WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President-elect Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has named Susie Wiles, the defacto manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential role.

Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She resisted the formal title of campaign manager, avoiding becoming a target, given Trump’s history of cycling through people in that role.

Wiles’ hire is Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration, as he must quickly build the team that will help run the massive federal government. Wiles doesn’t bring much federal government experience to the role, but has a close relationship with the president-elect.

On the campaign, Wiles was able to do what few others have been able to: help control Trump’s impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouting it.

Eight years ago, Trump tossed the careful planning of his transition team and instead hired a motley assortment of campaign aides, family members and Republican insiders who spent the better part of his first year in office engaged in infighting that dominated news coverage of the new administration. It was what many experts consider a foundational mistake that hamstrung a president who was new to Washington and government upon his swearing in.

Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — during his first administration, part of a record-setting personnel churn. Many top aides were cast out by Trump in his first term, who resented being made to feel managed or condescended to, while others got caught up in ideological spats within the factionalized West Wing.

Trump aides see hope that Wiles’ selection marks a sign that the president-elect is aiming to build a more cohesive team, though one that will almost certainly remain less conventional than his Democratic or Republican predecessors.

Trump, who promised in 2016 to hire “only the best people” has since repeatedly said that he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He was new to Washington then, he has said, and didn’t know any better. But now, Trump said, he knows the “best people” and those to avoid for roles in his administration.

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again," Trump said in a statement. "It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

Successful chiefs of staff serve as the president’s confidant, help execute a president’s agenda and balance competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping determine whom the president spends his time with and whom he speaks to — an effort Trump chafed under inside the White House.

The chief of staff is “absolutely critical to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the White House chief of staff role shapes and defines a presidency. “At the end of the day the most important thing is telling the president what he doesn’t want to hear."

“On the plus side, she’s shown that she can manage Trump, that she works with him and can sometimes tell him hard truths, and that’s really important," said Whipple. “On the minus side, she really has no White House experience and hasn’t really worked in Washington in 40 years. And that’s a real disadvantage.”

Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaigns in the state in 2016 and 2020, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' successful bid for office in 2018. Before that, she ran Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly served as the manager of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Wiles also worked in the offices of former Jacksonville mayors John Delaney and John Peyton.

Chris LaCivita, who along with Wiles served as de-facto campaign manager, described Wiles as someone who is inclusive in conversations, who seeks input from others and is steadfastly loyal.

“Susie is just functionally built differently because she has that rare commodity to be able to work on so many different important issues simultaneously,” LaCivita told The Associated Press.

Wiles was the one who was tasked with having the toughest discussions with Trump and on every pivotal conversation. She worked well with his family and developed relationships with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk that put her in position as a key conduit for Trump’s budding alliances with those men.

“She can manage really any ego that comes her way,” LaCivita said. “And she doesn’t do it by any other way other than just being very straightforward and on top of the details.”

He added: “The most important commodity in politics is honesty and loyalty and Susie has both in copious amounts.”

Wiles was seen by Trump aides as someone who could guide his moods and impulses without necessarily restraining him. Trump often referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, publicly praising her leadership of what he said he was often told was his “best-run campaign.”

“She’s incredible. Incredible,” he said at a Milwaukee rally earlier this month,

At a rally in Pennsylvania where Trump made one of his last appearances before the election, he launched into a profane and conspiracy-laden speech. Wiles was spotted standing offstage and appearing to glare at him.

Later, at a rally in Pittsburgh, Trump seemed to acknowledge his adviser's’ efforts to keep him on message.

After complaining that men aren’t allowed to call a woman “beautiful” any longer, he asked if he could strike that word from the record. “I’m allowed to do that, aren’t I, Susan Wiles?” he mused.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731020614290.png" alt="Photo courtesy Susie Wiles" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Susie Wiles</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President-elect Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has named Susie Wiles, the defacto manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential role.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731020480807.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She resisted the formal title of campaign manager, avoiding becoming a target, given Trump’s history of cycling through people in that role.Wiles’ hire is Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration, as he must quickly build the team that will help run the massive federal government. Wiles doesn’t bring much federal government experience to the role, but has a close relationship with the president-elect.On the campaign, Wiles was able to do what few others have been able to: help control Trump’s impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouting it.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is great news. Susie was a huge asset to President Trump on the campaign and will be a huge asset in the White House. She&#39;s also just a really good person. Onward! <a href="https://t.co/Yj1aLYK4So">pic.twitter.com/Yj1aLYK4So</a>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1854656937813852476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Eight years ago, Trump tossed the careful planning of his transition team and instead hired a motley assortment of campaign aides, family members and Republican insiders who spent the better part of his first year in office engaged in infighting that dominated news coverage of the new administration. It was what many experts consider a foundational mistake that hamstrung a president who was new to Washington and government upon his swearing in.Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — during his first administration, part of a record-setting personnel churn. Many top aides were cast out by Trump in his first term, who resented being made to feel managed or condescended to, while others got caught up in ideological spats within the factionalized West Wing.Trump aides see hope that Wiles’ selection marks a sign that the president-elect is aiming to build a more cohesive team, though one that will almost certainly remain less conventional than his Democratic or Republican predecessors.Trump, who promised in 2016 to hire “only the best people” has since repeatedly said that he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He was new to Washington then, he has said, and didn’t know any better. But now, Trump said, he knows the “best people” and those to avoid for roles in his administration.“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again," Trump said in a statement. "It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”Successful chiefs of staff serve as the president’s confidant, help execute a president’s agenda and balance competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping determine whom the president spends his time with and whom he speaks to — an effort Trump chafed under inside the White House.The chief of staff is “absolutely critical to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the White House chief of staff role shapes and defines a presidency. “At the end of the day the most important thing is telling the president what he doesn’t want to hear."“On the plus side, she’s shown that she can manage Trump, that she works with him and can sometimes tell him hard truths, and that’s really important," said Whipple. “On the minus side, she really has no White House experience and hasn’t really worked in Washington in 40 years. And that’s a real disadvantage.”Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaigns in the state in 2016 and 2020, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' successful bid for office in 2018. Before that, she ran Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly served as the manager of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.Wiles also worked in the offices of former Jacksonville mayors John Delaney and John Peyton.Chris LaCivita, who along with Wiles served as de-facto campaign manager, described Wiles as someone who is inclusive in conversations, who seeks input from others and is steadfastly loyal.“Susie is just functionally built differently because she has that rare commodity to be able to work on so many different important issues simultaneously,” LaCivita told The Associated Press.Wiles was the one who was tasked with having the toughest discussions with Trump and on every pivotal conversation. She worked well with his family and developed relationships with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk that put her in position as a key conduit for Trump’s budding alliances with those men.“She can manage really any ego that comes her way,” LaCivita said. “And she doesn’t do it by any other way other than just being very straightforward and on top of the details.”He added: “The most important commodity in politics is honesty and loyalty and Susie has both in copious amounts.”Wiles was seen by Trump aides as someone who could guide his moods and impulses without necessarily restraining him. Trump often referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, publicly praising her leadership of what he said he was often told was his “best-run campaign.”“She’s incredible. Incredible,” he said at a Milwaukee rally earlier this month,At a rally in Pennsylvania where Trump made one of his last appearances before the election, he launched into a profane and conspiracy-laden speech. Wiles was spotted standing offstage and appearing to glare at him.Later, at a rally in Pittsburgh, Trump seemed to acknowledge his adviser's’ efforts to keep him on message.After complaining that men aren’t allowed to call a woman “beautiful” any longer, he asked if he could strike that word from the record. “I’m allowed to do that, aren’t I, Susan Wiles?” he mused.

History: Trump names first ever female White House chief of staff

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 7p.m. Wednesday in Wyandotte County.

Lansing law enforcement is reporting a major accident at the intersection of K-7 (Main St.) and 4H Rd. Please avoid the area so first responders can do their job.

Police in Lansing reported a coach bus was southbound on Kansas 7/ Main Street at 4H Road.&nbsp; A sedan attempted to make a left turn at the intersection and collided with the bus, according to a media release. The driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other injuries reported.

Police have not released the name of the driver who died. The crash remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731017739533.png" alt="First responders at the scene&nbsp; photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene&nbsp; photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 7p.m. Wednesday in Wyandotte County.Lansing law enforcement is reporting a major accident at the intersection of K-7 (Main St.) and 4H Rd. Please avoid the area so first responders can do their job.Police in Lansing reported a coach bus was southbound on Kansas 7/ Main Street at 4H Road.&nbsp; A sedan attempted to make a left turn at the intersection and collided with the bus, according to a media release. The driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other injuries reported.Police have not released the name of the driver who died. The crash remains under investigation.

Driver dies after car, bus crash on Kansas highway

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden's</a>&nbsp;name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris'</a>&nbsp;resounding defeat as his loss too.

As Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-trump-harris-election-future-5bf8bd0ca6683119a846abd446544407">pick up the pieces</a>&nbsp;after President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;decisive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">victory</a>, some of the vice president's backers are expressing frustration that Biden's decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite long-standing voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the U.S.-Mexico border — all but sealed his party's surrender of the White House.

“The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.”

Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion</a>&nbsp;and passing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1 trillion infrastructure bill</a>&nbsp;that will affect communities for years to come.

