golden empire jili slot png By JILL COLVIN and STEPHEN GROVES WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a Republican senator from Ohio, walks from a private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, left, walk out of a meeting with Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, center speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, right, speaks with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, before testifying at a hearing, March 9, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives for a classified briefing on China, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives for a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 12, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance R-Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a Republican senator from Ohio, walks from a private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Vance is taking on an atypical role as Senate guide for Trump nominees The role of introducing nominees around Capitol Hill is an unusual one for a vice president-elect. Usually the job goes to a former senator who has close relationships on the Hill, or a more junior aide. But this time the role fits Vance, said Marc Short, who served as Trump’s first director of legislative affairs as well as chief of staff to Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress and led the former president’s transition ahead of his first term. ”JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity,” Short said. Unlike the first Trump transition, which played out before cameras at Trump Tower in New York and at the president-elect’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this one has largely happened behind closed doors in Palm Beach, Florida. There, a small group of officials and aides meet daily at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to run through possible contenders and interview job candidates. The group includes Elon Musk, the billionaire who has spent so much time at the club that Trump has joked he can’t get rid of him. Vance has been a constant presence, even as he’s kept a lower profile. The Ohio senator has spent much of the last two weeks in Palm Beach, according to people familiar with his plans, playing an active role in the transition, on which he serves as honorary chair. Mar-a-Lago scene is a far cry from Vance’s hardscrabble upbringing Vance has been staying at a cottage on the property of the gilded club, where rooms are adorned with cherubs, oriental rugs and intricate golden inlays. It’s a world away from the famously hardscrabble upbringing that Vance documented in the memoir that made him famous, “Hillbilly Elegy.” His young children have also joined him at Mar-a-Lago, at times. Vance was photographed in shorts and a polo shirt playing with his kids on the seawall of the property with a large palm frond, a U.S. Secret Service robotic security dog in the distance. On the rare days when he is not in Palm Beach, Vance has been joining the sessions remotely via Zoom. Though he has taken a break from TV interviews after months of constant appearances, Vance has been active in the meetings, which began immediately after the election and include interviews and as well as presentations on candidates’ pluses and minuses. Among those interviewed: Contenders to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray , as Vance wrote in a since-deleted social media post. Defending himself from criticism that he’d missed a Senate vote in which one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees was confirmed, Vance wrote that he was meeting at the time “with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director.” “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance added on X. “But that’s just me.” Vance is making his voice heard as Trump stocks his Cabinet While Vance did not come in to the transition with a list of people he wanted to see in specific roles, he and his friend, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also a member of the transition team, were eager to see former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. find roles in the administration. Trump ended up selecting Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence , a powerful position that sits atop the nation’s spy agencies and acts as the president’s top intelligence adviser. And he chose Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services , a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and food safety to Medicare and Medicaid. Vance was also a big booster of Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who will serve as Trump’s “border czar.” In another sign of Vance’s influence, James Braid, a top aide to the senator, is expected to serve as Trump’s legislative affairs director. Allies say it’s too early to discuss what portfolio Vance might take on in the White House. While he gravitates to issues like trade, immigration and tech policy, Vance sees his role as doing whatever Trump needs. Vance was spotted days after the election giving his son’s Boy Scout troop a tour of the Capitol and was there the day of leadership elections. He returned in earnest this week, first with Gaetz — arguably Trump’s most divisive pick — and then Hegseth, who has was been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to an investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. Vance hosted Hegseth in his Senate office as GOP senators, including those who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, filtered in to meet with the nominee for defense secretary. While a president’s nominees usually visit individual senators’ offices, meeting them on their own turf, the freshman senator — who is accompanied everywhere by a large Secret Service detail that makes moving around more unwieldy — instead brought Gaetz to a room in the Capitol on Wednesday and Hegseth to his office on Thursday. Senators came to them. Vance made it to votes Wednesday and Thursday, but missed others on Thursday afternoon. Vance will draw on his Senate background going forward Vance is expected to continue to leverage his relationships in the Senate after Trump takes office. But many Republicans there have longer relationships with Trump himself. