already mentioned Trump hires 1st female Chief of Staff . He also had talks with Mayor Adams who will now end controversial debit card gimmee to illegals. Houthis suddenly end their pirate raids .

Stock market soared this week Bitcoin hit all time high

That caravan of illegals that was steadily making it's way to the US border is dispersing.
Migrant Caravan: Travelers Turn Back as Trump Win Ends 'Dream of Getting Out' - Newsweek

Qatar evicts Hamas
Qatar to expel Hamas leaders as hopes of ceasefire fade

Hamas wants to end war
Hamas Calls for End to War After Trump Election Win - Newsweek

Taliban wants new chapter
Afghanistan Taliban Govt Hopes For 'New Chapter' With Trump Election Win | Barron's

more to come

China wants "peaceful coexistence"
Russia is "ready" to speak with the US
EU wants to buy US gas, not Russian gas
Ukraine leaders in talks with Trump. Elon Musk joined in

China handles US ties based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation, FM says as Trump declares victory - Global Times

Russia tells US: we need to talk, but Ukraine must be on agenda | Reuters

European Commission President Says EU Wants to Buy US Gas Instead of Russian - News18

Elon Musk joined Trump-Zelensky call amid concerns for future of Ukraine war | CNN

And that is less than a week

I will continue to add Trump appointments here

Yesterday NY Rep ;Chair, House Republican Conference, Elise Stefanik was named UN ambassador nominee
. She replaced Lz Cheney for the Chair position and came to prominence in her tough questioning of University Presidents over antisemitism on campus.
But she has opposed Trump in her time in the House including his environmental policies . She opposed the US leaving the Paris accords . She has voted about 23% times against his agenda bur was rock solid in her support of him during all the impeachments and Kangaroo courts .

Trump named former acting Ice Director Tom Homan as "border czar ". Homan will enforce Trump's border policies ,don't doubt it.
Former ICE director shouts at lawmaker: You work for me! - YouTube

He started his career in 1984 as a Border Patrol agent, before climbing the ranks in ICE. During the emperor's reign Homan led the Enforcement and Removal Operations division, responsible for deportations.

Yeah, but has he appointed any trangenders, or any drag queens? Come on now!!

It can be hoped that common sense is making a return to Washington.

What people conveniently overlook is that Trump appointed the first openly gay ambassador in US history. Richard Grenell was appointed Ambassador to Germany in 2017 While in Berlin he hosted disussions on decriminalizing homosexuality .

Quote:

---

As President Trump stated during his General Assembly address in September:
As we defend American values, we affirm the right of all people to live in dignity. For this reason, my administration is working with other nations to stop criminalizing of homosexuality, and we stand in solidarity with LGBTQ people who live in countries that punish, jail, or execute individuals based upon sexual orientation.

---

Media Note: Decriminalizing Sexual Orientation - United States Mission to the United Nations

Marco Rubio is being tapped to become Sec State

Former Green Beret ,Florida Rep Mike Waltz ,who is a China hardliner ,is going to be National Security Advisor.

NY Rep Lee Zeldin Director EPA

Trump vetoed consideration of Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo on the advice of his inner circle led by Don Jr. The reasons are simple. Trump holds a grudge against Nikki for her primary challenge. She later publicly came on board ;but with less than an enthusiastic endorsement . The bigger reasons are that both are interventionists in foreign policy The Trump team also doesn't want competition with JD Vance in 2028 from inside the administration.

The big problem with Rubio, Waltz, and Zeldin will be the possibility, slim though it would be, that seats could be lost in the Congress/Senate.

Rubio would be replaced by a DeSantis appointment.

Zeldin of NY 1st district would be replaced with a special election. The 1st district is Suffolk County on Long Island .... solid Trump territory .I lived there in my childhood .It is conservative .

Waltz is from Florida 6th which is reliably red .

But yeah if the House is 1 or 2 seats close then the temporary vacancies could be an issue

Stefanik is the bigger loss for the House Dems . She is rock solid. But she also is in a pretty safe red district as long as Repubs don't select a moron to run for the seat

Musk and Ramaswamy will head the imaginary Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE) . This is really just an advisory group and not a executive branch "department" . I don't know how they will get paid or funded unless their efforts will be voluntary. They will sharpen their #2 Ticonderoga pencils and make recommendations for budget cutting.
Their report will go public and then we will see if Congress has the testicular fortitude to act on it.

