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As the sun set on Howard University in Washington DC, a group of women gathered on a grassy patch in the centre of campus.

They held hands in a wide circle and sang hymns, many wiping tears from their faces.

They had just watched a concession speech given by Kamala Harris.

Many had been at the university the night before, hoping to witness America electing its first female president.

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“I don’t think she could have done anything differently,” one said, “she ran a good campaign, I just think misogyny and racism is deep-rooted in America.”

Another lay the blame at the door of President Biden.

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“Unfortunately I think if he’d have gone sooner, she would have had more chance to tell her story and establish herself,” another said.

In Democratic Party circles, the inquest had begun even before Harris spoke.

Not only had she been defeated in all seven of the key swing states, the map showed rightward shifts across the country. Questions about what went wrong for the campaign and the Democratic Party are at a fever pitch.

Some of Ms Harris's supporters were in tears at her concession speech. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Some of Ms Harris’s supporters were in tears at her concession speech. Pic: Reuters

An attendee wipes away tears after Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on the campus of Howard University in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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Pic: AP

Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris react at her concession speech for the 2024 presidential election, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, on the campus of Howard University in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
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Pic: AP

David Plouffe, a senior campaign adviser for Harris, posted on X: “It was a privilege to spend the last 100 days with Kamala Harris… We dug out of a deep hole but not enough.”

Many are reading that deep hole as one left by Joe Biden, who some say didn’t leave his vice president enough time to make her pitch to the nation known. Mr Plouffe has since deleted his entire X account.

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Harris fans despair as she concedes

Others wondered whether President Biden’s ego had led him to cling to power too long. Had the man who once pledged to be a transition candidate been so intoxicated by the heady heights of the Oval Office that he couldn’t bear to step aside?

Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen told Sky News she didn’t “think this was so personal towards Kamala Harris”.

Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to deliver a speech conceding 2024 U.S. Presidential Election to President-elect Trump at Howard University in Washington, DC, U.S. November 6, 2024. Tasos Katopodis/Pool via REUTERS
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Harris arriving at Howard University in Washington, DC on Wednesday. Pic: Reuters

She said: “The campaign miscalculated the importance of the economy as a central message.

“I think they thought it was going to be a referendum on Donald Trump and a referendum on abortion. And those two calculations, I think, had them underplay what we know voters’ key issue was, which is the economy.”

President Biden spoke in the Rose Garden, paying tribute to Ms Harris’s campaign and promising a peaceful transition of power to president-elect Donald Trump.

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But his speech will probably be remembered as much for what he didn’t say. There was no introspection about the loss, no answers offered for why it was such a bruising defeat.

Brett Bruin, former White House director of global engagement who worked under Barack Obama, said: “I can’t help but think back to what President Obama said after his first defeat at the congressional level. He acknowledged it was a shellacking.

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“We didn’t hear that from President Biden. This has been part of the problem throughout his presidency, it’s part of the reason why Biden and Harris were so unsuccessful when it came to unpopularity is that they didn’t acknowledge the problems, they didn’t address the problems.

“I wonder when the Democratic Party are going to say, ‘we have to change’.”

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Donald Trump pauses US military aid to Ukraine

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Donald Trump pauses US military aid to Ukraine

Donald Trump has paused US military aid to Ukraine just days after his row with President Zelenskyy.

A White House official, speaking anonymously, said: “President [Trump] has been clear that he is focused on peace.

“We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

There was no indication about the possible length of the pause, and there’s been no comment so far from Ukraine.

It comes after the astonishing clash between the two leaders – as well as vice president Vance – in the Oval Office on Friday.

Donald Trump‘s berating of Mr Zelenskyy has led to a show of support from European leaders as they try to formulate their own way forward.

The US president attacked the Ukrainian leader again on Monday, telling reporters he should be “more appreciative”.

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US military aid has included Patriot air defence systems. Pic: Reuters
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The tens of billion in US aid has included Patriot air defence systems. Pic: Reuters

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump also said Mr Zelenskyy had made “the worst statement that could have been made” after he commented that peace was still “very, very far away”.

“America will not put up with it for much longer!” he posted.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing,” the president added.

Mr Zelenskyy then posted on X, saying Ukraine was “working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace”.

“Peace is needed as soon as possible,” he said.

‘Music to the ears of Putin’

By David Blevins, US correspondent

President Trump’s decision to pause military aid to Ukraine marks a significant shift in US foreign policy, one previously considered unthinkable.

This blow to Ukraine’s defences in the face of Russian aggression will be music to the ears of President Putin. US military aid has kept Ukraine in this David and Goliath battle for three years.

It has funded what military analysts simplify as “the big stuff” of battle – artillery, anti-tank weapons, rockets and armoured vehicles. Trump’s decision to push pause disregards efforts by Keir Starmer and other European leaders to devise a peace plan.

Those already questioning Europe’s reliance on the US for defence will conclude they have been given the answer.

