Trump Transition Stalls Over Ethics Code, and a New Russian Offensive

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Headlines
Episode: Trump Transition Stalls Over Ethics Code, and a New Russian Offensive
Release Date: November 11, 2024
Host: Tracey Mumford

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1. Trump’s Border Czar Appointment and Transition Ethics Delay

In the latest developments surrounding Donald Trump’s presidential transition, Tracey Mumford reports that Trump has officially named Thomas Homan as the new border czar. Announced via a social media post just before midnight, Homan is tasked with enforcing Trump’s stringent immigration policies. With over three decades in law enforcement, including experience as a Border Patrol agent and a senior immigration official in Trump’s previous administration, Homan brings substantial expertise to the role.

Notable Quotes:

• Thomas Homan (01:12): “President Trump is going to end the Biden Harris Open Border Madness.”
• Thomas Homan (01:23): “I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden's released in our country in violation of federal law. You better start packing now.”
• Thomas Homan (01:57): “I don't use the term raids, but you're probably talking about worksite enforcement operations, which this administration pretty much stopped.”
• Thomas Homan (02:05): “That's a roundup and that's going to be necessary.”
• Thomas Homan (06:38): “And what more could you want?”

Homan reiterated his support for Trump’s calls for mass deportations during the Summer Republican National Convention, vehemently defending controversial immigration policies from Trump’s first term, including the separation of migrant families at the border. He hinted at the possibility of resuming large-scale worksite raids to arrest unauthorized workers, a policy stance that has sparked significant debate.

However, Trump’s transition is facing a significant hurdle: the delayed submission of a legally mandated ethics pledge. Enacted by Congress in 2019 amid concerns over conflicts of interest from Trump’s first administration, this pledge requires Trump to avoid conflicts of interest while in office. As of now, Trump’s transition team has yet to submit this plan by the October 1st deadline. Until this requirement is fulfilled, the Biden administration is legally restricted from sharing classified intelligence or granting early access to federal agencies. Experts warn that without this foundational setup, Trump’s incoming administration could be unprepared, potentially leaving the country vulnerable during the critical transition period.

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2. Russia's Preparations for a Major Offensive Against Ukraine

The geopolitical landscape is tense as Russia gears up for a significant military offensive against Ukrainian forces. According to Mumford, approximately 50,000 Russian soldiers, including contingent forces from North Korea, are mobilizing to reclaim territories previously seized by Ukraine earlier in the year. This offensive is expected to commence within the coming days.

Ukrainian strategies aimed at forcing Moscow to divert troops to defend its own territories have not yielded the desired effect. Instead, Russia has effectively orchestrated this upcoming assault without diminishing its current military positioning, partially due to the integration of North Korean troops. These North Korean soldiers, despite lacking recent ground combat experience, have been outfitted with machine guns, anti-tank missiles, and other weaponry, receiving training in basic infantry tactics and trench warfare.

There is uncertainty surrounding the operational scope of these North Korean forces. It remains unclear whether their mission is confined to pushing Ukrainian troops back to the border or if they are authorized to engage directly within Ukrainian territories.

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3. U.S. Influence in COP 29 Climate Talks Under Threat

As world leaders converge for COP 29 in Azerbaijan, The New York Times’ climate reporter Lisa Friedman highlights the diminishing role of the United States under President Biden’s administration. With Trump’s impending victory, the U.S. is set to adopt a markedly different stance on climate change, casting doubt on the nation’s commitment to combating global warming.

Currently, the U.S. is anticipated to make a significant reversal in its climate policies. President Trump has publicly dismissed climate change as a hoax and pledged to facilitate the continued use of coal, directly contrasting the Biden administration’s proactive environmental initiatives.

