US media outlets projected on Wednesday that the Republican Party will maintain its narrow hold on the House of Representatives, affirming that president-elect Donald Trump will have total control of the Congress when he returns to the White House in January.
The party had already flipped the Senate chamber from Democratic control on election night, while the razor-thin margins in the lower House chamber hung in the balance.
CNN and ABC announced their official projections more than a week after US polls closed and the country decisively endorsed Mr Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Republicans' narrow hold on the House in the current Congress has led to complications in the legislature's capacity to deliver legislation, with infighting causing chaos in the party's bid to elect a speaker after the US midterms.
Under the new Trump administration and with a Republican Senate, maintaining even a slim majority in the House would give Republicans sweeping powers to enable Mr Trump's broad agenda of tax and spending cuts, energy deregulation and stronger border security controls.
Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, joined party leadership in the House as they returned to Capitol Hill this week to celebrate.
“Donald Trump and House Republicans are the solution. That's why voters delivered House Republicans a majority that sent Donald Trump to the White House in a landslide. I'm proud to have led the NRCC to achieve this victory, even after Democrats spent $550 million spreading lies about House Republicans, we went on offence to flip seats from Pennsylvania to Michigan to Colorado and beyond,” he said in Washington, behind a “New Day In America” sign.
“The American people saw through the Democrat lies because Republicans had better candidates and a better message about what we would do to prove their daily lives.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson also spoke with confidence on his party's hold on the chamber, vowing to move swiftly in the new government to accomplish Mr Trump's agenda.
“When it was all said and done, I did more than 360 campaign events in over 250 cities across 40 states, and I logged enough miles to circumnavigate the globe five and a half times. But it was worth it, and we got an extraordinary candidate, so we flipped blue seats to red, as we planned, and we kept this majority,” Mr Johnson said.
The projections came on Wednesday as Republicans in the Senate hinted they may maintain a degree of independence from Mr Trump's more radical wing of the party, moving to elect “institutionalist” senator John Thune as their new majority leader, against significant backlash from the most vocal Trump supporters.
Republicans have secured a majority of at least 52 seats in the 100-member US Senate, with some races still outstanding.
Royal wedding inspired menu
Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea
Avocado ranch dip with crudites
Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches
Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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