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Salmon Return To Spawn in Historic Habitat After Largest US Dam Removal in History (Maria)
The author writes, “A giant female Chinook salmon flips on her side in the shallow water and wriggles wildly, using her tail to carve out a nest in the riverbed as her body glistens in the sunlight. In another moment, males butt into each other as they jockey for a good position to fertilize eggs. These are scenes local tribes have dreamed of seeing for decades as they fought to bring down four hydroelectric dams … along more than 400 miles of the Klamath River and its tributaries along the Oregon-California border. Now, less than a month after those dams came down in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, salmon are once more returning to spawn.”
The Thing That Binds Gabbard, Gaetz, and Hegseth to Trump (Dana)
From The Atlantic: “Trump has announced plans to nominate Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Matt Gaetz for attorney general. On the face of it, the trio seem to possess little in common except having scant qualification on paper for the jobs he wants them to fill. (Gabbard and Gaetz are also widely disliked by members of the respective parties in which they served in the U.S. House.) … What brings them together is not just fidelity to Trump, but a shared sense of having been persecuted by the departments they’ve been nominated to lead. It’s what they share with Trump as well as one another, and it’s their main credential to serve under him.”
Trump’s Team Skips FBI Background Checks for Some Cabinet Picks (DonkeyHotey)
The authors write, “President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs, people close to the transition planning say. Trump and his allies believe the FBI system is slow and plagued with issues that could stymie the president-elect’s plan to quickly begin the work of implementing his agenda, people briefed on the plans said. Critics say the intrusive background checks sometimes turn up embarrassing information used to inflict political damage.”
Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick, Pete Hegseth, Was Named in Monterey Sex Assault Probe (Reader Steve)
From the San Francisco Chronicle: “Seven years ago, Monterey police officers investigated an alleged sexual assault involving Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, at a hotel in the seaside city, but the inquiry did not lead to any criminal charges. In a brief statement late Thursday, the city manager’s office in Monterey confirmed the sexual assault investigation, but provided few details.”
Tulsi Gabbard’s Ties to ‘Cult’ Could Cost Her Intel Job (Russ)
The author writes, “In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint ex-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence, reports have resurfaced her ties to a religious sect described as a ‘cult’ — a connection that has the potential to throw her nomination, which requires Senate confirmation, into jeopardy.”
Matt Gaetz Would Oversee US Prisons as AG. He Thinks El Salvador’s Hardline Lockups Are a Model (Reader Jim)
From CNN: “As he stood inside the echoing hall of the prison, Matt Gaetz seemed impressed. ‘There’s a lot more discipline in this prison than we see in a lot of the prisons in the United States,’ said Gaetz, then a congressman, now announced as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for US attorney general. It was July, and Gaetz — who will oversee the Federal Bureau of Prisons if he becomes attorney general — was visiting El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), where gang leaders and murderers are locked up and from which they are never released.”
I’m the Governor of Kentucky. Here’s How Democrats Can Win Again. (Al)
The author writes, “With the November elections over, the political analysis and finger-pointing have begun on cable news and within the national Democratic Party. While I’m deeply disappointed with the national result, I refuse to play the blame game. Campaigns are hard. Candidates and their families are put through hell. And all the candidates tried hard to win, even if they came up short. What I offer instead is a way forward. I won re-election 12 months ago by five points in a state that Donald Trump just carried by 30 points. And I did so at a time when inflation and illegal border crossings were higher than they are now. So how was it possible?”
Campaigners in Italy Urge Pope to Stop ‘Sacrifice’ of 200-Year-Old Tree for Xmas (Laura)
The author writes, “Environmental campaigners in Italy’s northern Trentino province have started a campaign to stop the felling of a 200-year-old fir tree intended to form the centerpiece of the Vatican’s Christmas decorations. The so-called ‘Green Giant’ is 29 meters tall and is due to be chopped down [this] week in a forest in the Ledro valley before being transported to the Vatican and positioned in St Peter’s Square, where it will be unveiled on 9 December.”