But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden's priorities.

“Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.”

The president on Wednesday stayed out of sight for the second straight day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races and to Trump. Biden invited Trump for a White House meeting, and the president-elect accepted.

Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address Thursday about the election. He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising Harris for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.”

Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognize earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee.

But polling long beforehand showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">many Americans worried about his age</a>. Some 77% of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">a poll</a>&nbsp;by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

The president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">bowed out on July 21</a>&nbsp;after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">endorsed Harris</a>&nbsp;and handed over his campaign operation to her.

Yang argued that Democratic Party leaders also deserve blame for taking too long to push out Biden. With few exceptions, most notably Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Democrats shied away talking publicly about Biden's age.

“Why was this not coming from any Democratic leaders?" Yang said. “It’s a lack of courage and independence and an excess of careerism, if I just keep my mouth shut, we’ll just keep on trucking along.”

The campaign was also saddled by anger among some Arab American and young voters over its approach to Israel's conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ally of Biden and Harris, said in a statement that Democrats lost the thread on working class Americans' concerns.

“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” the Vermont independent said. “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison took to social media Thursday to push back on Sanders' critique, saying that Biden was “the most-pro worker President of my life time.”

Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party's base. But she struggled to distinguish how her administration would differ from Biden's.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View” in September, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-stern-view-colbert-60-minutes-daddy-5a2af60ba0b1099e19cca151955c9855">was not able to identify</a>&nbsp;a decision where she would have separated herself from Biden. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a sound bite it replayed through Election Day.

The strategists advising the Harris campaign said the compressed campaign timetable made it even more difficult for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.

Had Biden stepped aside early in the year, they said, it would have given Democrats enough time to hold a primary. Going through the paces of an intraparty contest would have forced Harris or another eventual nominee to more aggressively stake out differences with Biden.

The strategists acknowledged that overcoming broad dissatisfaction among the American electorate about rising costs in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and broad concerns about the U.S. immigration system weighed heavy on the minds of voters in key states.

Still, they said that Biden had left Democrats in an untenable place.

Harris senior adviser David Plouffe in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/davidplouffe/status/1854244538036195432?s=46">a posting on X</a>&nbsp;called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe did not assign blame and said the Harris campaign “dug out of a deep hole but not enough.” The post was later deleted.

At the vice president's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-donald-trump-election-ddeae9fb378530159201ef4196cba9b3">concession speech</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday, some Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had more time to make her pitch to American voters.

“I think that would have made a huge difference," said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University student who attended the speech at the center of her campus.

Republicans are poised to control the White House and Senate. Control of the House has yet to be determined.

Matt Bennett, executive vice president at the Democratic-aligned group Third Way, said this moment was the most devastating the party has faced in his lifetime.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730999745270.png" alt="File image White House" />
 <figcaption>File image White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden's</a>&nbsp;name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris'</a>&nbsp;resounding defeat as his loss too.As Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-trump-harris-election-future-5bf8bd0ca6683119a846abd446544407">pick up the pieces</a>&nbsp;after President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;decisive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">victory</a>, some of the vice president's backers are expressing frustration that Biden's decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite long-standing voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the U.S.-Mexico border — all but sealed his party's surrender of the White House.“The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.”Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion</a>&nbsp;and passing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1 trillion infrastructure bill</a>&nbsp;that will affect communities for years to come.But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden's priorities.“Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.”The president on Wednesday stayed out of sight for the second straight day, making congratulatory calls to Democratic lawmakers who won downballot races and to Trump. Biden invited Trump for a White House meeting, and the president-elect accepted.Biden is set to deliver a Rose Garden address Thursday about the election. He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising Harris for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.”Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognize earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee.But polling long beforehand showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">many Americans worried about his age</a>. Some 77% of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">a poll</a>&nbsp;by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.The president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">bowed out on July 21</a>&nbsp;after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">endorsed Harris</a>&nbsp;and handed over his campaign operation to her.Yang argued that Democratic Party leaders also deserve blame for taking too long to push out Biden. With few exceptions, most notably Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Democrats shied away talking publicly about Biden's age.“Why was this not coming from any Democratic leaders?" Yang said. “It’s a lack of courage and independence and an excess of careerism, if I just keep my mouth shut, we’ll just keep on trucking along.”The campaign was also saddled by anger among some Arab American and young voters over its approach to Israel's conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ally of Biden and Harris, said in a statement that Democrats lost the thread on working class Americans' concerns.“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” the Vermont independent said. “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison took to social media Thursday to push back on Sanders' critique, saying that Biden was “the most-pro worker President of my life time.”Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party's base. But she struggled to distinguish how her administration would differ from Biden's.Appearing on ABC’s “The View” in September, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-stern-view-colbert-60-minutes-daddy-5a2af60ba0b1099e19cca151955c9855">was not able to identify</a>&nbsp;a decision where she would have separated herself from Biden. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a sound bite it replayed through Election Day.The strategists advising the Harris campaign said the compressed campaign timetable made it even more difficult for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.Had Biden stepped aside early in the year, they said, it would have given Democrats enough time to hold a primary. Going through the paces of an intraparty contest would have forced Harris or another eventual nominee to more aggressively stake out differences with Biden.The strategists acknowledged that overcoming broad dissatisfaction among the American electorate about rising costs in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and broad concerns about the U.S. immigration system weighed heavy on the minds of voters in key states.Still, they said that Biden had left Democrats in an untenable place.Harris senior adviser David Plouffe in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/davidplouffe/status/1854244538036195432?s=46">a posting on X</a>&nbsp;called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe did not assign blame and said the Harris campaign “dug out of a deep hole but not enough.” The post was later deleted.At the vice president's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-donald-trump-election-ddeae9fb378530159201ef4196cba9b3">concession speech</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday, some Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had more time to make her pitch to American voters.“I think that would have made a huge difference," said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University student who attended the speech at the center of her campus.Republicans are poised to control the White House and Senate. Control of the House has yet to be determined.Matt Bennett, executive vice president at the Democratic-aligned group Third Way, said this moment was the most devastating the party has faced in his lifetime.

Harris' allies blame Biden for her resounding loss to Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump’s presidential election victory this week.

The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects the Fed’s renewed focus on supporting the job market as well as fighting inflation, which now barely exceeds the central bank’s 2% target.

Thursday's move reduces the Fed’s benchmark rate to about 4.6%, down from a four-decade high of 5.3% before September's meeting. The Fed had kept its rate that high for more than a year to fight the worst inflation streak in four decades. Annual inflation has since fallen from a 9.1% peak in mid-2022 to a 3 1/2-year low of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-interest-rates-economy-federal-reserve-cd6d9712bfd484d6e1bc4ccb958dcf23">2.4% in September</a>.

Asked at a news conference how Trump's election might affect the Fed's policymaking, Chair Jerome Powell said that "in the near term, the election will have no effects on our (interest rate) decisions.”

But Trump’s election, beyond its economic consequences, has raised the specter of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vance-federal-reserve-inflation-rates-independent-a8fc72d3d67bcd64ba54b9d086db1275">meddling</a>&nbsp;by the White House in the Fed’s policy decisions. Trump has proclaimed that as president, he should have a voice in the central bank’s interest rate decisions. The Fed has long guarded its role as an independent institution able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet during his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again.

Asked at Thursday's news conference whether he would resign if Trump asked him to, Powell, who will have a year left in his second four-year term as Fed chair when Trump takes office, replied simply, “No.”

And he said that in his view, Trump could not fire or demote him: It would “not be permitted under the law,” Powell said.

In a statement after its latest meeting ended, the Fed said the “unemployment rate has moved up but remains low,” and while inflation has fallen closer to the 2% target level, it “remains somewhat elevated.”

After their rate cut in September — their first such move in more than four years — the Fed’s policymakers had projected that they would make further quarter-point cuts in November and December and four more next year. But with the economy now mostly solid and Wall Street anticipating faster growth, larger budget deficits and higher inflation under a Trump presidency, further rate cuts may have become less likely.

Powell said the Fed intends, over time, to keep reducing its key rate toward what the central bank calls “neutral” — a level that neither restricts nor stimulates growth. He and other officials have acknowledged that they don’t know exactly where the neutral rate is.

“We’re on a path to a more neutral stance,” the Fed chair said. “That has not changed at all. We’re just going to have to see where the data is.”

The economy is clouding the picture by flashing conflicting signals, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-growth-inflation-gdp-consumers-federal-reserve-6a3fbfb5790b07434d656a95865b7435">growth solid</a>&nbsp;but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-election-economy-inflation-unemployment-presidential-dcf54cd3b40f01ca78bccf86cd8e13d5">hiring weakening</a>. Consumer spending, though, has been healthy, fueling concerns that there is no need for the Fed to reduce borrowing costs and that doing so might overstimulate the economy and even re-accelerate inflation.

Financial markets are throwing yet another curve at the Fed: Investors have sharply pushed up Treasury yields since the central bank cut rates in September. The result has been higher borrowing costs throughout the economy, thereby diminishing the benefit to consumers of the Fed’s half-point cut in its benchmark rate, which it announced after its September meeting.

