1 President Biden Welcomes President-Elect Trump Back To The White House
President Joe Biden met with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office for almost two hours yesterday. The two shook hands for the cameras, with Biden congratulating Trump on his win and calling for a “smooth transition.” Trump thanked him, and said, “Politics is tough, and it’s, in many cases, not a very nice world but it is a nice world today.” Trump continued by saying “And I appreciate it very much. A transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe.” The meeting was a pleasant end to a long campaign filled with strife and insults. The two reportedly discussed foreign policy, including Biden’s view on the Ukraine-Russia war; Trump reportedly came prepared with a list of questions for Biden.
2 New Jersey Governor Declares A Drought Warning As Wildfires Continue In Northeast
In the middle of wildfires that are sweeping across parts of the Northeast, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced yesterday that a drought warning had been issued. The current dry spell in New Jersey has caused the driest conditions seen in the state in almost 120 years. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 fires since early October, an increase of 500 over the same period last year. Gov. Murphy says that everyone should do “everything we can to conserve water,” and said the state could implement mandatory water restrictions if the drought continues to get worse. The executive director of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, Tim Eustace, said yesterday he thinks a drought emergency should have been called. The main reservoir that provides water to roughly one-third of New Jersey was at 45-percent capacity yesterday. Two other major water sources weren’t in better shape; the Manasquan Reservoir was at 51-percent of capacity, and the Passaic River was at about 14-percent of normal levels.
3 National Hurricane Center Says Tropical Storm Sara May Form In Caribbean
The 2024 hurricane season ends in just over two weeks, but the Caribbean is squeezing in some last-minute activity. The National Hurricane Center said yesterday afternoon that Potential Tropical Cyclone 19 had formed in the Western Caribbean. The storm is forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm today with the name Sara. Some computer models show the storm eventually making its way to southern Florida by late next week, but that forecast is not set in stone this early out.