by the then-young men -- Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 -- to get their hands on their parents' $14 million fortune. But their attorneys described the 1989 killings as an act of desperate self-defense by young men subjected to years of sexual abuse and psychological violence at the hands of an abusive father and a complicit mother. The case saw a huge surge of renewed interest this year with the release of the Netflix hit "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." The hearing comes after a campaign to secure their release, supported by Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. "Set them free before the Holidays!" wrote Tammi Menendez, Erik's wife, on social media last week. Public interest was such that the court held a lottery for the 16 seats in the public gallery. Nick Bonanno, a former high school classmate of Erik's, was the first to arrive at the court, taking his place at the head of the line at 4:30 am (1230 GMT). "I wanted to show support to... Eric and Lyle," he told AFP ahead of the hearing. "It's all about supporting and healing, not just for the families, but for us as a culture." Elena Gordon, 43, said she wanted "to witness a part of our local history." The hearing was intended as a starting point for lawyers working on three routes to free Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56. Attorney Mark Geragos has filed a writ of habeas corpus, an attempt to effectively vacate the brothers' first-degree murder conviction, which could free the brothers immediately. Another route is an effort to get the men re-sentenced on the same conviction, which would open the way for them to request parole. Finally, Geragos has submitted a clemency request to California Governor Gavin Newsom. Journalist Robert Rand, who wrote a book about the case, and who is in regular touch with the brothers, said the family was optimistic. But, he said, no one was expecting any quick fixes. "They're hopeful," he said. "They don't know what's going to happen. "I believe this could take much longer than was originally anticipated. It could be six months, could be eight months, could be a year, but eventually they will get out." With excitement over the case near fever pitch, tourists are regularly making pilgrimages to the Beverly Hills home where the killings took place. Australian Christian Hannah, who was born almost two decades after the double murders, made sure the home was a stop on his tour of celebrity hotspots, because of his fascination with the Netflix show. "It's really awesome seeing it in person," he told AFP last week. "It's just because you see it on TV and you see it in person, just feels really cool." pr-hg/amz/jgc