Broader interest rates have risen because investors are anticipating higher inflation, larger federal budget deficits, and faster economic growth under a President-elect Trump. Trump’s plan to impose at least a 10% tariff on all imports, as well as significantly higher taxes on Chinese goods, and to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would almost certainly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inflation-tariffs-taxes-immigration-federal-reserve-a18de763fcc01557258c7f33cab375ed">boost inflation</a>. This would make it less likely that the Fed would continue cutting its key rate. Annual inflation as measured by the central bank’s preferred gauge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-e4ff4b6745ea1c8badd6a0502f372f25">fell to 2.1% in September</a>.

Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that Trump’s proposed 10% tariff, as well as his proposed taxes on Chinese imports and autos from Mexico, could send inflation back up to about 2.75% to 3% by mid-2026.

Rate cuts by the Fed typically lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses over time. Yet this time, mortgage rates fell in anticipation of rate cuts but have since bounced back up as the economy has grown briskly, fueled by consumer spending. High borrowing costs not only for mortgages but also for car loans and other major purchases, even as the Fed is reducing its benchmark rate, has set up a potential challenge for the central bank: Its effort to support the economy by lowering borrowing costs may not bear fruit if investors are acting to boost longer-term borrowing rates.

The economy grew at a solid annual rate just below 3% over the past six months, while consumer spending — fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-consumers-inflation-retail-spending-growth-wealth-be68f97bba5970ed4ce4fc8b8c7333af">higher-income shoppers</a>&nbsp;— rose strongly in the July-September quarter.

But companies have scaled back hiring, with many people who are out of work struggling to find jobs. Powell has suggested that the Fed is reducing its key rate in part to bolster the job market. If economic growth continues at a healthy clip and inflation climbs again, though, the central bank will come under growing pressure to slow or stop its rate cuts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump’s presidential election victory this week.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fed Chair Powell: &quot;Today, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOMC</a> decided to take another step in reducing the degree of policy restraint by lowering our policy interest rate by a quarter percentage point.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/izLKXeJsIr">pic.twitter.com/izLKXeJsIr</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854612447262298282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects the Fed’s renewed focus on supporting the job market as well as fighting inflation, which now barely exceeds the central bank’s 2% target.Thursday's move reduces the Fed’s benchmark rate to about 4.6%, down from a four-decade high of 5.3% before September's meeting. The Fed had kept its rate that high for more than a year to fight the worst inflation streak in four decades. Annual inflation has since fallen from a 9.1% peak in mid-2022 to a 3 1/2-year low of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-interest-rates-economy-federal-reserve-cd6d9712bfd484d6e1bc4ccb958dcf23">2.4% in September</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fed Chair Powell: &quot;In the near term, the election will have no effects on our policy decisions...in principle, it&#39;s possible that any administration&#39;s policies...could have economic effects over time that would matter for our pursuit of our dual mandate goals.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uULaIv4Owd">pic.twitter.com/uULaIv4Owd</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854612626883354815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Asked at a news conference how Trump's election might affect the Fed's policymaking, Chair Jerome Powell said that "in the near term, the election will have no effects on our (interest rate) decisions.”But Trump’s election, beyond its economic consequences, has raised the specter of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vance-federal-reserve-inflation-rates-independent-a8fc72d3d67bcd64ba54b9d086db1275">meddling</a>&nbsp;by the White House in the Fed’s policy decisions. Trump has proclaimed that as president, he should have a voice in the central bank’s interest rate decisions. The Fed has long guarded its role as an independent institution able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet during his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/vtg2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vtg2</a>: &quot;Some of the president-elect&#39;s advisers have suggested that you should resign. If he asked to leave, would you go?&quot; Fed Chair Jerome Powell: &quot;No.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/FNa2ybEo4j">pic.twitter.com/FNa2ybEo4j</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854618592295227726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Asked at Thursday's news conference whether he would resign if Trump asked him to, Powell, who will have a year left in his second four-year term as Fed chair when Trump takes office, replied simply, “No.”And he said that in his view, Trump could not fire or demote him: It would “not be permitted under the law,” Powell said.In a statement after its latest meeting ended, the Fed said the “unemployment rate has moved up but remains low,” and while inflation has fallen closer to the 2% target level, it “remains somewhat elevated.”After their rate cut in September — their first such move in more than four years — the Fed’s policymakers had projected that they would make further quarter-point cuts in November and December and four more next year. But with the economy now mostly solid and Wall Street anticipating faster growth, larger budget deficits and higher inflation under a Trump presidency, further rate cuts may have become less likely.Powell said the Fed intends, over time, to keep reducing its key rate toward what the central bank calls “neutral” — a level that neither restricts nor stimulates growth. He and other officials have acknowledged that they don’t know exactly where the neutral rate is.“We’re on a path to a more neutral stance,” the Fed chair said. “That has not changed at all. We’re just going to have to see where the data is.”The economy is clouding the picture by flashing conflicting signals, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-growth-inflation-gdp-consumers-federal-reserve-6a3fbfb5790b07434d656a95865b7435">growth solid</a>&nbsp;but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-election-economy-inflation-unemployment-presidential-dcf54cd3b40f01ca78bccf86cd8e13d5">hiring weakening</a>. Consumer spending, though, has been healthy, fueling concerns that there is no need for the Fed to reduce borrowing costs and that doing so might overstimulate the economy and even re-accelerate inflation.Financial markets are throwing yet another curve at the Fed: Investors have sharply pushed up Treasury yields since the central bank cut rates in September. The result has been higher borrowing costs throughout the economy, thereby diminishing the benefit to consumers of the Fed’s half-point cut in its benchmark rate, which it announced after its September meeting.Broader interest rates have risen because investors are anticipating higher inflation, larger federal budget deficits, and faster economic growth under a President-elect Trump. Trump’s plan to impose at least a 10% tariff on all imports, as well as significantly higher taxes on Chinese goods, and to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would almost certainly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inflation-tariffs-taxes-immigration-federal-reserve-a18de763fcc01557258c7f33cab375ed">boost inflation</a>. This would make it less likely that the Fed would continue cutting its key rate. Annual inflation as measured by the central bank’s preferred gauge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-e4ff4b6745ea1c8badd6a0502f372f25">fell to 2.1% in September</a>.Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that Trump’s proposed 10% tariff, as well as his proposed taxes on Chinese imports and autos from Mexico, could send inflation back up to about 2.75% to 3% by mid-2026.Rate cuts by the Fed typically lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses over time. Yet this time, mortgage rates fell in anticipation of rate cuts but have since bounced back up as the economy has grown briskly, fueled by consumer spending. High borrowing costs not only for mortgages but also for car loans and other major purchases, even as the Fed is reducing its benchmark rate, has set up a potential challenge for the central bank: Its effort to support the economy by lowering borrowing costs may not bear fruit if investors are acting to boost longer-term borrowing rates.The economy grew at a solid annual rate just below 3% over the past six months, while consumer spending — fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-consumers-inflation-retail-spending-growth-wealth-be68f97bba5970ed4ce4fc8b8c7333af">higher-income shoppers</a>&nbsp;— rose strongly in the July-September quarter.But companies have scaled back hiring, with many people who are out of work struggling to find jobs. Powell has suggested that the Fed is reducing its key rate in part to bolster the job market. If economic growth continues at a healthy clip and inflation climbs again, though, the central bank will come under growing pressure to slow or stop its rate cuts.

🎥 Good news for borrowers: Fed cuts interest rates again

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Chuck and Cathie Baldwin were driving in the dark early on Election Day to work a shift at their polling place in rural Missouri when floodwaters overtopped a creek and swept their vehicle off the road. The couple, married for more than half a century, were later found dead, clinging to a tree and to each other.

Wright County Sheriff Sonny Byerley said the Baldwins — who regularly volunteered to help in elections — tried to swim to dry ground but drowned, among at least five people killed Tuesday as torrential rains drenched the state.

“When I’d go to the polling locations, they were there and they were always happy to be a part of it," said Byerley, who polices the county of about 19,000 residents, 210 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City. “They did believe in the American republic and the polling system.”

The state's highway patrol and the sheriff have not released their names, saying only that the man who died was 70 and the woman was 73. But the Baldwins' daughter, Michelle Baldwin-Bostian, of North Carolina, confirmed their identities Wednesday.

News spread fast among the couple's friends in tiny, tightknit unincorporated Manes, Missouri, where voters filled out their ballots in a music hall that regularly hosts performances by local artists.

In this heavily Republican-leaning community, the Baldwins were rare Democrats, which is why they were tapped to join a bipartisan team working the polls, said 52-year-old Patty Squirell, who worked with Cathie Baldwin at a liquor store in nearby Mountain Grove.

“Cathie was an angel here on earth,” she said. "She was so nonjudgmental and so loving and so kind. And we’re all in deep mourning.”

Tanisha Ledford, who lived on the same dirt road as the couple for a decade, remembered how they watched her children when she was working three jobs, sometimes not getting home until 3 a.m.

“You couldn’t go wrong with either one of them,” Ledford said. “Chuck stood up for the innocent, and Cathie would feed the poor. She did. I watched her do it. No one went hungry around her.”

Lindsi Snyder, a teacher at Manes Elementary, said her parents were close to the Baldwins. She described how Chuck wasn't even 18 when he met Cathie and that the besotted young couple decided very quickly that they wanted to marry.

In 2022, Cathie Baldwin marked their 52nd wedding anniversary with a Facebook post calling Chuck “the love of my life.”

