Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 presidential election to President-elect Donald Trump, is set to oversee the certification of her defeat.

A joint session of Congress will meet on Monday to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s November election victory. He defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and will return to office in two weeks. The President should really be official today. The inauguration used to be in March because people had to travel long distances in slow conveyances. […] The post Harris Will Certify Trump’s Election as 1/10 Looms appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Is the anti-DEI movement losing momentum? Costco certainly isn’t a fan of it. Several days ago, the retail giant sparked headlines for a robust defense of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, in response to an anti-DEI shareholder proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR). “Our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is to enhance our culture and the well-being of people whose lives we influence,” Costco announced in its response. “Our efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion remind and reinforce with everyone at our Company the importance of creating opportunities for all.” What does Costco’s doubling down actually mean? Is this the first stumble in the anti-DEI trend? Does a single company standing by its diversity efforts indicate a larger rebirth of support for biased corporate policies? The simple answer is: no. As someone whose day job involves dealing with corporate DEI, and who has helped submit shareholder proposals critical of DEI and other aspects of ESG (environmental, social, and governance issues), let me break down Costco’s DEI decision before explaining what it actually means. What Actually Happened At Costco To understand Costco’s decision, we first have to understand the basics of how shareholders talk to companies that they own. Under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, eligible shareholders are allowed to submit proposals to the company and have those proposals featured on what’s known as a “proxy statement,” a document that goes to all shareholders of record before a company’s annual meeting. That proxy statement contains all the items of business on which a company’s shareholders vote — directors who are up for election, management issues, and whatever shareholder proposals are submitted. In Costco’s case, the proposal was a simple one: evaluate the risks of Costco having DEI initiatives. That proposal is now on Costco’s ballot, and shareholders will vote on it later this month. The statement from Costco that generated the brouhaha is called a ‘statement of opposition,’ which company management issued in response to NCPPR’s shareholder proposal. JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25 Now that we’re all clear on the basics, here’s the key truth about Costco’s statement on DEI: as a matter of corporate policy, this statement isn’t unusual. Companies issue statements of opposition for virtually every shareholder proposal they receive, whether it’s Lockheed Martin shareholders urging the company to ditch Israel, Google shareholders urging the company to censor pro-life pregnancy centers, or Costco shareholders urging the company to abandon DEI. As someone in the corporate engagement industry, these statements are very commonplace. The argument that Costco’s statement, by itself, is a game-changer in the DEI debate makes no sense. It’s simply a part of the process on a matter of corporate business that hasn’t even been voted on yet. What is Costco Actually A Litmus Test For? That said, does the broader corporate stance behind Costco’s statement matter? Undoubtedly — and that’s also worth examining. Costco’s vision — where DEI can be simply framed as a milquetoast respect for diversity against which no one but (presumably) dysfunctional race-baiters would seriously argue — would have played quite nicely in 2021 or 2022, when the spirit of post-George Floyd racialism still permeated American corporate culture. But that vision is a hollow one in 2025. The legal/cultural backlash to DEI, combined with the reality of an incoming Republican administration that’s put DEI and ESG efforts in its crosshairs, is ushering in a new world — a world where companies with DEI programs are going to have to marshall a lot more to defend their diversity initiatives than the boilerplate rhetoric of “opportunity for all.” The microscopes of scrutiny have been brought out, by everyone from activists like Robby Starbuck to lawyers and corporate engagement professionals — and one brand’s willingness to stick to its guns now is no guarantee that it’ll do so indefinitely. Costco’s doubling down on DEI is an unspoken appeal to a corporate zeitgeist that no longer exists. It’s a hard contrast to their competitors’ moves — such as Walmart’s admirable decision to listen to shareholder concerns about DEI. This is a different, undoubtedly shortsighted strategy: trying to peddle vaguery to shareholders and customers demanding specificity. Costco may not be the kind of company that flips overnight on biased corporate policies — but the vast majority of people working in the corporate engagement world are playing this for the long game. A short-term setback is nothing if not expected. * * * Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN and the Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X @IsaacWillour. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The 42-year-old man behind the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day visited the city at least twice in recent months and used Meta smart glasses to film Bourbon Street — where he drove a truck into a crowd of pedestrians, killing 14 people. FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil said on Sunday that Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Houston stayed at a rental home for a few days beginning on October 30 and then revisited the city on November 10, CNN reported. During his trip to New Orleans in late October, Jabbar rode a bike on Bourbon Street and used Meta smart glasses to record and plan his attack, according to the FBI. On Sunday, the FBI also revealed new footage of the terrorist placing two IEDs on Bourbon Steet just over an hour before his attack. Jabbar hid the IEDs in coolers. One of the coolers was dragged a block by “someone on Bourbon Street, who we have no reason to believe was involved,” according to Myrthil. The FBI reiterated that it believes Jabbar acted alone. WATCH: FBI releases video of NOLA terrorist wearing Meta glasses and placing coolers with IEDs throughout the French Quarter pic.twitter.com/UQFm3Aox2R — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 5, 2025 After driving his rented Ford pickup truck through Bourbon Street, Jabbar got into a shootout with police officers and was killed. The terrorist, who pledged allegiance to ISIS, was wearing the Meta smart glasses when he died, and officers found a transmitter to detonate the IEDs in the truck. Jabbar reportedly did not activate the smart glasses during his attack. Meta smart glasses can record videos, make calls, send texts, and answer questions through Meta AI. The smart glasses typically cost between $300 and $400. Before carrying out his attack, Jabbar set fire to his rental home, a move authorities believe was meant to “hide evidence of his crimes” and potentially distract first responders before he drove through the crowd gathered on Bourbon Street. The FBI is looking into multiple trips Jabbar took in recent years, including a trip to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, and a trip to Ontario, Canada, from July 10 to July 13, 2023. JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25 “Our agents are getting answers as to where he went, who he met with, and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions here in our city of New Orleans,” Myrthil said. Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, recently became radicalized. In a video he recorded in the rented pickup truck on his way to carry out the attack, Jabbar said, “I wanted to record this message for my family. I wanted you to know that I joined ISIS earlier this year,” according to The New York Times. In the video, Jabbar added that he considered killing his family members so they could “witness the killing of the apostates.”