Friedman emphasizes that the Biden administration's status as a lame duck government complicates the ongoing negotiations at COP 29. The administration’s diminished influence hinders the ability to secure necessary funding—potentially billions or trillions of dollars—to transition the world towards clean energy and protect vulnerable nations from climate-induced disasters. The lack of cohesive U.S. leadership raises concerns about achieving global agreements essential to keeping climate change within safe limits. Scientists warn that even minimal increases in global temperatures can exponentially heighten the severity of environmental disasters, including floods, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires. The past year alone has witnessed devastating floods in Brazil and Spain, and consecutive hurricanes in the United States, underscoring the urgent need for effective emissions reductions.

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4. Controversy Over WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, culminated in a thrilling victory for Coco Gauff. However, the event has not been without controversy. Hosting the finals in Saudi Arabia has sparked debates over the kingdom’s human rights record, particularly concerning women's and LGBTQ+ rights.

Saudi Arabia has made strides in women's rights, such as increased workforce participation and the right to drive. However, women still require male guardian permission to marry, and numerous women’s rights activists have faced imprisonment in recent years. Critics argue that Saudi Arabia is engaging in "sports washing," using high-profile sports investments in golf, soccer, boxing, car racing, and now tennis to divert attention from its human rights issues.

The WTA Finals in Riyadh were part of a deal that included approximately $15 million in prize money, marking the highest earnings in women’s tennis history. Despite the financial incentives, Coco Gauff expressed reservations about the country’s stance on women's and LGBTQ+ rights. Nonetheless, she acknowledged the positive impact of promoting tennis among young girls in a new region.

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5. Democratic Party's Internal Debate Post-Election Losses

Although briefly mentioned towards the episode's conclusion, it is noted that the Democratic Party is currently embroiled in debates over its future direction following substantial electoral losses in the previous week. This internal discourse reflects broader concerns about the party's strategies and policies in the face of shifting political landscapes.

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Conclusion

In this episode of "The Headlines," Tracey Mumford delivers a comprehensive overview of critical national and international issues, ranging from Donald Trump’s challenging transition and aggressive immigration policies to Russia’s military maneuvers against Ukraine. Additionally, the U.S.’s wavering role in global climate negotiations and the contentious hosting of the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia underscore the complex interplay of politics, human rights, and international relations shaping the contemporary world. The podcast effectively encapsulates these multifaceted topics, enriched by direct quotes and informed analysis, providing listeners with a thorough understanding of the current headlines.

Transcript

[Michael J. Fox]

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[Unknown Speaker]

From.

[Tracey Mumford]

The new York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracey Mumford. Today's Monday, November 11th. Here's what we're covering. Donald Trump, who promised a broad crackdown on immigration while running for president, has now named a border czar to carry out his policies. The president elect made the announcement in a social media post last night just before midnight, saying Thomas Homan will be in charge of the country's borders. Homan has worked in law enforcement for over 30 years, including as a Border Patrol agent, and he served as a senior immigration official in Trump's last administration.

[Thomas Homan]

President Trump is going to end the Biden Harris Open Border Madness.

[Tracey Mumford]

At the Summers Republican National Convention, Homan vigorously endorsed Trump's calls for mass deportations.

[Thomas Homan]

I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden's released in our country in violation of federal law. You better start packing now.

[Tracey Mumford]

Hohman also defended some of Trump's most controversial immigration policies from his first term, including the separation of thousands of migrant families at the border. The policy details for Trump's next administration aren't yet clear, but Homan suggested in an interview on 60 Minutes that the government could resume large scale raids on work sites to arrest unauthorized.

[Thomas Homan]

I don't use the term raids, but you're probably talking about worksite enforcement operations, which this administration pretty much stopped.

[Tracey Mumford]

Workplace enforcement.

[Thomas Homan]

That's a roundup and that's going to be necessary.