The sheriff said the Baldwins were driving in the dark on a two-lane highway around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday when their car was suddenly swept away by floodwaters from the fast-rising Beaver Creek.

Three teenage boys in another car that was swept away at about the same time were able to swim to safety, and they knocked on the door of a nearby house to call 911. Byerley said the boys then returned to the surging water to try to reach the Baldwins.

“They were out of their car, clinging to a tree,” Byerley said of the couple.

But the current was too strong and the teens couldn’t get to them.

Byerley used a drone and spotted the hugging couple holding onto low-lying tree limbs, but rescuers were unable to reach them in time. Cathie and Chuck died in each other's arms, the sheriff said.

Snyder arrived at the music hall later that morning. She recalled how she and Chuck always teased each other and that she had commented to her daughter that she couldn't wait to see him at the polling place.

After she voted, she asked an election worker where Chuck was.

“And they go: ‘Lindsi, you didn’t know?’"

Snyder said she immediately burst into tears. Her friends had drowned about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the music hall.

“He would do anything for anybody," she said of Chuck, a retired construction worker. "He was just a good person. They both were.”

More than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain has fallen on parts of the state since Sunday, and flooding has closed more than 100 roads and highways statewide. More rain is forecast for Saturday.

The fast-rising Meramec River threatened several homes and businesses on the outskirts of St. Louis, including in Pacific, Missouri, where city leaders encouraged many of its 7,500 residents to evacuate their homes. Officials canceled classes in schools in and around Pacific for the rest of the week.

The river is expected to crest Friday at a level that could lead to extensive flooding. The city was providing sand and bags for those who want to makeshift flood barriers. Authorities warned that the river could also swamp homes, and close roads and a state park in nearby Eureka, Missouri.

Missouri state Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Republican representing Wright County, said she knew the Baldwins and sometimes bumped into them at auctions.

“No matter what party line a person falls on today, no matter whether you’re sad or happy the morning after the election, I think we all can agree that it’s heart wrenching,” Kelly said.

Their former neighbor meanwhile pondered that the Baldwins died together while performing a service for the community.

“I wholeheartedly believe the Lord planned that one because neither one of them could have been without the other in any way, shape or form,” Ledford said. “They were actually made for each other. You know, people say that, but that actually happened with them.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731006344386.png" alt="photo Missouri State Highway Patrol" />
 <figcaption>photo Missouri State Highway Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Chuck and Cathie Baldwin were driving in the dark early on Election Day to work a shift at their polling place in rural Missouri when floodwaters overtopped a creek and swept their vehicle off the road. The couple, married for more than half a century, were later found dead, clinging to a tree and to each other.Wright County Sheriff Sonny Byerley said the Baldwins — who regularly volunteered to help in elections — tried to swim to dry ground but drowned, among at least five people killed Tuesday as torrential rains drenched the state.“When I’d go to the polling locations, they were there and they were always happy to be a part of it," said Byerley, who polices the county of about 19,000 residents, 210 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City. “They did believe in the American republic and the polling system.”The state's highway patrol and the sheriff have not released their names, saying only that the man who died was 70 and the woman was 73. But the Baldwins' daughter, Michelle Baldwin-Bostian, of North Carolina, confirmed their identities Wednesday.News spread fast among the couple's friends in tiny, tightknit unincorporated Manes, Missouri, where voters filled out their ballots in a music hall that regularly hosts performances by local artists.In this heavily Republican-leaning community, the Baldwins were rare Democrats, which is why they were tapped to join a bipartisan team working the polls, said 52-year-old Patty Squirell, who worked with Cathie Baldwin at a liquor store in nearby Mountain Grove.“Cathie was an angel here on earth,” she said. "She was so nonjudgmental and so loving and so kind. And we’re all in deep mourning.”Tanisha Ledford, who lived on the same dirt road as the couple for a decade, remembered how they watched her children when she was working three jobs, sometimes not getting home until 3 a.m.“You couldn’t go wrong with either one of them,” Ledford said. “Chuck stood up for the innocent, and Cathie would feed the poor. She did. I watched her do it. No one went hungry around her.”Lindsi Snyder, a teacher at Manes Elementary, said her parents were close to the Baldwins. She described how Chuck wasn't even 18 when he met Cathie and that the besotted young couple decided very quickly that they wanted to marry.In 2022, Cathie Baldwin marked their 52nd wedding anniversary with a Facebook post calling Chuck “the love of my life.”The sheriff said the Baldwins were driving in the dark on a two-lane highway around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday when their car was suddenly swept away by floodwaters from the fast-rising Beaver Creek.Three teenage boys in another car that was swept away at about the same time were able to swim to safety, and they knocked on the door of a nearby house to call 911. Byerley said the boys then returned to the surging water to try to reach the Baldwins.“They were out of their car, clinging to a tree,” Byerley said of the couple.But the current was too strong and the teens couldn’t get to them.Byerley used a drone and spotted the hugging couple holding onto low-lying tree limbs, but rescuers were unable to reach them in time. Cathie and Chuck died in each other's arms, the sheriff said.Snyder arrived at the music hall later that morning. She recalled how she and Chuck always teased each other and that she had commented to her daughter that she couldn't wait to see him at the polling place.After she voted, she asked an election worker where Chuck was.“And they go: ‘Lindsi, you didn’t know?’"Snyder said she immediately burst into tears. Her friends had drowned about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the music hall.“He would do anything for anybody," she said of Chuck, a retired construction worker. "He was just a good person. They both were.”More than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain has fallen on parts of the state since Sunday, and flooding has closed more than 100 roads and highways statewide. More rain is forecast for Saturday.The fast-rising Meramec River threatened several homes and businesses on the outskirts of St. Louis, including in Pacific, Missouri, where city leaders encouraged many of its 7,500 residents to evacuate their homes. Officials canceled classes in schools in and around Pacific for the rest of the week.The river is expected to crest Friday at a level that could lead to extensive flooding. The city was providing sand and bags for those who want to makeshift flood barriers. Authorities warned that the river could also swamp homes, and close roads and a state park in nearby Eureka, Missouri.Missouri state Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Republican representing Wright County, said she knew the Baldwins and sometimes bumped into them at auctions.“No matter what party line a person falls on today, no matter whether you’re sad or happy the morning after the election, I think we all can agree that it’s heart wrenching,” Kelly said.Their former neighbor meanwhile pondered that the Baldwins died together while performing a service for the community.“I wholeheartedly believe the Lord planned that one because neither one of them could have been without the other in any way, shape or form,” Ledford said. “They were actually made for each other. You know, people say that, but that actually happened with them.”

Volunteer poll workers drown on a flood-washed rural highway 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration.

The former president and now president-elect often skipped over details but through more than a year of policy pronouncements and written statements outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in America's international role.

Trump's agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers.

“Build the wall!” from his 2016 campaign has become creating “the largest mass deportation program in history.” Trump has called for using the National Guard and empowering domestic police forces in the effort. Still, Trump has been scant on details of what the program would look like and how he would ensure that it targeted only people in the U.S. illegally. He’s pitched “ideological screening” for would-be entrants, ending birth-right citizenship (which almost certainly would require a constitutional change), and said he’d reinstitute first-term policies such as “Remain in Mexico,” limiting migrants on public health grounds and severely limiting or banning entrants from certain majority-Muslim nations. Altogether, the approach would not just crack down on illegal migration, but curtail immigration overall.

Trump played down abortion as a second-term priority, even as he took credit for the Supreme Court ending a woman’s federal right to terminate a pregnancy and returning abortion regulation to state governments. At Trump’s insistence, the GOP platform, for the first time in decades, did not call for a national ban on abortion. Trump maintains that overturning Roe v. Wade is enough on the federal level. Trump said last month on his social media platform Truth Social that he would veto a federal abortion ban if legislation reached his desk.

But in an example of how the conservative movement might proceed with or without Trump, anti-abortion activists note that the GOP platform still asserts that a fetus should have due process protections under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. That constitutional argument is a roadmap for conservatives to seek a national abortion ban through federal courts.

Trump’s tax policies broadly tilt toward corporations and wealthier Americans. That’s mostly due to his promise to extend his 2017 tax overhaul, with a few notable changes that include lowering the corporate income tax rate to 15% from the current 21%. That also involves rolling back Democratic President Joe Biden’s income tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans and scrapping Inflation Reduction Act levies that finance energy measures intended to combat climate change.

Those policies notwithstanding, Trump has put more emphasis on new proposals aimed at working- and middle class Americans: exempting earned tips, Social Security wages and overtime wages from income taxes. It’s noteworthy, however, that his proposal on tips, depending on how Congress might write it, could give a back-door tax break to top wage earners by allowing them to reclassify some of their pay as tip income — a prospect that at its most extreme could see hedge-fund managers or top-flight attorneys taking advantage of a policy that Trump frames as being designed for restaurant servers, bartenders and other service workers.

Trump’s posture on international trade is to distrust world markets as harmful to American interests. He proposes tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods — and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages. He promises to reinstitute an August 2020 executive order requiring that the Food and Drug Administration buy “essential” medications only from U.S. companies. He pledges to block purchases of “any vital infrastructure” in the U.S. by Chinese buyers.

