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Today's top stories
President-elect Donald Trump is ramping up the assembly of his team for a second term in the White House. He says he will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel, House Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as U.N. Ambassador and Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida to be his national security adviser. Trump has also tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. Some of his selections, like TV host Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, have raised some eyebrows. Here's who else Trump has picked as cabinet members and key advisors so far.
- 🎧 Trump's selections reflect his focus on loyalty and show a more nationalistic and transactional emphasis when it comes to his policy priorities, NPR's Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. A strong opposition to China, support for Israel and skepticism for Ukraine is expected. A House Republican committee chair expressed shock after Hegseth was named secretary of defense. The representative said Hegseth wasn't on the known list of names under consideration. Hegseth is a decorated veteran but lacks the management and high-profile national security experience expected for this role, Ordoñez says
A U.S. jury has awarded $42 million to three former detainees of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The abuse they received there by 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 the torture of the prisoners.
- 🎧 The jury said U.S. military contractor CACI could be found guilty because the interrogators CACI supplied to the prison conspired with U.S. soldiers to inflict torture on the plaintiffs, NPR's Ruth Sherlock says. CACI denies this characterization and said its employees didn't take part in abuse committed by the military police in Abu Ghraib. This case specifically focuses on the three plaintiffs and does not pave the way for compensation for other victims. Sherlock remarks that the verdict shows how hard it is for victims of U.S. military abuse to get any kind of remedy.
- ➡️ Last year, Sherlock spoke with 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 was held in prison ruined his life.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Kier Starmer has announced plans to cut climate pollution by at least 81% compared to 1990 levels by 2035. He made the pledge to fight global warming at the COP29 Climate Summit, which is underway this week.
- 🎧 The U.K. plans to reach this goal by investing in climate solutions like wind energy, solar, big batteries and nuclear energy, NPR's Julia Simon says. Starmer also made an economic argument for the change, saying it is a huge opportunity to invest in U.K. businesses. There hasn't been as much optimism for U.S. leadership at this climate summit, Simon says. President-elect Trump has previously called climate change a hoax.
Special series
Each day this week, Morning Edition will dive deep into one of the promises President-elect Donald Trump has made for day one of his administration.
Trump has promised to boost America's fossil fuel industry. As part of this plan, he intends to eliminate policies and regulations that support green technologies, such as those found in the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, he has expressed a desire to lower energy prices and terminate 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 would mean for the U.S.' climate goals.
Picture show
The creators behind the viral TikTok account @lifeonfilm.27 give film cameras to strangers all over 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, showcasing views of the White House taken from the presidential limo, as well as newly signed bills and other documents in the Oval Office.
- 📷 See Biden's photos and the video showcasing an intimate view of the White House.
3 things to know before you go
- Nicholas Hamlett was arrested after a weeks-long manhunt for killing a man in Tennessee. Hamlett reported the killing to police as a bear attack in an attempt to steal the victim's identity, according to authorities.
- In a recent interview, Denzel Washington says he plans to retire after a few more projects, including a third Black Panther movie. The film hasn't been confirmed yet.
- Samantha Harvey has won the 2024 Booker Prize for her science fiction novel, Orbital, which follows six astronauts orbiting Earth for one day of their nine-month mission.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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