CNBC Pro Talks goes on the road to find out how to invest for 2024
For the first time, CNBC Pro Talks is heading to a business school. CNBC’s Tanvir Gill will quiz three experts on their outlook for next year.
China’s property sector needs more government support as crisis deepens
China’s property market, which makes up a substantial chunk of the country’s economy, needs more government support to prevent further deterioration, analysts said.
The Divide: How a protest over Israel exposed a serious rift in the Democratic Party
There was chatter among Congressional reporters about wandering over to The Monocle for a drink last Wednesday night. The Monocle is an old-school Capitol Hill watering hole located next to U.S. Capitol Police Headquarters and across the parking lot from the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Senators sometimes hang out there while they wait for the body to get its business together for late night votes. It was pushing 9 p.m. last Wednesday and the Senate was mired in a vote which began at 2:26 p.m. Senators struggled to work out a deal to finish up its work before Thanksgiving. The only reason reporters still lingered at the Capitol at that hour was because the Senate was slated to vote later to align with the House and avert a government shutdown. There would have been drama surrounding a potential government funding cliff just a few days earlier. But not now. The question was not if the Senate would pass the stopgap spending package – but when. And since there wasn’t an agreement over a pending defense policy bill, the Senate forestalled closing the roll call vote until everything was settled. That’s when word came from the Capitol Police that all the office buildings on the House side of the Congressional complex were locked down. No one could come or go. A massive, pro-Palestinian demonstration descended on the Democratic National Committee Headquarters just steps from the House office buildings. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Whip Kathleen Clark, D-Mass., Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., and other Democratic members were at the DNC for an event. Democrats huddled throughout the day at the DNC with campaign operatives and Democratic candidates ahead of the 2024 election cycle. FIVE FOR FIGHTING: WHO ARE THE MEANEST, TOUGHEST AND ROUGHEST ON CAPITOL HILL? The protesters encircled the building, demanding a Middle East ceasefire, blocking anyone from entering or leaving the DNC. The Capitol Police moved in. Jeffries and Clark have USCP security details due to their leadership positions. The protesters fired tear gas at the Capitol Police. The USCP then began clearing the way to evacuate members from the crowd. USCP arrested one man for assaulting officers. The protesters injured a total of six officers. “Last night’s group was not peaceful,” said the USCP in a statement the next day. “When demonstrations cross the line into illegal activity, it is our responsibility to maintain order.” Democrats holed up in the DNC and let loose on the protesters. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who is Jewish, characterized them as “pro-Hamas” and “pro-terrorist.” He added that demonstrators “want Republicans” to win in 2024. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is also Jewish and was trapped in the DNC as well. GEORGE SANTOS RECEIVES HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION REPORT AHEAD OF PUBLIC RELEASE “When you engage in tactics that are intimidating and certainly blocking access or exit from a building, I think that crosses a line,” said Wasserman Schultz. “It was a very troubling, disturbing situation.” “We were rescued by armed officers who did not know the protesters intent,” said Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., on Twitter. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., tweeted that she was stuck in her office in the Longworth House Office Building with her newborn baby during the raucous demonstration. Democrats have a problem. There is a tear in their party over the Middle East. Progressive, left-wing activists – fueled by college campus outrage – are fracturing the party over calls for a ceasefire and Israel’s assertion to defend itself. That’s to say nothing of controversial comments by Squad members like Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for a ceasefire and criticism of pro-Israeli groups like AIPAC (the American Israel Political Action Committee). “I don’t think the Democratic Socialists of America, the Justice Democrats, et cetera, are part of the Democratic coalition,” said Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. Schneider has long aligned with AIPAC. He voted to sanction Tlaib on the House floor for pushing the trope “from the river to the sea,” which calls for the elimination of Israel. “What we need is people of good conscience and moral clarity to stand united and say Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization seeking to destroy the country,” said Schneider. AIPAC is now prepared to run candidates against Democrats who oppose its goals. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE AS TO WHY TENSIONS ARE RUNNING SO HIGH RIGHT NOW ON CAPITOL HILL Progressive groups warned Jeffries last week that he and Democratic Congressional Committee Chairwoman (DCCC) and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., need to keep AIPAC out of Democratic primaries. Republicans have plenty of schisms on their side – between “Reagan” Republicans, the MAGA crowd, the Freedom Caucus and those who just want to lay a blowtorch to everything. That is radioactive. But the political, radioisotopes over the Middle East cauterize like no other issues. That’s why some on the left now refer to President Biden as “Genocide Joe.” The New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America faced criticism after it included a watermelon on a flyer pushing for a protest of Jeffries. Jeffries is Black. Racists have long used a watermelon to emphasize anti-Black views. The watermelon is also an icon of Palestinians who view Israel as occupiers. A reporter asked Jeffries last week about the accusation by Rep. Summer Lee, D-Penn., that he shared the stage with Pastor John Hageee at a pro-Israel rally on the National Mall. Lee termed Hagee “an antisemitic bigot,” adding “this must be condemned.” Jeffries replied that he appeared on stage at the rally alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. “I have no idea what she’s talking about,” responded Jeffries to Lee’s accusation. Republicans might not face the same internecine sniping as Democrats over the Middle East conflict. The GOP is more unified when it comes to standing behind Israel and approving legislation to assist the Jewish state financially and militarily. But there are Republicans who are tired of
Ohio redistricting overhaul plan once again permitted to gather signatures after second round of approvals
Backers of a proposal to change Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system will finally be able to start gathering signatures, after clearing a second round of state approvals Monday. Citizens Not Politicians now has until July 3 to collect roughly 414,000 signatures required to put its constitutional amendment before voters in November 2024. Supporters are expected to fan out across the state beginning this week to try to make next fall’s statewide ballot. Their proposal would replace the current Ohio Redistricting Commission, made up of three statewide officeholders and four state lawmakers, with an independent body selected directly by citizens. The new panel’s members would be diversified by party affiliation and geography. OHIO VOTERS APPROVE AMENDMENT ENSHRINING ABORTION ACCESS INTO STATE CONSTITUTION The effort has experienced repeated delays. It began with two early rounds of objections to their petition language by Republican Attorney General Dave Yost before wording was initially certified. The Ohio Ballot Board then unanimously cleared the measure in October, only for organizers to discover they had made a single-digit typo in a date. The mistake sent the process back to the drawing board: first, back through Yost’s office; then back through the ballot board, which again OK’d the measure as a single issue Monday. CITIZEN-LED REDISTRICTING INITIATIVE GETS NOD TO GATHER SIGNATURES FOR OHIO BALLOT The campaign said supporters of changing redistricting are eager to get started circulating petitions. Among them is Nadia Zaiem, of the Cleveland suburb of Westlake, who said she’s motivated to see a new way chosen for the drawing of Ohio’s legislative and congressional maps. She said the current system allows politicians of both parties to “ignore the will of their constituents, knowing they will continue to be elected and re-elected, not because they have earned the support of a majority of voters, but because they have rigged the system in their favor.” The effort follows the existing structure’s repeated failure to produce constitutional maps. During the protracted process for redrawing district boundaries to account for results of the 2020 Census, challenges filed in court resulted in two congressional maps and five sets of Statehouse maps being rejected as unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
WATCH: White House issues stern defense of Biden’s ‘stamina’ on 81st birthday amid growing age concerns
