Comment on Stemming the tide: A strategic plan to counter Chinese expansion in the Americas

By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz, who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect and emphatically amplified the Republican’s rallying cry that the criminal investigations into him are “witch hunts.” That kinship was rewarded Wednesday when Trump named Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, turning to a conservative loyalist in place of more established lawyers who’d been seen as contenders. In announcing his selection of Gaetz as attorney general and John Ratcliffe a day earlier as CIA director, Trump underscored the premium he places on loyalty, citing both men’s support for him during the Russia investigation as central to their qualifications and signaling his expectation that leaders in his administration should function not only as a president’s protector but also as an instrument of retribution. The dynamic matters at a time when Trump, who will enter office in the wake of two federal indictments expected to soon evaporate and a Supreme Court opinion blessing a president’s exclusive authority over the Justice Department, has threatened to pursue retaliation against perceived adversaries. “Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.

By BILL BARROW and MARC LEVY ATLANTA (AP) — After losing the White House and both houses of Congress, Democrats are grappling with how to handle transgender politics and policy following a campaign that featured withering and often misleading GOP attacks on the issue. There is plenty of second-guessing after President-elect Donald Trump anchored his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris with sweeping promises on the economy and immigration.

This week President Joe Biden welcomed President-elect Donald Trump back to his old home at the White House. This magnanimous act runs in stark contrast to the cold reception Trump gave Biden in 2020 when the roles were reversed, breaking with the tradition of an amicable—not to mention peaceful—transfer of power. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Biden’s White House welcome to Trump versus Trump’s snub of Biden four years ago is matched by lack of reciprocity in the economy each gifted the other.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Business Writer Americans are fed up with the price of food, and many are looking to President-elect Donald Trump to lower their grocery bills. Trump often railed on the campaign trail against hefty price increases for bacon, cereal, crackers and other items. “We’ll get them down,” he told shoppers during a September visit to a Pennsylvania grocery store. But the food price inflation that stunned the U.

Much has been said about who’s to blame—or who’s to thank, depending on your political persuasion—for Trump’s resounding election win. Hispanic men, who flocked to him in unprecedented numbers, might have made the difference in Pennsylvania, giving Trump the shiniest jewel in his crown. Many hoped (myself included) that after calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” and promising to deport millions of immigrants, the Hispanic vote would help lift Kamala Harris to victory.

No one should care what Fauxcahontas has to say.