Trump calls the new Dept the "Manhattan Project " of our time.
Trump names Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to ‘Manhattan Project’ for government cuts | The Independent

Pete Hegseth is nominated as Sec Defense. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan .His highest rank was Major in the Army National Guard . He earned 2 Bronze Medals . He has degrees from Princeton and Harvard .

Since then he has been a Veteran's advocate and a political commentator.
I join Dems in their concerns about his qualifications . But I believe that the military leadership and agenda needs a shake up ;and that is probably what Trump has in mind.

John Ratcliffe is nominated for CIA chief. He was Director of National Security May 2020 -January 2021 at the end of Trump's 1st term. Before that he was a US Attorney and Congressional Rep from Texas.


Mike Huckabee is tapped for Ambassador to Israel . Good choice . if he does something useful like that he won't have time to pitch infomercial products .

Tulsi Gabbard Director of National Intelligence

Matt Gaetz AG ??????

Both I question if they are the best for the job. Love Gabbard but this may be over reach

Gaetz is a moron.
The only positive I see is that if he is in the administration then he won't be a disruptor in the House. His is in a safe red district BUT I now agree that Trump is tapping too heavily on Reps and in the short term this could cost the Repubs votes.

My theory is that some of these picks are made to fail so a more suitable pick will have an easier time with confirmation.

btw . the idea that they want to make a number of the appointments through recess appointments is nonsense. They will have no legitimacy if they don't go through the appointment process which includes Senate approval.

I also think it is satisfying that Gabbard went from being on DHS watch lists to an Intel nominee.

John Thune was named Senate Majority Leader . He is a Yertle the Turtle Mitch McConnell clone.

I have not made as much of an issue of Yertle as I should . He is the Repub version of Quid pro Joe as his crime family has amassed a fortune selling out to China. His wife was Trump's Transportation Sec Elain Chao .Her father's shipping company 'Foremosty Group ' is tied at the hip with the CCP. Yertle has received $millions in contributions from his wife's family.

Thune won with a secret ballot . Trump did not weigh in ;but his loyalists wanted Sen Rick Scott of Florida to be the new Senate leader

Make no mistake about it. Thune is a deep state clone of Yertle and Paul Ryan . He will throw a monkey wrench into the Trump agenda while smiling and claiming he supports him. You want to know why Trump could not complete the border wall ? It was Repubs like Yertle Ryan and Thune who collaborated with the Dems to put up road blocks.

The GOP Conclave Is Over. A New Mitch McConnell Has Been Chosen.

It is clear from Trump's appointments that he not only wants to drain the swamp . He wants to blow it up.

Take Gabbard as an example . She was a victim of political persecution. Now she will oversee the agency that was persecuting her.

Pete Hegseth fought the endless wars where rules of engagement prevented success; and then became an advocate of the vets who left their body parts behind ,and were left behind when the deep state got tired of fighting in one theater after another . Now he can do his work inside the DOD .

The War on Warriors – HarperCollins

Stephen Miller deputy Chief of Staff
Bill McGinley WH Council
Both don't need Senate confirmation


South Dakota Guv Kristi Noem will be DHS Director . The border will be handled by Homan and Steve Miller. She will mostly handle other responsibilities of the agency like FEMA and Secret Service ;both desperately in need of new management.

I really can't find many that think Gaetz is a good pick for DOJ. His experience practicing law was a whole 2 years before he entered the political ring. He was the subject of an FBI investigation .But he was not charged so there may be nothing there.

The House was about to report on alleged ethics violations involving drugs and and sexual misconduct . He abruptly resigned from the House after Trump announced his selection. I am sure that what the House found will be brought up in the confirmation hearing. He may have to plead the 5th for some of his responses. I can't imagine he has the support needed to get confirmed. If confirmed I expect that not only will Trump be safe from any legal issues ;but also I expect he may lead the retribution charge . Lawfare has to end . Gaetz is not the guy to accomplish that goal.

Ok there is one thing. He may be leaving Congress with a grudge and that may be a good thing. He recently crossed the aisle and teamed up with All Out Crazy to try to end the Congressional abuse of stock purchases with insider knowledge of bills that affect those companies (see the Pelosi crime family) .

Bipartisan group, including Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez, unveil bill to ban lawmakers from owning stocks - CBS News

We all could benefit from cleaning up Congress's act.