“Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election sent shares of Tesla surging as much as 15% Wednesday, propelled by CEO Elon Musk’s prominent role in the Republican’s White House campaign and expectations that the company will benefit from proposed tax cuts and a deregulatory blitz. Trump name-checked Musk, the world’s richest man, during his victory speech Wednesday morning, calling him a ‘super genius.’ Campaign finance records show that Musk — who’s expected to receive a position in the president-elect’s administration, despite massive conflicts of interest — pumped more than $100 million into the 2024 race in support of Trump’s bid for a second term. According to Forbes’ real-time tracker, Musk’s net worth — the bulk of which is tied up in Tesla stock — rose by over $16 billion on Wednesday.” (11/06/24)
“Germany’s center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday he was firing Finance Minister Christian Lindner, which could undermine the ruling three-party coalition that relies on Lindner’s pro-business party. The coalition had been arguing for weeks over ways to boost the country’s ailing economy, but were not able to find a compromise.” (11/06/24)
“Fines of up to £900 for wearing a burqa will be introduced in Switzerland next year, the country’s government has announced. The measure widely known as the ‘burqa ban’ will take effect in every Swiss canton on January 1, after it was already established in St Gallen and Ticino following regional votes. Narrowly passed in a 2021 referendum in neutral Switzerland, and condemned by Muslim associations, the country-wide ban was proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. The governing Federal Council said in a statement it had fixed the start of the ban, and that anyone who unlawfully flouts it in a public place faces a fine of up to £888 (1,000 Swiss francs).” (11/06/24)
“Vice President Kamala Harris failed to connect with voters while her campaign aides focused on trivial issues, leading to her lopsided election loss to former President Donald Trump, Democratic insiders tell The Post. Harris, 60, replaced President Biden, 81, atop the Democratic ticket in late July and quickly surged in polling while raking in about $1 billion over a six-week period — massively out-raising Trump, 78, and providing the resources to drive home her early advantage over the Republican nominee. Her failure to seal the deal outraged Democrats, including those who worked in the Biden-Harris administration and on her campaign. ‘I’ve worked on five presidential campaigns. I knew this would be hard. Others acted like they knew they were going to win,’ said one person who chipped in during the final stretch of the race. ‘They were arrogant.'” (11/06/24)
“The Mexican Navy said Tuesday it has [stolen] 3.6 tons (about 8,000 pounds) of cocaine aboard a ‘narco sub’ off the Pacific coast which was spotted earlier this week about 153 miles off the resort of Acapulco. Navy ships arrived to intercept the boat, which was carrying 102 packages filled with bricks of cocaine, authorities said in a news release. … the Navy [abducted] nine crew members, six of whom were foreigners.” (11/06/24)
“Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served in President-elect Trump’s first administration, is calling on prosecutors at the state and federal levels to dismiss the pending legal cases against Trump before he takes office once again. Barr told Fox News Digital that voters were well aware of all the allegations against Trump when electing him to a second term in office on Tuesday, and that it is in the country’s best interest for prosecutors to listen to them. ‘The American people have rendered their verdict on President Trump, and decisively chosen him to lead the country for the next four years,’ Barr said. ‘They did that with full knowledge of the claims against him by prosecutors around the country and I think Attorney General Garland and the state prosecutors should respect the people’s decision and dismiss the cases against President Trump now.'” (11/06/24)
“NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will execute its last gravity assist with Venus, skimming just 233 miles (376 km) above the planet’s surface, on November 06, 2024. This close encounter will redirect Parker onto its final trajectory, positioning it to travel within a record-breaking 3.86 million miles of the sun’s surface on December 24. This approach marks the closest any human-made spacecraft has come to the sun, a landmark in space exploration.” (11/06/24)
“California voters approved a ballot measure that would reclassify some misdemeanor theft and drug crimes as felonies, essentially undoing a previous ballot measure that big-box retailers and law enforcement officials have long blamed for increases in theft, property crime and homelessness. Voters approved state Proposition 36 by a whopping margin of 40 percentage points, or 70.6% to 29.4%, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s general election. The ballot measure needed only a simple majority (50% plus one vote) to pass. … In 2014, voters passed Prop. 47, which aimed to curb overcrowding in California’s prisons by turning some drug and theft crimes into misdemeanors. Among other things, the measure famously said shoplifters who stole $950 or less in goods from stores could only be charged with a misdemeanor, whereas in the past, prosecutors could charge those offenders with a felony.” (11/06/24)
“Snow fell on Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji on Wednesday, breaking the longest dry spell since records began atop the peak of the dormant volcano, which at 12,388 feet is the country’s highest mountain. Famous for its virtually year-round snowcap, this fall the mountain remained snow-free well beyond the normal time the first flakes settle — Oct. 2 on average — until unconfirmed reports came in of a dusting of snow on the upper slopes overnight.” (11/06/24)
“CNN anchor Jake Tapper is going viral for his stunned reaction early Wednesday when told that Vice President Kamala Harris had failed to outperform President Biden’s 2020 results in a single state. Tapper asked CNN chief national correspondent John King to pull up a graphic showing in which states Harris had gotten at least 3% more votes than Biden had in the last election — just to be presented with a gray map reflecting her failure even in that. ‘Holy smokes!’ Tapper gasped. ‘Literally nothing?’ ‘Literally nothing,’ King confirmed. The slide, which would have lit up states where Harris outperformed Biden by 3% or more, was instead completely gray. ‘Literally not one county?’ Tapper asked again, still sounding shocked in the footage, which was viewed more than 5 million times in just one clip shared on X.” (11/06/24)