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a stern defense of President Biden’s “stamina” on Monday, his 81st birthday, when questioned over the growing concerns surrounding his age. “I would put the president’s stamina, the president’s wisdom, ability to get this done on behalf of the American people against anyone, anyone on any day of the week,” Jean-Pierre told Fox News’ Mark Meredith during the White House press briefing in response to a question about former Obama adviser David Axelrod raising the issue of Biden’s age. Earlier this month, Axelrod suggested it may be “wise” for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on the heels of a brutal poll that found him losing to former President Donald Trump by up to 10 points in five battleground states. TRUMP MEDICAL REPORT RELEASED AS BIDEN FACES CONCERNS OVER AGE, HEALTH Biden’s “biggest liability” with voters is his age, Axelrod said. While he should be “proud of his accomplishments,” the country had too much at stake to risk losing to Trump in the next election, he argued. Axelrod doubled down on the criticism earlier in the day Monday, even after Biden reportedly called him “a prick.” “I don’t care about them thinking I’m a prick — that’s fine,” Axelrod told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. “I hope they don’t think the polls are wrong, because they’re not.” WATCH: WHITE HOUSE ISSUES BRUTAL RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S ‘INAPPROPRIATE’ NICKNAME GIVEN BY ANTI-ISRAEL CRITICS However, Jean-Pierre told Fox during the briefing that there was “no alarm” going on behind the scenes at the White House despite those age worries. “No, there’s no alarm happening behind the scenes. I can only speak behind the scenes here. There is no alarm happening behind the scenes. And I’m certainly not going to comment on everybody who has something to say,” she said. “Also, it’s just not my job. It’s not my job to think through or to tell people what to think. Right? Whether it’s the American people out there or a, you know, political analyst, or as your question is about David Axelrod, it’s just not my place to speak to that,” she said. BIDEN USES TRUMP’S OWN WORDS AGAINST HIM IN BID TO RECAPTURE THIS MAJOR VOTING BLOCK FOR DEMS IN 2024 Jean-Pierre went on to say that the White House’s perspective is that it wasn’t about Biden’s age, but rather his “experience.” “That’s what we believe. And, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. The president has used his experience to pass more bipartisan legislation in recent time than any other president. That’s just a fact. That is something we have seen this president do, and that’s because of his experience … So what we say is we have to judge him by what he’s done, not by his numbers,” she added. Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
NH court sides with public school districts in education spending case
New Hampshire should be spending at least 80% more per pupil on public schools, a judge said Monday in one of two rulings that could force significant changes to education funding. Lawmakers have been grappling with the issue for decades after the state Supreme Court ruled in the 1990s that the state is required to provide and pay for an adequate education. In response, the Legislature began sending each school district a set amount of aid per pupil — currently $4,100. Actual costs are much higher, however, and local property taxpayers make up the difference, with wide disparities due to differences in property wealth between communities. JUDGE TOSSES NEW HAMPSHIRE TEACHERS UNION BID TO SHOOT DOWN VOUCHER PROGRAM Conval Regional School District and 17 others challenged the base amount in court in 2019, and after a trial in April, Rockingham County Judge David Ruoff agreed with them Monday that the current allocation is unconstitutional. While the plaintiffs argued aid must be increased to at least $9,900 per pupil, Ruoff declined to set a definitive amount but said it should be at least $7,356. In his order, Ruoff said while he is mindful that the Legislature has the final say, school funding is a “complicated and politically-charged issue with a history that suggests some level of judicial intervention is now necessary.” He suggested politics have impeded the state’s duty to children, but said “that ends today.” NEW HAMPSHIRE’S RECOVERY-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE PROGRAM EXPANDS TO NATIONWIDE INSTITUTE In a separate case, Ruoff also found the state has violated the constitution by not redistributing excess money collected via the statewide education property tax from wealthier towns to poorer communities. The rulings are likely to be appealed. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, which represented the state, said officials were reviewing the orders and considering next steps. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, superintendent of the Conval Regional School District, said the court recognized the substantial evidence offered by plaintiffs. “Today’s decision reflects what has been apparent for years: that the State of New Hampshire has not lived up to its legal and moral obligation to adequately fund public education,” she said in a statement.
