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Analysis of Trump’s cabinet picks so far. And Biden’s intimate view of the White House

Umito November 13, 2024

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President-elect Donald Trump is accelerating the construction of his team for a second term in the White House. He says he will appoint the former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel, Chamber Representative Elise Stefanik serve as a UN ambassador and Representative Mike Waltz of Florida to be his national security advisor. Trump also exploited Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new government agency called the Department of Government Effectiveness. Some of his selections, like Television presenter Pete Hegseth for the post of Secretary of Defense, have raised eyebrows. Here’s Who Else Trump Has chosen as cabinet members and key advisors so far.

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives to speak at an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center November 6 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump’s choices reflect his emphasis on loyalty and show a more nationalist and transactional orientation when it comes to his policy priorities.tells NPR’s Franco Ordoñez First. Strong opposition to China, support for Israel and skepticism towards Ukraine are expected. A House Republican committee chairman expressed shock after Hegseth was named defense secretary. The representative said Hegseth was not on the known list of names under study. Hegseth is a decorated veteran, but lacks the high-level management and national security experience expected for this role, Ordoñez says

A US jury has awarded $42 million to three former inmates of Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. The mistreatment they suffered there at the hands of American troops is one of the lasting legacies of the invasion of Iraq. Photos of the abuse were published in 2004. Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of prisoner torture.

The jury said U.S. military contractor CACI could be convicted because interrogators provided by CACI at the prison conspired with U.S. soldiers to inflict torture on the plaintiffs.says NPR’s Ruth Sherlock. CACI denies this characterization and asserts that its employees did not participate in the abuses committed by military police at Abu Ghraib. This case focuses specifically on the three plaintiffs and does not pave the way for compensation for other victims. Sherlock notices that the verdict shows how hard it is for the victims of Abuse of the US military to obtain any reparation.
Last year, Sherlock spoke to former Abu Ghraib detainee Talib al-Majl.who is not one of the three plaintiffs in this latest case. He told Sherlock that the 16 months he had been inmate in prison ruined his life.

British Prime Minister Kier Starmer announced plans to reduce climate pollution by at least 81% from 1990 levels by 2035. He pledged to tackle global warming at the COP29 Climate Summit, which takes place this week.

The UK plans to achieve this goal by investing in climate solutions like wind, solar, big batteries and nuclear power, says NPR’s Julia Simon. Starmer also made an economic argument for the change, saying it was a a huge opportunity to invest in UK businesses. There hasn’t been as much optimism about U.S. leadership at this climate summit, Simon says. President-elect Trump has previously called climate change a hoax.

Special series

Money from fossil fuels is directly funding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a leading climate scientist claims. — Money from fossil fuels is directly funding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a leading climate scientist claims.

Each weekday, Morning Edition will dig deeper into one of the promises President-elect Donald Trump made for the first day of his administration.

Trump has promised to boost the US fossil fuel industry. As part of this plan, he intends to eliminate policies and regulations that support green technologies, such as those contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, he expressed a desire to lower energy prices and end offshore wind projects. Brian Murray, director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, speaks with NPR’s A Martínez about what that means this would mean for the United States’ climate goals.

Image exhibition

Christian Baiocco, Griffin Katz and Grant Weintrob pose for a photo with President Joseph Biden.

Creators of viral TikTok account @lifeonfilm.27 are giving away film cameras to strangers around the world and compile the images into a video. They have even featured celebrities such as Ed Sheeran and Ice Spice. In September, one of the most powerful men in the world, President Biden, was given a camera. The resulting photos offer a glimpse into his life, featuring views of the White House taken from the presidential limousine, as well as bills and other documents recently signed in the Oval Office.

3 things to know before you leave

Nicholas Hamlett, seen in these images from his wanted poster, was the subject of a week-long manhunt following the murder of Steven Lloyd on October 18. Authorities say Hamlett befriended Lloyd and lured him to a wooded area in Tennessee, killing him in an attempted identity theft. — Nicholas Hamlett, 45, was the subject of a week-long manhunt following the October 18 murder of Steven Lloyd. Authorities say Hamlett befriended Lloyd and lured him to a wooded area in Tennessee, killing him in an attempted identity theft.

Nicholas Hamlett was arrested after a weeks-long manhunt for killing a man in Tennessee. Hamlet reported the killing to police as a bear attack with the aim of usurping the victim’s identity, according to authorities.
In a recent interview, Denzel Washington says he plans to retire after a few more projectsincluding one third Black Panther movie. The film has not yet been confirmed.
Samantha Harvey won the 2024 Booker Prize for his science fiction novel, Orbitalwhich follows six astronauts as they orbit the Earth for one day of their nine-month mission.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.