Monday, November 14, 2016

Donald Trump's White House takes shape



Guardian US Briefing

Donald Trump's White House takes shape

RNC chair Reince Pribus named chief of staff; concern over Stephen Bannon appointment; 2016 will be hottest year on record, UN confirms

Stephen Bannon at Trump Tower
Stephen Bannon, former CEO of far-right website Breitbart, a website charged with carrying racist and antisemitic stories. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Nicole Puglise


Bannon and Priebus to lead Trump White House

On Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump announced two major appointments: Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, as chief of staff, and Stephen Bannon, former CEO of far-right website Breitbart and Trump campaign head, as "chief strategist and senior counselor". So who are they? Bannon's appointment caused concern: his website has been charged with carrying racist, antisemitic and sexist stories and peddling conspiracy theories. He was also accused by his ex-wife of making antisemitic remarks, faced domestic violence charges that were dropped and was found to have been registered to vote in Florida at an empty house where he did not live, though he subsequently changed his registration. He and Priebus were said to be working as "equal partners".

Reince Priebus and Stephen Bannon to lead Trump's White House

Trump talks deportation, supreme court picks

Trump made a number of policy suggestions in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, and also admitted that his promised wall on the border with Mexico will partially consist of fencing. He plans to deport as many as 3 million people, which seems at odds with statements made by House speaker Paul Ryan. Trump also said he wants to appoint supreme court justices who will send abortion rights "back to the states", but said same-sex marriage was "done". Further reading: an analysis of policy pledges made by Trump in a speech at Gettysburg last month.

Donald Trump's immigration plans: start by deporting 3 million 'criminals'

Advocates worry for gun restrictions

Advocates say they expect Congress to pass a federal right-to-carry law that would dismantle restrictions in states including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California and Hawaii. Trump has endorsed a reciprocity law that would make concealed carry permits valid in all 50 states. Gun control groups call this "a threat to public safety". Gun rights advocates say it would be a victory for civil rights.

Local gun-carrying restrictions may be wiped out under Trump, advocates say

Labor movement braces for three-front battle

The labor movement fears that Trump, the Republican-controlled Congress and the supreme court will take steps to hobble unions, ranging from appointing a National Labor Relations Board that does business's bidding to erasing an array of Obama administration regulations, including one making overtime pay available to millions more workers.

Labor movement braces for three-front battle with Trump, Congress and courts

Will Obama's criminal justice reform progress survive?

Barack Obama's presidency has seen issues with the US criminal justice system gain national media attention and his administration has looked to address the problem. Jamiles Lartey considers the progress made and the limitations of Obama's actions. Many of the president's executive actions could be undone by Trump, whose campaign was openly hostile to progressive criminal justice reform.

Obama made progress on criminal justice reform. Will it survive the next president?

Support the Guardian's fearless journalism

Never has America needed fearless independent media more. Help us hold the new president to account, sort fact from fiction, amplify underrepresented voices, and understand the forces behind this divisive election – and what happens next. Support the Guardian by becoming a member or making a contribution.

Don't call Clinton a weak candidate

Trump's defeat of Hillary Clinton "took decades of scheming and an extraordinary international roster of powerful players to lay the groundwork that made his election possible", Rebecca Solnit writes. Also contributing: the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the actions of FBI director James Comey, Trump's long-running reality TV show, Fox News, Julian Assange and many other factors.

Don't call Clinton a weak candidate: it took decades of scheming to beat her

China threatens to cut sales of iPhones, US cars

Trump would be a "naive" fool to launch a trade war against China, a Communist party newspaper has claimed. On the campaign trail, Trump called China a currency manipulator and threatened tariffs to "stop the cheating". An editorial in the newspaper warned of "counter-measures". "A batch of Boeing orders will be replaced by Airbus. US auto and iPhone sales in China will suffer a setback, and US soybean and maize imports will be halted. China can also limit the number of Chinese students studying in the US," the paper warned.

China threatens to cut sales of iPhones and US cars

2016 will be hottest year on record

This will likely be the hottest year on record for the third year in a row, meaning 16 of the 17 hottest years will have been this century, according to the United Nations. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, published on Monday at the global climate summit in Morocco, found the global temperature in 2016 running 1.2C above pre-industrial levels. Greenhouse gas emissions remain the strongest factor in temperature increases. Climate change was largely ignored during the US election, a failure of the media, writes Oliver Milman, and Trump's presidency throws the future of US environmental protection into doubt. He has threatened to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

2016 will be the hottest year on record, UN says

Julian Assange to face Swedish prosecutors

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will face Swedish prosecutors in Ecuador's London embassy on Monday, more than six years after he was accused of rape. Assange sought asylum in the embassy in 2012, fearing extradition to the US over releases of classified US embassy cables. During the US election, WikiLeaks published emails damaging to Hillary Clinton. Ecuador severed Assange's internet connection at the embassy, over fears he was using it to influence the election.

Julian Assange to face Swedish prosecutors over rape accusation

New Zealand hit by earthquakes

New Zealand is recovering after earthquakes on Sunday prompted tsunami warnings, swallowed roads, twisted railway lines and left towns and cities damaged. In Kaikoura, a small town at the heart of the tourism industry, more than 600 residents and 1,200 tourists were cut off by landslides. Across the country, two people were confirmed to have been killed.

'Like living on a waking dragon': New Zealanders count cost of earthquake

In case you missed it…

One of Coyote Peterson's most popular YouTube videos shows him writhing around in agony. He's just been stung by a tarantula hawk, a giant wasp considered to have the second-most painful sting of any insect. Peterson – his real first name is Nathaniel – is the host of the Brave Wilderness Channel, a YouTube show that sees him travelling around the US and Central America encountering animals and insects – and often being attacked by them.

Coyote Peterson's one-man quest to be attacked by insects

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