Tennessee Supreme Court justice announces retirement
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger Page announced on Monday that he plans to retire in August 2024. In a statement from Tennessee’s court system, the 68-year-old said his time as a judge has been humbling, inspiring and the honor of a lifetime. He was first appointed to the high court by former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam in 2016. His last day will be Aug. 31. “The Tennessee judiciary is truly a family, and I have been fortunate to walk this path with my great friends in the judiciary,” Page said in a statement. “I will miss all of them and treasure their friendship.” FORMER WISCONSIN CHIEF JUSTICE ORDERED TO TURN OVER RECORDS RELATED TO PROTASIEWICZ IMPEACHMENT ADVISEMENT The decision will give Republican Gov. Bill Lee a chance to appoint his third justice on the five-member court. The five current justices were all appointed by Republican governors. Page has spent more than 25 years as a judge at the trial court, intermediate appellate and Tennessee Supreme Court levels. Haslam appointed him to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in 2011 before picking Page for the state Supreme Court about five years later. Page served as the chief justice from 2021 to 2023. During his tenure, Page helped secure funding for electronic filing for the court system, advocated for access to pro bono services and promoted livestreaming of appellate arguments, according to the statement. SANDERS TAPS ARKANSAS GOP CHAIRMAN, EX-FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FOR STATE SUPREME COURT SEAT Page grew up on a farm in the Mifflin area of West Tennessee. Before his legal career, he worked as a chief pharmacist and assistant store manager for Walgreens. “If I hurry, I might have time for one more career,” Page said. He praised the work done by Tennessee’s judiciary system during the pandemic, including advances in technology. “It has been incredibly gratifying to watch the start of an evolution across the judiciary,” Page said. “I look forward to following those changes and to catching up with my judicial family in between trips I have been planning for years, watching my grandkids play sports, and spending time with my wonderful wife.” In Tennessee, the governor’s picks for Supreme Court must also be confirmed by state lawmakers. Republicans have supermajority control in both legislative chambers. Additionally, Supreme Court justices face “yes-no” retention elections every eight years. Voters retained Page and the other four justices at the time during the 2022 election.
Lawmakers send letter to New York Gov. Hochul calling for ban of pro-Hamas student group
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asking that the Democrat ban “Students for Justice in Palestine,” a pro-Palestinian group whom they allege has “spewed hate and endorsed violence, from NY college campuses.” The letter, signed by more than three dozen lawmakers, points to rising instances of antisemitism at “countless public and private universities throughout New York City and State” in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas terrorist group in Israel. “These are extraordinarily difficult days for Jewish New Yorkers affected by a steep rise in hate and bias in the weeks following October 7th,” the lawmakers say. The signatories pointed to a group, “Students for Justice in Palestine,” that they argue has become “a major growing cause of concern on college campuses” and has chapters “throughout American Universities.” NBC CUTS TIES WITH PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN ISRAEL FOR ‘INCITING TERRORISM’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA The lawmakers say SJP’s umbrella organization, the National Students for Justice in Palestine (National SJP) has heralded Hamas as a resistance movement and regards “Palestinian students in exile” as being part of the movement, not merely in solidarity with it. The lawmakers accuse SJP of having released statements across New York State that “endorse the use of violence and attacks on civilians.” They allege that SJP members, at events, have chanted incendiary slogans like “from New York to Gaza, Globalize the Intifada” and “when people are occupied, resistance is justified” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” “This is a civil rights issue, it is an equal protection of the law issue, and it calls for bold action and moral courage,” the lawmakers say. “Jewish students have a right to an education free from persecution, harassment, intimidation, and threats to their physical safety.” Fox News Digital has reached out to National SJP and Hochul’s office for comment. Founded in 1993, SJP has been on several college campuses, including Columbia and Brandeis University, as well as Florida’s university system. The federal government, meanwhile, has opened civil rights investigations into seven schools and universities over allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The list includes three Ivy League institutions — Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania — along with Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. It also includes one K-12 system, the Maize Unified School District in Kansas. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Texas attorney general opens investigation into Media Matters for ‘potential fraudulent activity’
