Is the Senate finished for the year?

Or is there still an opportunity to appoint additional federal judges to the bench prior to the commencement of the new Senate on January 3rd?

Democratic Sen. Fetterman: 'I'm not rooting against' Trump

Source: ABC News

Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman said he hopes President-elect Donald Trump is successful in his second term and that he's not "rooting against him."

"If you're rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation," Fetterman told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl. "So country first. I know that's become maybe like a cliche, but it happens to be true."

Fetterman, who has made headlines as one of the few in his party who have met with several of Trump's cabinet picks, said his Democratic colleagues need to "chill out" over everything Trump does.

"I've been warning people, like, 'You got to chill out,' you know? Like the constant, you know, freakout, it's not helpful," Fetterman said. "Pack a lunch, pace yourself, because he hasn't even taken office yet."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democratic-sen-fetterman-im-rooting-trump/story?id=117020586

Rickey Henderson, Baseball's Career Steals Leader, Dies at 65

Source: Sports Illustrated

Hall of Famer and Major League Baseball's career steals leader Rickey Henderson has died at the age of 65, according to multiple reports, and confirmed by the New York Post.

Henderson, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest leadoff hitters and base stealers in the history of the sport, played for nine different teams in his 25-year career, compiling 3,055 hits, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBI. His 2,295 career runs and 1,406 stolen bases remain Major League records.

Henderson was a 10-time All-Star, and won the league MVP in 1990 with the Oakland Athletics, when he hit .325 with 28 home runs, 61 RBI and 65 stolen bases. He also boasted a 1.016 OPS (on-base plus slugging) that season and a .439 OBP. He won two World Series titles in his Hall of Fame career, one with the Athletics in 1989 and another with the Toronto Blue Jays in '93.

He was inducted into Cooperstown as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2009.

Read more: https://www.si.com/mlb/rickey-henderson-baseball-s-career-steals-leader-dies-at-65

US deportations under Biden surpass Trump's record

Source: BBC News

US immigration authorities last year deported the largest number of undocumented immigrants in nearly a decade, surpassing the record of Donald Trump's first term in office.

More than 271,000 immigrants were deported from the US over the last fiscal year, according to a report released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on Thursday.

The ICE report comes just weeks before President-elect Trump, who plans to make mass deportation a cornerstone of his incoming administration, takes office.

President Joe Biden in 2021 had pledged to pause deportations, but his administration ended up expanding it following a surge in border crossings.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36e41dx425o

Harris tells supporters bruised by election loss that 'no one can walk away' in forward-looking speech

Source: CNN

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday presented an image of forward-looking resolve in her first major remarks since conceding her election defeat, imploring young people to “stay in the fight” as the year ends and the beginning of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term approaches.

“The movements for civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights – the United States of America itself – would never have come to be if people had given up their cause after a court case or a battle or an election did not go their way,” Harris told a crowd of young leaders in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The vice president said she has been approached by supporters over the past month “telling me they feel tired, maybe even resigned.”

While Harris’ remarks struck an optimistic tone, the setting belied some acknowledgment of where she and Democrats fell short in their failed effort to defeat Trump, who made significant inroads with young people this election cycle.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/17/politics/kamala-harris-speech-young-people/index.html

Archivist says Equal Rights Amendment can't be certified as Democrats push Biden to recognize it

Source: ABC News

WASHINGTON -- In a rare joint statement, the archivist and deputy archivist of the United States said Tuesday that the 1970s-era Equal Rights Amendment cannot be certified without further action by Congress or the courts, as Democrats press President Joe Biden to act unilaterally on its ratification before he leaves office next month.

The five-decade push to amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex remains stalled. Congress sent the amendment, which guarantees men and women equal rights under the law, to the states in 1972 and gave states seven years to ratify it, later extending the deadline to 1982. But the amendment wasn’t ratified by the required three-quarters of states before the deadline.

Four years ago, however, Virginia lawmakers voted to ratify the amendment, becoming the 38th and final state needed — albeit nearly four decades after the congressionally mandated deadline for ratification.

More than 120 House Democrats, led by Reps. Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley, called on Biden on Sunday to direct the archivist to certify and publish the amendment despite the missed deadline.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/archivist-equal-rights-amendment-certified-democrats-push-biden-116876049

Kamala Harris speaking right now, live feed:

The meeting of the electors takes place today

I haven't heard much so far, but it is tasking place now (10:00 AM). Wonder if there will be any surprises.

Italy grants Argentina's Milei citizenship sparking outrage

Source: Al Jazeera

The Italian government has granted Argentinian President Javier Milei citizenship based on his Italian heritage, according to Italian news agency ANSA, sparking outrage across the country.

Milei’s sister Karina also received citizenship, ANSA reported on Saturday, which said the applications were fast-tracked by Rome.

Riccardo Magi, a lawmaker from the opposition party +Europa, condemned the decision, calling it “intolerable discrimination” against young Italians who will face years of bureaucracy to obtain citizenship.

“Millions of Italians born in Italy, raised here, who studied, worked, and pay taxes in this country – unlike President Milei – will face an arduous journey to gain citizenship,” Magi said in a video posted on social media.


Read more: https://aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/14/italy-grants-argentine-president-javier-milei-citizenship-sparking-outrage

Interesting drone post from the Facebook Group "Staten Island Neighbors"