Every airport has their own set of procedures. But there are some rules you’ll find at every single one, like the rule to put your cell phone on airplane mode during a flight. Although this rule is far from new, the reason why passengers are told to do this remains largely debated. This seems to be true, in part, because it’s common for an explanation to not be given on-flight. In any case, this has led to some common misbeliefs. For example, some people fear that a plane could fall out of the sky if too many people refuse to turn on airplane mode. Luckily, that is not the case. Plus, a pilot (who goes by perchpoint online) recently gave a PSA on the true reasons behind this rule. Watch it for yourself in the viral video below! @perchpoint The more ya know, yanno? #fyp #aviation ♬ original sound – PerchPoint Patient Pilot Explains Why It’s Important for Passengers to Always Turn On Airplane Mode Turns out, the real reason behind this rule isn’t quite as dire as some folks may think — but that doesn’t make it unimportant. As this pilot explains, phones that aren’t in airplane mode have the potential to interfere with their headsets. Communication that takes place via headsets is vital for a safe trip. The Federal Aviation Administration also backs up this pilot’s claim, which can be found on their website under a section called “Safety Information.” Here, they say phones “could interfere with critical aircraft instruments.” Now that this pilot’s video has gone viral, folks from all over are thanking him for this PSA. Plus, some people even have suggestions on how to better ensure passengers actually turn on airplane mode… “I think y’all should normalize getting on speaker and saying exactly this: ‘I can hear in my headset some of y’all do not have airplane mode on,'” one person cleverly suggests. “It’ll freak people out, they’ll turn it on.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Pilot Reveals What Really Happens When You Use Your Phone On A Plane appeared first on InspireMore.

Country singer Jelly Roll has experienced quite a bit of success in recent years. This rapper-turned-country singer’s music connects with folks of all ages and from all walks of life. But before he was the huge success he is today, there were times when he questioned if he had what it takes to be in this industry. Luckily, another beloved celeb was able to give him the encouragement he needed. That celebrity was none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson himself. The two are now friends, but when they first met, they had no idea the impact they’d have on each other. Johnson recently opened up about this while on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show. See the emotional clip for yourself right here: @kellyclarksonshow This friendship @The Rock @Jelly Roll #therock #jellyroll #music #friendship #kellyclarkson ♬ original sound – Kelly Clarkson Show Part of the reason so many people love Jelly Roll’s music is because it helps them feel seen and understood. This is something that Johnson clearly understands from personal experience. Needless to say, as a huge fan of Johnson himself, this meant the world to Jelly Roll. Watch the singer react to Johnson’s kind words in the video below. Jelly Roll Can’t Contain His Excitement Over Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Heartfelt Words @officialjellyroll DJ believed in me when I didn’t believe in me. Love you bubba @The Rock ♬ original sound – Jelly Roll How sweet is that reaction? Despite being friends with the Johnson, Jelly Roll simply can’t get over the fact that he, too, has made a positive impact on the actor’s life. It goes to show that it can be oh-so easy to underestimate the value we bring to the people in are life and the world as a whole. “You don’t fully grasp how truly loved you are, sir!!” one fan points out to Jelly Roll in reply to his video, with another person adding, “Don’t ever lose that gratefulness. That is what separates you from the others.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Jelly Roll Seeing What Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Said About Him Will Bring Tears To Your Eyes appeared first on InspireMore.

America continues to inch more and more to the right