Trump has called for rolling back societal emphasis on diversity and for legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. Trump has called for ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government institutions, using federal funding as leverage.

On transgender rights, Trump promises generally to end “boys in girls’ sports,” a practice he insists, without evidence, is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration’s policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth.

Regulation, federal bureaucracy and presidential power

The president-elect seeks to reduce the role of federal bureaucrats and regulations across economic sectors. Trump frames all regulatory cuts as an economic magic wand. He pledges precipitous drops in U.S. households’ utility bills by removing obstacles to fossil fuel production, including opening all federal lands for exploration — even though U.S. energy production is already at record highs. Trump promises to unleash housing construction by cutting regulations — though most construction rules come from state and local government. He also says he would end “frivolous litigation from the environmental extremists.”

The approach would in many ways strengthen executive branch influence. That power would come more directly from the White House.

He would make it easier to fire federal workers by classifying thousands of them as being outside civil service protections. That could weaken the government’s power to enforce statutes and rules by reducing the number of employees engaging in the work and, potentially, impose a chilling effect on those who remain.

Trump also claims that presidents have exclusive power to control federal spending even after Congress has appropriated money. Trump argues that lawmakers’ budget actions “set a ceiling” on spending but not a floor — meaning the president’s constitutional duty to “faithfully execute the laws” includes discretion on whether to spend the money. This interpretation could set up a court battle with Congress.

As a candidate, he also suggested that the Federal Reserve, an independent entity that sets interest rates, should be subject to more presidential power. Though he has not offered details, any such move would represent a momentous change to how the U.S. economic and monetary systems work.

The federal Department of Education would be targeted for elimination in a second Trump administration. That does not mean that Trump wants Washington out of classrooms. He still proposes, among other maneuvers, using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers and to scrap diversity programs at all levels of education. He calls for pulling federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”

In higher education, Trump proposes taking over accreditation processes for colleges, a move he describes as his “secret weapon” against the “Marxist Maniacs and lunatics” he says control higher education. Trump takes aim at higher education endowments, saying he will collect “billions and billions of dollars” from schools via “taxing, fining and suing excessively large private university endowments” at schools that do not comply with his edicts. That almost certainly would end up in protracted legal fights.

As in other policy areas, Trump isn’t actually proposing limiting federal power in higher education but strengthening it. He calls for redirecting the confiscated endowment money into an online “American Academy” offering college credentials to all Americans without a tuition charges. “It will be strictly non-political, and there will be no wokeness or jihadism allowed—none of that’s going to be allowed,” Trump said on Nov. 1, 2023.

Trump insists he would protect Social Security and Medicare, popular programs geared toward older Americans and among the biggest pieces of the federal spending pie each year. There are questions about how his proposal not to tax tip and overtime wages might affect Social Security and Medicare. If such plans eventually involved only income taxes, the entitlement programs would not be affected. But exempting those wages from payroll taxes would reduce the funding stream for Social Security and Medicare outlays. Trump has talked little about Medicaid but his first administration, in general, defaulted to approving state requests for waivers of various federal rules and it broadly endorsed state-level work requirements for recipients.

As he has since 2015, Trump calls for repealing the Affordable Care Act and its subsidized health insurance marketplaces. But he still has not proposed a replacement: In a September debate, he insisted he had the “concepts of a plan.” In the latter stages of the campaign, Trump played up his alliance with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines and of pesticides used in U.S. agriculture. Trump repeatedly told rally crowds that he would put Kennedy in charge of “making America healthy again."

Trump, who claims falsely that climate change is a “hoax,” blasts Biden-era spending on cleaner energy designed to reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels. He proposes an energy policy – and transportation infrastructure spending – anchored to fossil fuels: roads, bridges and combustion-engine vehicles. “Drill, baby, drill!” was a regular chant at Trump rallies. Trump says he does not oppose electric vehicles but promises to end all Biden incentives to encourage EV market development. Trump also pledges to roll back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards.

Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance framed their ticket as favoring America’s workers. But Trump could make it harder for workers to unionize. In discussing auto workers, Trump focused almost exclusively on Biden’s push toward electric vehicles. When he mentioned unions, it was often to lump “the union bosses and CEOs” together as complicit in “this disastrous electric car scheme.” In an Oct. 23, 2023, statement, Trump said of United Auto Workers, “I’m telling you, you shouldn’t pay those dues.”

National defense and America’s role in the world

Trump’s rhetoric and policy approach in world affairs is more isolationist diplomatically, non-interventionist militarily and protectionist economically than the U.S. has been since World War II. But the details are more complicated. He pledges expansion of the military, promises to protect Pentagon spending from austerity efforts and proposes a new missile defense shield — an old idea from the Reagan era during the Cold War. Trump insists he can end Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, without explaining how. Trump summarizes his approach through another Reagan phrase: “peace through strength.” But he remains critical of NATO and top U.S. military brass. “I don’t consider them leaders,” Trump said of Pentagon officials that Americans “see on television.” He repeatedly praised authoritarians like Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration.The former president and now president-elect often skipped over details but through more than a year of policy pronouncements and written statements outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in America's international role.Trump's agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers.A look at what Trump has proposed:<h2>Immigration</h2>“Build the wall!” from his 2016 campaign has become creating “the largest mass deportation program in history.” Trump has called for using the National Guard and empowering domestic police forces in the effort. Still, Trump has been scant on details of what the program would look like and how he would ensure that it targeted only people in the U.S. illegally. He’s pitched “ideological screening” for would-be entrants, ending birth-right citizenship (which almost certainly would require a constitutional change), and said he’d reinstitute first-term policies such as “Remain in Mexico,” limiting migrants on public health grounds and severely limiting or banning entrants from certain majority-Muslim nations. Altogether, the approach would not just crack down on illegal migration, but curtail immigration overall.<h2>Abortion</h2>Trump played down abortion as a second-term priority, even as he took credit for the Supreme Court ending a woman’s federal right to terminate a pregnancy and returning abortion regulation to state governments. At Trump’s insistence, the GOP platform, for the first time in decades, did not call for a national ban on abortion. Trump maintains that overturning Roe v. Wade is enough on the federal level. Trump said last month on his social media platform Truth Social that he would veto a federal abortion ban if legislation reached his desk.But in an example of how the conservative movement might proceed with or without Trump, anti-abortion activists note that the GOP platform still asserts that a fetus should have due process protections under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. That constitutional argument is a roadmap for conservatives to seek a national abortion ban through federal courts.<h2>Taxes</h2>Trump’s tax policies broadly tilt toward corporations and wealthier Americans. That’s mostly due to his promise to extend his 2017 tax overhaul, with a few notable changes that include lowering the corporate income tax rate to 15% from the current 21%. That also involves rolling back Democratic President Joe Biden’s income tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans and scrapping Inflation Reduction Act levies that finance energy measures intended to combat climate change.Those policies notwithstanding, Trump has put more emphasis on new proposals aimed at working- and middle class Americans: exempting earned tips, Social Security wages and overtime wages from income taxes. It’s noteworthy, however, that his proposal on tips, depending on how Congress might write it, could give a back-door tax break to top wage earners by allowing them to reclassify some of their pay as tip income — a prospect that at its most extreme could see hedge-fund managers or top-flight attorneys taking advantage of a policy that Trump frames as being designed for restaurant servers, bartenders and other service workers.<h2>Tariffs and trade</h2>Trump’s posture on international trade is to distrust world markets as harmful to American interests. He proposes tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods — and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages. He promises to reinstitute an August 2020 executive order requiring that the Food and Drug Administration buy “essential” medications only from U.S. companies. He pledges to block purchases of “any vital infrastructure” in the U.S. by Chinese buyers.<h2>DEI, LGBTQ and civil rights</h2>Trump has called for rolling back societal emphasis on diversity and for legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. Trump has called for ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government institutions, using federal funding as leverage.On transgender rights, Trump promises generally to end “boys in girls’ sports,” a practice he insists, without evidence, is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration’s policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth.<h2>Regulation, federal bureaucracy and presidential power</h2>The president-elect seeks to reduce the role of federal bureaucrats and regulations across economic sectors. Trump frames all regulatory cuts as an economic magic wand. He pledges precipitous drops in U.S. households’ utility bills by removing obstacles to fossil fuel production, including opening all federal lands for exploration — even though U.S. energy production is already at record highs. Trump promises to unleash housing construction by cutting regulations — though most construction rules come from state and local government. He also says he would end “frivolous litigation from the environmental extremists.”The approach would in many ways strengthen executive branch influence. That power would come more directly from the White House.He would make it easier to fire federal workers by classifying thousands of them as being outside civil service protections. That could weaken the government’s power to enforce statutes and rules by reducing the number of employees engaging in the work and, potentially, impose a chilling effect on those who remain.Trump also claims that presidents have exclusive power to control federal spending even after Congress has appropriated money. Trump argues that lawmakers’ budget actions “set a ceiling” on spending but not a floor — meaning the president’s constitutional duty to “faithfully execute the laws” includes discretion on whether to spend the money. This interpretation could set up a court battle with Congress.As a candidate, he also suggested that the Federal Reserve, an independent entity that sets interest rates, should be subject to more presidential power. Though he has not offered details, any such move would represent a momentous change to how the U.S. economic and monetary systems work.<h2>Education</h2>The federal Department of Education would be targeted for elimination in a second Trump administration. That does not mean that Trump wants Washington out of classrooms. He still proposes, among other maneuvers, using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers and to scrap diversity programs at all levels of education. He calls for pulling federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”In higher education, Trump proposes taking over accreditation processes for colleges, a move he describes as his “secret weapon” against the “Marxist Maniacs and lunatics” he says control higher education. Trump takes aim at higher education endowments, saying he will collect “billions and billions of dollars” from schools via “taxing, fining and suing excessively large private university endowments” at schools that do not comply with his edicts. That almost certainly would end up in protracted legal fights.As in other policy areas, Trump isn’t actually proposing limiting federal power in higher education but strengthening it. He calls for redirecting the confiscated endowment money into an online “American Academy” offering college credentials to all Americans without a tuition charges. “It will be strictly non-political, and there will be no wokeness or jihadism allowed—none of that’s going to be allowed,” Trump said on Nov. 1, 2023.<h2>Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid</h2>Trump insists he would protect Social Security and Medicare, popular programs geared toward older Americans and among the biggest pieces of the federal spending pie each year. There are questions about how his proposal not to tax tip and overtime wages might affect Social Security and Medicare. If such plans eventually involved only income taxes, the entitlement programs would not be affected. But exempting those wages from payroll taxes would reduce the funding stream for Social Security and Medicare outlays. Trump has talked little about Medicaid but his first administration, in general, defaulted to approving state requests for waivers of various federal rules and it broadly endorsed state-level work requirements for recipients.<h2>Affordable Care Act and Health Care</h2>As he has since 2015, Trump calls for repealing the Affordable Care Act and its subsidized health insurance marketplaces. But he still has not proposed a replacement: In a September debate, he insisted he had the “concepts of a plan.” In the latter stages of the campaign, Trump played up his alliance with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines and of pesticides used in U.S. agriculture. Trump repeatedly told rally crowds that he would put Kennedy in charge of “making America healthy again."<h2>Climate and energy</h2>Trump, who claims falsely that climate change is a “hoax,” blasts Biden-era spending on cleaner energy designed to reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels. He proposes an energy policy – and transportation infrastructure spending – anchored to fossil fuels: roads, bridges and combustion-engine vehicles. “Drill, baby, drill!” was a regular chant at Trump rallies. Trump says he does not oppose electric vehicles but promises to end all Biden incentives to encourage EV market development. Trump also pledges to roll back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards.<h2>Workers’ rights</h2>Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance framed their ticket as favoring America’s workers. But Trump could make it harder for workers to unionize. In discussing auto workers, Trump focused almost exclusively on Biden’s push toward electric vehicles. When he mentioned unions, it was often to lump “the union bosses and CEOs” together as complicit in “this disastrous electric car scheme.” In an Oct. 23, 2023, statement, Trump said of United Auto Workers, “I’m telling you, you shouldn’t pay those dues.”<h2>National defense and America’s role in the world</h2>Trump’s rhetoric and policy approach in world affairs is more isolationist diplomatically, non-interventionist militarily and protectionist economically than the U.S. has been since World War II. But the details are more complicated. He pledges expansion of the military, promises to protect Pentagon spending from austerity efforts and proposes a new missile defense shield — an old idea from the Reagan era during the Cold War. Trump insists he can end Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, without explaining how. Trump summarizes his approach through another Reagan phrase: “peace through strength.” But he remains critical of NATO and top U.S. military brass. “I don’t consider them leaders,” Trump said of Pentagon officials that Americans “see on television.” He repeatedly praised authoritarians like Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Read Donald Trump's plan for his second administration

