The Up First Newsletter: Trump Returns Senate Leadership Contenders Donald Trump’s Justice Department During the 2016 Biden Conference in Latin America
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A busy agenda is what Congress will have this week. The first item on the list is whether or not each chamber will have a leader. President-elect Donald Trump has made it known he wants to influence these choices, and his allies are pushing to make his preferences happen.
One of Trump’s biggest decisions will be selecting the leader of the Justice Department. On the campaign trail, he criticized the DOJ and FBI. Soon, he’ll have the chance to address his grievances.
President Biden will travel to Latin America this week to meet with leaders of the world’s biggest economies at the APEC and G20 summits. This is likely his last significant opportunity to leave a mark on the global stage, but it comes on the heels of Trump’s victory. As a result, Biden finds himself in a challenging position regarding his final message.
Source: Top contenders to lead the Senate. And, Trump’s DOJ priorities
When did President Biden Visit the Oval Office? A Portrait of a Red and Blue Human Trafficker in the Film “Emelia Pérez”
One of Trump’s signature campaign promises was to “launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America.” He has appointed a border czar, Tom Homan. Homan was in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term. Andrew Selee, president of the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute talks with Morning Edition about what a plan for mass deportation might look like including if you live in a red or blue state.
The title role in the new film, “Emelia Pérez”, is played by human trafficker, Karla Sofia Gascn. When Gascón’s character is introduced, she is known as the cartel leader “Manitas” del Monte, who rules by fear and deadly force. But she wants to leave the life of violence behind and become her true self: a woman. She emerges from gender-affirming surgery, performing good deeds to right the wrongs from her past. Gascn spoke with Steve Inskeep about what drew her to the role. Listen to what she said about the character.
Former and future President Donald Trump is set to visit his old office today, the Oval Office. President Biden invited his predecessor and successor for what is a ceremonial tradition meant to signal the desire for a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.
Trump said that it was a pleasure to meet with Obama and that he looked forward to being there many, many more times in the future.
Biden told his cabinet and staff in the Rose Garden last week that he would direct his entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. “That’s what the American people deserve.”
The meeting was going to last 10 or 15 minutes and we were going to get to know each other, according to Trump. “We had never met each other. I have great respect. The meeting lasted for almost an hour and a half. And it could have — as far as I’m concerned, it could have gone on for a lot longer.”
That’s something Trump immediately ignored when in office. He frequently held court as reporters shouted questions, responding to the ones he felt like answering and sometimes sparring with the journalists.
The Biden-Trump Relationship Isn’t: Instability in the 2024 and 2020 U.S. Presidential Campaigns
If the Trump-Obama relationship was strained, the one between Biden and Trump is even worse. Biden campaigned against Trump twice, winning in 2020 with an argument that Trump was an existential threat to U.S. democracy.
Then during the 2024 campaign, their one meeting on a debate stage in late June essentially ended Biden’s bid for a second term. During the remaining months of the campaign Trump often gloated about his knock-out punch in the debate and bemoaned the “coup” that forced Biden out of the race.