Mon Jan 20 13:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Biden’s Final Days Marked by Clemency Plea, ERA Declaration, and Election Analysis

**Washington D.C.** – As President Joe Biden prepares to leave office, his final days are dominated by a flurry of activity, including a clemency plea for Leonard Peltier, a declaration on the Equal Rights Amendment, and post-election analysis suggesting the Gaza conflict may have impacted the Democratic vote.

Over 120 tribal leaders are urging Biden to grant clemency to 80-year-old Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist serving a life sentence for the murder of two FBI agents. Peltier, whose health is failing, argues that he may not survive until his next parole hearing. This plea comes after Biden’s recent posthumous pardon of Marcus Garvey.

Meanwhile, Biden declared the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) the law of the land, a claim challenged by the National Archivist who states formal ratification requires congressional or legal action. While Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan insists Virginia’s ratification made it the 38th and final state needed, legal scholars consider Biden’s announcement largely symbolic due to the lack of formal publication.

The upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is also shaping the political landscape. Incoming ICE Director Tom Homan hinted at potential nationwide immigration raids despite a recent leak and a significant drop in illegal border crossings. Trump is expected to declare a border crisis regardless.

Post-election analysis reveals a potential turning point. A YouGov poll suggests that Vice President Kamala Harris’s stance on the Israeli-Hamas conflict may have cost the Democrats votes. Nearly a third of Biden’s 2020 voters who abstained in the recent election cited the Gaza conflict as their reason. This is particularly concerning in states that switched from Democratic to Republican, where the Gaza issue ranked second only to the economy in deterring Biden supporters from voting. Student activist Stephanie Black echoed these sentiments, expressing frustration with a government perceived as unresponsive to student and international concerns.

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