Asia is nervous about Trump, but US-India ties could improve

Will Trump agree to Rubio's move to crack down on China?

Some Asian nations are watching anxiously as Donald Trump prepares to take up the presidency, but for at least one major power in the region, India, the changing of the guard in Washington could strengthen ties.
During a brutal election campaign, where Trump's rhetoric on foreign partners was overwhelmingly negative, he was largely positive about India -- or at least its Hindu majority -- and its nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi.
When Trump courted Indian-American voters at a rally in New Jersey in mid-October, he said, "There won't be any relationship more important to us." He praised Modi -- another populist who is savvy in using social media -- as a "great man" for championing bureaucratic reforms and economic growth.
There are other hints that Trump is well-disposed toward India.
He has done a lot of business there. A Washington Post analysis of Trump's pre-election financial disclosure found that of his 111 international business deals, the highest number -- 16 -- were in India. He stirred controversy last week over potential conflicts of interest by meeting with three Indian business partners who are building a Trump-branded luxury apartment complex in the city of Pune.
On Wednesday he selected South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian Sikh immigrants, to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- the first woman tapped for a Cabinet-level post in his administration. Haley has no foreign policy experience.
It remains a matter of conjecture how any of this will shape the approach taken by a Trump administration when he takes office Jan. 20. But Lisa Curtis at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank said it was "easy to envision" the U.S. and India working closer on counter-terrorism.
India hopes that Trump's promise to fight radical Islamic militants will mean more American pressure on Pakistan and less aid for India's historic archrival. Militants based in Pakistan are accused of launching cross-border attacks inside India.
Neelam Deo, who heads the Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House, said India would also welcome it if Trump builds a working relationship with Russia in fighting the Islamic State group.
But Deo predicted U.S.-India friction if Trump restricts non-immigrant visas for Indians to try to protect American workers. She said that 60 percent of India's information technology experts who work abroad go to the U.S.
Biswajit Dhar, an economics professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said that how Trump approaches immigration is a major concern in India and tough action "is going to rattle quite a lot here."
Lalit Mansingh, a former Indian ambassador to the U.S., said reactions in India to Trump's election victory have ranged from vocal support from right-wingers to shock and disappointment among the liberal intelligentsia. He said people had noticed that Trump had attended election campaign events with Hindus rather than the broader Indian-American community.
India is 80 percent Hindu, but 14 percent of its 1.3 billion people are Muslims.
U.S.-India relations have advanced under President Barack Obama, particularly since Modi's election in 2014. When Modi addressed Congress this June, he described the U.S. as an "indispensable partner" and said together they could anchor stability and prosperity from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.
Staunch U.S. allies like Japan and South Korea, which host American forces and depend on U.S. nuclear deterrence, have been unnerved by Trump's call for nations to shoulder more of the burden for security in Asia.
But that is less of a concern for India, which is not a formal ally of the U.S. It has expanded its military cooperation with Washington and purchased American hardware as it modernizes its armed forces. But it prizes having an independent foreign policy, as it did during the Cold War.
"India's interest in taking on a larger role fits in with Mr. Trump's view of U.S. friends and partners doing more in their own regions," said C. Raja Mohan, director of the Carnegie India think tank.
Trump plans to take an ax to the main economic element of Obama's Asia policy -- the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said this week that he will end U.S. participation in the 12-nation trade pact. India is not involved in the agreement.
But India would be concerned if Trump adopted an isolationist stance and dialed back the U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific.
"India is worried about China's dominance in this region," Dhar said.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cartoons

VP and family arrive for island Thanksgiving holiday

(Nov. 23, 2016) Joe Biden arrived at Nantucket Memorial Airport on Air Force Two just after 7 p.m. Tuesday night, for his last Thanksgiving holiday on the island as vice president.

Biden and his family have been visiting Nantucket Thanksgiving week for the last 39 years, except for last year, following the death of Biden's son Beau.
The vice president has been quite a visible figure during his visits, shaking hands on Main Street during the annual tree-lighting and community caroling the day after Thanksgiving, shopping, biking and even hitting the water at Children's Beach as part of the Atheneum library's Cold Turkey Plunge fundraiser Thanksgiving morning.
This year has been no different, as the vice president was spotted downtown Wednesday having lunch at Fog Island Cafe and walking on Main Street.
After touching down Tuesday night, Biden's motorcade – including a convertible Volkswagen Beetle and a Jeep Wrangler – sped away from the airport to an undisclosed location, although sources familiar with this year's visit said the Bidens are likely staying at the Abram's Point compound of Carlyle Group co-founder and prominent Washington, D.C. philanthropist David Rubenstein, as they did in 2014.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction for “VIP Movement” below 3,000 feet within a three-mile radius of Nantucket Memorial Airport through Sunday. The restrictions prevent unauthorized aircraft not taking off or landing at the airport from entering the island’s airspace and have been issued each year Biden has arrived by air as vice president. They typically cause little disruption to airport operations, officials said.

