Donald Trump picks (more) millionaires for his Cabinet, and a rare Hillary Clinton sighting in Washington DC
Updated
The tree is cut, the lights are up and the snow showers are beginning. It's winter in America, where the political climate has changed beyond anyone's expectations over the past year.
Barack and Michelle Obama and the girls are preparing to move out of the White House, making way for a new first family.
Donald Trump will move in first, followed by wife Melania and young son Barron at the end of the school year.
That said, the Trump Tower penthouse on 5th Avenue in New York is already being described as "White House North" and the new first family is expected to continue to spend substantial time there. (It's a security headache like no other.)
Mr Trump has now made more than half of his key Cabinet appointments (per senior aide Sean Spicer), among them three generals and a host of millionaires.
His pick to head the Environment Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, has been a key opponent of Mr Obama's climate change policies, which aligns with PEOTUS Trump's stated plans to wind them back.
"Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind," Mr Pruitt wrote earlier this year in the National Review.
"That debate should be encouraged — in classrooms, public forums, and the halls of Congress. It should not be silenced with threats of prosecution. Dissent is not a crime."
In other interesting picks this week, Iowa governor Terry Branstad, who's been described as "an old friend of China", has been named as the new US Ambassador to Beijing.
Fast food exec and Obama critic Andrew Puzder has been nominated to be the new Secretary of Labor and former WWE (yes, wrestling) boss Linda McMahon will head up the Small Business Administration.
The all-important Secretary of State role is still being decided, and apparently Mitt Romney is still in the running.
"It's not about revenge," Mr Trump told the US Today show this week.
By the way, I guess you noticed that Time named Mr Trump person of the year, which is pretty ironic. Take a look at these three covers and you'll see what I mean.
Meanwhile, Time has responded to accusations it deliberately placed the "M" over Mr Trump's head to resemble devil horns.
The caption "President of the Divided States of America" also caused a stir.
He said
"I didn't divide them. They're divided now. I mean, there's a lot of division, and we're going to put it back together, and we're going to have a country that's very well healed.
"We're going to be a great economic force, and we're going to build up our military and safety, and we're going to do a lot of great things, and it's going to be something very special.
"But to be on the cover of Time magazine as the 'Person of the Year' is a tremendous honour."
- Donald Trump
Where's Hillary?
Mrs Clinton made an appearance in DC to send off outgoing Senate minority leader Harry Reid, her second speech in the nation's capital since the election, saying it wasn't the post-election speech she hoped to give at the US Capitol.
As she suggests, the rest of the time she's apparently been hiking the fabled hills of upstate New York in the fashion of an elusive forest dweller.
Where's Bernie?
Bernie's taking his 'guardian of society' role pretty seriously still, with a running commentary on potential cuts to welfare and education, and Mr Trump's Cabinet picks.
This on the choice of Scott Pruitt to run the EPA (as discussed above).
And then there's Joe...
We all know @VP is looking for a new job, and while he's put it out there that he wants a Ray Ban contract (a cooler guy in shades there has never been) he's thrown something else out there this week.
Biden 2020?
Might we see Joe v Bernie for the Dem nomination? Both would be 78. #justsaying
Top of the bizarre meter...
Man who reads false news online comes to DC armed with assault rifle to investigate (false) paedophile ring (falsely said to be) running out of (falsely accused) DC pizza restaurant.
Just while we're on that, here's a good guide from NPR on how to spot fake news.
The battle is real, people.
That's all we have time for, folks!
This is our last wrap of the week for the rollercoaster that has been 2016. (I know, hold back the tears if you can.)
With that in mind we searched our memories for the best funny of the year from all our weekly wraps of the amazing events in the USA, and although the list was long and the choice was hard, we settled on this.
You're welcome.
My sincere thanks to the DC bureau staff for their extraordinarily hard work this year. We'll be back full of energy ready to cover a new Trump administration in January.
The key date to remember?
Friday, January 20 when PEOTUS will become POTUS.
Something tells me that 2017 will be pretty interesting.
Until then, Merry Christmas.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, us-elections, united-states
First posted