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said that Trump was often the first person to call him back when he was trying to reach high-level White House officials during Trump’s first term. “He has the most active Rolodex of just about anybody I’ve ever known,” Cramer said, adding that Vance would make a good addition. “They’ll divide names up by who has the most persuasion here,” Cramer said, but added, “Whoever his liaison is will not work as hard at it as he will.” Cramer was complimentary of the Ohio senator, saying he was “pleasant” and ” interesting” to be around. ′′He doesn’t have the long relationships,” he said. “But we all like people that have done what we’ve done. I mean, that’s sort of a natural kinship, just probably not as personally tied.” Under the Constitution, Vance will also have a role presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes. But he’s not likely to be needed for that as often as was Kamala Harris, who broke a record number of ties for Democrats as vice president, since Republicans will have a bigger cushion in the chamber next year. Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.180 years of The Nassau Guardian

The bad news for Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas is that Patrick Williams is out for an undetermined length of time with inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot. The good news is Karnišovas will get to see more of his latest project, Matas Buzelis, who figures to get more minutes as Williams rests his swollen foot. As the Bulls prepared to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday at the United Center in the second game of back-to-backs, the Buzelis buzz was growing, albeit at a low frequency. With Julian Phillips also sidelined Saturday with an illness, someone joked it was turning into “the Matas Buzelis Show.” “Maybe,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I’m here for the whole five positions.” With Williams and Phillips out, Donovan said he would have to utilize more of his bench against the Grizzlies as the Bulls attempted to win back-to-back games for the first time. Karnišovas gave Williams a five-year, $90 million extension in June, showing confidence Williams eventually would blossom into the player the Bulls envisioned when they selected him with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft. Williams was a 19-year old who didn’t start for Florida State but was chosen for his athleticism and upside as a 6-8 forward who can handle the ball. “Long arms, big hands,” Karnišovas said then. “Such an upside and potential. He can play from one through five. Played point guard in high school. Humble kid that is mature beyond his years. This is what the NBA is today.” Williams insisted Friday that he could’ve played if needed, but the Bulls aren’t likely to rush him back so soon into the season. Donovan talked about a “logjam” at the position before Williams’ injury, suggesting Buzelis and Phillips would benefit with more minutes. But instead of starting one of the two on Friday in the 136-122 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Donovan opted for a four-guard lineup, adding Ayo Dosunmu to starters Zack LaVine, Coby White and Josh Giddey. The Bulls’ Matas Buzelis gestures after making a 3-pointer in the third quarter against the Hawks in an NBA Cup game on Nov. 22, 2024, at the United Center. Buzelis scored nine points in the Bulls’ 136-122 win. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty) Still, Buzelis was on the court for two long stretches, scoring nine points with two blocks in 20 minutes while sinking a corner 3 and converting two dunks, including one that brought the house down in the first quarter. LaVine said he told the 20-year-old rookie to keep it up and not to worry about missing shots. “He athletically helps us just from being on the court and playing multiple positions,” LaVine said. Donovan liked the rim protection and the offensive part of Buzelis’s game but added the 6-9, 196-pound rookie needs to understand the realities of going into the paint in the NBA. “When he’s going to the basket, there are going to be people putting bodies in the way,” Donovan said. “And sometimes Euro-stepping leads you into some of those charges. These are things I think he’ll learn.” Related Articles Chicago Bulls | Column: Chicago Bulls are on pace for the worst defensive season in franchise history. Can it be fixed? Chicago Bulls | NBA urges players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following high-profile burglaries Chicago Bulls | ‘I’m being true to myself.’ How Zach LaVine strives for success through selflessness with the Chicago Bulls. Chicago Bulls | 6 takeaways as the Chicago Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks — but won the minutes without Giannis Antetokounmpo Chicago Bulls | Patrick Williams is sidelined again with pain in the same foot — but Chicago Bulls aren’t panicking yet Hopefully those lessons will be learned now, as the 7-10 Bulls have nothing to lose by letting him play and seeing what they’ve got. They’re one trade away from being an official rebuild, and LaVine looks healthier and more tradeable than at any point in 2023-24. The anticipation whenever the ball found its way into Buzelis’s hands Friday was palpable to those of us sitting in the stands, which includes the local media not employed by the Chicago Sports Network. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf took away the courtside press seating last year in a blatant money grab, similar to what he did at Sox Park many years ago. Anyway, it was obvious Friday that Bulls fans appear desperate for something new and exciting after years of watching the same old thing. Fair or not, Buzelis is going to have to succeed for Karnišovas’s reputation, not to mention for fans’ sanity. But until then, the Bulls will probably be content to ride LaVine as long as they can and look to the future at the trade deadline. White, Dosunmu and Williams will all be part of it, but the rest of the cast is unknown. Karnišovas’s widely panned acquisition of Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder for energizer Alex Caruso hasn’t been as one-sided as expected because of Caruso’s poor early-season shooting. Still, Giddey’s defensive play is so sketchy Donovan has been closing tight games with Dosunmu, making Giddey a bystander, literally and figuratively. Dosunmu, growing in confidence daily, has been up for the task. Without Lonzo Ball available , he’s easily their best perimeter defender. “You always want to help the team close a win,” Dosunmu said. “That feels pretty good. We’ve got to do better as a team closing games out, but I like where we’re at. We can be better. We will be better.” They had better be better, or Karnišovas will be the one bearing the brunt of the blame. Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is fouled by the Hawks’ Dyson Daniels on a drive to the basket during the first half of an NBA Cup game on Nov. 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP) Dosunmu took over ballhandling duties Friday, which seemed to calm down Giddey, a decent point guard who’s a good distributor and rebounder but has difficulty covering smaller, quicker guards. Giddey had 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds Friday with a plus-19 rating in one of his better overall performances. Donovan said the four-guard starting lineup will be predicated on matchups while Williams is out, but obviously he liked what he saw Friday as the Bulls shot a season-high 57%, including 19-for-43 (44.2%) from 3-point range. LaVine noted the fast pace of both teams on Friday, when the Bulls made 19 turnovers and still cruised to a win to even their NBA Cup record at 1-1. “There were a couple times I didn’t make it past half-court without getting back,” LaVine said with a laugh. “We’re sticking with the identity of what we’re trying to do — guys playing fast. You have to get in shape for it.” The message from Donovan is clear, albeit a little repetitive. “We have to run,” Donovan said. “We have to try to generate stuff in transition. We have to play fast. It’s just what we have to do. ... It gets bodies off of us, helps us get downhill, helps generate some 3s.” On nights like Friday, it’s something to see. But with the real grind of the NBA schedule just beginning, we’ll soon find out how much the Bulls have in their tank.San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's game against the Packers with a sore throwing shoulder

Baltimore (8-5) at New York Giants (2-11) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 16. Against the spread: Ravens 6-6-1; Giants 4-9. Series record: Ravens lead 5-3. Last meeting: Giants beat the Ravens 24-20 on Oct. 16, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. Last week: Ravens had a bye; Giants lost to Saints 14-11. Ravens: overall (1), rush (2), pass (5), scoring (3) Ravens defense: overall (22), rush (1), pass (32), scoring (23) Giants offense: overall (26), rush (15), pass (28), scoring (32) Giants defense: overall (16), rush (29), pass (6), scoring (T14) Turnover differential: Raven plus-2; Giants minus-8. K Justin Tucker is having the worst season of his outstanding career, and the potentially windy conditions in East Rutherford could post another challenge for him. Baltimore would love to see some signs that he's rounding into form as the playoffs draw closer. QB Tommy DeVito. He is probably going to get his second start of the season with Drew Lock in a walking boot. The New Jersey product didn't do much in a 30-7 loss to Tampa Bay in his first start. He was 21 of 31 for 189 yards and no touchdowns. Playing without Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence and fellow defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, the young line held its own against Alvin Kamara and the Saints last week, limiting the team to 92 yards rushing on 33 carries. Slowing down the league's No. 1 offense and No. 2 running game led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will be a lot tougher. Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman (knee) practiced this week, and Balticmore is generally pretty healthy following its open date. NT Michael Pierce (calf) and LB Kyle Van Noy (hamstring/neck) practiced as well. Giants: CB Deonte Banks (ribs), ILB Bobby Okereke (back), Nunez-Roches (shoulder-neck), T Chris Hubbard (knee), CB Dru Phillips (shoulder), LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) all missed last week and could be out again. ... QB Drew Lock (heel), LG Jon Runyan Jr. (ankle) and CB Tre Hawkins (back) were hurt in the game. Hawkins and S Tyler Nubin (ankle) were placed on injured reserve. Runyan is week to week. Lock is unlikely. T Evan Neal (hip-ankle), T Josh Ezeudu (knee), S Dane Belton (knee), WR Malik Nabers (hip), DL Jordon Riley (knee) are on the injury report. The Giants have won the past three games, including the most recent one in Brian Daboll's first season as coach. The Ravens won the biggest game, beating New York 34-7 in the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 