Obama 'pardons' one last turkey ahead of Thanksgiving holiday

Barack Obama pardoned his last turkey as U.S. president on Wednesday, but his daughters should beware: he plans to continue the tradition as a private citizen.
Obama, who leaves office in January, has followed the annual tradition of "pardoning" a turkey every year before the Thanksgiving Day holiday, which many Americans celebrate with a turkey dinner.
His daughters, Malia and Sasha, often join their father for the tongue-in-cheek Rose Garden Ceremony. Not this year.
"Of course, Thanksgiving is a family holiday as much as a national one. So for the past seven years, I've established another tradition: embarrassing my daughters with a corny-copia of Dad jokes about turkeys," Obama said.
"This year they had a scheduling conflict," he deadpanned.
The president was joined in the Rose Garden by his young nephews, Austin and Aaron Robinson, instead.
He joked that he planned to keep up the tradition during his post presidency.
"Malia and Sasha, by the way, are thankful that this is my final presidential turkey pardon. What I haven’t told them yet is that we are going to do this every year from now on," he said to laughter. "No cameras. Just us. Every year. No way I’m cutting this habit cold turkey."
White House staffers, eager to see the final iteration of the annual tradition, filled the Rose Garden for the ceremony. The president had some more serious words for them and the public, too.
"On this Thanksgiving, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the American people for the trust that you’ve placed in me over these last eight years and the incredible kindness that you’ve shown my family," he said. "On behalf of Michelle, and my mother-in-law, and our girls, we want to thank you so very, very much."
After finishing his remarks, the president blessed a 40-pound (18-kg) fowl from Iowa, granting it a long life and a pardon from appearing on an American dinner table. A backup turkey also had its life spared. Their names: "Tot" and "Tater."

Vice President-elect Mike Pence to spend Thanksgiving in Mississippi

JACKSON, MS 

Vice President-elect Mike Pence will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Mississippi, according to the Associated Press.
According to Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump's transition team, Pence's son, 2nd Lt. Michael Pence Jr., is a Marine who is training to be a pilot and is stationed at Naval Air Station Meridian.
The public affairs officer for NAS Meridian says while Pence is coming to spend the holiday in the area, the Naval Air Station does not expect a visit from him at this time.
Miller says that President-elect Donald Trump will spend Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Security tightens up at Mar-a-Lago Club during Trump family Thanksgiving visit

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Security is incredibly tight around the Mar-a-Lago Club this week as President-elect Donald Trump and his family are in Palm Beach to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Secret Service and sheriff's deputies were posted around the perimeter of the lavish waterfront property as Trump prepares to enjoy the holiday.

"They're stopping all the trucks and searching every truck," Palm Beach resident Andrew Krinsky said.
The future first family arrived in Palm Beach on Tuesday and a day later, school busses were parked in front of the Trump jet, likely as a security precaution.
"I've been a Donald trump supporter from the beginning," Palm Beach County resident Janusz Piskupek said.
Piskupek drove to Mar-a-Lago from Boca Raton just to be close to the president-elect.
"He works very, very hard," Piskupek said.
Meanwhile, flight restrictions were put in place around the waterfront club.  The security on the water is also very tight, as the Coast Guard set up several security zones.
"I'm not very proud, actually, that he had two towers very close to where we live," seasonal resident Brinlee Shultz said.
And while not everyone is thrilled to have Trump in the area, it's not all about politics.
"People are staying away from the area," gift shop owner David Leon said.
Leon said his store has seen less customers because people are trying to avoid the traffic.
"I've checked the years before, previous years," Leon said. "We've done a little better. A lot better actually then we have done in the last couple of days. And I think it is because Mr. Trump is here."
The Trump family is expected to go back to New York on Sunday.

DeNiro Cartoon

Gingrich: 'I can think of 20 other people' better suited for secretary of state than Romney

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich expressed skepticism Tuesday at reports that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the frontrunner to be President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state.
"I can think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy," Gingrich told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
MITT ROMNEY LEADS DONALD TRUMP'S PICKS TO BE SECRETARY OF STATE
Gingrich said that Trump would have to consider whether Romney would be a secretary of state "in the John Kerry tradition" and whether the 2012 Republican presidential nominee would "represent the kind of tough-minded, America-first policies that Trump has campaigned on."
Gingrich added that his preferred choices for secretary of state over Romney included former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Hewlett-Packard CEO and Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina.
However, the former Speaker added that if Trump nominated Romney to be America's top diplomat, "I'm going to support him. But President-elect Trump deserves to have the team he wants."
Gingrich also addressed Trump's offer of the secretary of housing and urban development post to former primary rival Dr. Ben Carson.
CARSON SAYS TRUMP HAS OFFERED HIM HUD SECRETARY, OTHER POSTS
"It would be a little bit unusual because I think Dr. Carson would be more obviously the secretary of health and human services," Gingrich said. "[But] certainly Ben Carson, anything he did, he would do extraordinarily well."