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By Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Roughly a month after election losses that left Republicans in charge of the White House and both houses of Congress, and saw once-core working class, Latino and women voters slip away, some Democratic officials are trying to explain what happened. Republican Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris on Nov. 5 was part of a global pattern that saw 80% of incumbent parties lose seats or vote share in 2024, outgoing Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison wrote in a Dec. 3 memo to “interested parties” obtained by Reuters. Despite falling short, the party’s historic investments in every U.S. state and territory helped prevent “what could have been a larger red wave,” Harrison wrote. Democrats raised – and spent – more than $1 billion just since Vice President Kamala Harris took over for Joe Biden as the candidate in late July. Nonetheless, the campaign finished the election in the red, financially and politically. “Although Democrats did not achieve what we set out to do, Trump wasn’t able to capture the support of more than 50% of the electorate and Democrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide,” Harrison, who has said he will leave his post next year, wrote in the memo. “Trump’s election is far from a mandate,” he wrote. Far-right parties have gained ground in Europe, especially with younger voters, and are questioning climate change and pro-immigration policies. In the U.S., the political right’s gains shocked many Democratic voters and activists who thought a flood of volunteers, fundraising and fresh momentum would help Harris win. Trump’s second presidency could lead to big changes in everything from U.S. health policy to education to oil drilling rules. Some Democrats blamed Biden for not stepping aside earlier. Top Harris advisers, including her campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks, and advisers Stephanie Cutter and David Plouffe pointed to other factors, too, in a recent interview. Americans’ post-COVID economic woes, the short 107-day span of the campaign, and the two hurricanes diverted attention from the whirlwind campaign, they said. “This political environment sucked, okay? We were dealing with ferocious headwinds, and I think people’s instinct was to give the Republicans, and even Donald Trump, another chance. So we had a complicated puzzle to put together here in terms of the voters,” Plouffe told podcast Pod Save America last week. Senator Bernie Sanders, a former presidential candidate, has blamed the loss on Democrats’ failure to focus on working class issues, and others are clamoring for new leadership. “If I see a dumpster fire and we’ve put it out and I want to work on how to prevent future dumpster fires, I’m not going to go talk to the arsonists,” Aidan Kohn-Murphy, the founder of Gen Z for Change, a political activism group, said on TikTok. Democratic strategist James Carville, a top political aide to former President Bill Clinton, has also called for an audit of the campaign and the Democratic Super Political Action Committee known as Future Forward. The DNC invested $264 million in U.S. states, Harrison wrote in the Dec. 3 memo, helping to pass state abortion rights measures, win legislative seats in others and make it easier for workers to unionize. Trump won less than 50% of the popular vote and his margin of victory ranks 44th out of 51 elections since 1824, Harrison’s memo adds; his 1.5% margin was smaller than President Joe Biden’s 4.45% win in 2020. In the Senate, Democrats won seats in four states that Trump won, and Democratic Senate candidates in battleground states overperformed Harris by an average of 5 percentage points, the memo notes. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason; Editing by Heather Timmons and Stephen Coates) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BANGKOK (AP) — China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications. The ratcheting up of trade restrictions comes as President-elect Donald Trump has been threatening to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries, potentially intensifying simmering tensions over trade and technology. China’s Foreign Ministry also issued a vehement reproof. “China has lodged stern protests with the U.S. for its update of the semiconductor export control measures, sanctions against Chinese companies, and malicious suppression of China’s technological progress,” Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a routine briefing Tuesday. “I want to reiterate that China firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security, abuse of export control measures, and illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction against Chinese companies,” Lin said. China said in July 2023 it would require exporters to apply for licenses to send to the U.S. the strategically important materials such as gallium and germanium. In August, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said it would restrict exports of antimony, which is used in a wide range of products from batteries to weapons, and impose tighter controls on exports of graphite. Such minerals are considered critical for national security. China is a major producer of antimony, which is used in flame retardants, batteries, night-vision goggles and nuclear weapon production, according to a 2021 U.S. International Trade Commission report. The limits announced by Beijing on Tuesday also include exports of super-hard materials, such as diamonds and other synthetic materials that are not compressible and extremely dense. They are used in many industrial areas such as cutting tools, disc brakes and protective coatings. The licensing requirements that China announced in August also covered smelting and separation technology and machinery and other items related to such super-hard materials. China is the biggest global source of gallium and germanium, which are produced in small amounts but are needed to make computer chips for mobile phones, cars and other products, as well as solar panels and military technology. After the U.S. side announced it was adding 140 companies to a so-called “entity list” subject to strict export controls, China’s Commerce Ministry protested and said it would act to protect China’s “rights and interests.” Nearly all of the companies affected by Washington’s latest trade restrictions are based in China, though some are Chinese-owned businesses in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Both governments say their respective export controls are needed for national security. China’s government has been frustrated by U.S. curbs on access to advanced processor chips and other technology on security grounds but had been cautious in retaliating, possibly to avoid disrupting China’s fledgling developers of chips, artificial intelligence and other technology. Various Chinese industry associations issued statements protesting the U.S. move to limit access to advanced chip-making technology. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said it opposed using national security as a grounds for export controls, “abuse of export control measures, and the malicious blockade and suppression of China.” “Such behavior seriously violates the laws of the market economy and the principle of fair competition, undermines the international economic and trade order, disrupts the stability of the global industrial chain, and ultimately harms the interests of all countries,” it said in a statement. The China Semiconductor Industry Association issued a similar statement, adding that such restrictions were disrupting supply chains and inflating costs for American companies. “U.S. chip products are no longer safe and reliable. China’s related industries will have to be cautious in purchasing U.S. chips,” it said. The U.S. gets about half its supply of both gallium and germanium metals directly from China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. China exported about 23 metric tons (25 tons) of gallium in 2022 and produces about 600 metric tons (660 tons) of germanium per year. The U.S. has deposits of such minerals but has not been mining them, though some projects underway are exploring ways to tap those resources. The export restrictions have had a mixed impact on prices for those critical minerals, with the price of antimony more than doubling this year to over $25,000 per ton. Prices for gallium, germanium and graphite also have mostly risen. ___ AP researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this report. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Douglas Gillison (Reuters) – The sale of Americans’ private information by “data brokers” to scammers, foreign adversaries, abusive domestic partners and other unscrupulous actors could face stringent new proposed regulations, the top U.S. consumer agency for financial protection announced on Tuesday. If adopted, the proposed new rules would subject “data brokers” to oversight by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, requiring them to comply with credit reporting laws, thereby reining in a practice officials say poses threats to national security and public safety. “The scale of this problem is staggering,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra told reporters ahead of the announcement, citing research according to which some data brokers explicitly advertised the sale of senior national security officials’ personal information. The proposal also comes in the final weeks of President Joe Biden’s administration, meaning its fate will be determined after President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged sweeping cuts to spending and regulations, takes office in January. Unlike other regulators, CFPB officials have decided to continue rulemaking in the hopes that some new consumer protections may survive the change in administration, Reuters reported last week. CFPB officials said they believed the subject nevertheless enjoyed “broad bipartisan recognition.” Under the proposal, companies that obtain and sell consumers’ personal financial information – such as income data, net worth and credit ratings – would be regulated like credit bureaus and required to maintain safeguards against the misuse of data, to ensure its accuracy and allow consumers to access their own information. The proposal flows from a broader Biden administration concern with personal data use. The Federal Trade Commission in 2022 sued an Idaho company, saying its mobile phone geolocation data could be traced to abortion clinics, churches and addiction treatment facilities. CFPB officials say the unrestricted sale of such data for pennies per person enables espionage, allows thieves to target financially vulnerable people and allows potentially violent actors to target law enforcement officials and others. Officials traced the 2020 murder of a federal judge’s son to a man who had purchased her home address, according to the CFPB. The proposal will be subject to public comment until March 2025. (Reporting by Douglas Gillison; Editing by Himani Sarkar) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a photograph that defined the 2024 campaign. Donald Trump, campaigning for a second term, raises a fist defiantly toward the sky, blood streaked across his face. But the photo captures just one millisecond of a U.S. presidential campaign unlike any that came before it. Trump faced charges and was convicted of a felony in New York City. A bullet from the rifle of a would-be assassin grazed his ear. He appeared days later at the Republican National Convention with a bandage on his ear, an iconic image that further galvanized his supporters and became a symbol of his defiance. The current president, Joe Biden, dropped out of the race weeks before the Democratic convention, bowing to unrelenting pressure from his party following a disastrous debate performance. He was replaced atop the ticket by the first woman of color to be nominated for president by a major party. Associated Press photographers were there to document all of it. Not just the historic episodes, like Evan Vucci’s image of a defiant and bloody Trump, but also intimate moments, like Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff giggling aboard Air Force Two. They captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. Billionaire Elon Musk jumping, arms raised above his head, as Trump stands at a lectern. Harris and Biden sharing a moment on stage after he passed the torch at the DNC. This gallery shows the year in images, as seen through the lenses of AP photojournalists. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. Commerce Department has expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. But some are Chinese-owned businesses in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The revised rules were posted Monday on the website of the U.S. Federal Register for publication later this week. They also limit exports of high-bandwidth memory chips to China. Such chips are needed to process massive amounts of data in advanced applications such as artificial intelligence. China’s Commerce Ministry protested and said it would act to protect its “rights and interests,” without giving any details. “This is a typical act of economic coercion and non-market practice,” the ministry said in a statement. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the move was intended to impair China’s ability to use advanced technologies that “pose a risk to our national security.” The addition of the companies to the “entity list” means that export licenses will likely be denied for any U.S. company trying to do business with them. Washington has been gradually expanding the number of companies affected by such export controls, as the administration of President Joe Biden has encouraged an expansion of investments in and manufacturing of semiconductors in the U.S. “The purpose of these Entity List actions is to stop PRC (Chinese) companies from leveraging U.S. technology to indigenously produce advanced semiconductors,” Matthew S. Axelrod, the assistant secretary for export enforcement, said in a statement. “By adding key semiconductor fabrication facilities, equipment manufacturers, and investment companies to the Entity List, we are directly impeding the PRC’s military modernization, WMD (weapons of mass destruction) programs, and ability to repress human rights.” China has accused the U.S. of pursuing “technology hegemony,” as Washington steps up pressure on Chinese tech giant Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers of advanced technology by blocking access to American suppliers. It particularly objects to what it calls “long-arm jurisdiction” moves such as the U.S. decision to extend export controls to companies to apply to chip-making equipment makers in South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore if they use any U.S. technology that might be sold to China. Pressure from Washington has spurred China to step up its efforts to develop its own advanced computer chips and other technologies, providing billions in subsidies and investments for the industry. Chinese manufacturers have made quick progress even though they remain years behind in some areas. Shares in Japanese computer chip makers and makers of related equipment surged Tuesday, with testing equipment maker Advantest surging 4.6%, Tokyo Electron gaining 4.6% and Applied Materials up 4.9%. Disco Corp., another chipmaker, jumped 6.9%, while the Tokyo benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index gained 2.3%. Meanwhile, China’s Naura Technology Group, whose companies were included in the new list, fell 3% and Piotech Inc., another chipmaker, lost 5.3%. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com