Biden’s approval rating hits new low: poll . . . President Biden’s approval rating has plunged to a fresh low, largely driven by discontent among his own base — as Republicans head into the 2022 midterms with historically high chances, according to a new poll released Sunday. Just 41 percent of Americans approve of the commander-in-chief’s performance, down a whopping 11 points since spring, the Washington Post-ABC News poll found.

His popularity has also tumbled among his own party. Today, 80 percent of Democrats are positive about their party’s leader, compared to 94 percent in June, the poll found. New York Post

This week: House aims to pass Biden spending bill as time runs out . . . House Democrats are aiming to pass President Biden’s social and climate spending bill as they barrel closer toward the end of the year. Both the House and Senate are back this week from a one-week Veterans Day recess, but they’re both expected to be out next week for Thanksgiving. And they’re both aiming to get out of town for the year by Dec. 13.  The House’s expected consideration of the Build Back Better bill this week comes after Democrats punted their plan to hold a vote before the Veterans Day recess as moderates pushed for more information from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Hill

 

This One Photo Explains Everything You Need To Know About the Democratic Party . . . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) was photographed officiating Ivy Getty's lavish wedding in San Francisco last week. The photo explains everything you need to know about the Democratic Party. Nearly every important aspect of the party and its voter base is represented. Washington Free Beacon

 

 

Democrats Fear Steep Losses in 2022 Midterm House Races . . . Alarm bells are ringing in the Democratic Party as it prepares to defend its narrow House majority in the 2022 midterm elections. When a progressive firm last month polled Black voters, a key Democratic constituency, it found less than half saying their lives had improved under President Biden. A second Democratic-allied firm found that among new voters who backed Mr. Biden in 2020 in competitive states, nearly one-third now thought it would be good if Republicans took over Congress. The party’s loss in the Virginia election for governor this month, and a surprisingly narrow win for governor of New Jersey, have added to the evidence of malaise among important groups of Democratic voters. Wall Street Journal

 

 

 

China tests port-destroying bomb . . . China’s military recently carried out a test of a bomb designed to destroy U.S. Navy bases and civilian ports. The People’s Liberation Army Naval Research Academy set off the underwater explosion in simulating an attack at a Chinese naval port on a “hostile high-piled wharf,” the state-run Global Times reported Oct. 25. “The underwater explosives were successfully detonated and fully demolished the wharf with a powerful explosion,” the report said. “The test gathered a large amount of data that can be used in future combat for attacking enemy ports, which can contribute to cutoff of enemy supply lines,” the story stated, quoting PLA experts. The location of the test was not disclosed. Washington Times

 

US, Israel, UAE, Bahrain in first joint naval drill, commanded from Egyptian Red Sea base . . . The first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and two Gulf Arab countries began on Wednesday, Nov. 10 in the Red Sea. Forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) are focusing on maritime “visit, board, search and seizure tactics” and will “enhance interoperability” between the four participating navies, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces US Navy’s 5th Fleet, said in a statement on Thursday. The US commander pointedly omitted reference to two other partners, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, whose naval and marine forces, DEBKAfile’s military sources disclose, are participating on the quiet in the drill Their leaders, President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi and Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman, prefer a low profile partly in respect of restraints at home. DEBKAfile

Ukraine warned of ‘high probability’ of Russian military escalation this winter . . . Western intelligence suggests a “high probability of destabilization” of Ukraine by Russia as soon as this winter after Moscow massed more than 90,000 troops at its border, according to Kyiv’s deputy defense minister. Hanna Maliar stated that Interpretations of western intelligence indicate “the high probability of escalation of the situation”. She indicated that the risk of Russian military aggression was higher than during the past years, pointing to the high probability of destabilization of the situation in Ukraine this winter.” Maliar added that allies’ conclusions were “based not only on information about the number of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border”, suggesting Washington had additional intelligence about Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s intentions. The US briefed allies last week about intelligence indicating that Moscow was preparing for a possible invasion of Ukraine. Financial Times

