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Trump declared president-elect

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6 minute read

From The Center Square

By  and Dan McCaleb

Trump to become 47th U.S. president after being 45th

Former President Donald Trump addressed a raucous crowd of his supporters in Palm Beach, Florida, early Wednesday to declare victory in both the Electoral College and the popular vote in the 2024 presidential race.

It became official later in the morning with several media outlets declaring Trump the president-elect after calling races in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for the former president.

At 5:30 a.m., NBC News joined Fox News in calling Wisconsin for Trump, pushing his electoral vote total to 277, above the 270 needed to win the presidency. Trump joins Grover Cleveland as the only U.S. presidents to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Nearly two hours earlier, however, Trump had declared victory.

“Frankly, I believe this was the greatest political movement of all time, and maybe beyond,” Trump said to begin his remarks before going on to promise to “help our country heal.”

“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being reelected your 47th president, and your 45th president,” Trump said.

“This will truly be the golden age of America,” he continued.

In a stunning comeback, the former president won after surviving two assassination attempts and as he faced four separate criminal prosecutions that were launched after he left the White House in 2021.

The 78-year-old Trump led the popular vote by about 5 million votes when he gave his victory speech and held that lead by 6 a.m. He becomes the first Republican to win the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004.

Several media outlets named Trump the winner of the swing states of North Carolina, Georgia  and Pennsylvania, key states that propelled him toward victory.

As results continued to trickle in early Wednesday, Trump maintained leads in the other swing states of Michigan, Arizona and Nevada.

Fox News called the race in Wisconsin and declared Trump the winner of the race before his speech, while other outlets kept Trump just a few electoral votes short of the needed 270.

Trump also continues to hold leads in swing states Michigan, 52.5% to 45.8% with 73% of returns reported; in Arizona, 50.4% to 48.8% with 52% of votes counted; and in Nevada, 51.6% to 46.7% with 81% in.

During his victory speech, Trump called up his vice presidential pick, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and thanked him.

“I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” Vance told the crowd.

Cedric Richmond, co-chairman of the Harris campaign, addressed supporters earlier Wednesday, saying there were still plenty of votes to be counted. He also said Harris would not be making a statement until later in the day Wednesday.

Real Clear Politics’ polling average going into Election Day showed very narrow leads for Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. However, the polling average showed Trump behind by half a point in Michigan and Wisconsin. All the swing states appeared to be going for Trump as the sun began to rise on the east coast Wednesday.

Results began to trickle in after 6 p.m. EST, picking up steam throughout the night.

Trump quickly took a lead, ahead of Harris roughly 105 to 72 votes just after 8 p.m. Eastern time.

The lead continued to grow until after 1 a.m., when media outlets began calling Pennsylvania for Trump, ending Harris’ only remaining path to the White House.

Multiple media outlets also reported Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate, but control of the House remains to be determined as the votes are counted.

“It also looks like we’ll be keeping the House of Representatives,” Trump said, referring to the latest data trending in Republicans’ favor.

Former President Barack Obama warned Americans on Tuesday the results of the election may take several days to come in, but Trump’s win was swifter than most predicted.

“Many have told me that God spared my life for a reason,” Trump said, referencing his surviving two assassination attempts, the first when he was grazed in his ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., the second when a would-be assassin built a sniper’s nest near one of his West Palm Beach golf course as he was playing. “And that reason was to save our country and restore our country together, and we are going to fulfill that mission.”

Several media outlets called Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming for Trump.

And several media outlets called California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington and Washington D.C. for Harris.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre reportedly dies by suicide

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Virginia Giuffre sued the Duke of York in 2021, claiming that he had sexually abused her while she was a teenager. According to her, Jeffrey Epstein, a former sex offender, trafficked her to Prince Andrew.

From LifeSiteNews

By Stephen Kokx

Giuffre had become the most visible of Epstein’s accusers in recent years, with her reported suicide coming just a month after she was struck by a bus.

Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre died by suicide Friday, her family has reportedly announced, according to NBC News. She was 41-years-old.

Giuffre had become the most visible of Epstein’s accusers in recent years. She was hit by a bus in March and suffered injuries that apparently left her in critical condition, though the New York Post stated that police described the accident as a “minor collision.”

Giuffre posted on Instagram not long after the incident that medical staff had given her “four days to live.” Paradoxically, she was released from the hospital on April 7. She reportedly passed away in Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living. Her cause of death is not known.

In 2019, Giuffre published a statement on X that declared, “in no way, shape or form am I suicidal … too many evil people want to see me quieted,” leaving many on social media to speculate that foul play was involved with her death. Though some have argued that the abuse she apparently suffered at the hands of her husband, her recent injuries and media attacks took such a toll on her that she likely did take her own life.

Giuffre has long-maintained that Epstein and his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently behind bars, coerced her and others into performing illicit acts with prominent figures, including the U.K.’s Prince Andrew. Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew that claimed he had abused her while she was still a minor. The case was settled out of court for $12 million.

In a disturbing development, Lady Victoria Hervey, who has dated Prince Andrew, took to Instagram to seemingly celebrate Giuffre’s suffering. Attached to a photo of a bruised Giuffre during her visit to the hospital, Hervey added the words “karma” and “what goes around comes around.”

Epstein was reportedly an Israeli intelligence asset. For decades he would fly high-profile Western politicians and prominent figures like former U.S. President Bill Clinton to his private compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He also had other luxurious properties as well. His New York penthouse included a painting of Clinton in a purple dress. It was at his island where he would allegedly record his guests in compromising situations to blackmail them for political favors.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 08: US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announces charges against Jeffery Epstein on July 8, 2019 in New York City. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

The “Epstein files” were partially released by the Trump administration earlier this year. They were supposed to have included the names and details of Epstein’s many schemes. Conservatives have ridiculed the files for lacking transparency. Some have suggested that Trump himself along with other public persons are implicated in them, including Epstein’s former lawyer Alan Dershowitz, which would explain why they were not fully released.

GOP Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna took to X to express sympathy for Giuffre’s family.

Giuffre was born in 1983. She had a troubled youth, eventually finding work at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club. She was first approached by Maxwell in the year 2000. Epstein reportedly died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019 while Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prion on federal sex-trafficking charges.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, call the the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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International

History in the making? Trump, Zelensky hold meeting about Ukraine war in Vatican ahead of Francis’ funeral

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From LifeSiteNews

By Stephen Kokx

Trump and Zelenksy held an impromptu 15-minute meeting inside the Vatican just moments before Francis’ funeral. The Ukrainian leader later said a ‘ceasefire’ was discussed.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met inside St. Peter’s Basilica today moments before the start of Pope Francis’ funeral.  

 

Trump and Zelensky were in Rome along with over 160 dignitaries, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Javier Milei of Argentina, and Prince William of the United Kingdom. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals. 

Trump and Zelenksy held an impromptu 15-minute meeting inside the Vatican while seated in two chairs. Zelenksy later said on X that their conversation involved discussing a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and forging a “reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.” 

Photographs circulating on social media showed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron also joined in on the conversation. They held private meetings with Zelensky as well. 

Trump’s social media team shared photos and videos of the president and his wife Melania. In one of them, Trump is seen meeting with New York Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who is a longtime friend.  

Leaders from various non-Catholic religions attended the funeral as well, including Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Zoroastrians, though no Muslim or Jewish leaders were officially present per Vatican reporter Michael Haynes. Israel’s Foreign Ministry X account deleted several controversial posts it had initially issued after Francis’ death. Francis had been especially critical of the country’s war in Gaza, hinting on multiple occasions that it may constitute genocide. 

After landing in Rome for the funeral Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had “a good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine.” He urged both countries to “meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’” 

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