November 7—There are 50 U.S. states and several territories, but when it comes to the 2024 presidential elections, all eyes will be on the six states where the outcome is in any doubt: the so-called battleground or "purple" states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Numbers released Monday from a recent New York Times/Sienna College poll show former president and national disaster Donald Trump leading in five of the six states, with an average lead of four percent, with President Biden ahead only in Wisconsin. The polls further reveal that the much bally-hooed theory that demography is destiny, that Democrats will win by carrying those segments of the population which are growing, particularly the young and those not racialized as "white," is under assault. Or, as the Reuters article states: "Biden's multiracial and multigenerational coalition appears to be fraying," with under-30 swing-state voters favoring Biden by a margin of only one percent, and 20 percent of voters racialized as "black" going for Trump in these crucial battlegrounds. The Social Democrat take: Democrats must offer a compelling vision that will reach a solid majority of Americans; they cannot win governing-capable majorities by directing their messaging to the fringe base of the party.

November 7—This Politico analysis looks at how New York City's traditionally liberal voters have moved toward the center, concerned about crime and a massive inflow of migrants into the city. Israel's invasion of Gaza, in response to Hamas' October 7 attack killing 1,300 Israelis, is also roiling the city's politics.

November 7—The Biden administration has announced $16.4 billion in funding to upgrade rail lines on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, one of several recent decisions flowing from the massive 2021 Biden-sponsored infrastructure bill. The corridor sells 800,000 tickets daily. Trump talked about fixing the nation's ailing infrastructure; the Biden administration is doing something about it.

November 5—Two articles from AP News examine a success for offshore wind as well as some setbacks. Offshore wind power is a key component of the Biden administration's plan to reduce the burning of globe-warming fossil fuels.

November 5—An agreement between Southwest Airlines and Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union of America, representing 19,000 flight attendants, will give the attendants their first raise in four years, a time period during which living costs have experienced a compound inflation of nearly 20 percent; the agreement follows an August agreement covering 17,120 ramp and cargo employees. The Social Democrat strongly supports efforts by organized labor to achieve decent wages and work conditions for union members.

November 5—American schools are facing significant challenges post-Pandemic, including plummeting test scores and, according to a just-released study, chronic absenteeism rates of 29 percent.

November 5—The Republican controlled House of Representatives passed legislation on Friday designed to cut the Environmental Protection Agency's budget to its lowest level in 30 years.

November 5—Former president Donal Trump, whom Republican renegade Lynn Cheney recently named the "single most dangerous threat" to the United States (Guardian article) referred, at a November 2 campaign rally, to those serving prison terms for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as "hostages" (Reuters story). Trump is running neck and neck, and in some polls leading Joe Biden in a hypothetical electoral match-up in 2024. Democrats must learn to craft messages designed to appeal to a solild mass of the American public.

November 5—Gun policy is in the news this week, with a federal appeals court upholding an Illinois assault weapon ban and the Supreme Court set to rule on a federal ban on bump stocks.

November 5—Divisions over Israel's invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attack of October 7, in which 1,350 Israelis were killed, are roiling the Democratic Party, threatening coordinated action toward social democratic goals (AP News stories). Former president Barack Obama spoke out on the conflict at the Obama Foundation "Democracy Forum" on November 3, calling for recognition of Israel's right to exist, an end to the occupation of Palestinian terriotories and a two-state solution (The Hill story).

November 3—A record total of $80.8 million has been raised to fund 140 Virginia General Assembly races as of the end of October, or $577,000 per candidate. The ever higher costs of political campaigns can only increase the influence of money, and those who have the most of it, on political outcomes, protecting the interests not of the general public but of its wealthiest members. The Social Democrat supports public funding of political campaigns.

November 3—New Republican House speaker Mike Johnson has countered President Biden's gambit to tie aid to Israel to further Ukraine aid and U.S. border security with a proposal that addresses only aid to Israel, a Republican priority, while cutting the IRS budget. Johnson's bill will be D.O.A. in the Senate, says Senate leader Chuck Shumer.

November 3—The Biden administration has announced $653 million in grants to 41 ports across the U.S., the latest announcements growing out of Biden's successful championing of infrastructure legislation since 2021. The improvement will help alleviate the kind of port bottlenecks experienced during the recent pandemic .

November 3—Congressperson Dean Phillips will loan his fledging run for the Democratic presidential nomination $2 million from his personal funds as he struggles to raise money for his campaign. Phillips, heir to the Phillips Distillery Company, has a net worth of over $70 million. The Social Democrat supports public funding of campaigns

November 3—Desmond Mills, one of five Memphis police officers who participated in the beating death of Fed Ex driver Tyre Nichols on January 6 of this year, has pleaded guity in exchange for a reduction of a possible life sentence to 15 years. He has also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors' case against the remaining four defendants.