28, 2001. The Ravens are coming off a bye week. ... Baltimore averages an NFL-leading 422.5 yards of offense. ... Jackson has had an NFL-best eight games of two or more touchdown passes and no interceptions. He's had no picks in 6 of 7 road games this season. ... WR Zay Flowers leads the team with 74 catches. ... Mark Andrews is tied for second among NFL tight ends with seven touchdown receptions. ... LB Roquan Smith aims for his fourth game in a row with at least 11 tackles. He is tied for fifth in the league with 121 tackles. ... LB Kyle Van Noy recovered a fumble for touchdown in his only game against the Giants. ... LB Odafe Oweh has had a sack in his past two road games. ... Nabers leads the Giants with 80 catches, 819 yards and three touchdown receptions. Fellow rookie RB Tyrone Tracy leads the team with 664 yards rushing and five TDs. ... WR Wan’Dale Robinson is second behind Nabers with 67 catches. The Giants are the only team with two players with at least 67 receptions. ... The Giants have an NFL-low eight touchdown receptions. ... Nubin led all rookies with 97 tackles before going on IR. ... Hawkins had an interception last week, the Giants' first since the season opener. ... OLB Brian Burns had a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble against the Saints. .... ILB Micah McFadden had a team-high 11 tackles, including five for losses last week. He is the fifth player in the past five seasons with five TFLs in one game. ... OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux had sack and two TFLs last week. Ravens RB Derrick Henry. He rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in only road game against the Giants. He is tied for the NFL lead with 15 overall TDs, 13 rushing. The 30-year-old is second in the league with 1,407 yards rushing and 1,532 yards from scrimmage. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNEW DELHI: Meta remained its dominance in the global virtual reality (VR) market with a 65 per cent market share in Q3 2024, as Apple’s Vision Pro shipments doubled (on-quarter) following its international launch in China, Europe and APAC, according to a new report. Overall, global VR headset shipments fell 4 per cent (on-year) and 16 per cent (on-quarter) in Q3 2024, the market’s third consecutive quarter of declines, according to Counterpoint’s Global XR (AR/VR) Headset Model Tracker. The decrease was primarily due to a 50 per cent drop in the tethered VR headset segment during the quarter. In contrast, the standalone VR headset segment grew by 14 per cent YoY. Counterpoint expects international sales to account for nearly 90 per cent of Apple’s total shipments in H2 2024. “Apple is reportedly testing OLED displays made on conventional glass substrates for its lower-cost Vision headset. This display technology is likely more cost-effective than the Micro OLED displays used in the Vision Pro,” the report mentioned. Pico’s shipments dipped 2 per cent YoY but grew 6 per cent QoQ. Sony’s shipments fell 29 per cent YoY but more than doubled QoQ boosted by its PC adapter launch and promotional campaigns in North America and Europe. Despite the lacklustre XR market performance in Q3 2024, the period marked pivotal industry advancements. The report said that the debut of Meta’s Orion AR glasses and Snap’s Spectacles’ 24 AR glasses showcased the future potential of AR technologies. Leveraging advancements in generative AI technologies, traditional hardware giants, AR/VR OEMs, and internet companies are shifting their focus to the development of AR+AI smart glasses. “While the global VR market is likely to see only slight growth in the coming years, Counterpoint expects significant expansion in the global AR smart glasses market, the roper mentioned.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas won the Big 12 title in 2023 on its way out the door to the Southeastern Conference. It was still swinging open when Arizona State waltzed in and won the league title in its debut season. And now the old Big 12 champs meet the new Big 12 champs on the path toward a potential national title. The fifth-seeded Longhorns and fourth-seeded Sun Devils play News Years Day in the Peach Bowl in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff . Both had their doubters they could get here. Texas (12-2) still had to prove is was “ready” for the SEC. Arizona State (11-2) was picked to finish last in the Big 12. But the Sun Devils quickly started winning and having fun in some new road environments in college towns smaller than some of their stops in the more cosmopolitan old Pac-12. All-American running back Cam Skattebo led the barnstorming tour. “We were not used to getting tortillas thrown at us at Texas Tech. You're not used to some of these environments," Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said Monday. “When you're in the Pac-12, you're playing in Seattle, you're playing in L.A., you're playing in Salt Lake City. We got to face a lot more small college town football with really, really great environments. ... It was definitely fun to join a new league," Dillingham said. And Dillingham laid down some Texas roots. The Sun Devils are recruiting Texas players out of high school, and the current roster has six transfers who started their college careers in burnt orange in Austin. “The guys we’ve gotten from Texas and coach (Steve Sarkisian's) program have been unbelievable,” Dillingham said. “We know what we’re getting when we’re getting a guy from that program, and that’s a guy who has worked really hard, competed and been pushed. Those are the things that we like to bring in.” Safety Xavion Alford was named All-Big 12 . Defensive end Prince Dorbah is another Sun Devils starter. Defensive lineman Zac Swanson, who has two sacks this season, is