Republicans Cement Control of House and Governing Trifecta Under Trump |
Tallies from outstanding elections showed yesterday that Republicans will retain a majority in the House of Representatives, alongside its control of the Senate and the Oval Office. The new legislative alignment suggests President-Elect Donald Trump is likely to have sweeping congressional support for his plans to reshape policies on issues like immigration and the economy as he takes office.
Trump continued his string of nominations to top administration posts yesterday, announcing he would name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, and former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Gaetz resigned from his House seat yesterday. Gabbard and Gaetz were widely seen as surprise choices by both Democrats and Republicans, as both nominees have seemingly minimal experience for their chosen posts. The Senate leadership election yesterday chose veteran lawmaker John Thune (R-SD) over Trump loyalist Rick Scott (R-FL). Trump’s nominees still face confirmation hearings. (AP, Politico, NYT)
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“In Washington, DC, people are policy,” CFR expert James M. Lindsay writes for The Water’s Edge. “The open question, besides specific appointments, is how well Trump’s appointees will work together.”
“Not all of Mr. Trump’s choices seem designed to throw a wrench into government as usual. The selection of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida elevates an established foreign policy hawk who has taken a hard-line approach to China,” the New York Times’ Katie Rogers writes. “In selecting Mr. Gaetz and a cast of other loyalists, Mr. Trump is trying to ensure that he can leave the levers of the federal government to people who ultimately answer to him.”
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Middle East and North Africa |
UN Nuclear Chief Visits Tehran Ahead of Talks By Parties to Nuclear Deal |
Rafael Grossi urged Tehran to take steps regarding outstanding issues with its nuclear work at a press conference following talks yesterday; next week, remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal will weigh increasing penalties on Iran for its lack of cooperation. Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready to negotiate with European countries, but it would not talk “under pressure.” (Reuters)
For the Wall Street Journal, Reuel Marc Gerecht and CFR expert Ray Takeyh discuss Iran’s current nuclear calculus.
U.S./Israel/Iran: U.S. authorities charged a CIA official with disclosing classified documents that appeared to show Israeli plans to attack Iran, according to court documents. He was detained in Cambodia and due to appear in federal court in Guam today. (NYT)
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U.S. Intel Agencies Report ‘Broad and Significant’ Chinese Cyber Espionage Effort |
The Chinese government targeted commercial telecoms infrastructure and compromised private communications of some individuals “primarily involved in government or political activity,” the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency said yesterday. They did not specify whether the attempted hacks were linked to the targeting of presidential campaigns that government officials reported last month. The Chinese government did not immediately comment, but it has previously rejected accusations from U.S. officials that it engages in cyberespionage against Americans. (AP)
Philippines: Thousands of people evacuated their homes ahead of landfall today by Typhoon Usagi, the fifth major storm to hit the country in the last three weeks. More than one hundred people died in the aftermath of the previous storms. (AFP, NYT)
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Sri Lanka Legislative Election Tests Influence of New Leftist President |
Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected in September in a time of anger over the country’s 2022 economic meltdown; his party would need to greatly increase its vote share from the presidential election to control parliament. (AFP, AP)
Pakistan: A court rejected an acquittal plea from former Prime Minister Imran Khan over a graft case, according to his defense lawyer. Khan and his wife are due to be formally charged next week, while his party has planned a protest for his release on November 24. (Bloomberg, AP)
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DRC, IMF Agree to Nearly $3 Billion in New Financing |
Two separate loans will disburse the money over the next three years. One is a more traditional International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while the other is earmarked for climate-linked initiatives. (Bloomberg)
Mozambique/South Africa: South Africa reopened parts of its main border with Mozambique today after restricting movement yesterday following Mozambique’s post-election protests. Cargo did not immediately resume movement across the border, a logistics company said; half of South African chrome production is exported via Mozambique. (Bloomberg)
CFR expert Michelle Gavin explains why the Mozambique election was predetermined to ignite cynicism.
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UK Floats Plan to Fine Tech Execs for Illegal Weapons Sales |
The proposed rule would go a step further than many governments have gone to hold technology platforms accountable for goods illegally sold on their sites. The United Kingdom (UK) government said its measure aims to reduce knife crime. (NYT, UK Home Office)
Germany: Government authorities told a state-operated gas import terminal to reject any incoming shipments of Russian liquefied natural gas, according to a letter seen by the Financial Times. (FT)
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China’s Xi Inaugurates Megaport in Peru |
Chinese President Xi Jinping is slated to take part in a ceremony today marking the opening of a deepwater port in the Peruvian city of Chancay. The Chinese-backed port is part of its Belt and Road Initiative and is expected to cut shipping times between Asia and South America. The countries aim for the port to crowd in $3 billion in investment. (WaPo)
For the China Strategy Initiative, CFR’s Julia Huesa and Steven Holmes track China’s reach in Latin America.
Brazil: Authorities are investigating two explosions outside Brazil’s Supreme Court last night that killed one person. The vice governor of the capital district said preliminary investigations suggested the man killed himself with explosives after trying to enter the court. The incident comes as Brazil prepares to host the Group of Twenty (G20) leaders summit next week. (Reuters)
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Development Banks Jointly Hike Their Annual Climate Finance Targets |
Major development banks including the World Bank earned praise from country negotiators for announcing they will increase climate finance to low and middle-income countries to $120 billion a year by 2030. That’s up 60 percent from the amount in 2023. (Reuters)
CFR’s Clara Fong disentangles what’s behind the big push for climate finance.
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