EXCLUSIVE—Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is opening an investigation into Media Matters for “potential fraudulent activity” after X CEO Elon Musk accused the left-wing media watchdog group of manipulating data on the social media platform. After a slew of advertisers, including IBM, Apple, Disney, Lionsgate and Paramount, fled X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk pledged to hit the watchdog group with a “thermonuclear lawsuit.” Media Matters published a report on Friday accusing X of placing ads next to “white nationalist hashtags.” However, Musk believes that the group “completely misrepresented the real user experience” in order to mislead advertisers. MUSK THREATENS ‘THERMONUCLEAR LAWSUIT’ AGAINST MEDIA MATTERS Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey posted on Sunday that his legal team was “looking into” the matter. Now, Paxton is launching an official investigation with his office after being “extremely troubled” by the allegations. “We are examining the issue closely to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations who would like nothing more than to limit freedom by reducing participation in the public square,” said Paxton. “Under the Texas Business Organizations Code and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the OAG will vigorously enforce against nonprofits who commit fraudulent acts in or affecting the state of Texas,” said the Texas Attorney General’s office. MUSK RESPONDS TO ACCUSATIONS OF ANTISEMITISM: ‘NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH’ Last week, Musk found himself in hot water after commenting on a post on X that critics believe was anti-Semitic. Since then, the tech billionaire has clarified that anyone posting genocidal content will be suspended from X. “At risk of stating the obvious, anyone advocating the genocide of *any* group will be suspended from this platform,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “As I said earlier this week, ‘decolonization’, ‘from the river to the sea’ and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide. Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension,” Musk wrote. Nonetheless, the White House spokesman Andrew Bates condemned Musk, saying that the people’s house condemns “abhorrent promotion of Antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This is not the first time advertisers vacated the social media platform. Last year, when Musk first took over Twitter, now known as X, he promised to restore free speech to the platform. In response, hundreds of advertisers pulled their ads. Now, the CEO is hoping to uncover the truth behind the Media Matters report, saying “the discovery and depositions will be glorious to behold.” Media Matters did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden mocked after confusing pop music stars during turkey pardoning joke: ‘Impeachable offense’
Social media erupted Monday after President Biden botched a joke that appeared to be targeting young voters due to their unrivaled enthusiasm for the pop music stars referenced. Biden, who was kicking off his 81st birthday during the annual White House turkey pardoning, appeared to confuse Taylor Swift and Beyonce, while also appearing to incorporate another popular singer into the mix. “Now just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds in the competition. They had to work hard, show patience, and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles,” Biden said, before attempting to compare the turkeys traveling to D.C. to getting a ticket to a concert — though it is unclear which hit tour he intended to reference. “You could say even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or, or, or Britney’s tour, she’s down, it’s kinda warm in Brazil right now.” “This is an impeachable offense,” NRCC Communications Director Jack Pandol wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, joking about Biden’s blunder. BIDEN’S SUPPORT FROM GEN Z ERODES AS AGE BECOMES CRITICAL ISSUE: ‘HE’S OUT OF TOUCH WITH BASICALLY EVERYBODY’ “What is Biden talking about?” the Republican National Committee’s research account posted alongside a clip of the remarks. Biden appeared to either make a comparison to Beyonce’s “Renaissance World Tour” or Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” — as he initially said “Renaissance” but then suddenly began talking about the weather in Brazil where Swift’s latest show was held. The president also mentioned “Britney” in his attempted joke, which some Twitter users have translated as being Britney Spears. “81-year-old Joe Biden, attempting to not appear ancient, mixes up Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears,” OutKick founder Clay Travis posted. KAMALA HARRIS REACTS TO ROUGH BIDEN POLLS: ‘WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO EARN OUR RE-ELECT’ “Grandpa Joe is trying to be hip and edgy again,” another user wrote. “Words cannot describe the experience of seeing the leader of the free world ‘pardon’ a large bird,” another user wrote. “Biden tried to make a Taylor Swift joke (something involving how far the turkeys travelled to get to Washington), but badly mangled it, calling her “Britney.” Other users highlighted the president turning 81. “Joe Biden has no idea what he’s talking about. He attempts a joke about how difficult it is to get tickets to see Beyonce but calls her ‘Brittany.’ He then follows up that gaffe by confusing Beyonce (‘Brittany’) with Taylor Swift. He turned 81 today,” Citizen Free Press said. Biden said Monday’s event was the “unofficial start of the holiday season” and was a time to “share joy and gratitude and a little bit of fun.” “This is the 76th anniversary of this event. And I want you to know, I wasn’t there, the first one,” Biden said, taking a dig at his age. He went on to say that Americans will “gather with the people we love and the traditions that each of us have built up in our own families” this week. Biden’s comment comes after a NBC News poll found former President Donald Trump was leading Biden in a hypothetical 2024 match-up. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod warned earlier this month that Biden’s “age issue” was consistent in polling and said that it was the “one thing” the Biden team “can’t reverse.” “The one number in the polling that was concerning, and in the CNN poll that followed after The New York Times poll, had to do with age, and that is one thing you can’t reverse no matter how effective Joe Biden is behind the scenes,” Axelrod said. “In front of the camera, what he’s projecting is causing people concerns, and that is worrisome.’