 

NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia would harm American national security . . . As Ukraine continues to push for NATO membership, Russia says Kyiv joining the Western alliance would be a “red line” for Moscow. An ominous Russian troop buildup near the Ukraine border indicates Vladimir Putin might not be bluffing. Before further consideration of extending NATO’s Article 5 security guarantee to Ukraine, however, Washington needs to carefully weigh what is at stake for American security and prosperity. Bottom line: that discussion needs to center on the folly of willingly stepping into border disputes between nations that have shown a willingness to use force on each other. Extending NATO membership to either Ukraine or Georgia is a disaster-in-the-making for the United States and should resolutely be avoided. Washington Times

What Does Inflation Mean for American Businesses? For Some, Bigger Profits . . . Companies are paying higher wages, spending more for materials and absorbing record freight costs, pushing up economic inflation gauges. They are also reporting some of their best profitability in years. Executives are seizing a once in a generation opportunity to raise prices to match and in some cases outpace their own higher expenses, after decades of grinding down costs and prices.

Industries from retail and manufacturing to biotech have seen their profits rise. Other industries, largely those still climbing out of pandemic lockdowns, such as travel, or those too weighted with inflationary costs, have raised prices but not experienced a profit boost. Wall Street Journal

Trumps Selling Prized Washington, D.C., Hotel for $375 Million . . . Donald Trump’s family hotel company has reached an agreement to sell the rights to its Washington, D.C., hotel for $375 million, according to people familiar with the matter. CGI Merchant Group, a Miami-based investment firm, is in contract to acquire the hotel lease for the Trump International Hotel, which is located a short walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. CGI intends to remove the Trump name, and it has reached a deal with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. to have the property branded and managed by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria group, these people said. During Donald Trump’s years in the White House, Washington’s Trump International Hotel became a favorite Republican meeting spot. Wall Street Journal

U.S. Catholic bishops may dodge rebuke of Biden over abortion . . . A member of the doctrine committee, Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, Texas, said he and his colleagues decided that the document should avoid any trace of partisan politics. Yet Olson remains an outspoken critic of Biden’s abortion stance, saying the president has “upped the scale of scandal.” “He’s gone on record as saying abortion is a fundamental right while presenting himself as an exemplary Catholic,” Olson told The Associated Press. “The issue of public confusion is really at stake here.” While some bishops have made clear that they would deny Communion to Biden, there is no national policy on the matter. Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, has affirmed that Biden is welcome to receive Communion there. Politico

 

MSNBC anchor Joy Reid’s crying shame. Opinion. By Miranda Devine . . . Joy Reid is a racist sociopath. How else to explain her reaction to Kyle Rittenhouse breaking down in the witness box during his murder trial last week? “White crocodile tears,” said the hate-mongering MSNBC prime-time anchor. This is a woman on a seven-figure salary who went to Harvard and has more elite privilege in her little finger than the 17-year-old son of a single mother who was in Kenosha working as a lifeguard when all hell broke loose in the form of BLM-Antifa riots in August 2020. Yet Reid continually plays the victim and makes her living punching down at white people less fortunate than she is. Rittenhouse, now 18, lost his composure last week when he had to recount the moment he was cornered by two men, Joshua Ziminski, who was advancing on him with a pistol in his hand, and Joseph Rosenbaum, a deranged pedophile just out of a psych ward, who had already twice threatened to kill him. New York Post

Deer crashes through window into Michigan store . . . Police in Michigan said a deer that apparently "wanted to beat the Black Friday madness" crashed through the window of a wilderness decor store. The Walker Police Department said in a Facebook post that "Rudolph couldn't wait for Christmas" and crashed through the window of the Wilderness Expressions store "to do a little holiday shopping." "Our guess is he wanted to beat the Black Friday madness," the post said. Officers arrived at the store and found the animal appropriately wandering in the "deer decor" section of the business. Police coaxed the deer back outside the store, and the animal was last seen heading into the nearby woods. UPI