Comment on Column: Putin gets luck of the draw at World Cup opener

Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) — who was finally sworn in on Tuesday, 11 days after the 119th Congress convened — missed both Senate floor votes yesterday, according to Regular Order.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has told close allies and family members she is disappointed in President Biden’s recent contention that he would have won the 2024 election, straining relations between the two during their final days in the White House,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Harris has been reluctant to distance herself from Biden or criticize him throughout her vice presidency.

New York Times: “Today, Panama holds special strategic significance for China because of the canal, but Beijing has been working to expand its influence in Latin America, and among developing countries more broadly. It has portrayed itself as an alternative to what it calls American hegemony and bullying, casting itself as a more sympathetic, fellow developing country.” “And with significant investments in port construction worldwide, China is positioning itself to influence global commerce and monitor international activities.”

Peter Baker: “The long-sought, tortuously negotiated Gaza ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday came about in part through a remarkable collaboration between President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, who temporarily put aside mutual animosity to achieve a mutual goal.” “The two presidents directed their advisers to work together to push Israel and Hamas over the finish line for an agreement to halt the fighting that has ravaged Gaza and release hostages who have been held there for 15 months.

“Treasury and other law enforcement officials told lawmakers Wednesday that Chinese hackers gained access to more than 3,000 unclassified agency files as part of a cybersecurity breach last year,” Politico reports.

“The Trump transition is attempting to remove US attorneys immediately by replacing them with interim leaders who’d be aligned with the president-elect’s priorities,“ Bloomberg Law reports. “Transition staffers have been working to identify existing career prosecutors in many of the nation’s 93 law enforcement districts who they’d feel confident would support the president-elect’s law enforcement priorities—including deportations—once elevated as acting US attorneys, said the attorneys.”