| NORAD's Santa Tracker doesn't make its official debut until Dec. 1, but if you're jonesing to track a twinkly-eyed globetrotter, may we suggest following @HRCintheWild on Twitter? Ever since the election, Hillary Clinton fans have tweeted photos of their encounters with the former presidential candidate at Rhode Island bookstores, on Chappaqua hiking trails, at UNICEF events in New York and in the guacamole aisle at the store. You say it isn't possible she's in all these places at once? Hey, maybe some of them are just Hillary's helpers, out spreading holiday cheer! (Look, stop trying to ruin the magic for the little ones, alright?) |
| In today's FTR, we check in with @realDonaldTrump and his efforts to keep manufacturing jobs stateside -- and look forward to 2020, because we're completely addicted to presidential horse races now. And we're off ... |
| The Burn Ultimatum |
| In what has been a near-daily occurrence since last June, Trump blew up the Twitterverse Tuesday morning -- this time by calling for a year in prison and loss of citizenship for flag-burners. |
| It's far from the first time that the legality of flag desecration has come to the forefront. Individual states began passing flag-protection laws in the 1800s, with the first comprehensive federal law taking effect during the Vietnam Era. A pair of Supreme Court cases ruled that flag-burning was protected by the First Amendment (with conservative stalwart Antonin Scalia siding with the majority in both decisions). |
| Still, attempts have been made to draft bills that would meet with the Supreme Court's approval. In 2005, with flag burners protesting the Iraq War, the Flag Protection Act of 2005 would have criminalized burning flags if the primary intent was "to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace." (Mellow, laid-back flag-burnings would still be OK, apparently.) Who backed such a bill? Funny story, one of the co-sponsors was New York Senator Hillary Clinton. The proposed penalty was ... wait for it ... up to a year in prison, and up to a $100,000 fine. The bill was introduced, but never passed. |
| Could Trump's Supreme Court give the OK to a flag protection bill? Experts say it's unlikely. Nevertheless, Boy Scouts across the nation are calling overseas relatives to see if there's anyone who might be able to take them in, just in case. Maybe the law could say something like, "It's only illegal if you're thinking bad thoughts about America while you're doing it." |
| DIY cabinet installation |
| Donald Trump continued to round out his cabinet Tuesday, although the big one -- secretary of State -- remains a question mark. Former Trump critic Mitt Romney shared some frog legs with the president-elect last night, though, so it seems he's still in the running. |
| Trump officially selected Elaine Chao as transportation secretary Tuesday. Chao previously served as secretary of labor for George W. Bush, and assistant secretary of transportation for George H.W. Bush before that. It's a key role for a Trump administration that has promised to rebuild the country's aging roads and bridges. |
| That covers the "building things up" duties. As for the "tearing things down" duties, meet Georgia Congressman Tom Price, Trump's future secretary of Health and Human Services. Price is a longtime critic of the Affordable Care Act, decreasing hopes among its proponents that Trump would keep the program mostly intact. Medicaid may also be in for changes with the appointment of Seema Verma to head up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Verma was the architect of Indiana's alternative Medicaid program under Gov. Mike Pence. |
| On tap for today: probably not a nomination for secretary of State, but the likely nomination of banker and film producer Steven Mnuchin as secretary of the Treasury (random fact: Trump once sued one of Mnuchin's companies) and investor Wilbur Ross as commerce secretary. |
| Your guess is as good as ours |
| On election night, much of America (including some Trump supporters) were shellshocked at Donald's victory. Three weeks later, we're at the stage where the EMT is asking us, "How many fingers am I holding up?" and the blurry outlines of a future Trump administration are coming into focus. For starters, it looks like Donald might be pretty hands-on when it comes to one-on-one negotiation. Late Tuesday, Carrier Corporation announced they've agreed to keep "close to 1,000 jobs" in the U.S. after initially planning to move all of its manufacturing to Mexico. Details are still murky; Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett in a statement said he is "hopeful that President-elect Trump's efforts will keep many of these jobs here in Indianapolis." |
| What else have we learned over the last few weeks? USA TODAY's Susan Page says Trump will rely on tweets much more than press conferences to communicate with his constituency, and his inner circle will consist of loyal backers (within limits) and billionaire businessmen. |
| Will congressional Republicans be part of the inner circle? That depends. On infrastructure spending, trade restrictions and several other issues, Trump's agenda doesn't always line up with Congress' agenda. The left-leaning New Republic thinks there's a chance that Congress may turn on Trump once they secure tax cuts and the nomination of an acceptably conservative Supreme Court justice. So the best plan of action is ... wait until year four to do anything? |
| More from the USA TODAY Network |
| • | Victory lap begins Thursday in Cincinnati (Cincinnati Enquirer) | | • | Gingrich: Bannon's great; Romney sucks; no evidence of voter fraud (USA TODAY) | | • | Dan Quayle on Trump: "Things are in good hands" (Indianapolis Star) | | • | Maryland senator wants to make sure no foreign leaders try to emolumize Trump (USA TODAY OnPolitics) | | • | Importers, exporters concerned about Trump's tariff threats; Vandelay Industries institutes hiring freeze (USA TODAY Money) | | • | Is pot legal in your state? You still might want to burn through your stash before Jeff Sessions becomes attorney general (Arizona Republic) | | • | Breitbart readers switching to store-brand toaster pastries later this week (USA TODAY Money) | | • | 'Hamilton' boycott going well (USA TODAY Life) | |
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| Betting markets' political prediction win streak holding steady at zero |
| Is it too early to start thinking about the 2020 election? Definitely! Anyway, here's what two overseas bookmakers think of the 2020 election: |
| Ladbrokes: Trump's the favorite among specific individuals, with 7-4 odds (a 36% chance of re-election). Still, the London-based betting firm says there's a 58% chance of victory for whoever the Democratic nominee will be. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Michelle Obama are the current front-runners; Hillary Clinton checks in at 33-1. |
| Paddy Power: Trump's the favorite at 11-10 odds (a 48% chance of re-election), with Paul Ryan, Mike Pence and Michelle Obama rounding out the top four. Hillary's odds at the Dublin-based bookmaker are 14-1. |
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