another former Longhorn who said he relished a chance to beat his former team. Recruited by Texas out of Phoenix, Swanson was a reserve in 2022 and 2023 behind future NFL draft picks T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. “That's a team who kicked me out and said I'd never I was never going to be good enough to play there,” Swanson said last week. “That's something that has been on my agenda for a while.” Dillingham joked he'd like to get more Texas transfers this week. Sarkisian simply noted that he wished he'd signed Skattebo, a Californian who transferred from Sacramento State after the 2022 season. “I was unaware, so kudos to them. They found him, he's a heckuva player,” said Sarkisian, who also is a California native. Sarkisian said he was impressed by the Sun Devil's first-year success in the Big 12. “We were in that Big 12, what, for 27 years? We won four. This is their first year in and they won a Big 12 Championship. It’s a really hard thing to do,” Sarkisian said. “They’re playing with a ton of confidence right now. The last two months, I think they’re playing as good a football as anybody in the country.” Despite wining that last Big 12 title and a playoff appearance in 2023, Texas still faced skeptics that the Longhorns would take their lumps in the SEC this year. Texas was more than ready for the league and the Longhorns made it to the SEC championship game. Their only two losses have been to Georgia, the No. 2 seed in the playoff. Sarkisian still remembers his 5-7 Texas debut in 2021. The program wasn't ready for the SEC and the playoff back then, but it certainly is now. Texas is the only one of last year's four playoff teams to make the expanded 12-team field this year. “There’s a lot to be proud of, but mostly I’m proud of our veterans, our leaders, our seniors, because those guys went from 5-7 in year one, they went through 8-5 in year two, and they didn’t jump ship. They hung in there with us. They believed in what they were doing,” Sarkisian said. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. The incoming president posted on social media that he met Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman's Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union's executive vice president. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.CNN's Van Jones admits Democrats are 'relieved' after Kamala's humiliating 'brat to flat' loss CNN star Van Jones' voice cracks as Kamala Harris' election hopes fade View the full results of the US election via our live-updating maps and charts By CHARLIE SPIERING, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON, DC Published: 18:46 EST, 12 December 2024 | Updated: 18:56 EST, 12 December 2024 e-mail View comments CNN 's Van Jones revealed Thursday that Democrats should be relieved that Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election , allowing them the opportunity to have a 'reckoning' in the party about the future. Jones participated on a DealBook New York Times panel of professional Republican and Democratic political operatives as well as media figures examining the aftermath of the 2024 presidential elections. He said that Harris only got worse in the presidential campaign after she took over from President Joe Biden in July. ‘Kamala’s campaign went from brat to flat and it was obvious,' he said, referring to the viral online memes of musical artist Charli XCX describing Harris as 'brat .' The campaign seized the moment to proclaim Kamala Harris' 'brat summer' which drove TikTok memes but did not ultimately prevail in the election. 'There was a moment when she first got in there, she was loose and she seemed to be saying "f it" and people could relate to that,' Jones said. 'Then it got super professional, super slicked up, it became talking point bingo and people didn’t stick with her.’ He embraced the party's devastating loss to Republicans in the 2024 election, with no majority in the House or the Senate , and with a solid conservative majority on the Supreme Court . ‘Kamala Harris promised us freedom, well she delivered it to us, because now we’re free from having to run anything in Washington, DC ,' Jones said. 'That’s not what we were signing up for but that’s what we got.’ Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election Jones criticized the Democratic party for pushing out the 'rebels' who were once Democrats, such as Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who felt alienated by the party and endorsed Trump in 2024. 'There's something that's happened in this party where the rebels in this party no longer feel like they have a place, and we've got to be able to talk about that stuff honestly,' he said. Jones, a former administration official for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden criticized Biden for running for re-election in 2024, when Democrats expected him to be a one term president. 'I love him, he should have walked away and let other people in this party step up to the bat, he didn’t, and we paid the price,' he said. Van Jones was sharply critical of the left-wing activist driving the Democratic party Jones also criticized leftist activists for 'dehumanizing' others to build up their own political and social status. 'I love all our movements but there is a moral flaw when every movement has to put somebody down,' he said. Jones criticized groups like 'Black Lives Matter' for suggesting that 'all white people were racist.' 'That is not going to work ... the way it lands though with people is that you're calling people names. There's gotta be a better way to say it,' he said. Kamala Harris CNN Joe Biden Democrats TikTok Share or comment on this article: CNN's Van Jones admits Democrats are 'relieved' after Kamala's humiliating 'brat to flat' loss e-mail Add comment