TOPEKA —It’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, according to National Sleep Foundation. So far this week, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported two accidents where the driver fell asleep.

Just after 3:30a.m. Wednesday in Rawlins County,&nbsp;a 2007 Saturn Vue driven by&nbsp;Lawrence Stephen&nbsp;Longwolf, 25, Vacaville, California, was northbound on Kansas 25 approximately eight miles south of U.S. 36

The driver fell asleep and woke up as the SUV was leaving the roadway to the east. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle crossed the southbound lane, entered the west ditch sideways and rolled.

EMS transported a passenger Kylie R.&nbsp; Cisco, 23, Anadarko, Oklahoma, to the Rawlins County Hospital.&nbsp; Longwolf and a 1-year-old passenger were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Just before 3p.m. Tuesday, a 2006 Honda Accord driven by&nbsp; Jimi Wayne&nbsp; Hill, 26, Timken, was southbound on U.S. 183 at South County Line Road.

The driver fell asleep. The car traveled off the road to the west and the driver overcorrected. The Honda then crossed U.S. 183 to the east and struck a utility pole.

EMS transported Hill to Hays Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

The Kansas Turnpike Safety Assist, sponsored by Geico reminds motorists to be fully awake when behind the wheel. "Ensure a better night’s sleep by a relaxing wind-down and putting your devices away an hour before bed."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730996217585.png" alt="Driving Drowsy Prevention Week November 3–9, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Driving Drowsy Prevention Week November 3–9, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —It’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, according to National Sleep Foundation. So far this week, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported two accidents where the driver fell asleep.Just after 3:30a.m. Wednesday in Rawlins County,&nbsp;a 2007 Saturn Vue driven by&nbsp;Lawrence Stephen&nbsp;Longwolf, 25, Vacaville, California, was northbound on Kansas 25 approximately eight miles south of U.S. 36The driver fell asleep and woke up as the SUV was leaving the roadway to the east. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle crossed the southbound lane, entered the west ditch sideways and rolled.EMS transported a passenger Kylie R.&nbsp; Cisco, 23, Anadarko, Oklahoma, to the Rawlins County Hospital.&nbsp; Longwolf and a 1-year-old passenger were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.Just before 3p.m. Tuesday, a 2006 Honda Accord driven by&nbsp; Jimi Wayne&nbsp; Hill, 26, Timken, was southbound on U.S. 183 at South County Line Road.The driver fell asleep. The car traveled off the road to the west and the driver overcorrected. The Honda then crossed U.S. 183 to the east and struck a utility pole.EMS transported Hill to Hays Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and our Kansas Turnpike Safety Assist, sponsored by <a href="https://twitter.com/GEICO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GEICO</a>, reminds motorists to be fully awake when behind the wheel. Ensure a better night’s sleep by a relaxing wind-down and putting your devices away an hour before bed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GEICOSafetyPatrol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GEICOSafetyPatrol</a> <a href="https://t.co/Nt4y0x8B8y">pic.twitter.com/Nt4y0x8B8y</a>&mdash; Kansas Turnpike (@KansasTurnpike) <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasTurnpike/status/1854258453218492640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Kansas Turnpike Safety Assist, sponsored by Geico reminds motorists to be fully awake when behind the wheel. "Ensure a better night’s sleep by a relaxing wind-down and putting your devices away an hour before bed."

Two sleeping drivers in Kan. during Drowsy Driving Prevention Week

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;decisive victory over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>.

“In a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,” he said near the beginning.

Biden said he had spoken with Trump and assured him that he would direct his administration to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition,” because that’s what the people deserve. Biden was subtly nodding to how Trump, in 2020, refused to accept he lost the election. Trump was reelected this week.

Biden spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House after Democrat Kamala Harris lost this week to Donald Trump, speaking to his supporters and Americans.

The president reiterated that the U.S. election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”

He closed by saying that defeat doesn't mean one is defeated.

“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;decisive victory over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;Yesterday I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I assured him that I&#39;ve directed my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That&#39;s what the American people deserve.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rPWIBkUJY4">pic.twitter.com/rPWIBkUJY4</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854562595476263180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“In a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,” he said near the beginning.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on Vice President Harris: &quot;She and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R0HHHIznev">pic.twitter.com/R0HHHIznev</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854562751122936297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden said he had spoken with Trump and assured him that he would direct his administration to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition,” because that’s what the people deserve. Biden was subtly nodding to how Trump, in 2020, refused to accept he lost the election. Trump was reelected this week.Biden spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House after Democrat Kamala Harris lost this week to Donald Trump, speaking to his supporters and Americans.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;Now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term. Let&#39;s make every day count. That&#39;s the responsibility we have to the American people...A defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bixM1TnS6m">pic.twitter.com/bixM1TnS6m</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854565578477851033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The president reiterated that the U.S. election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”He closed by saying that defeat doesn't mean one is defeated.“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”

🎥 Biden guarantees ‘peaceful transfer of power’ in first remarks since Trump win

TOPEKA –&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that she granted clemency to seven individuals by commuting the sentences of two incarcerated individuals and granting pardons to five individuals, all of whom show strong signs of rehabilitation, according to a statement from the governor's office.

The decision to grant the commutations and pardons was made following independent reviews by the Prison Review Board, the Kansas Department of Administration, and the Governor’s legal team.

“Granting commutations and pardons is not something I take lightly,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “By vetting numerous applications through a careful and thorough process, it was determined that these individuals have demonstrated their commitment to making amends and positively contributing to society. In cases where a disproportionally harsh sentence is imposed or a miscarriage of justice exists, commutation can be a tool to ensure reasonable action and a fairer sentence. In extraordinary cases where the criminal justice system failed to account for mitigating factors surrounding an individual’s alleged crime throughout the legal process, including sentencing, commutations can give a second chance to individuals experiencing incomprehensible circumstances at the time of their offense.”