[Tracey Mumford]

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Arizona was called for Trump, giving him a victory in all seven swing states. And President Biden has invited Trump to the White House this week for a meeting, a traditional part of the handover of power. But there's an issue holding up the transition process. Trump has not yet submitted a legally required ethics pledge that states he will avoid conflicts of interest while in office. Congress added that requirement in 2019 in part because of ethics concerns during Trump's first administration. One watchdog group identified more than 3,400 conflicts of interest during that time. Trump's transition team was supposed to submit the ethics plan by October 1st. And until they do, the Biden administration legally cannot share classified intelligence or give Trump's team early access to the federal agencies they'll soon control. Without that prep, Trump's team will basically be forced to come in cold when they take over in January, which experts say could leave the country vulnerable as the new administration comes in.

[Unknown Speaker]

When world leaders arrive today for COP 29, the top thing on everyone's mind is the election of Donald J. Trump in the United States. What it means is that the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide in history will soon no longer participate in the fight against climate change.

[Tracey Mumford]

Times climate reporter Lisa Friedman is covering COP 29, the global climate talks that kick off today in Azerbaijan. She says that the US is basically set to make a 180 as Trump, who's called climate change a hoax and promised to make it easier to burn coal, prepares to take office.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right now, with the beginning of these negotiations, countries are hoping to unlock billions or even trillions of dollars to help transition the world to clean energy and protect the most vulnerable countries from the ravages of climate change. Because the Biden administration is essentially a lame duck, those discussions are now viewed as harder to achieve an agreement on. So that's the short term. But in the long term, and not even that long, if the United States is not working at a national level to cut emissions and encouraging other countries to do the same, there's a real question of whether the world can avoid busting through what's considered the safe limits of climate change. Scientists are telling us that for every fraction of a degree of warming, the severity of dangers will rise. Flooding, droughts, heat waves, wildfires. Look at this Past year alone, there was massive flooding in Brazil, disastrous flooding in Spain. In the United States, we had back to back hurricanes Helene and Milton. If emissions don't go down, disasters like these will continue and will get worse.

[Tracey Mumford]

In Russia, 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, are preparing to launch a major offensive against Ukrainian forces. Their goal, to take back the Russian territory that Ukraine managed to seize earlier this year. The attack is expected to begin in the next few days. The Ukrainians had hoped that their push into Russia this summer would force Moscow to pull troops away from the front lines to defend its own territory. Instead, U.S. officials tell the Times that Russia's been able to prepare the coming assault without weakening its other positions, in part thanks to the thousands of North Korean soldiers who've been called up. North Korea's army hasn't been involved in ground combat in decades, but Russia's given them machine guns, anti tank missiles and other weapons and trained them in basic infantry tactics and trench clearing. If they manage to push the Ukrainians back, it's not clear if the North Korean troops will stop at the border or if the North Korean government has authorized them to fight in Ukraine itself. And finally again in second set.

[Thomas Homan]

And what more could you want?

[Tracey Mumford]

A couple of young 20 somethings just battling it out. This weekend, the Women's Tennis association finals played out in the capital of Saudi Arabia. In a sold out match, Coco Goff.

[Thomas Homan]

Conquers Riyadh to be champion of the WTA finals.

[Tracey Mumford]

But the location of the tournament came with controversy. The women were playing in a country where progress on women's rights is still stop and go. Saudi women have been pouring into the workforce in record numbers recently, and they got the right to drive a few years ago, but they still need the permission of a male guardian to marry. And prominent women's rights activists have been jailed in recent years. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of trying to sports wash its human rights record, investing billions of dollars in golf, soccer, boxing, car racing and now tennis. As a distraction, the kingdom struck a deal to host the WTA Finals in part by promising some $15 million in overall prize money, the highest winnings in the history of women's tennis. Coco Gauff, who ultimately won, weighed the pros and cons of playing in Saudi Arabia before she arrived, saying she had reservations about the country's record on women's rights as well as LGBTQ rights. But she said she also looked forward to promoting the sport to young girls in a new place. Those are the headlines today on the Daily How Democrats are now arguing over the party's direction after the sweeping losses of last week. I'm Tracey Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.