But the decision sets President Trump up for a potential confrontation with Republicans, who had approved the funding, in Congress.

White House sources say he wants President Zelenskyy to go on TV and apologise for the jaw-dropping showdown last Friday. But the Ukrainian president feels he has no apology to make for expressing his doubt about Russia’s commitment to peace.

Earlier, Trump side-stepped a question about a Kremlin diplomat claiming the US administration and Moscow were now aligned on foreign policy.

This weakening of Ukraine’s defence capability moves that question front and centre as he prepares to address Congress on Tuesday.

Despite the diplomatic crisis, President Trump has said a deal is still possible.

An agreement giving the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth metals was meant to have been signed by the two presidents on Friday.

It was billed as an important step in a future peace deal – and part payback for aid already received.

However, the dramatic falling out has thrown that into jeopardy.

Mr Zelenskyy wants the metals deal to include guarantees on halting Russia should it break the terms of any peace agreement.

However, vice president JD Vance suggested on Monday that the metals pact was the best way to secure a lasting end to the war.

“If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine
again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Mr Vance said.

“That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years,” he added.

European and world allies – who met the Ukrainian leader in London at the weekend – have discussed a “coalition of the willing” to deploy peacekeepers and deter further Russian aggression.

The prime minister said Britain was prepared to put “boots on the ground and planes in the air” under the plan – but it’s unclear who else might participate.

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How many countries will back Starmer’s plan?

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The coalition that could secure peace in Ukraine

Keir Starmer told MPs on Monday that Britain must “lead from the front” on supporting Ukraine and the “security of our continent, the security of our country”.

However, the prime minister believes any international deployment of troops must have a US “backstop” deterrent to be taken seriously by Russia.

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Sky News gets rare access to drone launch

America has given around €64bn of military aid to Ukraine, compared with €62bn from European nations (including Britain).

The overall US total is €114bn and the European one €132bn. This includes humanitarian aid and other financial assistance to keep the country running.

Following the weekend summit, the UK also pledged £1.6bn in finance for Ukraine to buy another 5,000 air defence missiles.

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Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs – sending financial markets reeling

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Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs - prompting a stock sell-off

Donald Trump has confirmed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, taking effect at 5am UK time on Tuesday.

The US president confirmed the tariffs in a speech at the White House – and his announcement sent US stocks down sharply.

The tariffs will be felt heavily by US companies which have factories in Canada and Mexico, such as carmakers.

Mr Trump said: “They’re going to have a tariff. So what they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.”

There’s “no room left” for a deal that would see the tariffs shelved if fentanyl flowing into the US is curbed by its neighbours, he added.

As of 12:01am Eastern Standard Time (5.01am GMT), Mexico and Canada face tariffs of 25%, with 10% for Canadian energy, the Trump administration confirmed.

And tariffs on Chinese imports will double, raising them from 10% to 20%.

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Canada announced it would retaliate immediately, imposing 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$30bn (£16.3bn). It added the tariffs would be extended in 21 days to cover more US goods entering the country if the US did not lift its sanctions against Canada.

China also vowed to retaliate and reiterated its stance that the Trump administration was trying to “shift the blame” and
“bully” Beijing over fentanyl flows.

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What is America’s trade position?

Mr Trump’s speech stoked fears of a trade war in North America and sent financial markets reeling.

Markets the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.4% and 1.76% respectively.

The share prices for automobile companies including General Motors, which has significant truck production in Mexico, Automaker and Ford also fell.

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Consumers in the US could see price hikes within days, an expert has said.

Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University, New York, said “the automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences”.

This is due to supply chains that “crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process” and ” because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he added.

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Trump hits out at Zelenskyy again

The Trump administration is gearing up to bring in other tariffs in the coming weeks.

On 2 April, reciprocal tariffs will take on effects on all countries that impose duties on US products.

He is also considering 25% tariffs on goods from the EU “very soon” after claiming the bloc was created to “screw the United States”.

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America will not put up with it for much longer!’: Donald Trump hits out at Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy once again

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America will not put up with it for much longer!': Donald Trump hits out at Ukraine's President Zelenskyy once again

Donald Trump has hit out at the Ukrainian president once again, just four days after an explosive on-camera spat between the pair.

The US president posted on Truth Social saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy made “the worst statement that could have been made” when he said the end of the war with Russia is “very, very far away”.

“America will not put up with it for much longer!” Mr Trump posted.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing,” the president added.

He also appeared to attack Mr Zelenskyy and Europe after yesterday’s Ukraine summit in London at which leaders, according to Mr Trump: “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.”

“What are they thinking?” Mr Trump asked.

A deal to end the war was still “very, very far away”, Mr Zelenskyy said earlier, adding he expects to keep receiving US support despite the two leaders’ public spat.

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“I think our relationship (with the US) will continue because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” the Ukrainian president added.

Mr Trump said in his Truth Social post: “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”

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