Governor Kelly took into consideration numerous factors to determine if the commutations and pardons were warranted, including but not limited to: the nature of the offense, harsh sentences, impact of the crime on victims or survivors, demonstration of rehabilitation, criminal history, absence of disciplinary issues in prison, positive achievements and growth while incarcerated, and the ability to contribute to society following release.

Article 1, Section 7 of the Kansas Constitution and K.S.A. § 22-3701 grants the Governor’s authority to grant clemency. Below, please find the list of individuals receiving commutations and pardons:

Review of clemency applications by the Governor is ongoing, and there is no set timeline for review. By law, clemency applications in Kansas must be submitted to the Prisoner Review Board and notice of an individual’s application for clemency must be published in the county newspaper where the crime was committed. The Board reviews all applications before forwarding them for further review. Additional information about the process can be found at the Board’s website:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fgcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.doc.ks.gov%252Fprb%26data=05%257C02%257CAna.Nixon%2540ks.gov%257C54a18c945bc94c7cef9908dcccec3705%257Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%257C0%257C0%257C638610562106760595%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C0%257C%257C%257C%26sdata=TVFfLmVj0zBjEC2hlG41qZasLpFnoRvUlC0EsfsqVKM%253D%26reserved=0/1/01010193039881ea-45df8950-42c0-4dec-b909-0a69dd90e820-000000/EQD3pxK56IRd9nkMPcKCzxcRt8HakRbBbdI_y-W9EXs=378">https://www.doc.ks.gov/prb</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730986375858.png" alt="Holle was serving time after convictions for Murder in the 2nd Degree, Aggravated abandonment of a child and abuse of a child, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Holle was serving time after convictions for Murder in the 2nd Degree, Aggravated abandonment of a child and abuse of a child, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA –&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that she granted clemency to seven individuals by commuting the sentences of two incarcerated individuals and granting pardons to five individuals, all of whom show strong signs of rehabilitation, according to a statement from the governor's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730986943406.png" alt="Durham was serving time for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Durham was serving time for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>The decision to grant the commutations and pardons was made following independent reviews by the Prison Review Board, the Kansas Department of Administration, and the Governor’s legal team.“Granting commutations and pardons is not something I take lightly,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “By vetting numerous applications through a careful and thorough process, it was determined that these individuals have demonstrated their commitment to making amends and positively contributing to society. In cases where a disproportionally harsh sentence is imposed or a miscarriage of justice exists, commutation can be a tool to ensure reasonable action and a fairer sentence. In extraordinary cases where the criminal justice system failed to account for mitigating factors surrounding an individual’s alleged crime throughout the legal process, including sentencing, commutations can give a second chance to individuals experiencing incomprehensible circumstances at the time of their offense.”Governor Kelly took into consideration numerous factors to determine if the commutations and pardons were warranted, including but not limited to: the nature of the offense, harsh sentences, impact of the crime on victims or survivors, demonstration of rehabilitation, criminal history, absence of disciplinary issues in prison, positive achievements and growth while incarcerated, and the ability to contribute to society following release.Article 1, Section 7 of the Kansas Constitution and K.S.A. § 22-3701 grants the Governor’s authority to grant clemency. Below, please find the list of individuals receiving commutations and pardons:Jose Arellano,&nbsp;pardonDeshaun Durham,&nbsp;commutationStephen Gontz,&nbsp;pardonJeffrey Gronewaller,&nbsp;pardonLauren Holle, commutation &nbsp;James Valentine,&nbsp;pardonScottie Way, pardonReview of clemency applications by the Governor is ongoing, and there is no set timeline for review. By law, clemency applications in Kansas must be submitted to the Prisoner Review Board and notice of an individual’s application for clemency must be published in the county newspaper where the crime was committed. The Board reviews all applications before forwarding them for further review. Additional information about the process can be found at the Board’s website:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fgcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.doc.ks.gov%252Fprb%26data=05%257C02%257CAna.Nixon%2540ks.gov%257C54a18c945bc94c7cef9908dcccec3705%257Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%257C0%257C0%257C638610562106760595%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C0%257C%257C%257C%26sdata=TVFfLmVj0zBjEC2hlG41qZasLpFnoRvUlC0EsfsqVKM%253D%26reserved=0/1/01010193039881ea-45df8950-42c0-4dec-b909-0a69dd90e820-000000/EQD3pxK56IRd9nkMPcKCzxcRt8HakRbBbdI_y-W9EXs=378">https://www.doc.ks.gov/prb</a>

Gov. commutes sentence of Kan. woman in prison for murder

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/senate-house-election-updates-11-5-2024#00000192-feae-dd3b-abfa-feeef4820000">hung in the balance</a>&nbsp;Thursday, teetering between Republican control that would usher in a new era of unified GOP governance in Washington or a flip to Democrats as a last line of resistance to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wins-second-term-policies-de3dcf0f173b42602b258042fd7aaafb">Trump second-term White House agenda</a>.

A few individual seats, or even a single one, will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-election-2024">determine the outcome</a>. Final tallies will take a while, likely pushing the decision into next week — or beyond.

After Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-elections-house-senate-harris-trump-94b49277db2a5c21f23236794a36afa6">swept into the majority</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. Senate by picking up seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;predicted his chamber would fall in line next.

“Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday.

President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-harris-election-updates-11-5-2024">won the Electoral College and the popular vote</a>&nbsp;against Democratic Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>, has consolidated growing power around his MAGA movement, backing newcomers to Washington and setting the stage for his own return to the White House.

Johnson said Republicans in Congress are preparing an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mike-johnson-majority-trump-election-65d7217e4541cd314849c9a0da2b0081">“ambitious” 100-day agenda</a>&nbsp;with Trump, who he has said is “thinking big” about his legacy.

Tax cuts, securing the southern border and taking a ”blowtorch” to federal regulations are at the top of the agenda if the GOP sweeps the White House and Congress. Trump himself has promised mass deportations and retribution against his perceived enemies. And Republicans want to push federal agencies out of Washington and to restaff the government workforce with the help of outside think tanks, Johnson has said, to bring the federal government “to heel.”

But Johnson, after just a year on the job, has had difficulty governing the House, and the new Congress would be no different. Hard-liners led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Matt Gaetz and others have often confronted and upended their own GOP leadership in what has been one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-house-chaos-elections-democrats-republicans-divide-50e562326d5c1d8a43cc86381d5705f5">most chaotic sessions</a>&nbsp;in modern times.

If Johnson’s slim four-seat majority were to shrink any further, governing could come to a standstill.

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the House “remains very much in play.”

With Democrats having defeated two House Republicans in Jeffries’ home state of New York, he said the path to the majority now runs through pickup opportunities in Arizona, Oregon, Iowa and California that are still too early to call.

“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.

The House contests remained a tit-for-tat fight to the finish, with no dominant pathway to the majority for either party. Rarely, if ever have the two chambers of Congress flipped in opposite directions.

Each side is gaining and losing a few seats, including through the redistricting process, which is the routine redrawing of House seat boundary lines. The process reset seats in North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama.

Much of the outcome hinges on the West, particularly in California, where a handful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week after the election will still be counted. Hard-fought races around the “blue dot” in Omaha, Nebraska and in far-flung Alaska are among those being watched.

Trump, speaking early Wednesday at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/donald-trump-donald-trump-es-florida-west-palm-beach-729b033628874b8392a148c073148602">election night party</a>&nbsp;in Florida, said the results delivered an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans.

He called the Senate rout “incredible,” and he praised Johnson, saying he’s “doing a terrific job.”

From the U.S. Capitol, Senate GOP Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Mitch McConnell</a>, privately a harsh Trump critic, called it a “hell of a good day.”

Senate Republicans marched across the map alongside Trump, flipping the three Democratic-held seats and holding their own against Democratic challengers who failed to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas and Sen. Rick Scott in Florida.

In West Virginia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-senate-justice-elliott-7376ed0ceb9bebd0766190fb14cc0e69">Jim Justice,</a>&nbsp;the state’s wealthy governor, flipped the seat held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans toppled Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio with GOP luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-ohio-brown-moreno-74c4b91e5866215d4201377fefcadad0">Bernie Moreno.</a>&nbsp;And Republican Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana.

Democrats avoided a total wipeout by salvaging seats in the “blue wall” states. Rep. Elissa Slotkin won an open Senate seat in Michigan, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin was reelected in Wisconsin. Pennsylvania’s race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick was still undecided.

In other developments, Democrats made history by sending two Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, to the Senate. Just thee Black women, including Harris, have served in the Senate, but never two at the same time.

All told, Senate Republicans have the potential to achieve their most robust majority in years — a testament to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">McConnell</a>, who made a career charting a path to power, this time aligned with Trump whom he has privately called “despicable” in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

During a news conference Wednesday, McConnell declined to answer questions about his past stark criticism of Trump and said he viewed the election results as a referendum on the Biden administration.

He told reporters at the Capitol that a Senate under Republican control would “control the guardrails” and prevent changes in Senate rules that would end the filibuster.

“People were just not happy with this administration and the Democratic nominee was a part of it,” McConnell said.

