In the news today: What another Trump term could mean for Mexico; the president-elect is upping the pressure to fill the GOP Senate leader position; and Israeli strikes on Lebanon and northern Gaza kill dozens. Also, veterans with PTSD are making progress thanks to a service dog program. |
President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at an event at the White House, July 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) |
Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
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Mexico is facing a second Donald Trump presidency, and few countries can match its experience as a target of Trump’s rhetoric: There have been threats to close the border, impose tariffs and even send U.S. forces to fight Mexican cartels if the country doesn’t do more to stem the flow of migrants and drugs. Read more.
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As much as this second round looks like the first round — when Mexico pacified Trump by quietly ceding to his immigration demands — circumstances have changed, and not necessarily for the better. Today, Mexico has in Claudia Sheinbaum a somewhat stern leftist ideologue as president, and Trump is not known for handling such relations well.
Some of Trump’s biggest policy concerns – restoring U.S. jobs and the increasing rivalry with China — also run through Mexico. U.S. and foreign automakers have set up dozens of plants in Mexico, and some in the U.S. worry that Chinese companies could do the same to take advantage of existing trade rules to export Chinese cars or auto parts to the United States.
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Not everything has changed for the worse. Cross-border trade has topped $800 billion per year and U.S. companies are more dependent than ever on Mexican plants. But the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USMCA, is coming up for review, and Mexico has made legal changes that Trump could seize on to demand a re-negotiation of parts of the deal.
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Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away
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Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change the rules and empower him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote. Read more. |
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Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida are running in a secret ballot election Wednesday to lead the GOP conference and replace longtime leader Mitch McConnell, who is stepping aside from the job after almost two decades. All three have courted Trump’s support in the race, vying to show who is the closest to the president-elect as they campaign to become majority leader.
Trump has not endorsed in the race, but on Sunday he made clear that he expects the new leader to go around regular Senate order, if necessary, to allow him to fill his Cabinet quickly. In a statement on X and Truth Social, Trump said that the next leader “must agree” to allow him to make appointments when the chamber is in recess, bypassing a confirmation vote.
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The Senate has not allowed presidents to make so-called recess appointments since a 2014 Supreme Court ruling limited the president’s power to do so. But with Trump’s approval paramount in the race, all three candidates quickly suggested that they might be willing to reconsider the practice.
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Israeli strikes kill dozens in Lebanon and isolated northern Gaza while Netanyahu and Trump speak
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Israeli strikes killed dozens of people including children on Sunday in Lebanon and isolated northern Gaza, as the world watched for signs of how the U.S. election might affect the wars between Israel and Iranian-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Read more. |
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The Israeli airstrike in Lebanon killed at least 23 people, including seven children, in Aalmat village north of Beirut, far from the areas in the east and south where Hezbollah has a major presence. There was no Israeli evacuation warning. Israel’s military said that it hit a Hezbollah site used to store weapons, and the strike was under review.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has spoken three times with Donald Trump since Tuesday’s election and they “see eye-to-eye regarding the Iranian threat and all of its components.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
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The mid-month deadline is approaching for the Biden administration’s ultimatum for Israel: Allow more aid into Gaza or risk possible restrictions on U.S. military funding. Cease-fire talks have repeatedly stalled and Qatar, a key mediator with Hamas, said Saturday that it had suspended its efforts and would resume them when “the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war.”
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Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O'Brien holds her service dog, Albus, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Nick Ingram)
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Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
After working at a crowded and dangerous internment camp in Iraq, Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O’Brien brought home her anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. A bouncy labradoodle and a Kansas City-area program helped her get back on her feet. |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
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