What’s still unclear is who will lead the new Republican Senate, as McConnell prepares to step down from the post.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who previously held that post, are the front-runners to replace McConnell in a secret-ballot election scheduled for when senators arrive in Washington next week.

Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730988020671.png" alt="Image AP" />
 <figcaption>Image AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/senate-house-election-updates-11-5-2024#00000192-feae-dd3b-abfa-feeef4820000">hung in the balance</a>&nbsp;Thursday, teetering between Republican control that would usher in a new era of unified GOP governance in Washington or a flip to Democrats as a last line of resistance to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wins-second-term-policies-de3dcf0f173b42602b258042fd7aaafb">Trump second-term White House agenda</a>.A few individual seats, or even a single one, will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-election-2024">determine the outcome</a>. Final tallies will take a while, likely pushing the decision into next week — or beyond.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691086285875.jpeg" alt="U.S. Capitol (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Capitol (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>After Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-elections-house-senate-harris-trump-94b49277db2a5c21f23236794a36afa6">swept into the majority</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. Senate by picking up seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;predicted his chamber would fall in line next.“Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday.President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-harris-election-updates-11-5-2024">won the Electoral College and the popular vote</a>&nbsp;against Democratic Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>, has consolidated growing power around his MAGA movement, backing newcomers to Washington and setting the stage for his own return to the White House.Johnson said Republicans in Congress are preparing an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mike-johnson-majority-trump-election-65d7217e4541cd314849c9a0da2b0081">“ambitious” 100-day agenda</a>&nbsp;with Trump, who he has said is “thinking big” about his legacy.Tax cuts, securing the southern border and taking a ”blowtorch” to federal regulations are at the top of the agenda if the GOP sweeps the White House and Congress. Trump himself has promised mass deportations and retribution against his perceived enemies. And Republicans want to push federal agencies out of Washington and to restaff the government workforce with the help of outside think tanks, Johnson has said, to bring the federal government “to heel.”But Johnson, after just a year on the job, has had difficulty governing the House, and the new Congress would be no different. Hard-liners led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Matt Gaetz and others have often confronted and upended their own GOP leadership in what has been one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-house-chaos-elections-democrats-republicans-divide-50e562326d5c1d8a43cc86381d5705f5">most chaotic sessions</a>&nbsp;in modern times.If Johnson’s slim four-seat majority were to shrink any further, governing could come to a standstill.Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the House “remains very much in play.”With Democrats having defeated two House Republicans in Jeffries’ home state of New York, he said the path to the majority now runs through pickup opportunities in Arizona, Oregon, Iowa and California that are still too early to call.“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.The House contests remained a tit-for-tat fight to the finish, with no dominant pathway to the majority for either party. Rarely, if ever have the two chambers of Congress flipped in opposite directions.Each side is gaining and losing a few seats, including through the redistricting process, which is the routine redrawing of House seat boundary lines. The process reset seats in North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama.Much of the outcome hinges on the West, particularly in California, where a handful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week after the election will still be counted. Hard-fought races around the “blue dot” in Omaha, Nebraska and in far-flung Alaska are among those being watched.Trump, speaking early Wednesday at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/donald-trump-donald-trump-es-florida-west-palm-beach-729b033628874b8392a148c073148602">election night party</a>&nbsp;in Florida, said the results delivered an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans.He called the Senate rout “incredible,” and he praised Johnson, saying he’s “doing a terrific job.”From the U.S. Capitol, Senate GOP Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Mitch McConnell</a>, privately a harsh Trump critic, called it a “hell of a good day.”Senate Republicans marched across the map alongside Trump, flipping the three Democratic-held seats and holding their own against Democratic challengers who failed to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas and Sen. Rick Scott in Florida.In West Virginia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-senate-justice-elliott-7376ed0ceb9bebd0766190fb14cc0e69">Jim Justice,</a>&nbsp;the state’s wealthy governor, flipped the seat held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans toppled Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio with GOP luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-ohio-brown-moreno-74c4b91e5866215d4201377fefcadad0">Bernie Moreno.</a>&nbsp;And Republican Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana.Democrats avoided a total wipeout by salvaging seats in the “blue wall” states. Rep. Elissa Slotkin won an open Senate seat in Michigan, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin was reelected in Wisconsin. Pennsylvania’s race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick was still undecided.In other developments, Democrats made history by sending two Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, to the Senate. Just thee Black women, including Harris, have served in the Senate, but never two at the same time.All told, Senate Republicans have the potential to achieve their most robust majority in years — a testament to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">McConnell</a>, who made a career charting a path to power, this time aligned with Trump whom he has privately called “despicable” in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.During a news conference Wednesday, McConnell declined to answer questions about his past stark criticism of Trump and said he viewed the election results as a referendum on the Biden administration.He told reporters at the Capitol that a Senate under Republican control would “control the guardrails” and prevent changes in Senate rules that would end the filibuster.“People were just not happy with this administration and the Democratic nominee was a part of it,” McConnell said.What’s still unclear is who will lead the new Republican Senate, as McConnell prepares to step down from the post.South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who previously held that post, are the front-runners to replace McConnell in a secret-ballot election scheduled for when senators arrive in Washington next week.<h2>___</h2>Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

Control of the US House still hangs in the balance 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government.

Trump was keeping a low profile, staying out of the public eye after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">addressing supporters in Florida</a>&nbsp;during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede the race and to congratulate him, while Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719509357152.png" alt="Inage courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Inage courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government.Trump was keeping a low profile, staying out of the public eye after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">addressing supporters in Florida</a>&nbsp;during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede the race and to congratulate him, while Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys.“President Trump looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call,” said Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung.Biden's chief of staff later Wednesday nudged the Trump team to sign the required federal agreements necessary to begin an orderly presidential transition, a White House official said.A source with knowledge of the Trump campaign said transition talks to take over power on Jan. 20, 2025, had not begun in earnest. Instead, the president-elect was busy taking calls from leaders, domestic and international, donors and key supporters. Transition discussions are expected to ramp up later in the week, as attention turns to naming an inaugural committee and a formal transition team.Biden chief of staff Jeff Zients reached out to Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon to reiterate the important role the agreements with the White House and the General Services Administration play in beginning a presidential transition. The White House official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive transition planning.The delay is holding up the federal government’s ability to begin processing security clearances for potential Trump administration national security appointees, which could limit the number of his staff who could work on sensitive information by Inauguration Day. It also means they can’t yet access federal facilities, documents and personnel to prepare for taking office.The agreements are required by the Presidential Transition Act, and require the president-elect’s team to agree to an ethics plan and to limit and disclose private donations. Congress, in the act, set a deadline of Sept. 1 for the GSA agreement and Oct. 1 for the White House agreement, in an effort to ensure that incoming administrations are prepared to govern when they enter office on Jan. 20.Lutnick and McMahon released a statement late Wednesday saying Trump will be selecting personnel for his administration in the “days and weeks ahead," but did not address the agreements with the Biden administration.“As he chooses the best people to join his team and best policies to pursue, his transition team will ensure the implementation of President Trump’s common sense agenda starting on Day 1,” they said.The White House announced that Biden had spoken to the president-elect and expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition, while emphasizing the importance of working to bring the country together.Biden also called Harris to salute her for her campaign. And Trump and Harris spoke on a call where the president-elect "acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country,” according to Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;’s office said he called Trump and the pair had a “warm and cordial” conversation while also also discussing the ”Iranian threat.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had an “excellent call” with Trump, who has threatened to cut off the steady flow of U.S. aid and arms to his nation in its fight against Russia's nearly three-year-old invasion. “I praised his family and team for their great work," Zelenskyy said. "We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.”French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump, too, as did Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mohammad-bin-salman-bin-abdulaziz-al-saud">Mohammed bin Salman,</a>&nbsp;who spoke to the president-elect to express "the kingdom’s aspiration to strengthen the historical and strategic relations between the two countries, wishing the friendly American people progress and prosperity under his excellency’s leadership,” according to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry.Trump made his first foreign trip as president during his first term to Saudi Arabia. He stood by the kingdom then, even as ties became strained over the killing of Washington Post columnist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jamal-khashoggi">Jamal Khashoggi</a>&nbsp;by Saudi operatives in Istanbul.The president-elect has since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-mideast-netanyahu-israel-gaza-iran-wars-2e37305522d19bdc34e956586cce99bd">vowed to bring peace to the Middle East</a>&nbsp;at a time when Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon and has recently traded fire with Iran. Trump, who was a staunch supporter of Israel during his previous term, has not said how he'd accomplish that.Meanwhile, U.S. markets, banks and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-crypto-donald-trump-election-c2e2a1a895288c5e9c0df2721012a5bb">bitcoin</a>&nbsp;all stormed higher Wednesday, as did Tesla, owned by outspoken Trump supporter Elon Musk, as investors looked favorably on a smooth election and Trump returning to the White House.Trump got more potential good news with word that special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jack-smith">Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;is evaluating how to wind down the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">two federal cases against</a>&nbsp;the president-elect before he takes office in light of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, according to a person familiar with Smith’s plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.Smith charged Trump last year with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3">illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate</a>. The latter case had already been dismissed. But Trump’s election victory means that the Justice Department believes he can no longer face prosecution in accordance with decades-old department legal opinions meant to shield presidents from criminal charges while in office.__Miller and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Tom Beamont and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.